Fractured Souls - Page 69

“I don’t know. Let’s see” He takes the box from my hand and opens it.

I gape at him as he takes out a gold ring. A radiant-cut yellow diamond shines under the overhead lights. My hand shakes slightly as he lifts it to place a kiss at the tips of my fingers.

“Will you marry me, mishka?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

Pasha smiles and slides the ring onto my finger. I sniff and jump into his arms, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

“What would you have done if I picked the wrong box?” I ask.

“You could never pick wrong, baby.”

“I could have taken the crunchy cereal.”

His palm strokes my back as he laughs. “You hate crunchy cereal.”

“Yes, but what if I decided to give it another try?”

He just shrugs.

I lean away and stare at him as realization forms in my brain. “You didn’t.”

“What?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Put me down.”

“Why?”

“I need to check something.”

As my feet touch the ground, I turn toward the counter where the other four cereal boxes are lined up. I take the first one, the one with honey, and open it. A red velvet box sits on top of the cereal bag. When I open it, I find a ring identical to the one on my finger nested on the white silk cushion. I leave the jewelry box on the island and grab the next cereal box. And the next.

The box of crunchy cereal I leave for last. I never would have picked the crunchy one, Pasha knows that very well, but when I open it, the jewelry box is in that one, as well. I put it on the counter next to the other four. He had hidden a ring in each one.

I feel arms wrapping around my waist as Pasha leans on me from behind, but I don’t turn. I can’t take my eyes off the four extra jewelry boxes holding identical rings.

“Why?” I whisper.

His hold around my middle tightens. “Because I needed you to understand.”

“What, Pasha?”

“That as far as I’m concerned, you can’t make a wrong decision, baby.” A kiss lands at the top of my head. “Even if it’s just picking the cereal flavor.”

* * *

One month later

“What if I freak out?” I ask, my voice sounding strangled.

Sienna looks up from the shoe she’s helping me tie up. “You won’t freak out, Asya.”

“Yes, I know . . .” I lift my hand and bite my nail. “But what if I do? There are like . . . two hundred people out there.”

Sienna straightens, pulls my hand away from my mouth, and grabs my shoulders. “You won’t freak out. You’ll go out there, stand beside the man you love and who’s crazy about you, and you’ll have the best day of your life.”

“I know, but . . .”