Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
“Where are we going? Am I allowed down here?” Maia hissed uncertainly, tugging on my hand as I led her through doors and down corridors.
“You are if you’re with me.” The office where I’d broken the news to Callan and John was free, so I pushed in and shut the door behind us.
That’s when the nerves kicked in again.
Maia glanced around the clinical space, tucking a strand of silky dark hair behind her ear. Christ, even her ears were cute and perfect. She wore classy little diamond studs that winked in the light. I hoped the diamonds weren’t from Will or we’d have to replace them pronto.
“And we’re in here why?” My asked, arching an eyebrow.
Here goes nothing.
I tugged the ring box out of my pocket. “If we’re going to do this, you need to dress the part.” I opened the box.
Maia’s jaw dropped. “Where?” she wheezed out. “How? What?”
I snorted. “Give me your hand.”
Maia gaped. “Huh?”
Shoulders shaking with amusement, I reached for her manicured left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. It fit. Perfectly.
Meant to be.
An unexpected flush of arousal shot through me seeing the ring on her. My dick started to harden.
Fuck.
Kaito’s naked arse. Baumann’s naked arse. That time the team tried to make me eat sheep balls. The gaffer’s naked arse. Ugh. Aye, that did it.
I cleared my throat. “It was my aunt Sigrid’s engagement ring, so it’s vintage. Mum said it’s a violet sapphire. I thought … it’s kind of perfect for you. Cannae believe it fits.”
Maia looked up from the ring. “It’s stunning, Baird. I can’t … I can’t wear this. It’s too special.”
“We need a ring, and I happened to have this one. I know you’ll take care of it.”
“I will.” She clasped it to her chest, eyes a wee bit bright, like she was fighting back emotion.
I reached for her other hand. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not … you didn’t. I just …” Maia lifted the ring into the light. “When Will … when we ended our engagement, I was genuinely heartbroken. But lately, there are things that make me question our relationship. Like the engagement ring he gave me.”
Our eyes locked, and I trembled against the need to kiss her, soothe her, make her realize I would hand her the world.
“This is a ring I’m supposed to wear for the rest of my life. It should be exactly the right ring for me. Yet Will chose this huge diamond that was showy and obnoxious. I felt awkward when people would comment on it. But this … this is perfect for me. How do you know that and he didn’t?”
Because I know you. I love you. Not who I want you to be. I held back the desperate words. “Because I pay attention, My. Maybe you’re starting to realize Will the Prick didn’t pay attention.”
Her answering laugh sounded like a half sob. “Aye, I think you’re right.”
I tugged her into a cuddle. “Are you okay?”
Maia hugged me tightly. “Aye. I will be. Thanks for trusting me with your aunt’s ring.”
I want to trust you with it for the rest of my damn life.
Clearing my throat again, I released her before I did something like kiss her until neither of us could breathe. “Now for the fun part. We go tell the gaffer we’re engaged.”
She nibbled on her lush lower lip. “I feel bad telling your manager before I tell my parents.”
Shit. “We … we can wait. If you want.”
“No. Let’s do it. I’ll tell my parents tonight.”
At her disturbed expression, I was almost afraid to ask. “You don’t think it’ll go well?”
She grimaced. “Not because it’s you. But because I’m ‘engaged’ again after only a month of breaking off my last engagement.”
“One, don’t air-quote engaged, or you’ll give this whole thing away.”
Maia snort-laughed but nodded.
“And second, you’re telling them the truth. That this is … fake.” I hated that word. “So, I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“Hmm. I’m glad one of us thinks so.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
MAIA
Icouldn’t stop staring at Baird’s ring.
Not just because it was a family heirloom he’d entrusted me with but because it was the most perfect engagement ring in the world. I’d never seen a sapphire that matched the color of my eyes before. My eyes were a gift from my dad. A gift I treasured because they were such an unusual color. Aunt Shannon, dad’s wee sister, had the same violet eyes too.
I didn’t even know this color of sapphire existed. The sapphire looked around two carat and was a rectangular cushion cut, set in platinum, and flanked by three round-cut diamonds, two hugging the sapphire and one at the base in a triangular cascade into the band. Six round-cut diamonds in total. It was beautiful but understated. Baird told me his aunt’s husband had bought it from a jeweler in Austria in the 1960s. I loved it had history, but I was also taken aback that Baird had bestowed a piece of jewelry upon me that was clearly important to his family instead of keeping the engagement ring for the woman he would eventually marry after we divorced.