Page 79 of House of Roots and Ruin
“No! No, yours was perfect. Everything, all of it, was perfect.”
The corner of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “It’s not over yet.”
“There’s more?”
He opened the box and held out the ring, dazzling me with the amount of diamonds clustered around the band. It was like a garden in full bloom, a night sky filled with stars.
“This was my great-grandmother’s ring but it’s been in the Laurent family for many, many generations.”
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured. The gold band was polished to a lustrous shine and the center diamond seemed to wink at me.
“It suits you.”
Alex took my hand and started to slip the sparkling ring on my finger.
I pulled my hand back. “Wait, you said I was supposed to ask you the questions too.”
He shook his head. “We don’t have to follow that. You’re not from Bloem and you don’t—”
Inspired, I pushed aside the fullness of my skirts and knelt down on one knee, putting us face to face. I took his hands as he had mine, shaky with the overwhelmingly gigantic moment. “Alexander Etienne Cornelius Leopold Laurent…you have too many names but you also have all of my heart. Will you let me spend the rest of my life loving you?”
His smile was pure joy. “I will.”
“Will you let me adore you, revere you, respect you, and make you laugh?” I asked, unable to remember the exact words he’d used.
His grip tightened around my hands, lacing our fingers together. I could feel the ring pressed heavily between them. “Every day, always.”
“Will you entangle your life with mine as my friend, my darling, my husband?”
Alex beamed. “Nothing would make me happier. Now…may I put on the ring?”
I nodded and he slid it over my finger. He held up my hand, tilting back and forth to catch the diamonds in the light.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice thick. “This really is one of the happiest moments of my life. I’m in absolute awe of you, Verity.” His fingers brushed along my face, trailing over my lips. “I suppose we ought to seal everything with a kiss, don’t you?”
I took a breath, praying that here and now, in the wondrous moment, I would get it right. “Is that what engaged people in Bloem are meant to do?”
“Oh yes.” He grinned, leaning in for his mouth to find mine.
It wasn’t…awful.
He’d pulled me up, bringing me in to sit on his lap, perched on his legs, between the wheels of the chair. It was a bit awkward at first, and I’d worried I was hurting him, but then his lips were on mine and I had an entirely new set of things to worry over.
“Alex,” I murmured as he nibbled at the corner of my mouth. I momentarily entertained the idea of doing the same but stopped short, fearing I’d somehow draw blood. “Alex, we should be getting back.”
“We ought to stay here,” he countered, his voice dreamy and distant, lacing his fingers through mine.
My hands felt so different now, with the weight of Alex’s ring. More important, more grown up. These were no longer the hands of a girl, but a young woman, loved and cherished. I held on to that feeling, that sense of security and comfort.
“The party,” I reminded him.
He groaned and kissed me deeper, his tongue finding mine. I spent the moment trying to visualize exactly what each mouthwas doing. The more I thought about it, the more confusing it seemed. His breaths grew drawn and ragged and I did feel a little pleased that whatever I was doing satisfied him so thoroughly.
“Won’t Frederick be back soon?”
“He already took the boat.”
“So, how do we get back?” I wondered, cupping my hands over his face, holding him still so our eyes met, the kisses at a blessed end.
