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I was pretty sure a wedding ring was supposed to encompass all of that, but I had no idea how. The only wedding ring I liked had been Gram’s. It was a golden band with a marquise diamond. Simple but elegant.
I didn’t have any other leads.
“Do you have anything that’s gold?”
She blinked. “Most of this is gold.”
“I mean the gold kind.”
“Yellow gold?” Levi asked.
“Yeah, that. I’m not in the habit of letting people spend thousands on me, so I’m figuring things out as I go here.”
“That’s okay,” she said with a smile, but a glance at Levi made me wonder if she was thinking how the hell I landed a guy like him. “We have a few different styles in yellow gold. Classic, vintage?—”
“That one, vintage.” It was the only thing that felt right.
She took us to a different corner of the store. Looking at these rings was a totally different experience. Some were yellow-gold bands with diamonds. Some had different-colored gemstones and intricate patterns. My eyes lingered on each one. Any of these could come home with me and I’d be happy.
“What’s the cheapest one?” I asked.
“No,” Levi said, shaking his head. “We’re not going for the cheapest. Which one do youlike?”
“I likeallof them. Seriously, it doesn’t have to be fancy or anything.”
He gave me a flat look. “Then I’ll pick one for you to try. I saw something in the Woodland collection. It’s an emerald-and-diamond set.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I liked the vintage but closed it when I remembered that this wasn’t real. As long as I could tolerate the ring, I could wear it while being married. Still, I longingly looked back down at the vintage and Levi pointed out the one he liked. I wished one stood out to me more.
“Okay, here it is!” The saleswoman sounded more excited than I felt as she pulled it out. “I think this one is gorgeous.”
I pressed my lips together and told myself to stay positive as my eyes finally fell on what she was handing me.
And immediately, my jaw dropped. There were two rings, one with a large round emerald and a halo of gold and diamonds that made it look almost like a flower. The second one was an intricate weave of gold vines with tiny matching emeralds mixed within.
“Holy shit,” I said, placing it on my ring finger, noticing how it brightened up the skin of my hand.
This was the one. It would have been the one even if I’d been getting married for real.
“Since when were you good at picking out rings?” I asked.
Levi laughed. “Since it was you I was picking it out for.”
My eyes widened. There was no way he could know me that well, but then the saleswoman clapped her hands together and cooed, “Aw.” And I knew this wasn’t for me. It was practice for our fake marriage.
“You know what they say,” I replied as I gazed at the beautiful ring on my hand, “the bigger the rock, the shorter the marriage.”
“That’s average sized at best, and I don’t think that will be a problem for us.”
Of course it wouldn’t. This was fake, after all. I tried to remind myself of that, even as he stepped closer and put an arm around me.
I turned to the saleswoman, trying to play off the comment. “He’s a good one.”
“You two are just so cute,” she said. “I live for moments like these.”
“It’s safe to say that’s the one,” Levi replied.
I put on a smile, but my thoughts were getting away from me. Would I find one as good as this when I really got married? Could I convince Levi to somehow give it to me so I could reuse it if I finally found someone?