by Lexi Ostrow
Leaning forward, she kissed him. Deidre let her lips move softly against his, taking her time to explore and understand the depth of emotion racing through her before she leaned back.
“I don’t know where I’d be without you. I don’t feel like anything is wrong that I understand my emotions clearer. I had a lot to fight through, and maybe I came out of the other side because you are who you were and didn’t pressure. I don’t want to undo what I did. I want to move forward and see what we become.”
“Forever is a long time.”
She smiled and tilted her head. “It’s not quite forever, but it’s what I want. I’m not Lita. I’m not impetuous. I made a snap decision, but it wasn’t unwarranted.”
Jonathon exhaled, his shoulders relaxing away from his ear. “I didn’t think that would be the response.”
She grinned. “Well, I’m full of surprises. Now put that thing away.” She pushed at the hand holding the ring.
“Wait, I wasn’t done.” He took his hand out of her left hand. “If you put this on your ring finger, I think you’ll like what the magic does.”
“I’m not putting that on.” She laughed at his look of shock. “You put it on. You’re proposing, aren’t you?”
Jonathon’s laughter rang out, louder and more genuine than she’d ever heard him laugh. “I see the similarities between you and your best friends more every day. Yes, I’m proposing to the woman who threatened me with death if I didn’t bind with her. Deidre Adams, if this time next year we feel the same, will you marry me – traditional human ceremony and all?”
“Yes, absolutely, yes.” She sniffled as he slipped the ring on her finger, but was too transfixed at what happened to enjoy the moment any further.
The giant black diamond began to… bleed. The inky coloring slipped down the sides of the impressively large stone. The discoloration started at the top and continued until every side of the diamond gleamed and sparkled like a thousand rainbows trapped inside a single stone.
“Goddess,” Deidre had never seen anything like it. “This magic is old.” She glanced up at him.
“Very. A couple of hundred years and mixed with Native American and Druid magic.”
“Jonathon, it’s beautiful.” Deidre twirled her finger a bit, letting the sparkle dance before her eyes.
“Where is my city-saving best friend?” Lita’s voice rang out from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs. “Deidre? You better be awake!”
She and Jonathon laughed. Leave it to Lita to storm in and interrupt… well… anything.
Deidre saw the waddling shadow of her best friend on the wall as Lita came up the stairs. So, Deidre did what any good friend would do, she twisted her wrist, so the top of her hand faced out and waited for Lita to come in the room.
“Oh, my goddess!” Lita squealed, throwing herself down on the other side of Deidre on the bed. “No!” Lita playfully slapped Jonathon’s hand. “I told you marrying me last fall would have been the wrong choice. Ahh! Dee!” Lita wrapped her arms around Deidre, nearly choking her she squeezed so tight. “You’re alive and married and engaged.” She chuckled.
“That I am.” She choked out before tapping Lita on the wrists. “Breathing is nice.”
Her best friend giggled a little, something not entirely out of character but certainly young seeming for the soon-to-be mom. “You do know that when I kept teasing you about needing to catch up with Ivy and I, I wasn’t serious?”
Deidre wiped at a stray tear under her eye, brought about at seeing Lita. “I guess I just had to fit in any way I could. And I brought someone with me.”
Smiling, Deidre leaned against Jonathon and kissed him.