Page 138 of Reverie

“I know we didn’t exchange rings,” Hunter says, “but I got you one. Not the one I got you to visit Misha,” he adds quickly.

I turn to him then, trying to craft a smile on my face.

“Oh? It’s no big deal, Hunter,” I say, trying to sound cheerful. I honestly haven’t given much thought to rings or anything like that. Outside of the crystal jewelry he got me last Christmas, I am not one to wear much jewelry at all, especially rings.

Hunter’s smile is sad. “But it’s a big deal to me,” he says.

He lifts my left hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.

“Here,” he says, pulling a small blood-red ring box from his pocket. “I had this designed months ago. Luckily it was delayed in delivery to Amelia Manor, so I was able to intercept it and bring it to Misha’s.”

When he opens the box, holding it up for me to examine, my heart jumps into my throat. The ring is stunning, and when I inspect it, I realize that the shape and cut of the diamond are very similar to Amelia’s ring. It’s exactly something I would have loved and picked out for myself.

The ring is flawless—an understated but still large pear-shaped diamond at the center with a halo of smaller diamonds around the stone. More diamonds adorn the rose-gold and platinum band, but what takes my breath away is the interlocking braid of lightly colored gems.

“What are these?” I ask, still not taking the ring from Hunter’s hand.

He smiles, pulling the ring from its place nestled between the small velvet pillows. “These are sapphires, padparadscha sapphires, to be exact. I researched for days to find the right one,” he says, running his finger around the braid of stones.

The colors are stunning. They shift between orange and pink depending on which way the light hits it. The ring is unique and special, and I’m glad Hunter got something important to him too—a ring modeled after his mother’s.

“Sapphires are known as a stone of protection, and they stand for wisdom and strength.”

He kisses my hand.

“Even though you’ve made me the happiest man on Earth by agreeing to marry me, I always want you to be you. Just you.”

I bite my lip; my nose burns with unshed tears.

“It’s beautiful, Hunter. I love it,” I say. “I didn’t get you anything, though.”

The ring Hunter wants to gift me is at least half a million, easy. Even though I know he wouldn’t want anything nearly as showy, I worry. I don’t have nearly as much money in my bank account, so anything I could afford would be well below what he’s spent on me.

Overwhelm starts to rear its ugly head. What would he want?

That is, if he wants to wear a ring at all.

“Do you want to wear a ring? You don’t have to,” I say, my voice low and my eyes focused on the leather seat between us.

“Yes,” he says, and his voice is deep, serious.

I snap my gaze back toward him.

“There’s nothing that I want more than to wear the ring you give me, baby.”

He’s so passionate in his words, I know he means them with his entire body and soul.

I gaze past him and out the window, watching the ground crew and the pilots confer.

This is a perfect moment. And it’s still not right.

What would it take to make you happy, Winter?

“I’ll work on getting you something special,” I say, pasting on a smile before returning my focus back to Hunter. He smilesback at me, but he looks so tired. I can’t help but put my hand on his cheek.

“I love you so goddamn much, Sunbeam,” he says, pressing his lips to my flesh and whispering the words into my palm.

I know you do, my love. I know you do.