Page 41 of Choosing a Forever
“Congratulations, love birds! That wassoromantic. The manager would like to offer you a complimentarydessert to celebrate your engagement!” our waitress interrupts, and we both jolt a little.
“Oh, that’s so kind. Thank you so much.” Talmage says. “Can you actually take our picture really quick, please?”
The waitress nods, and he hands her his phone. He wraps his arm around my waist, and I bring my left hand up so the ring is on his chest. I give her my best smile, even though my mind is still reeling. She snaps a few pictures, then hands Tal the phone. He inspects them and nods his approval before giving me one last squeeze, and we take our seats again. “Do we get to choose the dessert?”
“Of course! What would you two like?”
Tal motions for me to go ahead, so I clear my throat. “We’ll do the crème brulee, please.” It’s the only dessert I remember seeing.
She nods, congratulates us again, then leaves to—presumably—go put our order in. Talmage and I sit in an awkward silence.
My risotto is still half eaten, and Tal’s steak is probably cold.
What the hell just happened?
“The ring is lovely,” I finally say, breaking the silence.
Tal’s eyes lock on my left ring finger, and a smile tugs at his lips. “I wanted to get you an emerald—to match the color of your eyes—but I saw this one, and it reminded me of your eyes even more. The different shades of green and the way they swirl together… I knew it was the one I wanted you to have.”
“I love it. It’s something I would have picked out for myself, if I were to choose my own. I figured you wouldhave gone with a plain band or a simple oval diamond or something.”
Talmage’s eyes meet mine. “A simple diamond wouldn’t cut it. You need a ring as unique and beautiful as you.”
Chapter 14
Talmage
14 years old…
Ican still feel the way her lips felt on mine, even as I’m sitting in church on Sunday.
All I’ve been able to think about all weekend is how perfect our first kiss was and how I can’t wait to do it again. For the rest of our lives.
I feel bad because I can’t tell my mom about what happened, when all I want to do is shout it from the rooftops. She doesn’t seem to like Mack all that much, though I can’t figure out why. So if I told her I had the perfect kiss with the girl I’m in love with, I think she’d be mad.
Saying those three words out loud filled me with so much happiness, I swear I thought I was going to burst. Something like peace settled inside me, and I finally get when people say “when you know, you know.”
Because I know.
One day, Mackenzie Thorpe is going to be my wife.
Mackenzie Thorpe is my fiancée.
That’s the first thought I had when I woke up.
Covered in…stufffrom a wet dream.
A dream that feels wrong to have about my fiancée because she didn’t give me consent to think about her like that. But I swear I didn’t mean to. It’s just…
I’m almost thirty, a virgin, and have only kissed five people in my entire life. I’ve never masturbated—ever. And that may be unbelievable to some, but it’s been drilled into me forever that it’s wrong. I was told masturbation could lead to damnation, so I’ve just… never done it. I’ve barely been tempted to.
Well, at least not since I was a teenager going through puberty. There were times my ex would try to initiate more, but I would shut it down fast. We were going to be married in the temple! I wasn’t about to risk it just to get off.
Maybe that’s another reason she ended things, now that I think about it.
But—and I hate to admit it because it makes me feel bad—I wasn’t nearly as attracted to her as I am to Mack. Just remembering our simple kiss is making me a little bothered.
After we shared the best crème brulee I’ve ever had, I drove her home and walked her to her door. She didn’t ask me to come inside, and we didn’t kiss again, but it’sokay. It was still one of the best nights of my life. A step towards the future with her as my wife.
