by Mignon Mykel
Today though, I was taking her on a different adventure.
“My mom’s birthday is coming up, and my siblings and I bought a ring for her. Well, we commissioned it during the last seven days on the cruise.” I told her the jeweler we had used.
“You really figured you could win me over, didn’t you?” She grinned up at me and I squeezed her hand. I helped her into her car before getting in on the driver’s side.
“That, and I was willing to use the entire week to convince you.”
She laughed lightly but her smile was huge. I was so, so, so beyond grateful that I was able to convince her to let me stay. She received her first assignment the other day. She was going to be casting for another reality show, but this one was following a real-life couple through the trials of adoption. Sydney was extremely excited about this particular pitch. We talked about how she would go through her casting process and then I asked if it was something that she’d be willing to do in Wisconsin.
Long story short, she was coming home to Wisconsin with me for my last two free weeks until I was due back in San Diego. Jonny and I were going to be helping out with a summer camp at one of the local elite high schools back home and while I would have understood if she couldn’t come with me, I was thrilled that she was.
I just had one more thing up my sleeve, and my week, my month, my fucking summer…hell, make it the freaking year…
It would all be made.
“Hey, Chief, come look at this one,” I said, standing next to the case that housed the ring I was looking at. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it, no, but it was the first time I saw it in completion and in person.
I watched as she moved from one case to the one I was at. She peered into the glass.
“What one am I looking at?” Her hair fell over her shoulder, blocking her face from me. I had to refrain from brushing her hair behind her ear so I could see her.
Nancy, the sales person I was working with, smiled when I glanced up at her. She took her keys to unlock the case from the back and pulled out the tray I pointed at. Everything was planned; thank God for small favors and sales people who were willing to play along.
“This one.” I pointed at a ring my sisters all gave their approval over. I had been afraid the design was too common; I wanted something unique for the woman I wanted to marry. Then, after hearing about the fiasco Jenna put on about the size of her ring, or lack thereof with the amount of money Jonny’s contract was, I was afraid it was going to be too small. I wanted something on her finger that stole attention—the same attention she stole from me the moment I met her. All three of my sisters assured me that this was the perfect ring for the girl they had hardly met, but heard so much more about.
The girl Myke was convinced was going to be her newest best friend.
Nancy pulled out the tiny rose gold ring that held three circle diamonds, the middle one slightly larger than the other two, with a halo of smaller diamonds around it. Tucked in the side facets, one on each side, were tiny amber stones that reminded me of Sydney’s eyes when she laughed. I had been afraid that the golden-champagne gems would clash too much with the pinkish gold, but it actually looked incredibly unique.
“Oh, that’s gorgeous. I love past, present, future rings.” Sydney looked at Nancy, asking with her gaze if she could touch the ring. Nancy held the ring out to her and, after tucking her hair behind her ear, Chief held it up at eye level, looking it over. “It’s absolutely gorgeous, Cael.” She had picked up on my family’s nickname for me and it just felt so right.
Everything with her felt so right.
“This one is called The Sydney,” Nancy cut in. I watched my Sydney’s face, waiting for a sign of recognition. Much like when she and I first met and I goaded her into a blush, I wanted to see when she realized the ring was hers.
“Is the diamond from Australia?” Sydney looked up at Nancy. I wanted to laugh at Syd. The comment was incredibly her. “I heard they have some of the best diamonds. And if this one is any indication, I can see why.”
“Actually, I think it was named for a different reason,” Nancy said. “I do believe there’s something engraved inside the band.”
Sydney frowned slightly and I took that as my cue to lower myself to one knee. She caught my movement before she could look inside the band though. The ring in hand, she turned toward me and those amber eyes I loved so much were bright with emotion, a slight sheen making them even brighter.
“Caleb…”
I took her free hand in mine as she continued to hold the ring in her other.
“Sydney Marie Meadows,” I started. She didn’t appear shocked that I knew her middle name. I think it went over her head, actually. “I have been half in love with you since you convinced me to do a show I didn’t want to do. I have been completely, irrevocably in love with you since a Sunday I didn’t want to end. You didn’t let me tell you then, and you wouldn’t let me tell you any other time, but I’m going to tell you now. I love you, Sydney. You are it for me. You are the reason none of the women on the show held my attention. You did good, Chief,” I said with a crooked grin, “but you did better when you were yourself, when you and I spent time together. You are my pixie redhead Chief and I don’t want to ever watch you walk away again. So what do you say, Syd? Will you marry me? Have redheaded babies with me?”
I held my breath. I shouldn’t be afraid of her answer but I was nervous she would say no. That this organized list-making woman I had fallen for would think we needed more time to get to know one another.
In truth, I knew everything I needed to about her. Sure, there were probably things that would piss her off when living together. Maybe she would get annoyed if I left my gear bag by the front door. Or maybe she’d be a pissy woman when it was that time of the month. But I knew her smiles, her laughter.
I knew she could laugh in bed and have fun. I knew she was playful and…handsy…when she wanted to be. There were times when we were lying in bed or on the couch, and her hands slipped up the legs of my boxer shorts. Sometimes she’d be frisky, but sometimes she just wanted her hand there. I often laughed at her about it, but secretly I loved it.
When it was just she and I, she no longer had a shy bone in her body.
I loved sitting with her, lying with her, holding her hand, running my fingers through her hair.
I loved every damn thing about her.
And she may not have said it, but I knew she loved me too.
But just in case…
“We can have a long engagement if you wanted.”
I would do it too. It would probably have to be a live-in arrangement because there was no way in hell I was letting her stay in Utah while I was in San Diego. If she wanted her own space, well then I supposed we could find a place near mine and Jonny’s, if not in the same building. I would have dinner with her nightly though, or at least whenever the team wasn’t traveling. I’d hold her just as many nights, wake up with her all the following mornings.
On second thought, her getting an apartment really wasn’t that financially responsible and knowing Sydney, her lists probably included a budget. She’d want to be fiscally responsible so yeah, she’d move in with me. It made the most sense.
We’d have to do something about Jonny and Jenna. Maybe Syd and I could find our own place.
Yeah, I’d like that. A space with her touch all over it, a place that the only memories I had there were with her. Definitely the best option.
I was so lost in my head that I had to snap to attention when I felt her tugging on my hand. I refocused my eyes to her face, and saw her crying and nodding.
“I love you, too, Caleb. Yes,” she said, nodding still. “A thousand times yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Yeah?” The disbelief was easy to hear; the relief I felt was huge though.
She nodded a few times more before tugging on my hand again so I stood. I saw Nancy behind Chief, smiling as she put the tray back in the case, locking it up and moving away to give
us our moment.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling up at me. She held the ring out to me and danced in her spot. “I want you to put it on me.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “You didn’t read the inside.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, yeah.”
She held the ring up in between us and tilted it, looking for the engraving. She sucked her lips into her mouth and her eyes misted again when she saw it.
“Love ya, Chief,” she said, her voice wavering with her unshed tears.
“The first time I said it was to the wind, because you wouldn’t let me tell you. You will not go a day without me telling you at least once. In the morning, in the afternoon, at night. I love you, Sydney.” I leaned down to peck her lips, speaking against them. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” I pronounced each with a peck of its own, my lips lingering after the last. I pulled back and smiled down at her. Her right arm snaked around my waist, her hand resting near my spine.
“You’ll put it on me now, right?” she asked again, holding the ring up in front of my face.
I laughed and took it from her. “Yes, Syd baby, I’ll put it on you now.”
I took the ring from her and didn’t bother fighting the huge ass grin on my face as she danced in place beside me.
Damn, I loved her.
She held her left hand out, fingers spread, and her grin mirrored mine. She kept biting on her lower lip so before I could put the ring where it belonged, I leaned down to nip her myself.
After straightening, I slid the ring home, the fit perfect. I felt her fingers dig into my spine when she held her left hand up to admire the ring.
“It’s so pretty,” she whispered.
“Not as pretty as you, Syd baby.”
She fully turned into me now, wrapping her arms around me and buried her nose into my ribs. “We can do a long engagement,” she said into my shirt.
I know I said it, but I was a little bit disappointed in her agreeing with it. “Whatever you want, Chief,” I said instead.
She pulled her head back so she could rest her chin on my chest, her grin still huge. “But only because I don’t want a wedding to interfere with your schedule.”
“Your interference is always well worth it.”
“Still.” She tapped my chest with both palms before rising up on tiptoe. “Kiss me, then let’s go back to my place to practice on those redheaded babies you mentioned. We have some time to get it perfect.”
I chuckled, reaching down to squeeze the globes of her ass. “I’m already perfect; I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
And yes, I let my fingers dip down so when I squeezed, I hit that spot that made her drop in a ticklish fit, but also oh so wet and ready for me.
“Caleb!” Her holler was whispered. “Not in public.”
“We’ve done a lot in public, Syd. I’m sure it’s all on tape too.”
“Oh, God.” She turned a pretty shade of pink and buried her head into my shirt. “Let’s not watch.”
“Oh. Let’s watch.” The show had premiered the second week of filming, but still had a handful of episodes to go. We were totally pulling the previous shows up On Demand.
We were also due to make an appearance after the final show aired next month.
Sydney stepped away from me but slid her fingers into mine. “I can’t watch you making out with other girls.”
“I told you before, I didn’t kiss anyone. Maybe a cheek, but the only lips were yours.”
“We’ll see…” She squeezed my hand. I couldn’t tell if she seriously thought I was joking or what.
“Wanna bet?” I squeezed her hand back, loving the cool metal resting on her ring finger. She was mine and the ring said it.
“Let’s just get your mom’s ring and go.”
I just grinned, shaking my head. She would see…
Nancy already had mom’s ring packaged in a black gift bag and held it out to us as we neared. “Congratulations, you two,” she said as we were leaving. We thanked her and headed back to Sydney’s place.
Sure, we were going to watch the show. And probably talk living arrangements; I was due back in San Diego in a few weeks, after all.
But first?
First we were practicing.
“Welcome to the reunion show of Beauty, everyone! I am Jack Stewart, and like you,” Jack spoke to the live crowd, “I was along for the crazy rollercoaster journey Caleb Prescott had us on. Tonight, we have Caleb as he talks about the show, what went wrong, and why he didn’t choose either of our lovely ladies at the end. The drama with this season was certainly there, especially when an old love came back. We all know he left the show to go and beg Sydney for forgiveness. We’ll find out tonight if she took him back or not.”
The audience let out a scripted ‘aww’.
“So let’s bring him out! Caleb, everyone.”
Caleb walked out to the stage among a chorus of applause. He grinned when he reached Jack and held out his hand, shaking the host’s hand before sitting on the love seat. He adjusted the legs of his pants when he did and when the crowd failed to quiet down, he chuckled and waved to them. “Hey, everyone.”
“Alright, Caleb.” Jack grinned and sat in the chair beside the love seat. “How’s life been treating you lately? The NHL season is about to start, correct?”
“Yeah.” He nodded a few times, still grinning. “Yeah, life’s been great.” He lifted his hand and rubbed at the corners of his smiling mouth with his thumb and index finger. “After filming and everything wrapped up, I was able to go back home. My brother and I give back to the community we grew up in by working with some of the hockey summer camps, so that was fun. And camp started…two…?” Caleb’s face folded in as he thought for a second. “Yeah. Two weeks ago here in San Diego, so I’ve been busy.”
“So tell us. America wants to know… Did Sydney take you back?” Jack cut right to the chase.
Caleb chuckled and rubbed his hands over his thighs. “It took a little work, but yeah. Yeah, she did.”
The audience began clapping yet again.
“So we got a little bit of the story, but tell us more about you and Sydney.”
“Well, Syd and I met prior to the show. We broke things off and I did the show, but I have to be honest, I had a really hard time with it.”
“I think we definitely got the feel for that,” Jack replied, to which the audience laughed. Some ‘yeahs’ could be heard throughout the crowd.
Caleb chuckled. “Production bringing her to the show was a complete surprise. I mean, complete surprise. At first, it definitely solidified what I felt for her but as the days went on and I wasn’t doing the dates with her,” he paused with a shrug, but it didn’t come off as half-assed but rather more upset with himself. “I made a mistake when I sent her home. If I thought her coming back into my life solidified what I felt for her, not having her those last few days really did it.” Caleb grinned. “It wasn’t the easiest to convince her that I made that mistake.”
The audience chuckled and Jack smiled. “But everything’s good?”
Caleb smiled wide. “Yeah, everything’s great.”
They continued to chat about the show and life, Jack making comments and Caleb laughing along. He looked like he was enjoying himself, and every time Sydney’s name was mentioned, Caleb sat up a little taller, grinned a little wider.
Finally, Jack said what Caleb seemed to be waiting for. “Alright, everyone, let’s bring her out. Sydney!”
Both Jack and Caleb stood, and when Sydney walked from the wings in a fitted cream wrap dress with her auburn hair styled and down, Caleb stepped toward her to take her hand, bringing her to the couch with him. She wore a pair of tall high heels that would likely be the talk of the tabloids for the next few days but with Caleb’s hand in hers and his other hand on her back, she walked steadily to the couch.
Sydney sat first but Caleb sat right next to her, their thighs touching and hands still clasped together and on his thigh.
“Yes, that had been a tough day. But it’s all good now.” Sydney was smiling and glanced over at Caleb, who leaned in to peck her on the lips once, earning them an ‘aww’ from the crowd.
When they pulled apart, Sydney was blushing and Caleb’s thumb rubbed over her knuckles, their hands staying locked.
“I am so glad to hear that. You two make a beautiful couple. How has life been the last few weeks? Have you been able to spend time with Caleb?”
Sydney nodded. “We’ve had to stay pretty low-profile, but it hasn’t been that difficult. We’re a pretty low-key couple.”
“Everyone wants to know, are you moving to San Diego?”
Her smile was a bit coy but she nodded. “We moved me in last week, officially.”
“To be fair,” Caleb cut in, holding up his free hand, “She and I had to search for a place, leaving the other place to my brother. Sydney also had business to attend in New York. I would have moved her in sooner if the timing allowed.”
“Ah, not letting her go far any longer,” Jack said, earning him laughter from the audience. “And is that…? Sydney, are you wearing a ring?”
Caleb and Sydney wore matching smiles as Sydney lifted her left hand to show off the ring.
“Yes. Caleb proposed.” Caleb lifted their locked hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
“And you said yes,” Jack said, stating the obvious.
“She said yes. She’s stuck with me,” Caleb told the audience before leaning over to kiss Sydney on the cheek.
Sydney
“God, I can’t watch anymore,” I said, covering my face with one hand as I blindly searched for the remote in Caleb’s lap. Maybe my aim was purposely off, because I found him well before I found the remote. Caleb groaned but didn’t offer any assistance in finding what I was looking for.
When I did, I hit a button near the top of the remote, hoping it was the off button. “We look like a bunch of love sick fools. People are going to be so sick of us.”
