by Alexa Land
“I just need one more thing. Is all your jewelry in this display case?”
I touched the glass counter between us, and she said, “It is. Can I help you find something in particular?”
“No thanks. I’ll know it when I see it.” I crouched down and scanned the items in the very full case. Costume jewelry and the real thing were displayed with equal prominence. There were vintage brooches, art deco earrings, men’s and women’s watches, and so much more. Toward the back was a velvet display box lined with grooves that held rings up on end, to show off their settings. It was crammed with at least forty rings and had probably been designed to hold half that.
There were rings from at least eight decades, from art deco to glam and everything in between. There were gold rings, and tarnished silver, and metals I couldn’t even identify. Big, fake diamond rings shared space with dainty real ones. And there was one graceful, delicate, bright silver band that made tears prickle at the back of my eyes as I murmured, “That’s it.”
The woman asked, “Did you find something you like?” I was so overcome with emotion that all I could do was nod and point. She unlocked the back of the case and took out the ring caddy, and when she put it on top of the counter, I picked up the ring with shaking hands. “Oh, that’s a lovely one,” she said. “Unique, too. I’ve never seen another like it. I don’t remember where I got it, but I know it’s been here a very long time. Maybe it was just waiting for you to show up and claim it.”
I turned the silver band and marveled at the details. Strands of white metal had been woven together almost organically, like tiny vines. Scattered between them were several small, round opals that made me think of dewdrops. They were pale in color, until you looked at them closely. Then each came to life, burning with an inner radiance. I whispered, “I’ll take it.”
“I haven’t told you the price yet. The ring is platinum, and those are real opals, so—”
“It doesn’t matter. This is the ring. It belongs on Elijah’s finger.”
“Oh, is this for an engagement? That’s so sweet.” Colt joined me just then with an armload of items and looked over my shoulder, and the lady asked, “Is this your young man?”
Colt and I both grinned at that, and I said, “No, he’s my friend.”
While she found a jeweler’s box, Colt put his purchases on the counter and told me, “You did good, Cassidy. He’s going to love it.”
The woman said, “I should mention that you won’t be able to resize it, because of the way it’s made with the woven pattern going all the way around. Is that going to be a problem?”
I tried it on and couldn’t get it past my knuckle. Then I handed it to her and said, “It’s going to fit. It has to. That ring was meant for Elijah.”
Cassidy: Chapter Three
When the four of us returned to the ranch about an hour later, I was surprised to find Elijah’s family had already arrived. Chance and Finn sat with my boyfriend in front of the fireplace in the ranch’s spacious, sunny lobby, and Colt exclaimed, “You’re early,” as he rushed over and grabbed Chance in an embrace. They looked a lot alike with their light eyes and dark hair, and anyone would know at a glance they were brothers.
Colt gave Finn a hug as Chance explained, “We left before dawn because we didn’t want to spend Christmas Eve stuck in traffic.”
Elijah smiled when he saw me. I bent to kiss him, and after I said hello to his family, he asked, “How was your shopping trip?”
“It was great. Not only did I find stuff for everyone on my list, I also had a good time.” I turned to Chance and Finn as I held up two bulging, brown paper shopping bags and said, “I need to put these things under our tree. Will you two help me?” The gifts had been wrapped in brightly colored paper by a trio of Girl Scouts, who’d set up a stand downtown to raise money for charity.
The couple seemed surprised by my request, but they accompanied me to the apartment Elijah and I shared, which was located in the second of the ranch’s two main buildings. “Okay, so I didn’t actually need help with the gifts,” I admitted, as they settled onto the sofa and I put down the shopping bags and sat on the coffee table facing them. “What I really wanted was to ask for Elijah’s hand in marriage.”
Finn, who worked as a cop and was built like a linebacker, surprised me by tearing up instantly. He grabbed me in a crushing embrace and muttered, “Oh hell kid, way to make me cry.”
“You’re more than just his legal guardians,” I said. “You’re his dads, and I know you love him as much as he loves you. That’s why I wanted to ask for your permission to marry your son.”
Chance turned it into a group hug and said, “This is the best Christmas present ever,” as he buried his face in his husband’s shoulder.
When they finally let go of me, I grinned and said, “I’m going to take that as a yes.”
“Of course it’s a yes,” Finn said. “Welcome to the family, Cassidy.”
“Thanks, although Elijah needs to say yes, too. Want to see the ring?”
Chance said, “Definitely,” and when I pulled the box from my pocket and raised the lid, he exclaimed, “It’s gorgeous!”
“I was thinking of putting it on this and letting him discover it,” I said, as I took the train set from one of the bags.
Finn seemed excited as he asked, “Can I help you set it up?”
“Sure. Let’s put it around the tree.”
With all three of us working on it, we got the set put together in a matter of minutes. After I plugged it in, Finn flipped the switch, and the tiny train chugged around its track. When it pulled up beside me, I hung the ring around the engine’s smoke stack, and then Finn drove it behind the tree, so it was out of sight.
I hid the tracks and controls underneath the tree skirt, and after I unpacked the rest of the gifts and put them under the tree, I said, “Okay, now comes the hard part. All of us have to act casual until tomorrow, because I’m planning to propose on Christmas.”
Finn got to his feet and gave me two thumbs up as he said, “I can do that.” His goofy grin contradicted him.
Chance got up too and smiled as he slipped his arms around his husband. “Well hey, the good news is, it’s Christmas and we’re with our family. We’ve got the perfect excuse for being outrageously happy.”
*****
Christmas Eve at Seahorse Ranch turned into a giant party. Ren Medina brought enough pizza to feed an army, and music played while what seemed like a million Christmas lights made the night as bright as day. We hung out with our friends and family until shortly before midnight, when Elijah turned to me and whispered, “Are you getting tired?”
I ran my fingers over his soft, blond hair and told him, “Not really, but I’d love some time alone with you.”
We said good night to everyone before heading to our apartment. When we went inside, we left the lights off, except for the colored ones on our Christmas tree, which bathed the room in a soft, warm glow. Elijah hugged me and said, “I feel like I barely saw you today.”
“That’s because the holidays are really hectic, especially when you save everything until the last minute like I did.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Yeah, I found something for everybody. I think Colt and I even bonded a little. Go figure.”
“It’s a Christmas miracle.” He stretched up and kissed me before saying, “I’m going to get ready for bed. Be right back.”
I changed into a clean T-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants while he was in the bathroom, and then I checked the time. It was five minutes past midnight, which meant it was officially Christmas.
I decided I really couldn’t wait any longer to give Elijah his present and to ask the most important question of my life, so I pushed the tree skirt back from the train tracks and sat cross-legged on the floor beside them. Nervous energy crackled through me, and I fidgeted a bit and tried to smooth down my unruly hair.
A few minutes later, Elijah joined me, lo
oking adorable in a pair of slightly oversize plaid pajamas and smelling faintly of toothpaste. He sat down facing me in front of the tree and said, “What cute tiny train tracks.”
My heart was racing, and I pointed at the controls because I didn’t trust my voice. Elijah smiled at me as he flipped the switch, and when the little train came into view, he laughed delightedly and exclaimed, “It’s so cute!”
When it was right beside us, I put my hand over his and shut it off. A moment later, he noticed the ring and whispered, “Oh, Cassidy.”
I held his hand in both of mine and told him, “I was so alone before you came along. But then one day, there you were, and everything changed. It was like my whole world went from shades of gray to full color. You made me believe in miracles, Elijah, because that’s what you are, an honest-to-God miracle.
“You’re everything to me, absolutely everything, and I love you with all my heart and soul. I can’t imagine my life without you right there by my side, so will you please do me the incredible honor of becoming my husband?”
He launched himself into my arms and shouted, “Yes!” I kissed him and then I laughed, just because I was overcome with joy.
He sat on my lap, and I picked up the ring and slid it onto his left hand. It was a perfect fit. I murmured, “I knew that was your ring the moment I saw it.”
Elijah held up his hand and admired it in the soft lights of the Christmas tree as he whispered, “It’s so beautiful.”
“Just like you.”
He ran his fingers into my hair and kissed me tenderly before saying, “I adore you, Cassidy, and I can’t wait to marry you.”
I grew serious as I said, “This time last year, I was so alone. It was just me and my horse. Beck invited me to join his Christmas celebration, but I was too broken and closed off. I just couldn’t be around people and pretend to be happy. When I look at where I was then and where I am now, I barely recognize myself.”
“Last Christmas was rough for me, too,” he told me. “I was scared, because I was just three weeks from the end of my last semester of college, and I had no idea what the future held for me. I was living with Chance and Finn, but I was so insecure that I thought I was a burden to them. I didn’t understand how much they loved me, because I felt unlovable.
“I’ve grown up so much over the last year, and a lot of that is because of you, Cassidy. You made me feel safe and gave me the courage to open myself up to love. That changed everything, including my relationship with my family.”
I caressed his cheek. “I knew you’d completely transformed my life, but I guess I hadn’t fully realized the impact I had on yours.”
He said, “One of the biggest changes is that you gave me a reason to look to the future, instead of always looking back. I still don’t have all the answers when it comes to my career or the mark I’ll ultimately leave on the world. But I’m not scared anymore, because I know I won’t be facing it alone. I’ll have my husband right there with me, every step of the way.”
I marveled at that word, husband. I’d never even considered the possibility before I met Elijah. But now, it sounded glorious.
Cassidy: Chapter Four
The next morning, my fiancé rolled over in bed, and when he saw I was awake he exclaimed, “Merry Christmas!”
I kissed him before saying, “Merry Christmas, Elijah.”
He held up his hand, and the little opals caught the light and came to life. “This ring is magical,” he said.
“I think so, too.”
“You should open your present from me.” He tumbled out of bed and dashed to the tree, returning just a moment later with a big, brightly wrapped box. I sat up and started to carefully peel back the paper, and he burst out laughing and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Trying to save the giftwrap. It’s pretty.”
He said, “There’s a roll in the closet with twenty more feet of that same paper.”
I considered that for a beat, then ripped off the wrapping and tossed it aside. Inside the box was another wrapped box. I grinned and opened that one, and the one inside that, and the one inside that. Finally, I was left with a tiny wrapped gift that was about an inch and a half square. I asked, “Is this…?”
His dark blue eyes danced with mischief. “Unwrap it and find out.” I untied the red ribbon and removed the paper, and then I lifted the lid on the box and revealed a gorgeous silver ring. Etched into it were two tiny horses, galloping together. “You beat me to it,” he said. “I was going to ask you to marry me today. I almost gave it to you last night when you gave me my ring, but then I decided to wait and let us enjoy two proposals instead of one.” He slid the ring onto my finger and asked, “Cassidy Juric, will you marry me?”
I thought my heart would burst, because it couldn’t possibly contain all the love and joy I felt in that moment. I grabbed him in an embrace and said, “Yes, absolutely, and as soon as humanly possible.”
*****
We ended up making love first in bed and then in the shower, so it was almost noon by the time we joined our family and friends in the courtyard. As we handed out gifts, Elijah said, “Merry Christmas, everyone.”
Nana Dombruso rushed out of the dining room wearing a candy cane striped velour track suit, huge Bloody Mary in hand, and yelled, “I heard there was going to be a proposal! So, what happened? If there’s one thing I love, it’s a wedding!”
Elijah held up his hand to show off his ring and told her, “I said yes.”
I held up my hand too and said, “So did I.”
Our family and friends whistled, cheered and applauded. Finn looked like he was about to burst into tears of happiness, and Nana asked, “So, when’s the wedding?”
“As soon as possible,” I said, “although we haven’t actually set the date.”
“Well hell, now’s as good a time as any.” She bustled over to us and thrust the drink into my hand, then dug around in her huge, black handbag as she said, “All your friends and family are here, right?”
“Well, almost all of them,” Elijah said. “My friend Alastair and his husband Sawyer are in England through New Year’s, and my friend Jed is skiing with friends.”
“So, we can call them up on one of those video thingies, and they can be here virtually,” Nana said, as she continued to dig through her bag.
I glanced at Elijah, and he told me, “I’d actually love to get married on Christmas. How about you?”
“I would too. At a minimum though, we’d need a wedding officiant, and—”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Nana exclaimed, as she handed me a laminated card. “I’m certifiable. Wait, that’s not the word. I’m certified, that’s it. By that I mean, I can perform weddings.”
I glanced at the card she’d handed me and said, “Um, this is a license to carry concealed weapons.”
“Oops, wrong one.” She plucked the card from my hand and returned it to her purse, then replaced it with one that said she was ordained by some sort of online church.
Elijah grinned at me as he said, “We could follow up with a Justice of the Peace later, just to make sure it’s legal. But for now, almost everyone’s already here, and the ranch is so festive…”
His expression was so hopeful that I turned to our friends and called, “We need a laptop! Let’s hurry up and get Elijah’s friends on a video conference call, so I can marry the man I love!”
Beck yelled, “On it,” and dashed into the lobby.
Elijah turned to me with a glorious smile that made my heart skip a beat and said, “This was already the best Christmas ever, and now this! I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure that title belongs to me, because I’m about to marry the man of my dreams.”
“Then we’ll have to share the title,” he said, “since I’m about to do the exact same thing.”
*****
Even if we’d planned it for months, we wouldn’t have had a more perfect wedding cer
emony. We decided to get married in Seahorse Ranch’s equestrian center, because the horses meant the world to us. Our wedding guests lined the path to the makeshift stage. All of the horses had been brought out of their stables for the occasion, and several of our friends were holding their leads. My horse Dia was a bit too wild for that, but he and Elijah’s favorite horse, Blue, were in their corral just a few feet away, watching everything with interest.
While Zan Tillane played music on an acoustic guitar, and Vee held up a tablet with Elijah’s friends watching in split-screen, my fiancé and I walked down the aisle hand-in-hand. We were accompanied by Finn, Chance, and Colt, which was our version of our family giving us away.
Nana was waiting for us under a trellised arch that Beck and his Uncle Ren had quickly set up and decorated with pine boughs, red ribbon, and sparkling Christmas ornaments. She’d changed into a red, sequined gown, and after she put on a pair of huge, round glasses so she could read the print-out in her hands, she led us through a beautiful, simple ceremony. Then Nana told us, “You two should say something sweet to each other before I wrap it up!”
Elijah looked up at me with so much love in his eyes. He held both my hands in his as he said, “I adore you, Cassidy. You make me feel loved, and safe, and happy, and I know I can handle whatever the future has in store for me, because you’ll be right beside me every step of the way.”
I said, “You brought me out of the darkness, Elijah. You showed me what it means to love and be loved, and in the process, you transformed my world. You’re absolutely everything to me, and I’m going to try so hard to make you as happy as you make me.”
