5
OLIVIA
This is all so insane.
I went out to meet a guy who would be interested in marriage, yes, but I didn’t expect to go to that coffee shop only for my next stop to be a high-end jewelry boutique.
I’m surrounded by fine pieces, with exorbitant price tags.
“It’s perfectly fine if you want to get something more modest and pragmatic,” I say, dazzled by the shininess all around. “It’s not like this is the culmination of years of passionate courtship.”
“You’re going to be my wife and I intend to do this right, Olivia.”
“Meeting me for the first time in a coffee shop and immediately proposing to me? That’s the right way to do things?”
“Not the typical way to get engaged, I’ll admit. Maybe I just want to cut out all the waiting.”
“This is all happening so fast. It’s so hard to keep up.”
“I thought you wanted to get this done fast.”
I take a deep breath. I think about all my struggles to find a worthy man and how badly I wanted to skip over all the looking. It’s about more than that silly pact, although not letting Piper rub failure in my face would be nice too. “I do want that, yes.”
“Then let’s get you a ring, and after we can move on to the other things on our agenda.”
“Such as what?”
“Getting you wed, then getting you bred.”
I giggle. If it was anyone else saying those things, I’d be horribly offended. But Cameron saying them just feels different, like this is a good idea after all. He’s got a charm that I can’t resist, and while that may not be everything, he gives me good vibes about something that should damn well be absolutely insane.
“What can I get you two lovebirds?” a clerk says as she walks up to us with a smile.
As if on cue, Cameron pulls me closer in a side hug, rubbing my shoulder, making us look the part of the more traditional couple. “We’re looking for the finest engagement ring that you have. I’m sparing no expense for my beloved here.”
I stare at him with wide eyes. There’s no point in him acting like this. It’s not like the jeweler is going to refuse him the sale of any engagement or wedding rings if it seems that our love isn’t true.
“Well then, may I suggest one of these? Freshly in, from some of the world’s leading designers.”
She pulls out a display with half a dozen rings presented on it. All of them seem magnificent. Shining gold bands, huge diamonds, brilliantly designed filigrees. I’m stunned looking at them, and I’ve never imagined that such treasures could ever be for me.
“You got one you have your eye on, Olivia?”
“Can you afford one of these? They have to be absurdly expensive.”
“I wouldn’t have brought you here if I couldn’t afford it. Take your pick, sweetheart. Any of them you want, it’s yours.”
Their reflections glisten in my eye. Most of them are a bit excessive, to be totally honest. Way more extravagant than they have any right being. The gems are beautiful, but way too big and awkward to be on a ring of that size. My eyes focus on the slightly more restrained one, with the diamond that actually fits.
“Uh, I guess I’ll go with that one,” I say, pointing to the item in question.
“Ah, good taste,” the jeweler says as she removes it from the display and presents it to me. “It’ll be absolutely charming on your finger.”
She offers it to me, and it slides right on. It fills me with an excitement I never thought possible. Holy shit, this is actually happening.
“Looks like a good fit,” Cameron says, grinning at me accepting the ring.
“And how will you be paying for this, sir?” the Jeweler says with a smile.
“Let’s go take care of that, shall we?”
Cameron and the clerk head into the back to do their negotiations, leaving me staring at the ring.
I decide to share my disbelief by snapping a picture of it and sending it to Piper.
It’s not long before I receive a message back from her. Wait, what? You’re already engaged?
Yup.
How? It’s only been a week since we made our pact. We’re not supposed to be getting married that quick, Liv.
I found the right man who has the same set of priorities that I do.
Jeez. It’s one hell of a ring, you caught a whale.
I didn’t do it for the money, but I have to say that the money is a nice surprise.
Keep your phone near you. There’s gotta be something up with all this. The police need to be able to find you if something goes awry.
I roll my eyes. I don’t think it’s going to go in that direction. I don’t get those vibes. Don’t worry so much.
This is just me being cautious. There’s a nonzero chance that he’s part of some crazy fundamentalist religion and he’s about to induct you into his extremist cult, where he’ll introduce you to his other forty-seven wives and make you dress like you’re fresh off the Mayflower.
Awfully quick to jump to accusations, aren’t you? Is that jealousy, my dear Piper?
I’m not jealous. Just worried. Going this fast is dangerous in a lot of ways. If it’s not a cult, it definitely seems like a recipe for heartbreak. Be safe, Liv.
I will. I’m insane for doing this, but I’m trying not to be a fool about it.
It makes sense that she’s worrying. Everything smells so sweet right now that it’d be real easy to cover up the scent of something shitty.
Cameron returns from the back with the powerful strut of a man who has accomplished something.
Even if that thing is paying thousands for a piece of jewelry.
“Well, that’s taken care of. Shall we go get married now?” he says with a smile that suggests what he just said isn’t absurd.
“I guess that’s the next logical step. I don’t know if Linesworth has any drive-through chapels, though.”
“Oh, I was just going to go to the courthouse. Don’t even need a car for that.”
And so we head over to the courthouse, for a purpose I never thought I’d be there for.
It’s busy today, but most people there are for far less celebratory reasons. People in suits shuffling to and fro, lots of cops. It’s strange that this place does marriages on top of all the other legal madness it has to deal with.
“Judge Reynolds, how have you been?” Cameron declares as we walk right past the line and into a mostly empty courtroom. A bailiff the judge was talking to steps away as Cameron calls out.
“Cameron Smith, always a nicer day when you show up in front of me,” the old man replies. He shifts his eyes to me. “This must be the girl you’ve fallen madly in love with?”
“Absolutely. Head over heels.”
“You must be if you called a favor in for this. You do know that the line for waiting would only take you an hour at most, right?”
“I do hate waiting.” Cameron has readily established that trait of his character with how fast all of this is going.
“You called in a favor to get us married?” I say. Cameron was texting on our short walk over here, but I thought nothing of it at the time.