Page 9 of The Engagement
And then she kisses me in spite of the small crowd that has gathered on the walking path to share in our moment. A few folks have their phones out, trying to be subtle as they point them at us.
I just hope we don’t end up on the Internet.
Chapter 4 – Erin
Tears are streaming down my cheeks. “You don’t know the significance of this location,” I tell Mack.
He stands up and sits beside me on the bench. “Um, no. Should I?”
My throat is so tight it aches. “This is the same bench where Shane proposed to Beth. I know because she brought me here once.”
He clearly is surprised by that. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. It was right here where he gave her a ring and—well, at the time, he told her it was either a promise ring or an engagement ring, her choice. I think he was afraid of rushing her. And, of course, she picked engagement ring.”
Mack chuckles. “Well, I’m not leaving anything to chance, honey. Mine is definitely anengagementring.”
I stare at the ring on my finger, mesmerized by the sparkle and fire in the diamond facets. “It’s so beautiful, Mack. Thank you.”
“In full transparency, you should know Beth and Sam helped me pick it out. I figured they’d know best what you liked.”
I can’t look away from the sight of the ring on my finger. “It’s perfect. I can’t imagine anything better.”
Truly, it is an absolutely gorgeous ring, but honestly I would have been happy with a piece of frayed twine tied around my finger. I honestly didn’t think this day would ever come. I wasn’t sure if he’d ever want to commit to me—not after what I went through. I am high maintenance. I have issues. I have nightmares, even after all this time. Hotel lobbies give me panic attacks. So do bars. I can’t even step inside one. And strange men—no. I can’t deal with that either.
My chest feels tight, and I’m having trouble breathing.
“Honey?” He lays his arm across my shoulders and pulls me closer. “What’s wrong?”
I take a deep breath and shake my head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
But he’s not buying it. He smiles gently. “How about we go show Beth your ring? I’ll bet she’d love to see it. Sam, too.”
The strangle hold on my chest loosens. “You don’t think she’d mind? It’s the weekend. I’d hate to intrude uninvited on her family time.”
His smile deepens into a grin. “Who do you think suggested it in the first place? She made me promise to bring you over ASAP so she could see the ring on your finger.”
“Yes, then let’s go.”
Holding hands, we stroll leisurely back to our apartment building, where we head straight into the underground parking garage to get Mack’s vehicle. When I text Beth to ask if we can come over, she immediately replies with a YES!
We head south for the short drive to Beth and Shane’s home in their private gated community. We have to stop first at the manned security gate.
When we pull up to the guard shack window, the security guard greets us with a smile. He pushes a button, and the gate swings open. He waves us in. “Beth said you’d be coming by.”
The McIntyre family compound, as Lia calls it, is a small, private, gated community occupied by most of the McIntyre family. A while back, Shane purchased a brand-new housing development that had just started development and turned it into his family’s private community. Currently, there are eight homes in a large cul-de-sac, with space for a half dozen more. There’s a fenced-in playground in the green space located in the center of the circular drive.
Shane and Beth live here now, in a large duplex they share with Sam and Cooper. Shane’s parents have a home here, too, asdoes Beth’s mom. All of Shane’s siblings and their families live here, except for Hannah and Liam. Liam and his girlfriend live in our building. Hannah lives in Bryce, Colorado, near the Rocky Mountains, with her new husband, Killian Devereaux. They run an outdoor wilderness excursions business and they coordinate a search and rescue team.
The speed limit sign inside the community reads 5 miles per hour, which makes us laugh as it’s pretty hard to actually drive that slow.
Mack parks along the curb in front of Beth’s house. We walk up the sidewalk to the front door and knock quietly—just in case the baby’s sleeping.
Shane answers the door with an expectant smile on his face. He motions for us to come inside. “All right,” he says, gesturing impatiently. “Let’s see it.”
I hold up my hand, and he studies my ring. “Very nice.” He offers his hand to Mack, and they shake. “Good job, buddy.”
Rapid little footsteps alert us to the arrival of Luke, their little tow-headed toddler. “Hi, Erin! Hi, Mack!”
