Page 22 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret
“Is that one your favorite?” Benson asked.
“I don’t know,” Tessa said. “There are so many choices. It’s hard to decide.”
“The one that you have on is a popular choice, but the others are classic styles that have been around for a long time.”
“I always thought I wanted a round-cut, but I really liked that princess cut,” Tessa said.
“You can get any of them that you like,” Benson told her.
“I’m surprised you didn’t have a ring already for me when you proposed at the wedding.”
“I wasn’t quite as prepared as I would have liked, I’ll admit that,” Benson said. “But we’re going to make up for that now.”
“And how about a nice dinner after this?” Tessa asked. “Are you available?”
“I don’t have anything going on. You know I’m here this week to spend time with you.”
“Aww,” Tessa said. “That’s so sweet of you to clear your busy schedule for me.”
“You know I’d do anything for you, baby.” Benson kissed the side of her head. He hoped he wasn’t laying it on too thick. He wasn’t good at pretending. He tended to be a straightforward kind of guy.
“With all our wedding preparations, you may want to think about staying longer,” Tessa murmured against him. Her body was close to his. With this sweet girl acting so cozy, he wanted to stay near her.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll have to see if I can get my landlord to let me stay in the same place.”
“Good.”
Was she glad he was staying longer? He would have thought she’d want to get some space from him, her last moments of freedom, but she sounded like she wanted him to remain.
“How about we go to Hadley’s tonight?” Benson suggested.
“That sounds perfect,” Tessa said. She handed the ring back to Sariah. “I’d like to try on the princess cut again.”
“Of course,” Sariah said.
Sariah was an attractive woman. She had her long, light brown hair down and curled. She was delicate with fair skin and a creamy blush to her cheeks. She’d dated Kane back in high school, so Benson had hung out with her a lot. She’d spent a lot of time with their friend group. He remembered her eating at their lunch table for a couple of years.
She and Kane broke it off just before graduation. She was working at her grandfather’s jewelry shop, and Kane had big plans to work alongside his ultra-wealthy grandfather in New York City. He went off to college in preparation for that role. When he was in college, he ended up meeting his wife, Orchid, and he and Sariah were a thing of the past. When he graduated from college, Kane married Orchid, but from what Benson could tell, the marriage wasn’t going well. Kane always had some biting remark about the state of his marriage.
Benson hated to see his buddy so miserable. He had billions of dollars, but even that hadn’t helped him find happiness. Seeing Kane struggling with his marriage had only reinforced the idea that he needed to avoid commitment. So much for that idea now.
Tessa slipped on the princess cut diamond ring.
“Let me see it.” Benson scooted up next to her. “I know my opinion doesn’t matter here, but I personally like that one the best.”
“That does help,” Tessa said. “I’m horrible at making decisions like this.”
“You’re not horrible at all the decisions you make,” Benson said. “You’re with me, aren’t you?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “You’re joking, right?”
“Ouch!” Benson put a hand over his heart. “That hurts.”
“I think I need my head examined, agreeing to marry you. Just don’t take me on any of your shenanigans. I don’t want to be arrested because you want to do something else crazy.”
“Look at you two,” Sariah said. “You’re like an old married couple already.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Benson said.
