Tonight was the night.
Melanie could feel it deep in her bones that she was finally getting her ring. She had been waiting since graduation day for a romantic proposal from her long term boyfriend, but three months had passed, and he'd given her nothing but mixed signals. It was such a shame, considering marriage was all Eddy could talk about all through his four years of college. But since he'd made partner at his mother's law firm, marriage seemed unlikely to be part of his plans, despite his promises to make Melanie an honest woman.
She was hopeful, nevertheless.
He had called her from his mother's office early in the evening, prompting her to get ready so he could pick her up for dinner. It had been too long since the two of them sat down together and enjoyed each other's company. They both lived on opposite sides of the city, creating unnecessary distance between them which led to their lack of quality time together. They were only forty minutes apart, but it was good enough reason not to see each other too often. Eddy had always said he wanted time to miss her.
Melanie's heart fluttered when she heard the knocking at the door. She had slipped into a tight, red dress that hugged every curve of her body from her breasts down to her hips, and picked her highest pair of black stilettos to wear. She knew how Eddy loved to see her in them.
Opening the door to her one bedroom apartment, her red stained lips curved into a smile to greet him. He held a single rose out to her and pecked her cheek, making her frown.
He noticed immediately. "Babe, I told you I don't want all that shit on my lips, too. You look good though."
She hummed, accepting his unwelcoming embrace as she took the rose from him. "Thanks, Eddy. So, where are we headed?"
"I made reservations for us at Zola's."
Her smile immediately returned. She didn't need a fancy dinner to feel loved, but it was rare that Eddy took her to restaurants where he could wine and dine her. "Sounds great."
Tucking a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead and murmured something. Melanie didn't catch any of what he had said, but it didn't matter when he pulled her out of the apartment. He led her down to his parked car and got into the driver side, waiting for her to get in as well.
"So, sweetie, have you thought about what we discussed?"
Melanie pulled on her seatbelt as he drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. "I'm still looking for a full-time job. In the meantime, I don't find it necessary to quit my job."
"I'm not saying you should quit. I just don't see how it fits in with our degree."
She blinked at him. "My degree, Eddy. You went off to law school, remember?"
He shook his head, scoffing. "Just think about it some more. Your tutoring job with those kids is just taking up time that you could be using to look for a decent job within your field."
She leaned back against her seat and looked out the window. There was nothing more to contribute to the conversation, so the only useful thing she could do was watch as the scenery blended together.
Eddy looked over at her for a brief second before turning his attention back to the road. He knew she was upset, but he didn't comment.
Melanie was just as intelligent and compassionate as the day they met. She was a freshman in high school, and he was the senior set to leave the state for school. But he had fallen for her too quickly and knew he would spend the rest of his life with her, so he stayed behind to study at the university close to the high school. Eddy wanted for them to be the power couple of the city, both of them working more than just entry level jobs after graduating, but her part-time job at the elementary wasn't going to make her successful, nor would it make him look good. She was a tutor, paid by the hour, and he wanted a wife who earned a reasonable salary.
Eddy pulled up to the valet at Zola's after the agonizing minutes spent on the road and instantly got out the car. He handed the valet the keys without a word and waited for Melanie to follow him to the entrance of the restaurant before walking in.
The host nodded to Eddy, silently acknowledging his presence. He was a well respected man, given his family name, so it wasn't a surprise to Melanie that the host had noticed him so quickly.
The two of them were taken to a table in the back of the restaurant where there was more privacy to dine. A waitress approached before they could sit and pulled out a notepad.
"Hello, and welcome to Zola's, Mr. Jones," she said to Eddy. "I'm Teagan. Can I start you off with a drink?"
"We'll take waters," he said without looking at the woman.
"I'll get that right away for you."
Once the two of them were alone, Eddy reached inside the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small velvet box. He slid it over to Melanie before leaning back against his chair.
"What is it?" she asked, looking up from the menu on the table.
"Open it," he urged. A smile spread across his face when she opened the box, revealing the diamond ring inside.
She raised a brow. She had been hopeful that he would propose, but she wasn't expecting this. It was a beautiful, solitaire ring, and although she did love it, she wasn't in love with the moment.
"I am proposing," he explained to her. "We're going on eight years soon, and if we do this — if we live as husband and wife, you'll have to look for a permanent job. We'll be having children soon."
"Eddy—"
"Just say yes, babe."
She opened her mouth to speak, but all words failed her. This wasn't the proposal she was looking forward to at all. She had expected something romantic after so many years of love exchanged between them.
But she wanted this. She wanted him.
"Yes, I'll marry you," she whispered, sliding the ring onto her finger. She looked down at it and smiled.
"Good. Your things will need to be moved into my place first thing tomorrow morning."
Teagan returned to the table with two glasses of water, and Eddy hurriedly took one to sip on.
"I've taken the afternoon off, so you should have enough time to get settled in." He loosed the tie around his neck and leaned over the table to kiss the corner of her mouth. "I love you, Melanie. I really do."
"I love you, too."
Eddy had organized for movers to assist Melanie with transitioning into his house. It was a four bedroom, enough for the two of them and however many children they would conceive. He knew he would be taking over his mother's law firm one day, and he wanted children to pass the legacy on to. Even though it took him an engagement ring to allow Melanie to move in, he already had the future for them mapped out.
As he stood by the large window in his office, watching the sun rise over the horizon, he grinned. He and Melanie were finally engaged.
He made a mental note to himself to talk to her about getting off the pill. If they were engaged and soon to be married, he wanted to make sure she could have his first child within the first year of their marriage.
Eddy would no longer be the twenty five year old bachelor. He would be one of the youngest men to rise to power.
"Mr. Jones, she's here."
He turned to the small yet confident voice at the door and grinned. "Send her in, Monica. This should only take a minute."
Monica nodded and stepped aside to allow the woman through the door before shutting it behind her.
"Oh, Mr. Jones, the sun has hardly risen, and you already have your receptionist clocked in."
Eddy smirked at the woman and cupped her chin in his hand, pressing his lips against hers. "Good morning, June. What did I tell you about walking into my office with all that clothes on?"
"You don't think I listen well enough, do you?" June unbuttoned her fur coat and shrugged it off her shoulders, exposing her naked body. She released the pin from her platinum bleached hair and shook it out, allowing it to cover her soft, round breasts.
He knew she had gotten work done over the years, but he could still fit his cock perfectly between the valley, so there was nothing to complain about. "Did you bring me breakfast?"
She took his hand and moved it down to her moist folds, swaying her hips to feel the tip of his finger circle around her clit. "I did, Mr. Jones. Why don't you come enjoy it on the couch?"
"Melanie, I really don't think you should go in there!"
Eddy practically jumped away from June when the door swung open. Melanie stood there — her eyes searching the room and then settling on him. It took her a moment to process the look on his face, but when her gaze fell onto the naked woman standing in front of her fiancé, she immediately reached for the ring on her finger.
She had just caught her fiancé cheating.
"And who might this be, Eddy?" she asked, raising her brow at the woman. "She can't be a client of yours like Monica claims."
He grabbed the fur coat off the floor and covered June with it. "What are you doing here?"
"I catch you fucking around with some other woman, and you have the nerve to question me?" She scoffed at him. "I can't believe this."
"Melanie," he said, stepping toward the door.
"Don't even think about coming closer," she spat. "Seven years, Eddy. I gave seven years of my life to you only to get a shitty proposal with terms and conditions. How long have you been fucking other women behind my back?"
"Babe, please—"
June's eyes widened. "You're engaged?"
"Not anymore." Melanie chucked the ring at his chest and turned back to the lobby. She could have cursed, voiced her anger and lashed out at the woman who looked just as puzzled as Melanie felt, but it was no use when seven years had gone down the drain in less than a minute.
She knew Eddy was right behind her, but she didn't care to stop for him. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she made her escape down the stairwell instead.
"Melanie, please let me talk to you," he called after her.
She could hear the words from halfway down the stairs, but she refused to stop.
"I fucked up. I know I did."
She released a heavy sigh of relief when she made it down to the first floor and practically sprinted for the entrance of the building. But Eddy's strong hold came around her body, and she collapsed onto the floor in tears.
"Please," he whispered. He was begging for her to listen. "I'm so fucking sorry, Mel."
"Let me go," she said to him. She didn't fight him off. She couldn't.
"I can't. I messed this all up, but I still love you."
"I won't stay with a man who can lie in bed with another woman and claim to love me."
He pressed his lips against her head and inhaled the strong scent of her morning shampoo. "Please don't leave, babe. I'll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness, but you can't leave me."
"Let me go," she said again. "Just let me go."
Eddy reluctantly released her and exhaled when she ran to the door, making her fast escape. He knew then that only memories remained from their seven years together.
Sinking further in defeat, he pounded a fist into the marble floor and loudly cursed. Once he had decided it was time to collect himself, he stood to his feet and dragged a hand over his face, contemplating whether he should run after her again.
Just as he made the decision to give Melanie her space, something bright caught his attention. He bent down to pick it up and squeezed his eyes shut when he saw the small window of the pink capped stick.
Melanie had come down to the office to announce her pregnancy.