Page 143 of Homewrecker

“Don’t cry.”

“Shut up.”

I wiped underneath my eyes. “What is this?”

He reached across the table and I gave him my hand.

“I know I can’t give you everything I want to give you yet.”

There was the yet. I had built an entire imaginary life inside those three letters.

“But I need you to know I’m serious about you.”

My chest tightened.

“Caleb—”

“I know this hasn’t been easy.”

That’s an understatement.

“I know I’ve asked you to be patient longer than either one of us expected. I know I’ve hurt you.”

His thumb moved across my hand. “And I know there have been times when you probably wondered if all this waiting was leading anywhere.”

He pushed the box closer. “So this isn’t an engagement ring.”

I felt a tiny heartbreak.

“This is a promise.”

My heart fluttered.

“That when everything is done, I’m not wasting time.”

I stared at him.

“I already know who I want and I know who I’m building with.”

He squeezed my hand. “I know who I want to come home to.”

I cried quietly.

“And one day, I’m replacing this one with the real thing.”

He took it from the box and slid it onto my left ring finger. The motherfucker knew my ring size and that alone nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.

“I love you,” Caleb said.

I looked at him. “I love you too.”

I called Klair before I even made it home. She answered, sounding half asleep.

“He gave me a ring.”

Silence.

I smiled. “Klair?”