Page 4 of Camilla & Dallas
“Three,” Dallas said.
“Three, then.” His father nodded to the ring box. “Am I correct in assuming you spent most of your savings on that ring?”
This time Dallas didn’t respond.
His father sighed. “Think about it, son. Marriage is hard, and that’s without the concern for finances. You barely know each other. You don’t have a penny to your name. Is marriage really the right decision? Perhaps get a steady job lined up. Or build back your savings. Don’t go into debt for a fling.”
Dallas swiped the ring from the table and shoved it in his pocket as he launched to his feet. “Camilla isn’t a fling. She’s the love of my life. She’s the only one I want to be with.”
“And I’m happy for you, but?—”
“Are you though? I would have thought if you were happy for me, you’d congratulate me and maybe offer some sage words of advice.”
“That’s what I was doing.” Now his father sounded more tired than anything else. “Trust me, Dallas. There are more things to consider when making this decision. Money and feelings are but two of many. Before you go doing anything rash, think this through. Make a plan. I’ll support you in whatever decision you make, but I want you to make the one that’s right for you.”
Hands clenched into fists at his sides, Dallas turned to storm from the room, but his father’s quiet question stopped him in his tracks.
“Do you really love this girl as much as you say you do?”
“Yes,” Dallas said with conviction. “I really do love her.”
“Then you’ll do what I suggest. You’ll consider everything from every angle. Not for your sake but for hers. Don’t let your selfish desires be the thing that tears the two of you apart. It might not happen today. It might not happen five years down the road. But if you jump too quickly into something that neither of you are prepared for, you’ll find you’ll both end up shattered and alone in the end.”
Dallas stood there, his back to his father, as he let the words sink in. He didn’t want to believe what he’d said. He didn’t want to put anything on hold. It felt right to buy the ring. It had felt right to plan the proposal for tonight.
But the longer he let his father’s words get to him, the harder it became to stick with those plans.
Dallas flipped open the box,then snapped it shut.
He sat, hunched on his bed, his father’s warning dancing through his skull, mocking him. There was a very real possibility that his father was right. Currently, Dallas was so in love withCamilla that he was blinded to any complications that could arise. While he knew they were compatible in every sense of the word, the fact was the world didn’t care.
Floods, tornados, and other natural disasters didn’t care what was damaged when they ripped through a city. Stocks and investments paid no mind if people in love were affected. The strains of life itself would always threaten to tear even the most committed individuals apart.
So maybe his father had done right by him in warning him to plan ahead.
Dallas sighed, dragging a hand down his face. The door to his bedroom opened, and he didn’t have to look up to know his twin had entered.
“You here to gloat?” he muttered derisively.
“Dad told us,” she said softly, prying the velvet box from his hand.
He glanced at her in time to see her make a face at the ring. But then she caught him looking and schooled her features. She handed it back to him. “I thought it would be fancier,” she said lamely.
Dallas yanked the box to his chest as if to protect it from getting hurt feelings. But the only feelings that were hurting right now were his own. He’d made an impulsive decision. But that was his way, wasn’t it? He’d never been the type of person to think things through. When he wanted something, he went for it.
“You’re supposed to go out tonight?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah, what do you care?”
She shrugged.
“What do you want, Cheyenne. We both know you’ve never liked the fact that Camilla started dating me.”
“That’s because when you inevitably break her heart, it’s going to mess with my friendship.”
He snorted. “That’s never going to happen. I love her.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t have to break up with her to break her heart,” she snapped back.
