Saving You (Love Wanted in Texas #2)(46)
Author: Kelly Elliott

I shook my head. “Josh and Heather do. I asked for Libby’s hand.” Grace placed her hand over her heart. “Man oh man, did Mom and Dad do right with you.”

I gave her a gentle push on the shoulder. “Help me, Grace. There are so many. They are different sizes, shapes, colors. I have no clue.”

Turning around and looking down Grace sighed. “Well, first off, Libby is a simple girl so you want to keep the ring fairly simple. Do you want to go with a diamond or something different?”

“Different like how?”

“Like what Gunner did with Ellie. Ellie’s engagement ring is a sapphire. You don’t have to do a diamond.”

Smiling an idea occurred to me. “The yellow diamond.”

Grace pinched her eyebrows together. “Yellow diamond?”

I grabbed her hand and led her over to the other side where I saw the ring that immediately caught my eye when I first walked in. I had thought of Libby right away. The pale-yellow color reminded me of her. Libby’s smile was like the sun’s rays—bright and radiant. My ray of sunshine. It was her light that saved me in the first place.

Walking to the counter, I pointed to the light pale-yellow diamond. Grace brought her hand up to her mouth and drew in a gasp.

The saleswoman approached. “I had a feeling you’d be back to this diamond. I saw your eyes light up when you first saw it.” I glanced to her and smiled.

Grace dropped her hand and sighed, “It’s breathtakingly beautiful.” Turning to me she smiled. “This is so Libby, Luke.”

Nodding my head, I agreed. “I know. It reminds me of the sunlight, which reminds me of, Lib.”

The saleswoman smiled and began telling us about the ring. She took it out and set it on a black velvet board. The contrast made it more beautiful.

“This diamond is a cushion cut yellow diamond. It is just over one carat in size. The two side diamonds are oval diamonds. They are approximately half a carat each. They are all set in a platinum band.”

Grace picked up the ring and slipped it onto her finger. Smiling Grace looked up at me as she handed the ring to me. “Luke, it’s perfect. You didn’t need me after all.”

Chuckling, I said, “I would have never have come back to this ring if you hadn’t said something, Grace.”

I watched as tears began to fill Grace’s eyes. I frowned. “Grace, what’s wrong?”

Shaking her head, she laughed. “Nothing, it’s just that I’m so happy for you and Libby. I’m glad y’all finally got your shit together.” I leaned over and kissed my sister on the cheek. If only I believed that was why she had tears in her eyes.

Taking another good look at the ring, I knew it was the one. Handing it back to the saleswoman, I said, “I’ll take it.”

Her eyes widening in surprise as she asked, “Don’t you even want to know how much it is?”

“No matter how much it is, Libby is worth every single penny. This ring is perfect for her, I don’t care how much it costs.”

She checked the sales tag and peeked up at me. “This ring is fourteen thousand dollars.”

“Holy sheets,” Grace said. I pulled out my wallet and handed her my American Express card.

Grace bumped my shoulder and smiled. “Had I known you were rich, I’d have hit you up for that Coach purse I wanted for Christmas.”

The sales lady walked back over to us and handed me my card. “Grace, can I ask you something?”

“I don’t know, can you?”

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “I hate when you do that. May I ask you something?”

Smirking, she nodded her head. “Have at it.”

“Why is a girl as beautiful as you not dating anyone? You mentioned last summer about fighting your own fears.”

Grace began chewing on her lower lip. “Talk to me, Sweet Pea. Please.”

Grace looked down as her eyebrows pinched together as if she was thinking of something. “I did meet someone.”

Smiling, I tilted her chin up. Looking into her eyes I saw nothing but sadness. “And?”

Swallowing hard, I watched as a tear slowly moved down my sister’s face. My entire world stopped. I was going to kill the motherfucker if he hurt my sister. Keeping calm, I waited for her to say something. It felt like time was moving in slow motion as I waited for Grace to talk.

“We had an amazing connection, but, I—I pushed him away. I said some awful things to him, Luke. I didn’t mean them at all. I saw the hurt in his eyes. I won’t ever let myself be hurt again by someone and I didn’t know what to do. I was scared by how I felt and I panicked. Now, I think I’ve lost him forever.”

Closing my eyes, I pulled her into my arms as she began to cry. I’ve never seen my sister cry. Ever. “Shh, it’s okay, Grace. We’ll fix it. I promise.”

She shook her head as she pulled away. “You can’t. He’s getting married.”

LUKE HELD ME in his arms as we stood and talked to Roy. Roy had thrown a party to celebrate how well the football team did this season. Luke said Roy used any excuse to throw a party. I looked around and saw Colt leaning against the wall smiling politely at a few girls who were talking to him. Colt had an amazing season. Smiling, I watched as he charmed them with his handsome good looks, dimples, and sky-blue eyes.

I turned and saw Lauren walking in with Bruce. He did not seem like the type she would be with. He was cute that was for sure. Dark-brown hair, amber-green eyes, backward baseball cap that made him even cuter and a pretty rocking body. Bruce couldn’t hold a candle to Will, Colt, or Luke’s body. Turning, I looked at Luke. My eyes traveled down his body. He had on Wrangler jeans that fit him oh so good, a tight, blue T-shirt that hugged his muscles in that perfect sexy way. His messy brown hair had that just-fucked look and he was sporting a three-day stubble.

Oh lord. The way his body made my body hum with desire was unreal. Chewing on the inside of my cheek to get my libido under check, I looked back at Lauren. I frowned as I watched Bruce lean down and kiss her. I prayed to God she hadn’t given herself to him. Bruce didn’t seem like the type who would wait patiently. They had been dating for three months now.

Luke sighed. “Shit, Colt should probably find someone soon. It looks like Lauren has.”

Turning around, I looked at Colt who was glaring at Lauren and Bruce. Before I knew it, he grabbed one of the girls and brought her out to the dance floor. My mouth dropped open at the way he was dancing with her. “Oh my gosh, Luke. What is Colt doing? He looks like he’s about to crawl into her pants,” I said, looking at Luke.