Some examples of questions:
“What is the best marriage advice you have ever received?”
“What is the most romantic place we should visit?”
“What should we name our kids?”
“Where do you see us in twenty-five years?”
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.
The five-minute drive to my house wasn’t long enough to calm my nerves or steel my defenses against what I knew I needed to do. Lorea told me it was cruel to get Dallas’s hopes up by continuing to date him when I wasn’t committed, but I wasn’t the one who spouted the “L” word on the third date. I had hoped for a slow, easy relationship where we both took time to get to know each other before jumping into the messy stages. When I had told Lorea that, she laughed at me and said, “Now who’s the cynic?”
I wondered about Dallas’s surprise. There wasn’t any reason for him to buy me a gift, but that was probably what he had done. I parked in front of my house and stepped out, looking for police cars in the vicinity. They would drive by once each hour, according to Tony. I texted him a description of Dallas’s gray Hyundai so the police would know he was an expected visitor. My phone pinged, and I read the text from Tony and laughed.
Stay out of trouble!
I hurried to unlock my door and turn on some lights before Dallas arrived. Brushing at a spot on my capris, I wondered if I should change but decided against it. Dallas would be here any minute, and his shorts had some grass stains from the meadow anyway.
Tux pawed at the patio window, and I refilled his dish with cat food. He purred as I stroked his back and scratched behind his ears. For a moment, I wished I could escape out my back door with some wedding emergency so I wouldn’t have to face the breakup with Dallas. With a sigh, I stood and slid the door shut before heading back toward my front door.
The hall mirror was a great checkpoint for me as I left my house each morning. I stood in front of the oval-shaped glass now and smoothed out my hair. As my fingers worked through a tangled curl, I thought about how many times I had told my brides that love would set them on a path that would change their lives forever.
For a short moment, I wished I did love Dallas so I could be on that road with someone by my side. I straightened my shoulders and gave myself a solemn look in the mirror. My brown eyes remained serious, and they didn’t light up when I thought of a future with Dallas. It was time to let him go. The doorbell rang, and I dredged up the last of my courage, opening the door with a smile.
Dallas carried a gift sack, and my heart sank down to my toes. “Thanks again for giving me a tour of the springs today.” He stepped inside, his eyes bright.
He had bought a gift. Blast. As much as I wanted to tell him right then, I wimped out.
“The night is young. What would you like to do?” It was just after seven, and I had hoped to send him home by eight and get to work on the wedding plans for Natalie, but I would have to stall until I could figure out what to do about his gift. I didn’t have the heart to tell him as he walked casually into my living room and set the gift bag on the floor. I didn’t want to date him anymore, but I didn’t want to crush him, either.
“I want to kiss you senseless, and then I want to sate your curiosity by letting you open this gift.” Dallas patted the cushion next to him.
“Okay, but let’s do those things in reverse, since I am dying to know your secret.” I sat down, and he scooted closer until our legs touched. He picked up the gift sack and let the handles swing gently on his fingertips. The bag was made of some kind of silver iridescent paper, and I noticed flecks of multicolored glitter embedded in the tissue. The sack was medium sized, so the possibilities were endless.
“This is my secret,” he murmured.
I reached for the sack, but he held it just out of my reach. “Just one kiss?” He leaned toward me.
Kissing him now didn’t seem right. I’d made my decision. I hated it when I had to upset nice people. “Dallas, I wanted to tell you—”
He covered my mouth with his, cutting off my explanation. I changed my mind again. One last liplock wasn’t going to hurt anything. But Dallas had more than a kiss in mind. He deepened the kiss, and I tasted peppermint on his tongue. I heard the gift sack slide onto the floor as he put his other arm around me and held me tight. Perfect timing. I reached for the sack and grabbed one handle with my index finger. Pulling my head back, I whispered, “Gotcha.”
Dallas nuzzled my neck. “Cheater.”
I giggled. “Please, can I open it?”
Dallas released me and sat up. He put his hand over mine, and my eyes were again drawn to the stump of his ring finger. “Yes. Open it.”
The tissue paper crinkled as I pulled it out of the sack. I reached inside, and my fingers grazed a velvet-covered box. With a gasp, I lifted it out, hating myself for not saying something to him the minute he walked in the door. I hoped it was just jewelry, but the size was exactly like every ring box I’d ever seen. I could feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
“Close your eyes.”
“But
