Jericho snorted. “Hell no. She’s confident, beautiful, and strong. But she has a kind heart. I don’t deserve someone like her.”
“May I recommend a solitaire? One stone for one girl—the only one. Speaks volumes. If you told me the first three, I’d say go for flashy, but if she’s good-hearted, then she’s the kind of woman who doesn’t give a shit what her friends think.”
“Yeah, that’s Isabelle.”
Tony led him to a display of rings and pulled them out. After a confusing glance around, one ring caught his eye.
“A beauty, isn’t she?” Tony smiled and pulled the ring from the case, holding it between his fat fingers. “This one is special. She’s a one-carat diamond that sparkles like no other because she has over one hundred and thirty facets. It’s like wearing a star on your finger. Fourteen-karat white gold. Hold her in your hand.”
Jericho slid the ring halfway up his finger and grinned. “This is it. She’s the one.”
“If you said that to your woman, then I do believe it is.”
“How much?”
“Free.”
Jericho flicked his eyes up. “Bullshit.”
Tony shrugged and took the ring away, carefully pushing it in a black box. “Wheeler’s picking up the tab. You guys can sort it all out.”
Jericho leaned heavily on his arms. “Look, I’m not having my brother pay for my woman’s engagement ring.”
“And do you have five large on you?”
“Shit.”
Tony sighed and strolled over to the left, sliding open a display. He slapped a white box on the counter. “Or, you can probably dig out what you have in your pocket for this cheap piece of shit. Each time she squints and tries to see the stone, she’ll remember it’s your love that’s important and not the ring.”
He wanted to reach across the counter and strangle Tony. What money Jericho didn’t spend on partying, he gave over to Austin to help with bills. It would only take a few weeks for him to pay back Wheeler. The bastard. “I’ll take this one,” he said, tapping the black box in front of him.
“Excellent choice. You can bring her in later if we need to have it resized.”
While Tony locked up the counter, Jericho made a quick call. “Wheeler, I’m going to kill you.”
“You wanted the best, right?”
Jericho spun around and whispered harshly into the phone. “How do you think I feel, knowing my brother—”
“Save it,” he replied. “You’re paying me back; this is just an advance because of the short notice. I wouldn’t buy your woman’s ring—that’s too fucking weird. Did you tell Austin?”
“Hell no. I think I should tell Isabelle first, don’t you?”
Wheeler grumbled on the other end. “If you say so. Just remember, the Packmaster has the final say in who stays in the pack. It’s common courtesy to tell him your intentions. After what went down with Hawk, he might not let her in.”
“I doubt it. Keep your mouth shut until I ask her. Shit,” he whispered. “I’m fucking nervous.”
Wheeler chuckled darkly. “Where is she?”
“In the trailer I rented.”
“That’s sweet. So you left your girl to go shopping.”
Jesus, Wheeler could be a pain in the ass. Jericho paced around the middle of the room and heard music coming through the phone, but it didn’t sound like a live band. “Where the hell are you?”
“I split. Not my scene. I’m at a strip club, and don’t go blabbing to Austin. He thinks I went to grab another beer. Do me a favor and keep him in the dark.” Wheeler hung up.
Tony flipped off the light and handed Jericho a bag. “Here you go. Good luck, son.”
That put one nervous butterfly in his stomach that was more like a winged demon breathing fire. All of a sudden, his impulsive idea was giving him cold feet. What if she said no? What if this was too soon? What if she wanted a different ring? What if she didn’t want a ring? Well hell, he’d buy her whatever she wanted. Emeralds, rubies, donuts… any damn thing.
The thing is, her saying yes wasn’t just about accepting Jericho, but it also meant joining the Weston pack. She’d never known stability. She’d never known a family who loved her unconditionally.
Isabelle had clung to him all those years ago because he had given her those things. If she wouldn’t live with his pack, then Jericho would be faced with a choice: love or family.
That wasn’t a choice he wanted to make.
***
After Jericho left, I got dressed and snooped through the drawers in the trailer. Most were empty, but I found some food in the kitchen and made a peanut-butter sandwich. A blues band played outside, and I wondered if the music would go on night and day.