* * *
French Quarter, New Orleans
“So lemme ask you something, Ophelia,”Connor said after perusing the Joie de Vivre’s antique jewelry selection for about twenty minutes, during which Ophelia hadn’t stopped smiling once. “How bad are your cheeks hurting, and are you going to stop being so giddy any time soon?”
“Ha!” Ophelia threw her head back and laughed. “Theydohurt, but I won’t stop being giddy until you’re saying, ‘I do,’ andthenI’m going to be bawling like a baby.”
Even Connor couldn't help grinning at the idea ofI do. He rubbed his mouth to avoid sighing happily and skimmed his gaze over the rings on the red velvet board Ophelia had set out for him. There were about a dozen of them, and he was so overwhelmed that every major decision he’d ever made in his life suddenly seemed like picking something off the Popeyes drive-thru menu in comparison.
“Uh.” He rubbed his mouth again. “How exactly do people pick something like this?”
“Well, some people have an idea of the shape of the stone they want.” Ophelia began turning the rings so that the stones faced him as she placed them into a single, sparkling row. “Some people have a size in mind.”
“Size of stone or size of ring?”
“Stone usually.” She tilted the board toward him. “I have a pretty good idea of her ring size. She probably wears the same size I do, and any of these would fit. However, you can always have it resized if you need to.”
“Huh.” He rested his chin in his palm.
“Just think of what you think she might like. Has she mentioned anything before?”
“She has no idea I’m even considering this.” Connor tapped his fingers on the glass. Even before when they had seriously discussed marriage, Liza hadn’t mentioned any preference in a style of engagement ring. She didn’t even seem to care if she had one at all. All she wanted washim. “She doesn’t even wear much jewelry, so I have nothing to go on.”
“Okay.” Ophelia picked up a felt cloth and draped it over the rings. “Close your eyes and tell me about Liza.”
He smirked. “You already know her. That’s why I’m asking for your help.”
She grabbed his hands and forced him to cover his eyes. “Tell me aboutyourLiza.”
“Okay fine.” He paused as he thought.
The first time Connor had ever seen her, she was sitting at a booth in a restaurant where he was having lunch with Morales and their buddy Charlie Patel. Connor was sipping a beer and saw her over the rim of his glass. He noticed her hair first. She hadcrazy-longhair in the darkest shade of brunette he’d ever seen. Kind of messy, but straight and shiny, and it fell all the way to the center of her back. Her skin was bright and smooth, and she appeared to be holding back a laugh at one of the other young women at her table; lips pulled back from her teeth and nose crinkled. It was such an infectious smile that his own mouth started tugging into a grin even as he still had the beer to his lips. And a woman with a smile like that was one you went and talked to, so that’s what he did.
He and his friends had been stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, about an hour north of Austin. Killeen had little to offer in terms of entertainment, and it was a common activity for soldiers to drive south and get a motel in Austin for the weekend. Connor hadn’t come down that Friday afternoon with the intention of picking up a girl, but all that changed over the course of a single lunch.
By the end of the night, after the eight of them in the two combined groups had spent about six hours in an Irish pub, Connor couldn’t leave Liza’s side. And he didn’t leave until he had done his damnedest to leave an impression on her so she’d be inclined to see him again despite the driving distance.
He’d found a quiet corner in a nearly deserted 24-hour cafe where they’d all stopped for a snack after the bars had closed, and he drew her into his arms for a dance. It was cheesy, and his buddies were making faces at him from across the room. Connor couldn’t be bothered by that because Liza—Lizzie—looked up at him through hazel eyes so clear he was convinced she’d allowed him to look right down into her soul, and there he saw the unmistakable blossom of new love unfurling.
Liza was pure; not in a prudish, virginal sense. Even at twenty-one she was fully a woman. Pure in the sense that she hadn’t fallen prey to the poison of jaded cynicism that infected a person who had seen too many ugly things. Pure in a way that made Connor want to believe that there was still good in the world. Pure in a way that he knew would remind him that good things still existed, becauseshewas good.
From just a few hours of conversation, he’d gathered that she was down-to-earth and hardworking. She was a waitress, and she was saving up money to go to college. After she graduated, she wanted to do something in Austin’s local music scene, but her dream was to own a home and have a family. Connor had never been sold on the idea of college, and Liza implored him to not waste the benefits of his service. She made him promise that he would seriously consider it. And he did consider it, but more than that, after he pressed his lips to hers for the very first time, he considered that nothing had ever felt more right.
Whatever his future had held at that moment, the one thing he knew he wanted was only one pair of lips on his ever again.
“You know how the weather gets right in between Fall and Winter?” Connor suddenly asked Ophelia, eyes still closed.
“Mm-hmm. It’s my favorite time of year. Cool, but not too cold. The humidity lifts a bit. Sunny. Bright.”
“She’s like that.” He paused and smiled. “Or like in Texas during the first two weeks of March? It’s breezy and pleasant.”
“Best time of year there.”
“Liza is…” He pulled his teeth between his lips, andGod dammit. He was getting emotional. “She’s like a clear day. She’s like the scent of summer flowers. She’s pure and simple. She’s like when I used to go to church as a kid, and the priest would talk about the way we’re all supposed to love each other. Patient, kind…forgiving. She’s everything I wishIcould…she’s just everything.” He dropped his face and chuckled before lifting his head again and opening his eyes. “Fuck.Ophelia, this is kinda heavy.”
Ophelia’s eyes were brimming, and the tip of her nose was pink. “Of course it’s heavy. You’re planning to ask her to give you the rest of her life.”
He swallowed and nodded, andJesus H. Christ.He hadn’t realized just picking out a ring was going to gut the depths of his emotions.
