“Do you like that one?” Benson asked.
“I want to try on another one.” Tessa slipped off the ring and handed it to Sariah. “Let me see.” She stared down at the glass case and walked down a bit, browsing the selection. “There are so many to choose from.”
“I can give some suggestions,” Sariah said. “Just tell me a little about what you’re looking for.”
“I don’t even know. This is the first time I’ve tried looking. I wasn’t expecting Benson to propose. He caught me off guard.”
“I love it!” Sariah said. “When did he propose?”
“He popped the question at Alexis and Owen’s wedding reception.”
“How romantic! Do they even know?” Sariah asked.
“Not yet.”
“They should be getting back from their honeymoon soon.”
“Maybe I can get Alexis to make our wedding cake,” Tessa said.
“Have you picked out a date yet?” Sariah asked.
“We’re thinking sometime in July.”
“Oh, wow! So soon?” Sariah asked.
“We wanted to get the wedding and honeymoon over with before the football season started back up.”
“That doesn’t give you much time, does it?” Sariah said.
“Not really,” Tessa said. “So we’re going to have to hurry.”
“Do you see any rings you like?” Sariah asked. “I’ll do my part to help you get everything picked out for your big day. And while you’re at it, you can pick out Benson’s ring too.”
“That’s a great idea.” Tessa pointed to a princess cut ring. “Can I try on that one?”
Sariah pulled the ring out of the glass case and handed it to Tessa. “That diamond is a 1.2 carat.”
“I don’t think I would want to go bigger than this.” She slid the ring on and held her hand out so she could get a good look at it. “This is gorgeous. Look, Benson.”
He took her hand in his. Her hand was tiny and delicate in his rough, large hand. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his own. His heart sped up as he held her hand and looked at the stunning diamond on her hand. It didn’t seem real that he was buying an engagement ring for this beautiful woman. How had he gotten her to agree to say yes to him?
“I like this,” Tessa said. “But I’m not completely sure yet.”
“Take your time,” Sariah said. “Buying the ring is a huge decision. You’ll be wearing it for the rest of your life, so you want to make sure you get it right.”
“Yep.” Tessa took the ring off and handed it back to Sariah. Benson wondered what she was thinking.
“You sure you want to be stuck with this guy?” Sariah teased.
“Hey,” Tessa said. “We’re doing this thing one way or another.”
At least she seemed committed to the relationship.
Tessa pointed to another ring. “Let’s try that one.” It was a round diamond with a halo of tiny diamonds around it. The band was encrusted with even more tiny diamonds.
“Now, this one is a smaller diamond,” Sariah said. “It’s a .66 carat. But because of the surrounding halo, the diamond appears larger.” Sariah pulled the diamond out of the glass case and handed it to Tessa.
“Ooh, it’s pretty,” Tessa said. “I like it.” She rotated her hand back and forth and the light caught on the diamonds.