THAT RING

by Dodd, Jillian

  I make my way over to her office. The kids have early release today to kick off their Christmas break, and I’m sure she’s trying to get everything done.

  “What’s up?” she asks. She has Christmas music playing in the background and is surrounded by rolls of paper and ribbon, but it’s her ponytail and makeup-free face that takes me back.

  “Do you remember when you used to make me play lookout, so you wouldn’t get caught unwrapping and rewrapping your presents that you couldn’t figure out based on the package?”

  She lets out a hearty laugh. “That’s why I use so much tape—so the kids can’t do what I did. They’d never be able to unwrap these without me knowing. I want them to be surprised. Although, really, Haley is the only one who would do something like that. The rest would rather play with the boxes than the toys sometimes.”

  “You used to want to unwrap my gifts, too.”

  “I know. I was so bad. But that was part of the fun for me. I will admit, I do use a little less tape on Haley’s just in case.”

  “You’re a good mom.”

  “Thank you. So, what did you want to show me?”

  I pull out my phone and show her the first photo.

  “Oh, Danny! What a beautiful ring. When are you going to propose?”

  “Yeah. I was thinking Christmas morning.”

  “That’s amazing,” she says, giving me a hug. “I’m so happy. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”

  “I know. Help make me happy now, so I can make Jennifer happy. And help me decide on a ring. The jeweler sent me photos of a ton of rings and I’ve narrowed it down to these. They are all different. Jennifer doesn’t seem to wear much jewelry.”

  “Remember when she came to the football game way back when? She had on jewelry then. It was funky and fun but classic. I think she buys cars, not jewelry. Maybe you should buy her one of those instead,” she says with a laugh. “I’m just kidding. The ring you get Jennifer just needs to scream how happy you are to be with her. It’s a true-love ring. It doesn’t have to be big.” She stops and purses her lips. “Scratch that. It doesn’t have to be big, but it does have to be bigger than anything you’ve ever given Lori. And that’s not for Jennifer because you know it won’t matter to her. It’s for me. Because after many years of being cordial to Lori when I wanted to scratch her eyes out, I deserve to see Jennifer in a ring that’s so incredible in cut, color, and size that Lori will be jealous. And when that happens, I can take pride in the fact that it’s due to me that you and Jennifer were reunited.”

  “The largest single stone I ever bought was just under three carats. And I remember because she told me Brady’s wife had four. I told her that Brady’s wife worked. That pissed her off. Couldn’t tell you on total weight.”

  “I can’t remember either, but I do know that the engagement ring Richard bought her was three carats. Show me the rest of the photos.” She scrolls through them, blowing them up and comparing them. There are a couple of colored stones—one a ruby, the other a pink diamond. There are solitaires in various shapes. “Hmm,” she says. “Can we narrow them down by getting rid of the ones I don’t like for her?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “They are all very different,” she says, carefully studying each photo. “Do you have a favorite?”

  “I have a couple of favorites, but I want to see what you think first.”

  “I think I already know your favorite,” she says. “Is it this one?”

  “You’re good.” I smirk. “But then you already knew that.”

  “I was going to start by cutting out the ruby ring and the pink diamond. I don’t see her with a colored stone for some reason. Your favorite is hopelessly romantic, and this one,” she says, scrolling to a large pear-shaped stone, “is classic. I don’t think you could go wrong with either. I think you have to go see them in person to decide for sure.”

  “Agreed. I’m planning to do so tomorrow.”

  “I’d offer to come with you, but Jennifer and I are going Christmas shopping. Plus, I really do think you should see them and go with your gut. I don’t think you can make a wrong decision either way.”

  “Awesome. Now, I’m going to check on the lights.”

  “What lights?”

  “Oh, I’m having a few things added to our usual decor.”

  “Like what?”

  “You’ll see tonight! See ya later. And thanks for the help.”

  Jennifer

  I’ve been shopping most of the day. Danny already has his shopping done. He told me that Lori always did elaborate gifts for the football families. This year, he’s donating to their favorite charities. For his friends, he always orders smoked turkeys from some little town in Texas. He says everyone loves them and that we’ll be receiving the two he orders for himself in a few days. He does a gift exchange with the Mackenzie family, and although he offered to add my name to the cards, I didn’t want that. It’s my first year of really buying presents.

  Although I’m in touch with my mother, I only go home every couple of years, usually during the summer when my father is on his annual fishing trip. I used to send nice gifts to her, but she complained that they were too fancy, so I started choosing a beautiful card and filling it with a check instead.

  I give Danny a quick call when I leave the mall, asking if he needs me to stop and pick up anything at the store or if we have dinner plans.

  “We’re good,” he says. “But text me when you pull into the neighborhood, so I know when you’re almost home.”

  I agree and do so, thinking it is sort of an unusual request, but when I pull into the driveway, I understand why.

  The front of his home, which gets professionally decorated every year in all white lights, has been transformed to an explosion of color.

  “What did you do?” I ask, hopping out of the car rather than putting it in the garage. “It’s so pretty!”

  He takes me in his arms and kisses me. “I want us to have the most colorful first Christmas together.”

  “Not that I want you to stop kissing me, but did I see soldiers by the front door?”

  “Yes, you did. What do you think of the blowups? Tacky or trendy?”

  “Definitely tacky in the most beautiful way. I mean, Santa, Frosty, and The Grinch? Amazing. Although,” I say, pointing, “the lit sculptures are pretty cool, too. I especially love the football Santa and your team’s logo.”

  “Wait until you see this,” he says, pulling out a remote.

  All of a sudden, holiday music blares from hidden speakers, and the lights on the roof and in the landscape move to the beat.

  “Did you really do all this for me? The house looked beautiful before.”

  “Remember the reckless Halloween flowers? This is my Christmas version.” He pulls mistletoe from behind his back and hangs it over my head.

  “I don’t need an excuse to kiss you, but I’ll take it anyway,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him as the light show continues around us, thinking that this is going to be my best Christmas ever.

  “What did you really think of being in LA?” I ask, realizing we probably should take our PG-13 make-out session somewhere more private.

  “I had fun in the pool. But to answer the deeper question, we’ll figure it out. The new project set in the Midwest sounds like it would work out nicely. I can’t move the kids while they are in school, so we’re looking at four and a half more years until Damon goes to college. But I kinda liked the glittering celebrity life,” he says with a smirk.

  “You're already a celebrity, Danny. There were billboards of you in LA. They’re everywhere.”

  “True, but I’ve never really lived like a celebrity. Like you did.”

  “That was more because of Troy. His job required us going to lots of clubs in glitzy and exotic locales. I sort of gave up me to be with Troy.”

  “And I gave up you to be with my daughter,” he counters.

  I look at the lights su
rrounding us and wonder, “What was your first wedding like? Was it one big party?”

  “Actually, no. It was a small destination wedding. Family only.”

  “That’s crazy. I figured you had something over the top, something like this.”

  “Next one,” he says, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. “I was going to say if we get married, but I feel like that’s not right. When we get married, what do you want?”

  “What I really want is to have a private ceremony, just you and me, in the backyard of my house while the sun sets. I want to hold your hands, look into your eyes, and make promises for only you to hear.”

  “That sounds very romantic but probably not legal.”

  “It doesn’t have to be legal or condoned by a church for us to make a commitment to each other.”

  He hangs his head. “I thought you wanted to get married. Have kids.”

  “Oh,” I say with a grin. “I most definitely want both of those things. I want a big, fat wedding, all our family and friends. Remember I told you that I’d like to have it at the hotel Jadyn is redoing? There’s a rooftop balcony where we could say our vows. Not the same vows we say at our private ceremony—more traditional ones, the have and to hold stuff. You know how redoing your house has been therapeutic for you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “As I mentioned to you before, that’s sort of how the hotel is for me. It’s the place I went when I was at my lowest. It’s the place where a friend from the past met me and brought me back to you. It’s also the place that was going to get torn down instead of rebuilt to new splendor. I feel like its renovation matches the changes I’ve made in my own life. It’s a special place. Lots of history. And I’d be honored if our wedding were a small part of it.”

  “That’s absolutely where we should have it then.”

  “Are you proposing?” I say, teasing.

  “Not yet,” he says as snowflakes start falling down around us.

  “That’s okay.” I look up at him and smile. “Today has already been magical enough.”

  December 20th

  Danny

  “Where’s Jennifer?” Damon asks, rummaging through the kitchen for a breakfast so late that it might as well be lunch.

  “She’s out, doing some last-minute shopping with Jadyn,” Devaney says, taking a moment to look up from her phone. She’s been sitting at the island, furiously texting someone about something that is obviously highly important to her.

  “Since you’re both here, I thought we could have a family talk,” I say to them.

  “Sure, Dad,” Devaney says while Damon gets four waffles out of the freezer and puts them in the toaster.

  I pace a little in front of the island while I think of exactly how to broach the subject. I’m so excited to propose that I feel like I could burst, waiting for the day to come.

  Finally, I just blurt out, “I’m going to ask Jennifer to marry me on Christmas Day.”

  “That’s cool,” Damon says, getting syrup out of the pantry and acting like I told him it was raining out.

  “Cool?” I reply.

  “Yeah. We like Jennifer. I mean, you’re living in sin together now,” Devaney says. “You should probably just get married.”

  “I know that, Devaney. You have heard some of this, but I guess I just feel the need to ask for your guys’ blessing. I want you to know that I loved your mom but that I think there’s a difference between love and true love. And as the two of you get older, start dating, and eventually consider marriage, I think it’s something you should know. Your mom was different because she was outside of my circle. She wasn’t impressed with the fact that I played football. There were a lot of girls who were too impressed that I did. And there were girls who only wanted to date me because they thought I'd go to the NFL and make money.”

  “Which you did,” Damon says. “I’m hoping to use that myself to snag a hot babe.”

  “While choosing a girl who only wanted me for money would have been bad, choosing a girl who really didn't understand my love for the game probably wasn't wise either. I think your mother and I both had indications from the start that things between us just weren’t quite the way they should have been, but we had been raised to work through the tough times. I guess what I’m saying is that when it comes time for you to choose a partner, be sure the person of your dreams shares your dreams.”

  “That makes sense,” Damon says. “Although Uncle Phillip says that a hot tub is the key to a successful marriage. You and Mom didn’t have a hot tub. Maybe that’s what went wrong.”

  “It’s not the hot tub,” I say. “It’s that when they spend time in there, they talk with no distractions. They plan and dream together about their future.”

  “Is anyone going to finally admit that Mom was having an affair with Richard?” Devaney says, dramatically throwing her arms in the air. “Ever?”

  “Fine. She was. Does that make a difference?”

  “Yes, because it makes me feel guilty,” she says, putting her head down. “I saw them kiss one time after an appointment. I wanted to tell you but didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

  “Did you tell anyone?”

  “Just Chase.”

  “Let’s talk about that, too,” I say. “I lied to my parents. All the time. Want to know why? Because I felt like they wouldn’t understand or would get mad at me. I’d like us to start being honest with each other. Things are going to happen in your lives. Peer pressure, sex, driving, drugs, alcohol. The decisions you make regarding those things can have a profound effect on your life. You're becoming adults, and those decisions are yours to make. I know your mother sort of laid down the law, told you what you could and couldn't do. I feel like that kind of dictatorship breeds lying. What I’d like is for you to be able to talk to me about your decisions before you make them. I want to help guide you because I’ve been there before. And I know, Devaney, that some stuff might be awkward to talk about with your dad, but I'm here for you both. No matter what, I’ll always have your backs.”

  “We have your back, too, Dad,” Damon says. “We like how happy you are around Jennifer. We know the story of how you met and all that and just really aren’t that surprised that you want to marry her.”

  “I don’t want you to feel … I don’t know, like I’m abandoning you or anything. Or choosing her over you. Or any of the other crazy things kids can think.”

  “We’re a little old for that. If you want our blessing, you have it,” Damon says. “Can I go now? The guys are texting that they are going to start the ping-pong tournament without me.”

  “Of course you can go.”

  He grabs his coat, heads toward the door, but turns back around and says, “Good talk!”

  “Kids,” Devaney says, shaking her head at him. “So, how are you going to propose? You know you can’t just get down on one knee anymore. You have to have a plan. It has to be special.”

  “I don’t think Jennifer is looking for anything extravagant.”

  “Dad,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Every girl wants something extravagant. It doesn’t have to be expensive or a big trip or anything, but it should be planned, and there should definitely be a photographer there to capture the moment. And probably rose petals or signs or something.”

  “I took your mom on a picnic for our anniversary.”

  “Yeah, no.” She whips out her phone and shows me a social media site full of pictures and stories of the ways people propose. “Look at this one from the other day. Couple is moving in together. He goes to get the moving van. She is kinda pissed when he gets the wrong size until she opens the door and finds the back filled with balloons and streamers and a sign that says, Will you marry me?”

  “Wow, I get what you’re saying,” I reply after reading a few posts. “I was just going to, like, wrap it in a box like a normal present, and when she opened that one, I was going to ask her. Maybe I need to rethink that.”

  “Give me your phone,” she orders. Sh
e hits a few buttons and then says, “Study these. See what you can come up with. I’m sure there are lots of cute holiday proposal ideas. And you can always search the internet. Okay, I’ll see you later. I’m headed over to whip some of those boys at ping-pong.”

  At least it’s not beer pong, I think to myself before calling Phillip.

  “You working today? Feel like a beer?” I ask.

  “Actually, I was just getting ready to call you. It’s five days before Christmas, and I haven’t bought my wife a gift yet. You know I am not a last-minute shopper, but things have been so crazy at work with Tripp buying the company that all I’ve done is pull together reports with my CFO for the last week.”

  “I have some rings at the jeweler for Jennifer. I need to decide. And your wife has been hinting for a pair of real diamond hoops to replace the fake ones she wears all the time. Maybe we could help each other.”

  “Rings? Like the engagement kind?”

  “Yes, sir! I’m planning to propose on Christmas.”

  “That’s great, Danny. Let’s do it. Beers and then the jewelry store. I’m sure the sitter will be happy to stay until Jadyn and Jennifer get home from shopping, although when I spoke to them, they were enjoying a very long lunch. I think Jadyn has had her shopping done for a few weeks, so this is more of a social outing.”

  “Jadyn might be done, but Jennifer isn’t. She sent me a photo of the trunk loaded with shopping bags. I think she’s going a little crazy since it’s our first Christmas together. Like, as a family.”

  “Wow. Isn’t that amazing to think—that after all this time, you could get so lucky?”

  “That’s why I am putting a ring on it fast,” I tease. “Can’t let that one get away.”

  When we’re finishing up lunch, Phillip says, “Have you thought about how are you going to propose?”