That Ring: Chapter 26

I call Jadyn. “You doing anything important right now?”

“Just working in my office. Why?”

“Jennifer is out shopping, and I have something I need to show you.”

“Come on over. I’m wrapping all the gifts from Santa. As the younger kids hear things at school, I have to be trickier. I have special wrapping paper that only Santa uses and have to try to disguise my handwriting.”

I make my way over to her office. The kids have early release today to kick off their Christmas break, and I’m sure she’s trying to get everything done.

“What’s up?” she asks. She has Christmas music playing in the background and is surrounded by rolls of paper and ribbon, but it’s her ponytail and makeup-free face that takes me back.

“Do you remember when you used to make me play lookout, so you wouldn’t get caught unwrapping and rewrapping your presents that you couldn’t figure out based on the package?”

She lets out a hearty laugh. “That’s why I use so much tape—so the kids can’t do what I did. They’d never be able to unwrap these without me knowing. I want them to be surprised. Although, really, Haley is the only one who would do something like that. The rest would rather play with the boxes than the toys sometimes.”

“You used to want to unwrap my gifts, too.”

“I know. I was so bad. But that was part of the fun for me. I will admit, I do use a little less tape on Haley’s just in case.”

“You’re a good mom.”

“Thank you. So, what did you want to show me?”

I pull out my phone and show her the first photo.

“Oh, Danny! What a beautiful ring. When are you going to propose?”

“Yeah. I was thinking Christmas morning.”

“That’s amazing,” she says, giving me a hug. “I’m so happy. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”

“I know. Help make me happy now, so I can make Jennifer happy. And help me decide on a ring. The jeweler sent me photos of a ton of rings and I’ve narrowed it down to these. They are all different. Jennifer doesn’t seem to wear much jewelry.”

“Remember when she came to the football game way back when? She had on jewelry then. It was funky and fun but classic. I think she buys cars, not jewelry. Maybe you should buy her one of those instead,” she says with a laugh. “I’m just kidding. The ring you get Jennifer just needs to scream how happy you are to be with her. It’s a true-love ring. It doesn’t have to be big.” She stops and purses her lips. “Scratch that. It doesn’t to be big, but it does have to be bigger than anything you’ve ever given Lori. And that’s not for Jennifer because you know it won’t matter to her. It’s for me. Because after many years of being cordial to Lori when I wanted to scratch her eyes out, I deserve to see Jennifer in a ring that’s so incredible in cut, color, and size that Lori will be jealous. And when that happens, I can take pride in the fact that it’s due to me that you and Jennifer were reunited.”

“The largest single stone I ever bought was just under three carats. And I remember because she told me Brady’s wife had four. I told her that Brady’s wife worked. That pissed her off. Couldn’t tell you on total weight.”

“I can’t remember either, but I do know that the engagement ring Richard bought her was three carats. Show me the rest of the photos.” She scrolls through them, blowing them up and comparing them. There are a couple of colored stones—one a ruby, the other a pink diamond. There are solitaires in various shapes. “Hmm,” she says. “Can we narrow them down by getting rid of the ones I don’t like for her?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“They are all very different,” she says, carefully studying each photo. “Do you have a favorite?”

“I have a couple of favorites, but I want to see what you think first.”

“I think I already know your favorite,” she says. “Is it this one?”

“You’re good.” I smirk. “But then you already knew that.”

“I was going to start by cutting out the ruby ring and the pink diamond. I don’t see her with a colored stone for some reason. Your favorite is hopelessly romantic, and this one,” she says, scrolling to a large pear-shaped stone, “is classic. I don’t think you could go wrong with either. I think you have to go see them in person to decide for sure.”

“Agreed. I’m planning to do so tomorrow.”

“I’d offer to come with you, but Jennifer and I are going Christmas shopping. Plus, I really do think you should see them and go with your gut. I don’t think you can make a wrong decision either way.”

“Awesome. Now, I’m going to check on the lights.”

“What lights?”

“Oh, I’m having a few things added to our usual decor.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see tonight! See ya later. And thanks for the help.”

I’ve been shopping most of the day. Danny already has his shopping done. He told me that Lori always did elaborate gifts for the football families. This year, he’s donating to their favorite charities. For his friends, he always orders smoked turkeys from some little town in Texas. He says everyone loves them and that we’ll be receiving the two he orders for himself in a few days. He does a gift exchange with the Mackenzie family, and although he offered to add my name to the cards, I didn’t want that. It’s my first year of really buying presents.

Although I’m in touch with my mother, I only go home every couple of years, usually during the summer when my father is on his annual fishing trip. I used to send nice gifts to her, but she complained that they were too fancy, so I started choosing a beautiful card and filling it with a check instead.

I give Danny a quick call when I leave the mall, asking if he needs me to stop and pick up anything at the store or if we have dinner plans.

“We’re good,” he says. “But text me when you pull into the neighborhood, so I know when you’re almost home.”

I agree and do so, thinking it is sort of an unusual request, but when I pull into the driveway, I understand why.

The front of his home, which gets professionally decorated every year in all white lights, has been transformed to an explosion of color.

“What did you do?” I ask, hopping out of the car rather than putting it in the garage. “It’s so pretty!”

He takes me in his arms and kisses me. “I want us to have the most colorful first Christmas together.”

“Not that I want you to stop kissing me, but did I see soldiers by the front door?”

“Yes, you did. What do you think of the blowups? Tacky or trendy?”

“Definitely tacky in the most beautiful way. I mean, Santa, Frosty, and The Grinch? Amazing. Although,” I say, pointing, “the lit sculptures are pretty cool, too. I especially love the football Santa and your team’s logo.”

“Wait until you see this,” he says, pulling out a remote.

All of a sudden, holiday music blares from hidden speakers, and the lights on the roof and in the landscape move to the beat.

“Did you really do all this for me? The house looked beautiful before.”

“Remember the reckless Halloween flowers? This is my Christmas version.” He pulls mistletoe from behind his back and hangs it over my head.

“I don’t need an excuse to kiss you, but I’ll take it anyway,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him as the light show continues around us, thinking that this is going to be my best Christmas ever.

“What did you really think of being in LA?” I ask, realizing we probably should take our PG-13 make-out session somewhere more private.

“I had fun in the pool. But to answer the deeper question, we’ll figure it out. The new project set in the Midwest sounds like it would work out nicely. I can’t move the kids while they are in school, so we’re looking at four and a half more years until Damon goes to college. But I kinda liked the glittering celebrity life,” he says with a smirk.

“You’re already a celebrity, Danny. There were billboards of you in LA. They’re everywhere.”

“True, but I’ve never really lived like a celebrity. Like you did.”

“That was more because of Troy. His job required us going to lots of clubs in glitzy and exotic locales. I sort of gave up me to be with Troy.”

“And I gave up you to be with my daughter,” he counters.

I look at the lights surrounding us and wonder, “What was your first wedding like? Was it one big party?”

“Actually, no. It was a small destination wedding. Family only.”

“That’s crazy. I figured you had something over the top, something like this.”

“Next one,” he says, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. “I was going to say if we get married, but I feel like that’s not right.

we get married, what do you want?”

“What I really want is to have a private ceremony, just you and me, in the backyard of my house while the sun sets. I want to hold your hands, look into your eyes, and make promises for only you to hear.”

“That sounds very romantic but probably not legal.”

“It doesn’t have to be legal or condoned by a church for us to make a commitment to each other.”

He hangs his head. “I thought you wanted to get married. Have kids.”

“Oh,” I say with a grin. “I most definitely want both of those things. I want a big, fat wedding, all our family and friends. Remember I told you that I’d like to have it at the hotel Jadyn is redoing? There’s a rooftop balcony where we could say our vows. Not the same vows we say at our private ceremony—more traditional ones, the stuff. You know how redoing your house has been therapeutic for you?”

“Yeah.”

“As I mentioned to you before, that’s sort of how the hotel is for me. It’s the place I went when I was at my lowest. It’s the place where a friend from the past met me and brought me back to you. It’s also the place that was going to get torn down instead of rebuilt to new splendor. I feel like its renovation matches the changes I’ve made in my own life. It’s a special place. Lots of history. And I’d be honored if our wedding were a small part of it.”

“That’s absolutely where we should have it then.”

“Are you proposing?” I say, teasing.

“Not yet,” he says as snowflakes start falling down around us.

“That’s okay.” I look up at him and smile. “Today has already been magical enough.”