“I really want to get those clothes. It’s important to me.”
Sighing, she kissed his cheek while she ran her hands down to his butt and squeezed it. “We’ll make it quick.” Pressing her body against his, she smiled when she felt his erection. “It won’t take long. I promise.” She kissed him on the lips, and sighed in appreciation as his tongue brushed hers.
“Okay,” he replied when their kiss ended. “But it’ll be quick so we can get to the mall, right?”
She giggled. “Wow. You shop with more enthusiasm than a woman.” When she noted the uncertain expression on his face, she reached for his hands and led him toward the bedroom. “Yes. We’ll be quick, and we’ll make it to the mall in plenty of time to get those clothes you want. I promise.”
***
The next day while Caitlyn was at work and the church crowd left the restaurant, she wiped down tables while Sheila filled the salt and pepper shakers. When they were done, Caitlyn went to the counter to get a fresh pot of coffee started, not surprised when Sheila came over to her.
“So, Sandy said you and Chris are going to put a down payment on a house.”
Caitlyn didn’t hide her smile. “It’s a great house. It has a nice fenced-in backyard where kids and a dog can play.”
Sheila chuckled. “A woman’s mind is on children and pets when they pick a home, isn’t it?”
“Well, considering I’m going to have a child, I’m choosing a neighborhood and house suited for children.”
“It’s nice to see you’re finally getting those things.” She patted her shoulder. “I’ll miss you when you quit, but I can tell you that you won’t regret being home with your little one.”
“In some weird way, I’ll miss being here too. But not so much that I’d stick around.”
Jack opened the kitchen door and gave them a pointed look. “You are aware that I’m back here, right?”
Sheila laughed. “Oh, you can’t be surprised that Caitlyn would rather be home with her baby than here with you.”
“Of course I can,” he replied with a wry smile. “I don’t require diaper changes.”
“Ha ha.” Caitlyn shook her head. “While that might be true, the baby will be cuter.”
“Sure, until he spits up on you and keeps you up all night,” he teased.
Sheila rolled her eyes as she gathered a menu. “You love your boys.”
“True,” he said, “but I’m still glad I’m the one who goes to work so my wife can deal with the mess they make.”
“She’s glad too, Jack,” Caitlyn replied, noting that Chris had entered the diner. “It gives her a break from you.”
“You’re all heart.” Jack put a cigarette in his mouth and passed the counter. “I’ll be back in five. Hey, Chris.”
Chris waved to Jack and walked over to the counter where he sat down on one of the barstools.
Sheila placed a menu in front of him. “I reckon you’re not here to see me so I’ll leave you with the missus.”
Caitlyn finished making the coffee while Sheila headed for the restroom. Smiling, she went over to Chris. “Bored, huh?”
Chris shrugged. “I don’t feel like watching TV or reading.”
“I don’t know how entertaining we are here, but at least we can get you something to eat. Have anything in mind?”
“I hear the roast beef hasn’t killed anyone yet.”
She laughed and touched his hand. “That’s good.”
His face lit up. “You liked my joke?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans.”
Amused that he felt the need to point that out, she squeezed his hand, “I noticed.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s okay. I keep telling you that you can wear whatever you want.”
“I know, but I want to know if you like it.”
“Well, I prefer you in your birthday suit, but this is nice.”
“Birthday suit?”
Unable to stop the wicked smile that turned her lips up, she whispered, “In the buff. Naked.”
His face grew pink, and she kissed him, finding it cute that even after all the times they’d had sex, he still exhibited a shy side when she talked to him in a sensual manner.
“I’m ready for my lunch break, so we can eat together,” she said.
“Then my timing is good.”
“Yep.”
Jack returned from his break, so she called out what she and Chris wanted, and, as she expected, Jack rolled his eyes on the amount of food she requested for herself. But she didn’t care. She was thrilled Chris thought to come in and visit her at work. She recognized the sensation of falling in love, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Giving Chris another kiss, she went to get their drinks.
Chapter Seventeen
On Wednesday, Chris got another call from Caitlyn’s mom while he was at work. “Chris, dear, I need you to come down to the jewelry store to purchase Caitlyn’s ring.”
Chris turned from his computer. “Ring?”
“Wedding band, of course. Remember the one Lexie’s wearing? The one who’s going to marry the doctor?”
“You mean that Lexie’s going to marry the doctor.”
“Right. That’s what I just said.”
“No. By the way you spoke, one could assume you meant the ring was going to marry the doctor. You said ‘Wedding band, of course. Remember the one Lexie’s wearing? The one who’s going to marry the doctor?’ Well, the one you are referring to is the ring. And actually, it’s even more confusing because you used the word ‘who’ to describe an inanimate object. A ring is an object. It’s not alive. Isn’t the word ‘who’ used to refer to a living entity on this world?”
A long pause came from the other end before she snapped, “Do you want to make Caitlyn happy or not?”
He blinked at her cold tone. “Of course, I want to make Caitlyn happy. I love her.”
He mentally cursed himself for saying that aloud. From what he’d heard from other men, admitting feelings of any kind wasn’t a macho thing to do, and he didn’t want his co-workers to give him grief. Poor Kenny was still getting ribbed for his mother coming into work and giving him chicken soup because he was sick, and he had to tell her that he loved her before she’d leave. Chris didn’t want something similar happening to him. He stood up and peered around the cubicles. Good. No one gave any indication that they’d heard him. Releasing his breath, he sat back down.
“I should hope you love my daughter,” Caitlyn’s mom said. “It’s bad enough you didn’t give her a wedding before you laid your hands on her.”
He frowned, not understanding how putting a hand on Caitlyn should upset her mom. He saw men shaking hands with women they weren’t romantically interested in all the time. It was part of being polite.
“So, I need you to come down to Rogers’ Jeweler’s when you get off work,” her mom continued. “That should be around 4:30 or so, correct?”
“Rogers is your last name. Do you own the store?”
“It’s my brother-in-law’s store. He’s Caitlyn’s uncle. Anyway, you need to address him as Mr. Rogers. That’s only proper.”
He rolled his eyes since he didn’t believe that was something he must do since he didn’t know a single man who got bent out of shape over having someone call them by their first name, but in order to appease Caitlyn’s mom, he would play along with it.
“Can you be here after work?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Good! And make sure Caitlyn doesn’t know. Women loved to be surprised. You just wait, Chris. Caitlyn’s going to be tickled pink.”
Before he could ask what tickled pink meant or where the jewelry store was located, she hung up. Shaking his head, he wrote down a note to do an internet search for the place when he was done with his current project. As much as he liked Caitlyn, he wasn’t so sure he liked her mom. Something in the woman’s tone and words bothered him, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.
But he did want to make Caitlyn happy and if a wedding would accomplish that goal, then he would follow through with it.
He debated whether he should call Caitlyn to tell her he’d be late but then remembered her shift didn’t end until ten that night. He decided he would go there for dinner so he could see her. It would be nice when she could quit and be home when he got off work. Her getting off work when he was ready to go to bed for the next day didn’t allow him to spend adequate time with her.
He returned to the computer to complete his task, and when he was off work, he collected the directions to get to the jewelry store.
“See you tomorrow,” Mark called out as he passed Chris’ cubicle.
“Mark, wait a minute, will you?” Chris asked.
He stopped and turned to him. “What’s up?”
“When you talked to the women about marriage and love, did they say anything about wedding rings?”
“Yeah. They said the rock should be big and expensive.”
“Rock?”
Mark chuckled. “It’s another term for diamond.”
“Oh. You’re picking up the alternate terms for things faster than I am.”
“Well, to be fair, you have more on your plate than I do.” Before Chris could figure out the whole plate thing, Mark continued, “You have a wife with a baby on the way. You’re getting a house. All of these are big events in a man’s life on this world. I just go home and do research about this world.”
“So you discovered women want big diamonds?”
“Right. Like three months’ salary big.”
Chris’ eyes grew wide. “You’re kidding.”
“It’s a rule of thumb when you’re making the purchase. Thank goodness you bypassed all of that and got a life mate right from the get-go.”
“That’s just it. Caitlyn’s mom wants to surprise Caitlyn with a wedding. She said it would make Caitlyn happy.”
“Caitlyn looks happy already, at least from what I saw when I saw you two together at the job interview.”
“Caitlyn’s a naturally happy woman.”
“I saw the way she was looking at you. Star Systems picked the right one for you.”
Chris couldn’t argue that the representatives at Star Systems chose the right woman for him. Caitlyn was perfect.
“Did Caitlyn tell you she wants a wedding?” Mark asked.
“No, but her mother said that women don’t ask for weddings because they want to be surprised.”
“I don’t see how surprising weddings are since so many women like to plan theirs. The surprise is the proposal when the men ask them to marry them. From there, women take over everything. They pick the flowers, the music, what everyone wears, where the ceremony takes place… It’s supposed to be their special day. I think the men’s only job is to show up.”
Chris frowned. That didn’t sound right from what her mom said, but he figured he could discuss that when he saw her at the jewelry store.
“Anyway, women do think wedding rings are important,” Mark said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chris waved as Mark headed off and got everything he needed to before he went to his car. The drive to the store was uneventful, and when he got out of the car, he saw Caitlyn’s mom waving to him from inside the place. He went into the store, and his jaw dropped as he scanned the wide variety of jewelry in the glass counters. Just where was a man supposed to start when picking out a ring?
“Good. You’re here,” her mother called out. “Gerald, this is Caitlyn’s new husband, Chris. Chris, this is Caitlyn’s uncle.”
Chris’ gaze shifted from Caitlyn’s mom to her uncle who extended his hand toward him. Chris shook it.
“So you’re the lucky man, huh?” her uncle greeted with a pleasant smile that reminded Chris of Caitlyn’s dad.
“Yes,” Chris admitted.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Gerald said. “Jed had a lot of good things to say about you.”
It took Chris a moment to remember Jed was Caitlyn’s father. “He did?”
“Yep. Said you were the sharpest pool player he’d ever seen.”
Chris laughed. “That was a fun game.”
“One you’re a pro at, from what I heard.”
Caitlyn’s mother cleared her throat.
Gerald motioned to the counter. “Rachel has an appointment with the florist after this, so we should get to it.”
As Chris followed him to the counter, he glanced at Caitlyn’s mom and wondered why Gerald could call her by her first name but he couldn’t. Ignoring the thought, he focused on the wide selection of wedding bands under the glass. If he had any idea what Caitlyn wanted, it would help. Looking at her mom, he said, “Maybe we should bring Caitlyn here.”
Her mother laughed and waved her hand at him. “Nonsense. If she knew this, it’d ruin the surprise.”
“But what if I pick something she doesn’t like?” Sure, Chris knew that Caitlyn would want a big diamond that was priced at the equivalent of three months’ worth of his salary, but there were so many designs. How could he be sure he’d get the right one?
“That’s not a bad idea,” Gerald told her.
“You two don’t understand women. A wedding ring is the most important thing a husband can give his wife. Ideally, he’d give her the ring when he proposes instead of eloping with her. And not only did you elope, you didn’t even think to give her a symbol of your eternal love for her. That’s what the wedding ring is all about. It’s a circle to show your undying love and commitment to her…unless, of course, you don’t feel that way about my little girl.”
Chris’ cheeks grew warm, and he couldn’t decide if it was from humiliation at not understanding this crucial aspect of marriage or if he was irritated by the condescending tone she was using. He might not know women very well, but he knew when someone thought less of him because he hadn’t done things the ‘right way’ on this planet. He wondered if Caitlyn secretly felt that way about him but then assured himself she didn’t. Caitlyn knew he wasn’t from Earth.
Gerald shook his head. “He married her, Rachel. That’s what counts.”
“Yes, I know, and you’re right.” She patted Chris’ arm. “Now, let’s see…” Scanning the selection, she pointed to one and said, “This looks appropriate.”
Despite the heat in his face, Chris turned his attention to the ring she motioned to. It was a gold band with a large diamond that was surrounded by sapphire gems.
She nudged Chris in the side and winked. “That will rival the ring Lexie got from the doctor.”
Gerald took the ring out and showed it to Chris who couldn’t help but glance at the price tag. He gasped. A single ring for $10,999?
“Now, Lexie has rubies around her diamond, but that’s because ruby is her birth month,” her mother began. “Caitlyn was born in September, so it’s only fitting she gets a sapphire around her diamond.”
While Chris gingerly turned the expensive piece of jewelry in his hand, she squealed and pointed to a necklace that was covered in diamonds. “It comes as a set?”
Looking uncertain, Gerald nodded. “But there’s no requirement to buy it with the necklace. In fact, if you want a necklace to go with a nice ring, this one over here might be more to Caitlyn’s liking.”
Chris saw the gold band with a small diamond embedded into it and the gold chain with a gold heart and a diamond at the center of it. The price was $500, and Chris immediately liked it better based on that fact alone.
Caitlyn’s mom chuckled. “Oh, really. That is awful. No woman wants that for a wedding gift from her husband. I know because I’m a woman who’s married.” She looked at Chris. “Gerald isn’t married, so consider the source.”
“I may not be married, but I’ve seen enough couples in here to know women don’t need big diamonds in order to be happy,” Gerald said.
She shook her head. “Trust me, Chris. If you get the ring and necklace I picked out, then she’ll be even happier. It’s much better than what Randy gave
her.”
“It is?” Chris asked, liking the idea he could make her happier than Randy did.
“Show me this necklace, Gerald,” she said, tapping the glass with her perfectly manicured fingernail.
Rolling his eyes, he obeyed and handed it to her. She held it up for inspection, her smile growing wider. “This is perfect!”
Chris examined the diamond chain that led to a diamond heart with a sapphire in the middle. His gaze fell to the price tag, which was $22,500. They’d just used $25,000 to make the down payment on their new home. The ring and necklace would exceed that. It made absolutely no sense to him that jewelry should cost the same as a down payment on a house. The house, after all, was more practical. Then he thought of Caitlyn and how much happier she’d be with this ring and necklace than with what Randy had given her. And if there was one thing he wanted more than anything else, it was to make Caitlyn happier. If he made her happier, maybe she’d love him. She might even love him more than she ever loved Randy.
“I’ll take these,” he told Gerald.
Caitlyn’s mom shrieked in pleasure and handed the necklace to Gerald.
“Are you sure?” Gerald asked. “This is a lot to spend.”
“Oh come now. You heard him,” her mother said. “He’s putting my little girl’s happiness above his need for something like a sports car. What could be better than that?”
Chris wasn’t sure what a sports car had to do with buying jewelry, but he let that part of the conversation go so he could focus on buying the ring and necklace. After Gerald ran a credit check on him, Chris ended up filling out a credit card application. The process took longer than he would have liked, but in the end, he ended up with a black box holding the ring and necklace. The only thing that held him back from buying the $3999 earrings that went with it was the fact that Caitlyn’s ears weren’t pierced. Even if the grand total of $35,508.94 made him experience a momentary shiver of cold terror, he assured himself that it was worth it if Caitlyn would be happy.
As Chris and Caitlyn’s mother left the store, he asked, “Caitlyn will like this, won’t she?”
“Of course, she will,” she said. “It’s much better than anything Randy ever did for her.”
Suddenly a Bride Page 14