Epilogue
One Year Later
My hand moves under the bed, patting and swiping, coming up empty-handed. “Where the hell is it?”
Okay, maybe under the bed is a dumb place to look, but I’ve searched everywhere else.
His underwear drawer, inside his socks, inside his shoes, under the sink—everywhere you’d think to look for an engagement ring.
I know he brought it; I saw the receipt in his coat pocket.
A three carat marquise cut diamond with a silver band.
It’s driving me insane not knowing where it is and what he’s waiting for. Could he be planning a trip? Paris?
“Babe?” Leo’s voice echoes from downstairs, followed by his footsteps climbing the stairs one by one.
“Yeah?” I rush out of the room to meet him in the hall, posing awkwardly.
He comes around the corner, glaring at me in amusement. “You okay? I heard some banging up here.”
“I’m fine,” I confirm as I move past him toward the stairs. “Just cleaning up and all that jazz.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” Leo crosses his arms.
Shrugging, I offer a crooked smile. “I have no clue what you mean.”
“Yeah, you do. You only ever say ‘all that jazz’ when you’re trying to hide something, so spill.”
Wait, do I do that? I need to work on that.
Leo looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to crack the way he knows I will.
He narrows his eyes, and the truth dances at the tip of my tongue.
I cross my arms, hoping that my faux confidence will cover me, but the mask drops when I realize he’s really not backing down, and I can’t hold it in any longer.
“I know you bought an engagement ring!” The truth rushes out of me like a waterfall. Leo’s usual cockiness drops, and I feel worse than I already did. “I’m sorry, I found the receipt in your pants pocket when I was doing the laundry, and I got curious. Sorry.”
“I was wondering where that receipt went too.” He scratches the back of his head before laughing to himself. “I guess it’s really my fault for not being more careful.”
“No, I shouldn’t have been so nosy. I’m just as much to blame.”
Leo pulls me into a hug, kissing the top of my head before dropping a kiss to my lips. “It’s safe to assume you’re excited?”
“Of course I am. I’d want nothing more than to be your wife. Especially now that we both finally got those promotions we wanted. Nothing’s stopping us.”
Leo’s smile widens. “You’re not wrong, but I’ll propose in time. But you have to promise not to go looking for answers, or you’ll spoil it for both of us.”
“I promise.” I kiss him with a peck that turns into two, that turns into three until it deepens. Neither of us breaks contact as he lifts me, wrapping my legs around him, and carrying me to our bedroom.