20. Hazel
HAZEL
I start the next day with a smile, because the men are still in bed when I wake up. It’s possible that I might be a little noisy and move around a little too much, and I don’t regret it at all when they wake up shortly after me.
They each give me an orgasm before they even say good morning, and I happily return the favors.
“Any requests for lunch?” I ask after they’re showered and dressed.
“That’s our question for you,” Bron says. “We’re going to work for a couple of hours, and then we’re taking you out.”
“Out for lunch? ”
“Among other things.” Conal’s tone is loaded with mystery.
I spend the morning checking in with my mom, sister, and Bliss, reassuring the first two that everything is fine, and trying to avoid giving the third too much detail about my burgeoning sex life, no matter how much she asks.
Between the calls and texts, I try to distract myself from how much I crave the men. They’re becoming an addiction, and it seems to be getting worse every day.
Lucky for me, they’re back upstairs before lunchtime, and I’m dressed and waiting for them.
“Does this look okay?” I gesture to the skirt and blouse I chose for our mystery outing.
Conal gives me a quick kiss. “You look perfect, as always.”
“Thank you. I’m ready when you are. I just need to grab my purse.”
“First, here’s your new phone.” He hands me a box with a brand-new, top-of-the-line model in it. “And this is yours, too. ”
I stare at the credit card he’s holding out to me. “Um … thank you,” I say tentatively, taking it.
“You can use that to buy anything you want,” Conal says. “And the driver can take you wherever you need to go, if you want to go shopping.”
“Oh … okay.” It’s not something I see myself doing. They’ve already bought me so many nice clothes, though I suppose I do need to look the part of a rock star’s wife when we go out.
“One more thing,” Conal says. “Do you have a passport?”
I stop in my tracks. “Where are we having lunch?”
He laughs and kisses me again. “Someplace nearby today, but you never know.”
“I don’t have a passport,” I tell him.
“We’ll have to get one for you, then. I’ll have our assistant start the process.”
Out front, the limo is waiting for us, along with a small part of the security team. On the way to our destination, the guys suggest different types of food, and together we decide on Thai, since it’s been a while since any of us had it.
We pull into the drive for one of the giant resorts on The Strip, but rather than stopping at the main entrance, the driver pulls up next to an unmarked door.
From there, security leads us to a shopping area and straight to the restaurant, where there’s already a table waiting in a corner, behind a screen.
“How did they arrange this so quickly?”
“Our guys are good,” Bron says.
After a delicious lunch where we all share salads, noodle and curry dishes, I expect that we’ll be discreetly led out the way we came, but instead, we head further into the shopping area.
The men’s pace seems to indicate that they have a destination in mind, and that turns out to be a very high-end jewelry store.
“It’s time we make things right with your ring situation,” Conal says, taking my hand and leading me straight over to a counter.
“My ring situation?”
He lifts my left hand to look at the diamond and ruby band that I spend a lot of time looking at myself. “We were in a hurry the night we got married,” he says. “I wanted to spend more time getting the engagement ring right, even though we’re doing things out of order.”
“I don’t need another ring. This one is beautiful. ”
He kisses my temple. “You do need it, Hazel. I want the world to know you’re mine— ours.” He says the last part in a whisper close to my ear, making my skin flush.
The sales associate welcomes us and offers us champagne, which Conal accepts for both of us. Similar to the expensive clothing store, there aren’t a lot of rings in the display case, but what they do have are beautiful.
As he’s pointing ones out and asking my opinion, clicking sounds and murmuring voices catch my attention.
There are at least half a dozen people at the store’s entrance pointing long camera lenses at us. The security guys are keeping them at a distance, but not making them go away.
“You can ignore them,” Conal says, turning back to the case.
It’s distracting, knowing people are watching us and taking pictures of us, but I do my best to ignore them.
“Let’s see that one,” Conal tells the salesperson as he points to a dazzling round diamond.
I’m encouraged to try it on, and when I do, I’m awed by the size and sparkle of it. I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable wearing something that must be unbelievably expensive.
“No?” Conal reads my face, then points to another. “How about this one?”
Part of me wants to tell him that I not only don’t need an engagement ring, but also kind of don’t want one, especially one so big, but it feels rude to refuse, especially when it’s a symbol of our marriage.
It doesn’t help my case that my wedding band is v-shaped, and is made to fit around a larger diamond.
I scan the case for rings with smaller diamonds, but instead one catches my eye that has a large diamond with two smaller ones nestled beside it. It’s not ideal that the stones are different sizes, but I love that there are three to represent Conal and his brothers.
Conal notices me noticing, and asks the salesperson to bring it out. I can’t help but smile when I see it on my finger.
He grins at me, his eyes sparkling almost as much as the gems. “This is the one, isn’t it?”
Rafe and Bron have been nearby, seemingly disinterested, but both come closer and lean in to check out the ring.
“I really like it,” I tell Conal with a nod .
“Then it’s yours.” He gives me a lingering kiss, holding my ringed hand in his, and I forget all about the strangers who are watching us.
“We’ll be able to size it for you in fifteen minutes, if you’re able to wait,” the salesperson says after Conal and I break apart. The ring is a little bit loose on my finger.
“We’ll wait. I want her to be able to wear it home.” Conal’s talking to the salesperson, but focused on me, and I wish we were alone, because the way he’s looking at me makes me want to do a lot more than kiss him.
“Want to look at some other pieces?” he asks when the salesperson goes in the back. “Maybe a necklace?”
“We can look, but I don’t want anything else.”
He gives me an odd look, but doesn’t say anything. The paparazzi are still surrounding the shop’s entrance, and there are more of them now. I’m surprised they haven’t gotten plenty of shots already, but they’re still aiming their cameras at us.
We browse to fill the time, and I politely turn down another offer from Conal when I admire a bracelet. After that, I’m careful not to show any one item too much attention, for fear he’ll buy it even if I protest .
When my ring is ready, Conal makes a show of sliding it on my finger and kissing me again. “Let’s give them some shots,” he says, gesturing with a nod toward the hoard of photographers.
It seems like they’d already have all they need, but Conal holds my hand out and displays my ring for them. We’re not close to them, but with their lenses, I’m sure they can capture every facet of the diamond. He kisses me some more, then signals to the security team to disperse the crowd.
“Ready to go, Mrs. Curran?” The name is a surprising thrill every time I hear it.
“Thank you for the beautiful ring,” I tell him.
“My pleasure.”
I assume we’ll be going home after ring shopping, but instead, we go to the airport, where a helicopter is waiting for us.