Page 87 of Chasing Sunsets

I exhale slowly, reaching into my pocket, fingers brushing over the small velvet box I’ve kept hidden for the past few months. I turn it over in my hand once, twice, before finally pulling it out and setting it on the counter.

Mom’s eyes drop to it, and her brows lift. “Oh?”

I don’t say anything yet. Instead, I open the box. The gold band is worn with age, the Victorian setting intricate and timeless. The deep red gemstone catches the light, but the tiny gaps where diamonds once sat are still there—a reminder of the day I first met Tabby.

Mom leans in, tilting her head. Her fingers twitch like she’s itching to pick it up. “I remember this ring.” Her voice softens with something unreadable. “The day the girl of your dreams walked in, thinking we were a pawnshop.”

I nod.

A slow smile spreads across her face. “And I see you’ve kept it all this time.”

My throat tightens, but I nod again. “Yeah.”

Mom doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Instead, she finally reaches for the ring, picking it up with gentle fingers, turning it under the light. “So,” she says carefully, “what do you want me to do with it?”

I inhale sharply, my heart kicking up a notch. “I want you to remake it. For her.”

She stills, looking up at me.

“I want an engagement ring,” I say, the words feeling foreign and yet more real now that I’ve spoken them out loud to mymother. “And I want to use this ring, but I want to make it something new. Something … ours.”

Mom blinks rapidly, and for the first time in my life, I see her get choked up.

“Oh, Anson.”

She presses her lips together, shaking her head like she’s trying to gather herself.

I clear my throat and keep going before I lose my nerve. “I want to take the ruby out and replace it with a diamond. A big one.” I exhale. “And I want you to cut the ruby down—small pieces, enough to replace the missing diamonds in the setting. So the ring still has her grandmother’s stone, just … in a new way.”

Mom exhales sharply, and for a second, I wonder if she’ll refuse. If she’ll say I’m ruining an antique, that I’m breaking something sentimental.

But then she swipes at her eyes and shakes her head. “That’s the most beautiful idea I’ve ever heard.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

Mom studies the ring again, running her thumb over the gold. “You’ve thought this through?”

“I have.”

She looks at me. “And you’re sure? Because it seems awfully sudden.”

“I’m not proposing today or anything. But I will one day, and I want to be ready when the time comes.”

“Does she have any idea?” she asks.

I shake my head. “She knows I’m in love with her, but, no, she doesn’t know I’m thinking about marriage. She doesn’t even know I kept the ring.”

Mom smiles, slow and knowing. “Oh, she’s going to be so surprised.”

I laugh under my breath. “I hope so.” I glance at the ring. “So, you think you can actually do it?”

She scoffs, waving a hand. “Oh, please. You know I’d move heaven and earth for this.” She narrows her eyes. “And I’ll only charge you, say … a million dollars?”

I chuckle. “Right. I’ll Venmo you.”

Mom grins, then sobers as she looks at the ring again. “This is a really special thing you’re doing, Anson. The way you met, the way you helped her that day …” She exhales. “It’s full circle.”

I nod, my chest tightening. “That’s the idea.”

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