Sisters and Secrets

by Jennifer Ryan

  The woman opened the case and pulled out the three rings stacked on a cylindrical holder. Mason loved the classic round diamond solitaire, but the two bracketing bands really made it special. The gold had been molded to look like a twining vine set with four blue diamond-shaped sapphires on each band.

  “It’s a three-carat certified diamond. Marquis-cut sapphires in the bands. The set together is classic, delicate, and very pretty with that standout diamond.” She turned the dangling price tag. “The GIA certification details as well as the price.”

  He expected the hefty price tag and didn’t even blink or hesitate when he realized he could buy a car for the amount of the rings. If he’d been here alone, he’d have picked this set for Sierra. That the boys picked it, too, for her made it even better.

  He thought he might have to steer the boys to something that would suit Sierra, but they knew what their mom would like just as well as he did.

  Oliver seized Mason’s hand and pulled it down so he could inspect the rings up close. Danny hovered over them, too.

  “Are they good enough for your mom?”

  “She’ll really like it,” Danny confirmed.

  “Very sparkly.” Oliver touched his finger to the diamond, then moved Mason’s hand so the diamond caught the light and sparkled even more.

  Mason glanced up at the clerk. “We’ll take them.”

  “A beautiful choice. She’ll love it.” The woman looked at both boys. “You guys have great taste. That’s my favorite set.”

  The boys stood taller, pride lighting their eyes.

  “Thanks for your help, guys. I couldn’t have done this without you. I really wanted to be sure I got your mom the very best.”

  “I can’t wait to give it to her.” Oliver clasped his hands at his chest.

  Mason handed the rings along with his credit card over to the saleswoman. “Um, listen, buddy, we need to keep this a secret for a little while. I want to ask your mom to marry me in a special way.”

  “When?” Danny asked.

  “I was thinking next weekend.” The house would be done and ready for them to move in. He wanted his ring on Sierra’s finger when that happened so she’d know he meant for them to be together forever.

  “Do you guys think you can keep a secret that long? No hints. No telling her what we bought, or that I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

  Danny and Oliver both looked a little reticent about having to wait but they nodded.

  “I’ll need your help with the proposal, too.”

  That perked them up.

  “You think you can help me surprise her?”

  Both boys nodded, their heads bouncing up and down with their renewed excitement.

  Mason signed the sales slip.

  The clerk opened the beautiful wood box, revealing the three rings inside, cushioned in white velvet. “Congratulations.”

  He smiled, knowing that Sierra’s yes was a given, but still nervous about making the proposal perfect for her.

  The woman placed the box inside a small white bag with the jewelry store’s logo on it. “I hope you have a long and happy life together.”

  Mason held the bag by the strings, took both boys in hand, and walked out of the store with them beside him, excited to give Sierra the rings they’d picked for her and so ready to start the rest of his life with her.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Sierra met her mom at the bottom of the stairs. Something in her eyes made Sierra suspicious.

  “Is everything okay? Where are the boys?” They were supposed to go horseback riding with Mason before they surprised the boys with their redecorated rooms.

  “Today’s the day.” Her mom looked both happy and sad about them moving into Mason’s house.

  “We’ve been talking about it for weeks. Mason says all the work is finished at his place, though he hasn’t let me come over and see any of it this past week.”

  “It’ll be a surprise for all of you.” Dede touched her arm. “You’ve been so resilient. I’m amazed at how well you’ve managed to deal with everything. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I see how hard you try to stay focused on what you want and the future.”

  “It’s the only thing I can do. Being with Mason makes it easier to let it go and move on.”

  “He makes you happy.”

  Sierra didn’t understand the trace of a question in that statement, but it was easy to reassure her mom. “Yes. So happy. I see him with the boys and I fall deeper in love with him. He’s made us a priority in his life.” Mason still worked hard, but now instead of spending late hours at his office because he didn’t have anything pulling him home, he was happy to find a work-life balance for himself.

  Her heart melted every time she saw him and his eyes lit up. Then he’d give her a wide smile and kiss her like he hadn’t seen her in forever.

  She loved talking about their day over dinner and how they traded off reading stories to the boys at night. They’d done that here at her mom’s place this past week, but she imagined them doing it at Mason’s from now on.

  The ranch would be their home.

  And she couldn’t wait.

  “Mason loves us. I’m excited about our future. So are the boys. They light up around him. They even mimic him.” She smiled to herself. Every night Mason stood to clear his plate from the table and the boys did the same thing and followed him into the kitchen. Mason rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher. The boys followed his lead and did the same.

  They looked up to him.

  They wanted to be like him.

  She loved that.

  With Mason, everything seemed easy and possible.

  “I just want you to be happy.” Her mom searched her face for any sign she had second thoughts about moving in with him.

  “Mom, I was happy when David and I moved in together and started our family. With Mason . . . I wish I could express how joyfully blissful I am. I think about him and I smile. I see him and all I want to do is hug him and kiss him and just be with him. When we talk, I know he’s listening and wants to know about my day and what I want and need in my life. From the start, he’s talked about us. It’s not about him or me, but what we’ll do going forward. How we’ll raise the boys. The life we’ll share.”

  “That’s how it should be.”

  “After all this business with him investigating David and learning about Heather, I know I can count on him to have my back and stand beside me. I know that if we disagree or he does something I don’t like, he’s willing to talk it out, apologize, and make things right.” Sierra appreciated his openness so much. “I know that if we hit a rough patch, he’ll speak up about what he needs and that we’ll talk it through together. He’s seen so many relationships fall apart. He knows how devastating David’s betrayal was for me. Our relationship is different. It’s better. When Mason is happy, I’m happy.”

  “Then you’re truly fated.”

  For some reason, that sparked a memory from the past. Something she’d forgotten, but suddenly wanted to share with Mason. It shifted something in her heart and eased the sting of what David had done to her.

  “Where are the boys? We need to get going.”

  Dede checked her watch. “Mason picked them up twenty minutes ago and took them over to the ranch to get the horses ready for your ride.”

  Mason taught the boys all about chores and caring for the horses.

  “Strange. I told him last night we’d head over together.”

  Dede shrugged and looked away. “He must be anxious to have you all there together today.”

  Sierra had spent the morning packing up their rooms while her mom kept the boys occupied downstairs with breakfast and cartoons.

  “Well, I’m headed over there. We’ll be back later to pick up the bags and boxes.” They’d use Mason’s truck, because they’d accumulated a lot of new stuff since arriving.

  Excited, Sierra’s belly fluttered with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to merge their lives
together. She wanted to be his partner in every way, and that included finally being together every night. She wanted to wake up with the man of her dreams every morning.

  She couldn’t think of a better way to start and end her day than being with Mason.

  “Go. Have fun.”

  Sierra took a step toward the door, then turned back and wrapped her mom in a huge hug. “Thank you for everything, Mom. For being my sounding board, welcoming us home when we had nowhere else to go, and understanding that I need time when it comes to Heather.”

  “If I could erase that from your heart, I would.”

  “I know. Thank you for all the support. I appreciate it even when I’m stubborn and try to do everything on my own.”

  “I’m always here when you need me.”

  “I always need you, Mom, even when I make it seem like I can fix everything on my own.

  “Stubborn is right.” Her mom hugged her tighter anyway.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  “Oh . . .” Choked up, her mom gulped. “I love you, too, sweetheart.” Her voice shook with the emotion-filled words and Sierra’s heart grew two sizes too large for her chest.

  She sucked in a deep breath, released her mom, gave her a smile, and headed for the door. “See you soon.”

  “Enjoy today. Take it all in.”

  Sierra raised a brow at how she said that, but thought it good advice and headed out to meet her guys.

  She smiled at the thought and moved a little faster to get to the ones she loved.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Mason’s gut had tied itself into a knot so tight he could barely breathe. He kept a close eye on Danny riding alone beside him. Sierra rode on his other side with Oliver seated in front of her. The two of them looked sweet riding together.

  He offered to have Oliver ride with him, but the little guy wanted his mom today.

  The boys had helped him set up this surprise. They kept glancing at him, their smiles and excitement evident.

  Mason hoped Sierra attributed it to the fact they were headed to the creek where the boys loved to fish and splash in the wading pools.

  He’d been waiting for this day a long time. He’d never been more nervous in his life. He wanted to give Sierra something amazing and wonderful.

  The creek came into view. Danny reined in his horse and dismounted just like Mason taught him. The horse cropped grass and remained docile with Danny holding the reins.

  Mason dismounted and plucked Oliver from his mother’s lap. “This is going to be so good.”

  Mason appreciated the little guy’s enthusiasm and optimism.

  “What is all this?”

  Mason gripped Sierra’s hips and lifted her right off her horse, drew her body to his, and let her slide down him until she stood close in his embrace. “A celebratory picnic.”

  Her gaze left the blanket spread out under one of the huge oak trees with the food basket and cooler to meet his. “What are we celebrating?”

  “Us.” He took her hand and drew her toward the creek.

  Danny had already tied off the horses’ reins to the bushes like Mason had shown him earlier in the morning when they rode out to set everything up while Sierra packed up their stuff. Tonight, they’d all sleep under the same roof for the first time.

  Mason couldn’t wait.

  But first, he needed Sierra to answer one question.

  “Do you remember this spot?”

  “We came here all the time when we were in high school. We’d skip stones and just hang out listening to the water. I poured out all my secrets to you.”

  “We share some history.” Mason drew her to a stop in the shade next to the rolling creek, the cascading water gurgling over rocks next to them, and took her hands in his. “I’m looking forward to us making more together.”

  Danny and Oliver appeared on either side of him and stared up at their mom. She glanced down at them.

  “What’s going on?”

  Danny pulled out his hand from behind his back and showed Sierra the small white box.

  Mason explained. “This represents our past.”

  Danny flipped the lid open on the box and revealed the charm bracelet Mason had had made for her. “A horse for all the rides we took together. A diamond for all the nights we spent staring up at the stars and talking. Whether it was in the back of my truck, out in the pasture, or right here, those are some of my best memories.”

  Sierra’s eyes misted with tears. “Oh, Mason.”

  “And a daisy.”

  She laughed. “For all the times you picked a wildflower and plucked the petals off in exactly the right order to land on he loves me not for whatever boy I had a crush on.”

  “Even back then, I wanted to keep you all to myself. I was just too stupid and focused on other things to see that what I really wanted was right in front of me.”

  A single tear slipped down her cheek.

  Oliver drew his surprise out from behind his back.

  Mason held Sierra’s questioning gaze. “The bracelet is for the past. This one is for the present.”

  Oliver pulled the lid off the white box and revealed the set of keys on a heart-shaped key chain.

  “Keys to our house.”

  She smiled and pressed her lips together as her eyes glassed over again. “I can’t wait to make it our home.”

  “Tonight will be the first night of the rest of our lives where we go to sleep and wake up together.”

  Both boys heads turned up to him.

  He glanced at both of them. “Did I forget to tell you you’re moving in today?”

  The boys looked to their mom for confirmation. She nodded. “That’s right. We are.”

  “Yes!” the boys said in unison, their big smiles conveying their excitement.

  Mason squeezed Sierra’s hands to draw her full attention back to him. “Before you do and I show you the surprises I have for you at the house, there’s one more thing I want to give you.” He slipped his hand in his front pocket but didn’t draw it back out just yet. “This one is for our future.” He pulled out the wood ring case, used his thumb to open the lid, and held it out in his palm as he sank to one knee.

  Sierra gasped, put her fingertips to her lips, and stared from the ring to him to the ring and back again. “Mason.”

  “I love you. So much that it fills me up and I feel like I can’t possibly feel this much for one person. Then you smile at me and that feeling gets bigger and my whole world gets brighter. I want to build a life with you. I want a lifetime of memories filled with you and our children.”

  Her head was already bobbing up and down, but he kept going because she deserved to hear it all and have him ask the question.

  “I want you to be my one and only. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

  She kept nodding, tears falling down her soft cheeks, her lips trembling when she said, “Yes!” She leaned down and kissed him. “Yes.” She kissed him again. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” She kissed him for one long moment.

  He stood, pulling her into his arms and kissing her more deeply.

  The boys cheered and gave them bear hugs, their little arms around his and Sierra’s legs.

  Mason managed to step back, take her hand, and put the diamond engagement ring on her finger.

  “Where’s the rest?” Oliver checked the box in his hand.

  “The other part is for the wedding day.” Mason took Sierra’s hand and kissed her knuckle right above the ring. “Do you like it?”

  “I love it.” She stared at the diamond.

  “The boys helped me pick it out.”

  Her gaze shot to his. “Really?”

  “I got their permission to ask you, then we went shopping.”

  She chuckled under her breath. “That’s really sweet.”

  “We’re going to be a family,” Oliver announced.

  Danny took his mom’s hand and checked out the ring again. “It looks really good. Wait ’til you see the rest. It’s aw
esome.”

  Relief hit Mason in a wave. Sierra said yes. The kids were excited about them getting married, and Sierra looked happy that he’d pulled off the proposal and included the kids.

  “When are we getting married?” Oliver asked.

  “Not we,” Danny scolded Oliver. “They are getting married.”

  Mason ruffled Danny’s hair. “It’s definitely we. My commitment to your mom is a commitment I make to you, too. We will be family.” He hugged the boys to his sides. “I, for one, can’t wait.”

  Sierra kissed him again. “Me, either.”

  Oliver wriggled away and handed Sierra the box with the keys in it. He ran off to the picnic. “It’s time for cake!”

  Danny handed over the bracelet and ran to catch up to Oliver.

  Sierra raised an eyebrow. “I thought you brought lunch.”

  “I was told that a celebration required cake.” He tilted his head to the boys pulling the cake out of the cooler.

  Sierra laughed. “Absolutely.”

  Mason took the bracelet out of the box and fastened it around Sierra’s wrist. He brushed his fingers over her skin and stared deeply into her eyes. “Were you surprised?”

  “In the best way.” She linked her fingers with his. “I knew we’d get here, I just didn’t expect it to be today.”

  “Why not today? You’re moving in. I wanted you to know I want it to be forever.”

  She turned into him. “I never doubted you wanted me.”

  He looked into her eyes. “Always.”

  He kissed her softly, then she backed away, pulling him along with her. “I can’t wait to show you how much I love you tonight. In our bed.” She shook the keys in the box.

  Mason suddenly had second thoughts about bringing the boys with them for the proposal. He’d love to lay her out on that blanket and make love to her under the tree.

  But the boys smiled at them and he decided this was good, too.

  This would be a memory all of them cherished.

  * * *

  Sierra held her hand out to her mom to show off the gorgeous engagement ring. Mason had really outdone himself. She couldn’t wait to see the wedding bands the boys kept talking about while they ate cake and drank sparkling cider by the creek.