CHAPTER 53
Riggs
Here it goes.
While she was still sleeping, I ordered breakfast and the knock from room service woke her. I’m coming back with a large tray of food when she notices my necklace. I left it on the pillow next to her. I set the tray down and kneel on the floor beside her.
“I’ve always wondered about this,” she says, examining the small wood box. “Where did you get it?”
“I made it a long time ago. The cord is stinging nettle. The wood is manzanita. Open it.”
“Really?” She looks excited as she fiddles with it. It takes a moment before she realizes that pushing on the end moves a tiny hidden lever. It pops open and she just stares.
I reach up to take it from her. “Maddie, will you marry me?”
She’s still staring at the ring. “You’ve had this the whole time? I… You had this when I first met you. I don’t understand.”
“I’ve had it for a while. A few years ago, I heard a very successful man speak at a seminar. He said when you visualize what you want in life, it will happen. He wanted to be rich, so he carried a real silver dollar everywhere he went as a constant reminder, and sure enough, he got what he wanted.”
“So, you wanted to get married?”
I chuckle. “No, I wanted to be happy. As I thought about it, I visualized what that meant. It didn’t take long to figure out what happy looked like.
A family of my own. A wife I would love more than anything.
A couple of kids later on. For me, happy was finding the right woman for me and me being the right man for her.
The ring has been a constant reminder of that.
I reach up and take her hand. “Maddie, you make me happier than I ever imagined I could be. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“How big is that diamond?” she says fixated on the ring I’m still holding.
“Not the answer I was expecting,” I say with a chuckle. “It’s five carats.”
“Darn. I wanted to marry someone who would give me a six-carat diamond.” Her gaze meets mine and with pouty duck lips she says, “You were so close.”
I grab her hand and she laughs as I force the ring on her finger. “I’m sorry, did you think I was asking?”
She holds the ring up to the light. “Come make love to me.”
“You haven’t said yes yet.”
“Yes. God, yes! Now get that fine ass in bed and make me say it the right way.”