Page 29 of The Reality of Wanting Him (Love Without Labels #1)

He holds out his fist for me to bump and we both laugh again. I’m lucky to have him as my best friend, and I’m so glad he was in town today. I’m really excited for Liam to meet him.

The food arrives and I spend the meal telling him all about the show, the process of matching with other people, ranking them, and how Liam was always in my top three.

I tell him how shocked I was when we finally saw each other face-to-face because, like an idiot, I’d assumed Liam was a woman.

But as soon as the initial surprise wore off, I realized it didn’t matter.

Not even a little, because I liked him for him.

Then I tell him about Rachel, and how she tried to make a move once we met in person, but that it only made me more confident in my choice with Liam.

By the end of the meal, he’s caught up, and just as excited to shop for a ring as I am.

After taking Lucky on a short walk and making sure she’s settled back at home, the camera crew follows us to a jewelry shop nearby.

They tell us to wait outside first so they can confirm if it’s okay for us to film inside before letting us in.

Guess, they weren’t too happy I kind of sprung this on them, but how was I supposed to know before the show started that I’d care this much about picking out a custom ring?

The show had a variety of rings we could choose from to propose with, but call me old-fashioned, I want to do it right.

I want to propose to Liam with a ring that means something, that represents the commitment I want us to make to each other. I like the idea of going in and picking out the perfect ring for him, not just using some generic one that’s offered to me.

“Hello, how can I help you today?” the middle-aged woman behind the counter asks us when the crew gives us the go-ahead to proceed inside.

“I want to get an engagement ring for my boyfriend,” I say, and realize it’s the first time I’ve referred to Liam that way. My boyfriend. The title makes me smile; I like having that claim on him.

“Do you know what style you’re looking for?” she asks, turning to Chad.

“Oh, I’m not the boyfriend,” he says with a laugh. “Just here for moral support.”

“My mistake. Do you know what type of ring you’re looking for?” she asks, smiling at me this time.

Shit, I guess I should have done some research. If I’m being honest, I’ve always assumed ring shopping would involve getting a huge diamond in whatever setting the girl I was dating told me to get. Do two men both wear engagement rings? Are there still diamonds involved?

The woman must read the confused panic on my face because she doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Does your boyfriend wear any other jewelry? What does he do for a living?”

“Uh, no other jewelry, and he works on a farm.” Now that I think about it, I don’t think Liam would want anything flashy.

“You might want to consider a silicone ring for when he’s working to reduce the risk of injury, but we have some lovely stackable rings for a more formal option.” She leads us over to a display case, pulling out a tray full of rings varying in color and design. My gaze is drawn toward a black one.

“I think he’ll want something classic and simple,” I say, forcing my attention away from the rings with stones in them.

Even though I think they’re really cool, maybe for me, I can’t imagine Liam wanting to wear diamonds with all of his flannel.

“Maybe these darker ones. You said stackable, does that mean a ring for the engagement and a ring for the wedding?” I feel like such an idiot that I haven’t thought about this before, but she doesn’t seem surprised by my lack of knowledge so maybe she’s used to clueless customers.

“Yes, it’s all personal preference of course, but some same sex couples choose to both wear an engagement ring, and then get a second band for the marriage,” she confirms.

“Those dark ones are cool,” Chad says, pointing to the row of black rings I thought Liam might like.

“Yeah, I think he’d like that better than the gold or silver options,” I agree.

We spend some time comparing the different rings, seeing how they would look stacked together, and eventually I find one I really like.

It's got a brushed black finish, but the angled edges are shiny, and it isn’t too thick so it can be paired well with a second band.

Sophisticated, nothing over the top. I hope Liam will like it.

I also get a similar silicone option he can wear while he works, but I want him to have one that’s fancier and costs a bit more too. It’s a symbol of my commitment to him and our relationship. I don’t want to go the cheap route and have him take it the wrong way.

Chad and I head back to my place to get changed for the game we’re going to with Liam tonight.

I probably should have given Liam a heads up about planning something sports related, but in all of my excitement thinking about going to his farm, my own hometown visit slipped my mind.

It isn’t football season, but I have hockey season tickets as well, and the games are always a good time.

He’s going to meet us there so the show can film him meeting Chad, but I wish we could all show up together.

It’s only been a few hours since I saw him, but I really do miss him already.

After updating Chad on everything, our relationship is feeling even more real, and I’m really excited for Liam and Chad to hang out together. We have great seats in a box, and I can’t wait… but I hope Liam doesn’t hate it.