The Ring He Didn't Buy
Chapter 17 - The Ring He Didn't Buy
Adrian did not buy an engagement ring.
Not at first.
Instead, he took Rachel to the old park where they had met at nineteen.
The bench was still there.
The paint was peeling.
Rachel smiled.
"You remember this place?"
"I remember you spilling coffee on me here."
"You bumped into me."
"You were walking backward."
"I was reading."
"Exactly."
They sat.
Adrian took something from his pocket.
Not a diamond.
A red ribbon.
Rachel stared at it.
"The teddy bear?"
"I replaced the ribbon when you weren't looking."
She laughed through tears.
Adrian held it gently.
"This stupid piece of ribbon somehow survived everything we didn't."
Rachel looked down.
"I hurt you."
"Yes."
"You hurt me too."
"I know."
"We lost eleven years."
"Yes."
Rachel looked at him.
"You're terrible at romantic speeches."
"I had a better one."
"What happened?"
"I forgot it."
She laughed again.
Then Adrian became serious.
"I can't promise we'll never make mistakes."
Rachel's expression softened.
"But I promise I will never again let fear make my decisions for me."
He reached into his other pocket.
This time, there was a ring.
Simple.
Nothing like the extravagant jewelry he once purchased without thought.
Rachel covered her mouth.
"I didn't buy this."
She frowned.
"It was my mother's."
Adrian held it out.
"Rachel Bennett, would you consider spending the rest of your life arguing with me?"
She laughed and cried at once.
"That's your proposal?"
"I told you I forgot the speech."
She kissed him before answering.
"Yes."
From behind a tree came a shout.
"Finally!"
Eli emerged holding a phone.
Rachel stared.
"Were you filming us?"
"Dad told me to."
Adrian looked guilty.
Rachel shook her head.
"You two are impossible."
Eli grinned.
"Does this mean I get cake?"
Adrian put an arm around his son.
"A lot of cake."
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For the first time, their future did not feel like something stolen from the past.
It felt new.
