A Notion of Love Read Free

ring,” he said, all traces of teasing suddenly vanished. His eyes were intent upon mine in the starlight. I felt my heart slam into my breastbone and then begin pounding as though I’d just jogged from downtown. He swallowed and caught my free hand between both of his. His hands were big and all knuckles, and I loved them. I loved everything about him, and honestly, if he’d asked me right at the moment to be his wife, my answer would have been yes.
    â€œA promise ring?” I repeated carefully, cradling the box in my cupped palm.
    â€œHere, open it,” he said, and freed my hand so I could.
    â€œOh,” I said, my eyes stinging with tears as the little box opened with a click and there on the velvet was a simple gold band with a heart in the middle, set with a tiny stone.
    â€œIt’s a peridot,” he explained, and his voice was very soft. “For August. It’s hard to tell in the dark.”
    â€œI love it,” I whispered, my lips trembling. “Oh, Chris…”
    He plucked it out and looked into my eyes a long moment before gently taking the third finger of my right hand into the tips of his and sliding the ring over my knuckle. It fit perfectly and he smiled in triumph.
    â€œI had Joelle help me with the size,” he said.
    â€œI love it,” I managed again, but tears were spilling over my cheeks. I had felt a shift in my belly when he’d put the ring on my finger, a gut instinct that I’d long ago learned never to ignore. I knew in that moment that he would be my husband someday. Not because of the ring and what it implied, but something much deeper, some instinct that kicked at me sometimes, usually when I was sleeping but occasionally in the waking world, too. And right then, without a doubt, I knew that he belonged to me and I would bear his name. And for a split second I’d felt a third presence, just a flash that disappeared almost instantly. But it had been there.
    He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it, gently. I lunged into his arms and heard the ring box and gift wrap plop into the lake. But I didn’t care at the moment; the ring was safe on my finger. Chris gathered me close and kissed me, sweet and tenderly, like he did just about everything.
    â€œI love you,” he said into my hair.
    â€œOh, Chris,” I said again, kissing the side of his jaw. “I love you. And I love my ring. It’s beautiful.”
    â€œSomeday it’ll be an engagement ring,” he whispered. “I promise.”
    I buried my face in his neck and breathed against him. He slipped his hands around my waist, where it was bare from Joelle tying my tank into a knot. Sometimes he was so hesitant that I had to help him along, and reached to slip his palms up to cup my breasts. He breathed out in a rush and kissed me, his thumbs moving in gentle circles over my nipples. I pressed into his hands and kissed him with all of the love and emotion that was broiling under my skin.
    â€œHey, kiddos, whatcha doing out here?” came a teasing voice in the next instant, and we drew apart, though I kept my hands on Chris’s shoulders.
    Jackie and Jo were coming down from the café, holding hands. Jackie sounded half in the bag, despite the early hour and the presence of so many adults. But just about everyone here was probably two-thirds of the way there anyway, and not inclined to notice. Jackie would be Landon High’s starting quarterback this fall, and no one really questioned anything he did. They were giggling and Jackie let my sister go first as they made their way out onto the dock to join us.
    â€œSo, do you love it?” Jo asked me, pushing her hair behind her ears and grinning at me. She was flushed and her breath smelled like some kind of fruity wine. She held out her hand for mine.
    â€œI do,” I told her, drawing back from Chris and slipping my right hand into hers.
    â€œOh, Jilly, it’s beautiful,” she