She blushed and smiled widely. “I’m planning on it, for sure.” She glanced down at the ring and gasped. “It’s amazing.” Her eyes filled with tears and she reached out to hug Mr. Abel. “Amazing. I’ll treasure it. Thank you.”
Her thumb ran over the ring and I asked to see it. “Look,” she said softly, wiping away the one errant tear that managed to fall from her eye.
I glanced down at it. It was simple. Solid gold and plain save for some embossing on one side. C A D E.
“It’s in your handwriting. How?” she shook her head in disbelief.
I only had gratitude and love for the old man whose gesture was so incredibly touching. “Mr. Abel. That’s… just brilliant. Beautiful. Thank you.”
“Oh, my pleasure, my boy.” He patted my shoulder then shoved a piece of paper in front of Brook. “You sign. I make one for Caden. I can ship to your home.”
Brook and I both stood there stunned. “Really? Oh, my God, that would be amazing.”
She signed her name and he measured my ring finger. It was the one I thought would be less obvious for everyone to notice. “I’ll cherish it always. Thank you for everything.”
We both hugged him goodbye and promised to stop in again if we ever returned to Toulon. It was a reminder that although we were surrounded with madness, we could have these rare moments of radiance when someone saw us as just a man and a woman. Real people who happen to love each other desperately. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Brook shove on her sunglasses to hide her teary eyes. I reached down and threaded my hand through hers.
We were on our way to the airport and soon we’d be dealing with the river of madness. I knew these rings would become our wedding bands.
“Now I really feel like fucking it, yeah?” I tried to make her laugh, although my throat was aching with the remnants of the moment. The thumb of my right hand brushed over the top of the ring, feeling the letters of my name.
She laughed through her tears. “Yeah. Totally.” Brook’s other hand closed around my bicep and squeezed gently as she nodded. “That was just amazing, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait until I get mine, Brook. It’s perfect.”
“The whole thing is pretty perfect.” Her hand reached out to brush along my jaw and I bent to kiss her. Our lips clung together for a brief moment.
“Mmm…I wouldn’t change one second of the last three years. Chaos and all, Brook, it’s the reason I have you. I wouldn’t change a bloody thing.”
The End
Kahlen Aymes is a USA Today bestselling author who writes steamy romance novels that cross genre lines between New Adult, Adult Contemporary, and Erotica.
Kahlen has been on several bestseller lists including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Smashwords, Publisher's Weekly, iBooks and USA Today! She began her writing career without ever planning on publishing a single word and won multiple awards in the worlds’s second largest fan fiction community, including BEST Author, BEST RPF, Best All-Human that Knocks You Off Your Feet, and several others! Her readers encouragement and support are what prompted publication.
Her interests include reading, as well as writing, theater arts, cooking, roller skating and going for long walks. She is the proud mom to one teenage daughter and two golden retrievers, who basically rule her world.
With a strong love of writing and romance, and you can count on her to deliver strong, relatable characters, deep and detailed plots, sexy love scenes, and emotion overflow!
CONNECT:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kahlen.aymes.author?fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=✓&query=Kahlen+Aymes
Twitter: @Kahlen_Aymes
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kahlenaymes/
Booktropolis Social: https://booktropoloussocial.com/index.php?do=/
Visit Kahlen’s website for merchandise, signed books, Julia’s recipes, missing scenes, events, Kahlen’s Blog, and series playlists: KahlenAymes.com
NEWS/GIVEAWAYS & EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS/BOOK DISCUSSION:
Sign up: Kahlen's Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/RuW4X
Join: Kahlen's Book Babes on
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/252301134873105/
Literary representation and rights information: McIntosh & Otis Literary, Inc.
353 Lexington Avenue • New York, NY 10016
Tel: 1-212-687-7400 • Fax: 1-212-687-6894 • Email: info@mcintoshandotis.com
Other Books By Kahlen Aymes
The Remembrance Trilogy & Prequel
Prequel: Before Ryan Was Mine
1. The Future of Our Past
2. Don’t Forget to Remember Me
3. A Love Like This
The After Dark Series
1. Angel After Dark
2. Confessions After Dark
3. Promises After Dark
The FAMOUS Novels
1. FAMOUS
3. Beyond FAMOUS
Coming in 2016-18
One Step Closer
Covered in Raine
Soulmate
Unfinished Business
So Damn Beautiful
Stripped
Rockin’ After Dark
Flesh and Blood
(And maybe a Famous Novella and an outtake from The Remembrance Trilogy)