CHAPTER 17 Will You Marry Me? Part 2
The plane landed in Heathrow on time and Gram had sent her driver to pick me up. I never understood the appeal of London as weather was always drab and everything was so overpriced. We pulled up to Gram’s flat and she was waiting for me at the door.
“Good morning, beautiful Grandmother.” Her wide smile told me she liked this address.
“Hello favorite grandchild. How was your flight?”
“It was fabulous. Gram, nothing could possibly spoil this day and the rest of my life, as a matter of fact. I’m going to be with Emily again.”
“Follow me, Jakey.” She led me up to her room. From a safe in her huge closet, she pulled out the most stunning diamond. I couldn’t believe she was willing to give this to me and a girl she’s never met. “This is for you and Emily.”
I hugged my Gram for a long time. “Thank you Gram for loving Emily so much. She will be very touched to know you gave this to us.”
“My only requirement… hand it down to your daughter. That was my mother’s request and I failed her by having five sons.”
“We’ll try, Gram. We’ll come see you after Paris and you can finally meet your newest granddaughter.”
“I can’t wait.” Gram said, sending me off to Paris.
I checked into Hotel Ritz, a stomping ground for my family when we were younger, and thought long and hard before deciding on getting two rooms instead of one. I kept telling myself Emily would want me to hold her to sleep every night like she did in Kyoto but I knew if I slept with her for six straight nights, sleep would be the last thing on my mind. In fact, Emily would lose sleep again. Against my better judgment I got adjacent rooms.
“Bonjour, Monsieur Reid,” the concierge recognized me from my youth.
“Bonjour.” I didn’t know whether I should speak French or English since the concierge was actually an American expat. My French was a little rusty so I decided to speak English. “You still remember me? I haven’t been here in years.”
“Oh yes. How could I forget? Your family came here yearly. What brings you here this week? Are you here on business or vacation?”
“Purely vacation – actually I need to go pick up my girlfriend at the airport soon.”
“Ah, you’re here with an amour?”
“Yes. Do you think I can ask you for a few favors?”
“Of course, Monsieur Reid. How can I be of help?”
“My girlfriend arrives at 12:00. Could you ask housekeeping to draw a bath for her? We should be back here in an hour. Also, would the chef do a cooking class for us at the Escoffier sometime in the early afternoon?”
“Bien sur! I will take care of it for you and I will get you a car and driver for the week. Anything else?”
“Do you think we’d be able to get a reservation for dinner at Le Jules Verne’s tonight?”
“I don’t see why not. I’ll take care of that as well.”
“Merci!”
“Your car will be ready in about twenty minutes. He will meet you outside.”
“Thank you very much,” I repeated.
While waiting for the car, I walked down the posh shops and noticed a striking outfit gracing the window of Chanel. Emily would look gorgeous in this outfit. I’d have to have her try it on and buy it for her even if she refused. A nice sales gal greeted me.
“Bonjour, monsieur.”
“Bonjour.” I answered. “Could you put this outfit on hold for me till my girlfriend can come and try it on?”
“Of course, sir. What is your name?”
“Put it under Jake Reid. Thank you.”
This day was turning out better than expected. Emily probably had no expectations of this day except to be with me. I was sure she would be delighted.
My driver was waiting when I got back to the hotel and we left for Charles de Gaulle airport ready to pick up my future bride. Emily came out early with one compact suitcase and ran into my arms. We couldn’t let go of one another. Her longing, no different than mine, expressed itself in a borderline wanton kiss that I thoroughly enjoyed. Sooner than Emily expected, I pulled away not wanting to get carried away with our embrace. I was inches away from about calling the hotel and canceling that second room.
Trying to shake off her kiss, I held her hand and took her to the car.
“This is not our car is it? You got us a driver, too? Aghast Emily stared at me and wouldn’t get in the car.
“Yes, it is and yes, I did.” I didn’t see why she looked so embarrassed.
“You have got to be kidding me. We cannot ride around Paris in this limo. How embarrassing. We’re not rock stars.”
“Get in.” I commanded.
Emily was in awe with the sights of Paris. Her eyes didn’t leave the scenery even with me by her side. At one point during the ride, I had to coerce her to look at me so I could embrace her. Indubitably, her face got red and told me to hold off till we got to the hotel. With all that was intimated since my love landed in Paris, that second room looked more and more unnecessary by the minute. Still, I would respect her – or better yet, her mother’s wishes – a little while longer till we got married.
We walked up to her room and disappointment streaked across her face when I led her into her room. Little did she know how hard it was to see her to want me this much. Was this reverse psychology she was using on me? Why was I the one now trying to preserve her purity? I kept reminding myself I wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
“This room is amazing, Jake.” I led her into the bathroom for her bath. “What’s all this?” Her lips formed an appreciative semi-circle and she came over placed her arms around my body.
Housekeeping had done a fabulous job of drawing my love a bath. Hundreds of rose petals covered the water and scented candles lit up the room. Hot water flowed from the mouth of a gold swan and I encouraged Emily to relax before we began our many excursions.
“Why don’t you unwind a bit and we’ll start our trip after your bath.”
“Thank you, Jake. You know, you’re spoiling me. I can really get used to this.” I wanted her spoiled and loved. The theme of this trip would be to assure her of my love.
“It can all be yours if you like, my love. No one is stopping you.” She looked like she was considering taking my offer.
Heading to the door to run my errand Emily stopped me.
“Where are you going?” Was this a trick question? Wasn’t she about to undress and take a bath? Did she want me to join her?
“Um… out to give you some privacy. Do you want me to stay?” Staring into her face I saw her contemplate that thought. Absence truly had made the heart and body grow fonder. It was unreal – no it was perhaps my dream come true – to witness such desire in her eyes.
She changed the look on her face and casually asked, “No, I mean where will you be while I’m taking a bath?”
“I need to stop by Boucheron. I’ll be right back.”
“What’s Boucheron?”
“It’s a jewelry shop.” Before shutting the door I peeked at her curious expression.
To build up to my proposal I wanted to drop hints along the way and maximize interest. I only hoped I could hold off till the end of the week to propose. Boucheron hadn’t changed since last I visited with Mom about ten years ago. Henri, her favorite jewelry setter continued to work here for the last thirty plus years. Unsure whether he would recognize me, I began to speak in French.
“Bonjour Henri. Vous souvenez-vous de moi ?”
“Of course, Mr. Reid. I remember you from when you were a little boy.” Henry spoke graciously as if he were my grandfather. “What brings you here? Is Madam Reid here in Paris as well?”
“No, I’m here with my girlfriend and I need your help.”
“You have finally found your mate?” He chuckled.
“Yes, I have! I can’t wait for you to meet her.” Henri had known all of us since we were born so introducing Emily to him would be like introducing her to one of my family members. “Gram gave me her diamond and I’d like to reset it for Emily.” I handed the Asscher cut diamond to Henri.
“Ah, yes. I remember this diamond. Your grand-mere has had this ring reset several times. You are a very lucky man to receive such an extraordinary diamond.” He took out his magnifier and began inspecting the diamond. “It’s an exceptional quality jewel. How do you want it set?”
“I’m not quite sure. How do most people set it these days? I want to propose to my girlfriend by the end of the week.”
“You can leave it alone; it can be set with micro bezel diamonds around the Asscher cut; or you can add trillants or traps on the side. With a diamond of such magnitude, I would leave it alone. It needs no addition.”
“Okay. I’ll take your advice. I also have this two carat solitaire that I’d like to turn into an earring. You’ll also have to find me a matching pair for the other ear.”
“Anything else?”
“Is it possible to do this all by Thursday or Friday?”
“I will make sure it gets done right away. We will need your amour to come in for a sizing. You will have to bring her in somehow without letting her know what your intentions are.”
An obstacle - I’d have to come up with a story to throw her off. After Kyoto, Emily was probably on high alert for a proposal so I’d have to think of a good story.
“One more thing… Emily has an eternity band I need slightly enlarged. I will bring it to you when she comes in.”
“D’accord, Monsieur Reid. I will call when the ring is ready for sizing.”
“Merci. Au revoir.”
“Au revoir.”
Feeling good about my trip to Boucheron, all I needed now was to hatch a good explanation as to why I needed Emily to go into Boucheron with me. Knowing without a doubt Emily would be hungry, I stopped by the boulangerie and picked up a strawberry and butter cream crepe.
Excited to start the week with my love I hurried up to her room.
“Emily?” I caught her mid-bite. Her eyes looked up but her mouth kept busy on the crepe. “Tell me some of the things you want to do in Paris. We can go out of Paris as well if you like.”
Emily explained she had been to Paris with Sarah before and she wanted to visit all the usual places most tourists wanted to visit. I’d have to ask Francoise, the manager, to add a twist to all of our excursions.
While she added to her list of places to see, she shared bites with me and once she was done, I led her to the Escoffier. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw the cooking lessons that were ready for her in the kitchen.
Emily’s eyes almost popped out of her socket when she saw the huge kitchen she would cook in. This kitchen, at least five times that of French Laundry, contained kitchen equipment beautiful enough to place in any gourmet cook shop.
“Are we really getting cooking lessons?” She could hardly contain her excitement.
“Yes, Love. Put on the apron and let’s see what Chef Daniel wants us to make.”
I donned an apron with no thoughts of cooking. My satisfaction and pleasure would come from watching Emily enjoy herself. She followed the chef around like a little puppy and did everything he asked her to.
“Amily,” the Chef gave her name a French pronunciation, “Recevez s’il vous plait lets oeufs, le beurre, le lait et le crème du refrigerateur.”
Her French was better than I thought. She took out the eggs, butter, milk and crème from the refrigerator as the chef had asked. Then she found bowls and mixers and knives and cutting boards and went to work. Several times I served as translator for both parties while I grabbed a seat and drank my cafe. Emily was in her element. When all was done, we had more desserts than was humanly possible to eat. Of all the sweets my sweet created, the croissants were the winners.
Stomachs filled and hearts content, we walked towards the Tuileries Garden for a stroll in the park. Emily, lips spread with joy, was in deep thought.
“What are you thinking right now?” I wanted to share what was so important on her mind.
“I was thinking that our private lesson at the Escoffier was about the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life!”
I knew she cooked well but I didn’t realize she enjoyed cooking to this extent.
“If life would have turned out differently for me when I was younger, I probably would’ve gone to cooking school after undergrad. I feel most comfortable in a kitchen. Maybe one day when I’m retired, I’ll enroll in a cooking school just for fun. Thanks to you, I’ve checked off another thing I’ve always wanted to do. Thank you.”
Whenever Emily shared with me about her earlier years my heart broke. These stories never got any easier to hear. Confidently, I assured her through a kiss that I’d spoil her with not only with love but with everything her heart desired.
“What’s next?” She pulled me down the block. “This is so much fun! I might never want to leave.”
I led her to Chanel and forcefully nudged my thrifty girlfriend into the store. She positively refused to buy a dress here but I didn’t take no for an answer. She followed the same sales lady and tried on the dress and boots I picked out for her. By the smile on her face I knew she loved the outfit. It was a sleeker, night version of the outfit she wore up to San Francisco. She looked hot. We purchased the outfit and walked back towards the hotel.
I noticed that the smile had left Emily’s face.
“Do you not like the dress?” I asked concerned. “Are you upset I didn’t give you a choice in the matter?”
“No, no. I love the dress. It’s beautiful and practical as well. I can wear it multiple times.”
“Then why do you look unhappy?”
She gave me a crazy apology for not having given me enough – emotionally and materially – since we started dating last October. Could she still not comprehend the depth of my love for her? Back to the theme of this trip, I had to assure her of my feelings.
“Emily. Back in New York when I was stupid enough to go chasing after your ring rather than stopping you from leaving, then back at home when you left me nothing but a letter and ran off to Japan, I promised myself that if we ever got a chance to be together again, I would spare nothing of myself.” Her lips slowly motioned upward. “Whether material or emotional, what I have is yours. And I know that materially, if our situations were reversed, you would do the same for me. So please let me dote on you the way I dreamed for so many months while you were away.”
Her face appreciative, her lips showing contentment, she answered, “I love you, Jake.”
“I love you too. Now let’s get ready for dinner.”
Emily went into her room and I hopped over to mine and called Francois.
“Allo?”
“Francoise, this is Jake Reid.”
“Bonjour. What can I do for you?”
“Could I sign Emily up for cooking classes the rest of this week while we’re here?”
“But of course! The classes are held at the Escoffier at 6:30am ever morning. There are two other mademoiselles signed up.”
“Thank you. I’ll let her know.”
“Au revoir.”
“Good bye.”
Suiting up quickly, I used Emily’s card key and walked in on her as she was finishing. With her dress not fully zipped in the back, I took the liberty of helping myself by unzipping it and allowing my hand to travel up and down her body. Emily turned around and feigned a feeble attempt at loosening my hands. My lips carefully enjoyed parts of her body that weren’t covered in make-up.
“Jake,” A tone of gentle admonishment I chose to ignore, “What about dinner? I need to finish getting dressed.”
“Let’s skip dinner. We can go to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow.”
I could feel her inner battle as she pushed me away only to pull me back in for a kiss full of lust. She was so ready to be with me. I tested her struggling will power even further and tugged off her dress. Quickly glancing at her almost naked body, my lips and hands reached parts of Emily that had never been explored. It felt amazing to touch her.
“Jake?” She let out a weak plea. “Jake? Honey? Please don’t…”
She continued pleading but I wasn’t listening. I was a few caresses away from sweeping her off her feet and making love to the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
“Jake…” She was letting out another round of pleas. “I’d really like to honor my mom’s wish and stay a virgin till I get married. Please?”
UGH! I stopped immediately and walked away. “I gotta get this done,” I thought and spoke a little bit too loudly. I needed to get this ring on her and then maybe then she would be willing to be with me knowing we had promised to spend the rest of our lives together.
Leaving the temptation of a bedroom we went and had a delicious dinner at Le Jules Vernes, then drove through the city. Around midnight we found ourselves back in front of Emily’s room. Our lips locking again, I let her go knowing if we stayed together any longer, I wouldn’t be able to yield to her wish.
Sometime in the morning I was woken up by a phone call.
“Bonjour Monsieur Reid. Can you come in this morning with votre amour and try on the ring?”
“It’s done already?”
“Oui.” I knew Henri was a master jewel setter but he exceeded my expectations.
“Of course. I’ll be there this morning.”
“Bon.”
I had to get up and think of an excuse as to why I needed Emily to try on this ring. What would I say to her? Hopping in the shower I hatched a devious plan to make her believe she was trying on the ring for Mom’s sake as the ring was supposedly going to be handed down to her. Yes, that was a good idea. Then another thought came to me – I figured out how I would propose to my love.
Quickly getting dressed, I went down to see Francois and asked to meet with the head chef. I asked the Chef if he could make five petit fours with pictures on each of them symbolizing our relationship. Each petit four would be placed in a ring size box with the thought that I’d put the engagement ring in the sixth box. He would also pack a picnic basket for us so I could cross off the last line item on her bucket list – to picnic in the Tuleries Garden with someone she loved. The chef would have everything ready for me on Friday. My plan was set and I raced back to my room.
It was almost time for Emily to get back from her class but I was still a bit jet lagged so I decided to close my eyes till she got back.
“Hi Beautiful.” I mumbled as Emily woke me up snuggling into my body. “How was class this morning?”
“Excellent!” She sounded happy. “I have breakfast for you if you like.”
Hungry but liking the feel of Emily in my arms and in my bed, I held her a little longer.
“Why are you dressed but asleep? Do you want me to leave so you can sleep some more?”
My body perked up to the idea of placing Gram’s ring on Emily’s finger this morning. How would I do this without proposing? I kept telling myself I just needed to wait a few more days.
Emily’s curious eyes didn’t leave my sight as soon as I told her we were headed to Boucheron this morning. Her senses were on high alert. Walking hand in hand I spoke about our scheduled trip to the Louvre, lunch at Laduree and a France vs. Italy soccer match in the afternoon. I could tell Emily was waiting for an explanation about the jewelry store but I didn’t say a word. Later, I’d have to explain this was done not as a punishment, but as a defense mechanism. If I started talking I would end up proposing on this very side walk.
Henri and Emily greeted each other and I finally gave her an explanation.
“So Gram is about to hand down her mother’s diamond to my mom. It was my great grandmother’s desire to see this ring handed down from daughter to daughter. Gram wants Henri, our family’s favorite jewelry setter, to reset this ring so she can pass it down to her. Gram nor Mom will have anyone touch their jewelry except Henri.”
With only a baffled look on her face she continued with her questions. I answered all her questions but in her mind I was giving her all the wrong answers. After her many attempts at a different answer, she stopped talking. A chuckling Henri in the meanwhile brought the reset Asscher cut to me and my entire being began to shake at the thought of putting this ring on Emily’s finger. I handed over Emily’s eternity band and Henri walked out to give us a moment.
Emily was just as nervous as I was. She stared at the ring then looked into my face and eagerly awaited the question I wasn’t going to ask. I tried to smile, though I’m sure it was an awkward one. Like the scene in Kyoto, I held her left hand and took a deep breath before holding the ring at the tip of her fourth finger. More than life, I wanted to get on my knees and propose to her this very second.
‘I’m sorry my love,’ was the only thought that echoed in my mind while pushing the ring on her finger and watching the brilliance on her face. The look in her eyes – a euphoria, a trance, an almost delirium of joy – paralyzed me. I had to remind myself to breathe or I’d buckle from a lack of oxygen. If Henri hadn’t interrupted our moment I would have gotten down and proposed to Emily at the jewelry store. Before caving into my heart’s desire, I quickly took the ring off Emily’s finger. Her discouraged eyes turned away from me. I caught a flicker of tears in her eyes as she walked outside and pretended to look at the jewelry in the store. It was at this point I decided to pull up the proposal to tomorrow if possible. I called the chef and begged him to finish the petit fours as soon as possible and walked out to see my love. I held her in my arms for a while knowing how hurt she was at this moment.
The inner workings of the Louvre held no interest for Emily. Sadness wouldn’t leave her disposition no matter how hard she tried. I took her to Laduree, a beautiful tea shop specializing in macaroons and hoped food - her biggest passion - would bring my girlfriend back to life.
“Emily.” We had conversed so little since this morning. She only played with her food. “Emily!” I called again.
“Huh? Yes? Did you need something?” She finally looked at me.
“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been zoned out all morning since Boucheron. Is something wrong?” I’m sorry, Love. I know what’s wrong but I can’t undo your sadness just yet.
Comically, jet lag was her excuse for her behavior.
“Okay,” I responded trying not to laugh. “Have you tried the macarons?”
“Yeah.” She answered unenthusiastically.
We left behind more macarons than we ate. Even food was not bringing out an animated response from Emily. This was going to be a long day for the both of us.
Our third day in Paris and to my chagrin, the chef called to say the petit fours would not be ready till tomorrow morning. Bummed out, I headed for Emily’s room.
“Why are you here by yourself? Is everything alright?” I was worried she might still be moody from yesterday.
“It’s perfect! I came in to call Sarah. I was just headed your way.” She reached over to kiss me good morning. Emily appeared to be back to normal to my relief.
We headed out for a long day of shopping. From flea markets to antique shops to specialty boutiques to a group of book stalls, Emily bought presents for everyone back home. I knew my Emily was back when she told me she was starving.
“What shall we eat?” As always, I left the food choices up to her.
“I’ll probably regret this but let’s eat at Moule et Frites. It’s right there,” she pointed to the restaurant just steps away from us. “Then I want to go eat ice cream at Berthillon.”
“Alright.”
“Did you know,” I said while chewing on a mussel, “that there are 250 bouquinistes in the left bank? Most vendors have to wait 8-10 years to get a spot to open up a book stall.”
“How do you determine who gets a spot and where?”
“It’s all based on seniority. Some of these people have been there longer than we’ve been alive.”
“Fascinating,” she answered while finishing off her last French fry.
“Are we really eating ice cream now after such a filling lunch?”
“Are you kidding me?” She had an incredulous look on her face. “You can’t come all the way to Paris and not eat at Berthillon.”
“If you say so.” I was stuffed but I guess my girlfriend still had room in her stomach.
The rest of the day flew by between dinner, opera, and another round of dessert.
I got up early on our fourth day to get ready for our big day. I hurried over to Boucheron and picked up the rings and earrings and safely put away everything but the engagement ring. Once Emily got back, I’d pick up the picnic basket and the blanket and we’d go have our picnic. Jittery but thoroughly excited Emily would finally and officially be mine, I waited anxiously for her to arrive.
We left for the kitchen as soon as Emily walked in the door and I was too nervous to talk to her. Her big brown eyes stared at me and shadowed my every move without a word. We got to the garden and I found a pretty spot near all the flowers and laid out the huge blanket.
I could see anxiety written all over my love’s face because of my silence but I let it be since this would all be over soon. I quickly took the ring out of my jacket pocket and put it inside box number six. Then I looked through the basket to see what I should bring out first. Searching for the appetizer and wine Emily spoke.
“Jake, I’m sorry but I don’t really want to eat any more French food. Can we just skip to dessert?”
I panicked! If she wanted dessert first, that meant I’d have to propose in the next few minutes. I hadn’t even considered how to propose – how would I ask her to marry me? Feverishly I searched through the basket for my six ring boxes and placed them in the correct chronological order.
“What’s in all these fun boxes?” Emily stared at the boxes with her beautiful smile.
“Open it.” Giving her the first box was cathartic in an odd way. Our crazy courtship was almost done. Emily would be mine forever. I would love and protect this woman for the rest of my happy life.
Emily opened the first box and I was disappointed that she still had that same look of wonder.
“I guess you don’t remember how we first met?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.
“Oh!” Now she got it. “Of course. This was the cereal I was reaching for when I bumped into you. Oh, this is so sweet. Do all these boxes contain a memory?”
I nodded yes while she took a bite then gave me a bite. This petit four tasted no different than Captain Crunch cereal.
“I want the next box,” she demanded with her hands out.
I moved myself to face her so I could clearly see her expression when she opened the next five. Emily opened box number two, looked at it, took a small bite, then closed it back up.
“Why are you leaving half the taco in the box and don’t I get a bite?”
“No. Don’t you remember? You had to leave half way through our dinner because you got called away by the hospital. The story of our life! This one doesn’t deserve to be eaten beyond the half way mark. I should’ve known then you were a workaholic… Next!”
I tried to get a sense of whether she was serious or kidding. My silence must have scared her.
“Please?” She asked angelically and threw in a kiss for good measure.
She opened box number three and thought about it for a few seconds.
“Oh, I get it. This is an opera cake. This must symbolize the opera we saw in San Francisco, right?”
I rang a pretend bell to signal that her answer was correct.
“This is loads of fun!” She clapped her hands like a little girl opening up gifts and I was Santa who brought her everything on her wish list.
The Chef had decorated the fourth dessert with a blue fondant and tiny orange Nemo looking fish covering the petit four.
“This must be Hawaii. Too easy. Let’s see what this one tastes like.”
The fifth petit four was an Eiffel Tower which we both agreed was too intricate and beautiful to eat. We saved it. Though I came up with the memories, the Chef outdid himself on the artistry of each item.
Emily leaned over the opened boxes and kissed me. “Thank you, Jake for coming up with such an elaborate trip down memory lane. And thank you for crossing off another item on my bucket list. You are just too wonderful.” There was deep appreciation in her eyes.
“Okay, I’m ready for the last one.”
Handing her the last box, I calmed my nerves the best I could and this time, it was me who examined her every move. She too moved slowly – like she wanted to savor the last surprise. Nowhere did I notice any signs of her realizing what was about to happen.
There it was – the look of pure bliss as I saw her open up the ring box. Her face then trickled from an overwhelming joy to a contained joy to a not very joyful face at all. I couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind as her smile completely disappeared. She then finished opening up the box with no enthusiasm at all.
“Why is your mom’s ring here? Where’s my eternity band?”
So that was why she had shown no enthusiasm. She thought I’d place the eternity band back on her finger. Boy was she in for the surprise of her life. I took the ring out of the box.
“Emily, I can’t imagine anything I would like more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
That was my simple yet heartfelt proposal. Sooner than I could look to her for an answer, she threw herself at me and answered a definite, “YES!”
Bliss, elation, and above all, love – that’s what we both felt at this moment. We were now officially engaged to be married.
Finally. Tears I wouldn’t mind wiping off her face. She held me so longingly I couldn’t get Gram’s ring on her.
“Why did you wait so long? You know I’ve been waiting.” She asked in between the tears.
“Have you been waiting? I hadn’t noticed.” I couldn’t help the laugh that followed. “I rather liked the disappointment on you face each time you thought I might propose but didn’t. Your anticipation put me on an emotional rollercoaster every time.” Surprisingly my laugh turned into a guffaw.
She got upset – in a cute, Emily-like way. “I can’t believe you did that! How mean are you? You knew I was waiting but you kept it from me purposely and poked fun at me in the meanwhile?”
“No, of course not… well, kind of.” Formed into a giant pout, I could help myself to her lips. Since we were close to being married I figured my fiancée wouldn’t mind being tangled up with me on the blanket. She still pulled away from my lips sooner than I’d liked and I had to explain why I didn’t propose sooner.
“Many times I wanted to propose but I kept thinking of reasons why it wasn’t the right moment. For instance, I wanted to ask you to marry me at Kitcho but it was a bit too soon after we had reconciled. I wasn’t sure you were ready and we still had many issues to resolve. Then when we were at the park, I thought about proposing with the eternity band but I knew that if you had said yes, I wouldn’t have let you stay in Japan, not even for two weeks.”
"Yeah, I probably would've had a hard time leaving you if you had asked that day. But, I was sorely disappointed when you didn't."
"I know. I wish I could have taken a picture of your expression when I put the ring on your finger without much other than a warning for you not to take it off.” I had to laugh again when I thought of her sour expression that night. “Although I did feel terrible I didn’t propose. But Tuesday was the most difficult. I desperately wanted to propose to you at Boucheron. The look on your face when I placed this ring on your finger was magical. You absolutely glowed. I used every ounce of self control not to ask you to marry me that day."
"But why? You could've asked at Boucheron. That's why I was so sad that day. I couldn't get this ring and your would-be proposal off my mind. I was really bummed out. I even called Sarah to grumble."
"I didn't go through with it because I had this picnic in motion already. Also, I didn’t want to give you another haphazard proposal like the one in the car on Christmas morning. I planned a deliberate expression of my love and forced myself to wait another few days. I was actually going to wait till tomorrow but couldn't hold out any longer."
"I’m glad you didn't wait till the last day. You would've pushed me into depression if this didn't happen soon. As it was, I was giving myself pep talks in the morning."
Gently, I pulled out her hand and placed the engagement ring on my love. It looked stunning on her.
"Wait. Why am I wearing a substitute ring? Did you not bring my ring with you?" I’d forgotten she still thought this was Mom’s ring.
"This is your ring, my love."
"What do you mean?” Her eyes, wide open; she looked back and forth from me to the ring. “What about this whole story about your grandma’s ring? Did you make it all up?”
"No, it's all true. This ring belonged to my Gram's mother and she told her to pass it down from daughter to daughter. As you know, my dad does not have any sisters so there's really no designated heir to this ring. It probably would've gone to my mom and then to Jane. But, Gram offered it to us. When I talked to Gram in Kyoto she asked me to wait on the proposal till we got to Paris. She wanted you to have this ring. She was most impressed with our love for each other and is elated to welcome you as her granddaughter."
I kissed the teardrops that were forming again.
“Gram loves you, too. Let’s call her. She’s been waiting to talk to you. I wouldn’t let her talk to you because I didn’t think she could keep my secret.”
I dialed Gram to tell her of our good news.
"Hi Gram. I'm calling to let you know that Emily accepted my proposal and we're getting married."
“Congratulations Jakey! I knew you two would end up getting married. Come see me. I want to meet my new granddaughter. I’ll have my assistant send you two tickets on the Chunnel. Can you come right away?”
"Of course we can. Thank you for everything, Gram. I love you.” With that I hung up the phone.
“How come I didn’t get to talk to her?”
"She wants us to Chunnel into London right now. Do you mind if we cut Paris a day short?"
"Of course not. I can’t wait to finally meet Gram."
In deep thought Emily started packing up all the uneaten food. "But Jake? Shouldn’t this ring be handed down to a Reid?"
“Sweetheart, you were a Reid the moment I laid eyes on you. You just went about in a circuitous way of becoming one. Mom and Dad have known for a while that Gram had plans to give me this ring. They were pleased it would be handed down to you. And as for Jane, she won’t care that she didn’t get the ring. Her future husband can buy her a new ring. But… this does mean you need to bare a daughter so you can pass it down to her. Speaking of, how many kids are we going to have?"
"Five."
"Five? I'll be paying college tuition the rest of my life. I'd like to retire one day."
My love, my future wife, the future mother of my kids – I marveled at that thought.
Gram and Emily met, bonded, and loved each other all within their first hug. Gram didn’t even look my way the first twenty minutes we were in her house. Her favorite grandchild had been replaced by a total stranger in under a minute. That had to have been a world record. Of course I knew Gram loved my Emily so immensely because she knew of my deep love for her.
“Emily, why are you so thin? Has Jake not been feeding you?” She scowled at me. So she was finally talking to me after looking Emily up and down.
“Are you kidding me, Gram?” I had to defend myself. “She eats like a horse. And, she’s got tremendously expensive taste.”
“Did you take her to nice restaurants in Paris?”
“Yes Gram. Jake has spoiled me all week. He’s always taken good care of me – starting from the day we met.” My fiancée was defending me. I liked this feeling. We were a team.
I smiled at Gram and Gram nodded with satisfaction.
“Gram,” Emily spoke again, “Thank you for giving us your ring. It’s stunning.”
"Jakey told me that you refused his proposal the first time because the two carat diamond wasn't big enough. He came and begged me for a bigger diamond so I had to pass down my most treasured heirloom so you would finally marry my favorite grandson," Gram accused.
Emily looked at me in horror.
Stuttering, she spoke, "No, Gram. That's not true. Oh my gosh, I can't believe you told her that." She gave me a nasty look I didn’t know she possessed. "Gram... Jake..."
Gram and I howled. My eighty year old grandmother pulled a fast one on my sweet and naïve fiancée. "Gram's just kidding, Love."
"Oh!" She let out a breath. "Funny, Gram." Ha, Ha, Ha, was what I expected to hear next but Emily held Gram’s hand and walked into the next room for tea.
“When’s the wedding?” Gram asked us both.
“I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it.” Emily looked to me for an answer.
“How about the fourth of July?” I asked Emily.
“Next year, fourth of July?”
“No, I mean, July 4, as in three weeks from now.”
“In three weeks?” Gram and Emily both answered in an are you insane tone.
“Yup.” I didn’t know what the big deal would be. Mom and all my aunts would be more than happy to help us. We wouldn’t invite too many other people beyond family. A wedding could absolutely happen in three weeks.
“What’s the rush, Jakey? She’s agreed to marry you. She’s not going anywhere.”
I needed to finally get around that block. “Gram, Emily won’t have sex with me till we get married. I need to get married right away.”
Gram lauded Emily’s purity but by the look on Emily’s face, I knew I would be in trouble. While Gram called Mom and Dad, I pulled Emily next to me and tried to make amends.
“I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Are you mad?”
“Yes.” She whispered.
“How can I make it up to you?” I whispered in her ears while trying to nibble it.
She jumped in horror. “You can start by sitting next to your grandmother instead of me. I’m not letting you touch me till we get married.”
“I have this feeling you won’t be able to hold out for that long.” There was something to think about.
“I’ve waited this long. What’s three more weeks of complete abstinence?” Now she was threatening me.
“We’ll see…” I faked a confident voice but I had a feeling she would win if she was determined to keep me at bay. I prayed she wasn’t being serious.
We talked to everyone back at home and I pitched the idea of getting married at the house and Emily loved it. Mom and Aunt Babs would start on wedding preparations till we got back and we went shopping for our wedding attire. After a quick trip to the dress and tuxedo shop, a bowl of noodles for dinner and a more than exciting trip to the department store to pick out lingerie for my bride, we were all exhausted.
The three of us slept in Gram’s room in three separate beds. As soon as Gram conked out for the night I lunged into Emily’s twin size bed.
“I knew this would happen. The minute her head hits the pillow, Gram is out. We finally get some alone time. I don’t think I’ve touched you since we got to London.”
“Is this why you wanted to sleep in this room? I’m still upset with you for your indiscretionary confession about my lack of experience. I told you I’m not letting you touch me till we get married.”
As soon as my lips touched her neck, it was game over. She lost.
“Your grandmother is five feet away from us.”
“We’re engaged to be married in three weeks. Are you still going to hold out on me? Should we go back to my room and sleep on the floor? Or, there are many more rooms in this flat with larger beds.”
“Like you said, we have three weeks left. I didn’t wait this long to break my promise to Mom with three weeks left. You can stay here for a bit but you need to move back over to your bed.” She admonished.
I laughed.
She slept in my arm like an angel.