Married by Proxy {18+}

32. Surprises

~Nevaeh~

Overjoyed and slightly nervous, I gaze at my husband as he retrieves a gift that sets my heart on fire from the whipped cream decorating my breakfast. With a smirk, Belle uses a napkin to clean the mess and slides out of his chair onto one knee as he holds a petite ring up.

A gorgeous teardrop cut diamond is being guarded by a fleet of small canary gems. They outline the shape of it, making its glow burst exquisitely under the light, flaring out three stones long across the white gold band on each side.

"This one's yours, Mi Luz," He mutters through a sigh as he calmly examines it. I can see he's ridiculing himself for giving me Ella's wedding set. I get that he never expected our relationship to be anything more than signatures on paper, but it still hurt me when I found out. Because of the ill feelings toward the subject, I keep my mouth zipped and try to focus on the beloved moment I'm in. Belle's beautiful eyes twitch between mine before he speaks again.

"It was wrong of me to give you something that was a symbol of my affection for another woman. I always had that slight tinge in my gut begging me not to do such a thing, yet, I ignored it. I chose to shove that feeling down so I could look at those rings on your finger and remind myself that love makes a person vulnerable and blind. They were meant to keep my heart safe from someone who only wanted what I could give. I didn't expect or wish to be anything more than two people pulling together to benefit our families, Nevaeh. I know now that it was cruel of me to not only give you a representation of my past, but to expect you to wear a sad note that I didn't want to love you. Please forgive me."

I touch his cheek, trying not to cry. He takes my hand in his. I hate that he doesn't see what I feel. "I've already forgiven that, Oso."

The rough pad of his thumb softly strokes my finger as he lifts the ring higher. I squint when the sunlight reflects on an engraving inside the band. The script is too small for me to read from the distance so I point at it. "What's that say?"

"No hay luz más brillante que la mía." A huge smile breaks across my face, twisting his regretful features into ones of pure satisfaction. "See, that's what I mean by no light is brighter than mine. You literally brighten my world with a simple expression. "

"You just can't help laying it on thick, can you?" I mutter, using his cheeks to move his mouth closer to mine. The coarse hair on his jaw tickles my palm as his tongue hops with mine. I don't think I could ever be happier than I am in this second. I'd love to tip the hourglass on its side to freeze time and stay in his arms forever.

Bellemy slows the kiss, barely giving me tender mouth taps as he takes my hand off of his face and slides my ring on. Neither one of us can pass on seeing how it looks on my finger and our heads bow at the same time. The jewels dazzle me with pride since it fits perfectly and compliments my complexion.

"You cheap-ass fool," Mateo cuts in, strolling in the kitchen in his grey hoodie and torn jeans. "You only gave her half a set! You're married, where's the band?"

Bellemy glares, settling back in his seat. I take one more glance at my ring before tearing into my pancakes.

The food is a soft cloud of vanilla with a burst of a fruity finish that makes my mouth water in delight. Zolia is a miracle worker with a spatula in her hand. I'll have to thank her later.