Forever Mine

by April Zyon

  “Absolutely. That would take a little more time, though. We could have it done in a couple of days, and then do the engraving at the same time.”

  Martin looked to her, holding up his hand. “Verdict?” he asked curiously.

  “I like them. I think that we’ve found our rings.” She stroked her fingers over the top of his and smiled. “And this damn well better be the one and only time that you will ever look for a ring with anyone. Just sayin’ is all.”

  “Even if I want to get you something for an anniversary?” he asked. “‘Cause now that these guys know your ring size, who knows? And I might bring one of the sisters-in-law or Brandy along for advice. You never know.” He pulled the ring off, handed it to the saleswoman, and then let her measure his finger.

  “If you’d write in here what you’d like engraved on each,” the woman said. She passed a sheet to Athena. “Here for your ring, and then down here for his ring. I’ll get the rest of your information, your credit card number to hold during the work, and then we’ll give you a buzz when they are ready to be picked up. You can decide then whether to put them on the card, or pay in some other manner.”

  “Works for me,” he said.

  “For me as well.” Athena took the sheet and started to write. “When are we getting married? We need a date.” On the inside of the ring, she was going to have the engraver put, Martin and Athena, married and the date that they would be wed.

  “What’s your favorite day of the year?” he asked her. He slid an arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “Whatever it is, put that in, and we’ll get married on that day. Come hell, or high water, or Vegas, we’ll get married.”

  “Christmas day has always been my favorite day of the year, followed closely by Halloween,” she said with a nod. “I don’t think that I want to wait ten months to marry you, so do you think we can do it by the end of the year?”

  “If that’s what you want to do, I’m on board. So, what day do you want to pick?” he asked. “I’m all for Christmas, but that’s going to be a busy day anyway. Maybe Christmas Eve instead. We can get married with the family around, then spend Christmas with them before we go back to your place to celebrate. Providing, of course, you close up shop for the week after Christmas. We could even get in a honeymoon somewhere you’ve always wanted to go to.”

  “That sounds good to me.” She completed the line for the inscription. “And yes, I take the last few weeks of the year off. My last patient is the Wednesday the full week before Christmas and then I don’t go back until the Monday after New Year’s Day, unless New Year’s falls on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case, I will go back the Monday after that.” She didn’t take a lot of time off, but she did take those weeks.

  “Good, that will give us some time to deal with all the final details. Course if we tell this to Mama, she’ll have it all figured out and finalized long before then. We’ll have to tell the family eventually, and decide where we want to hold the ceremony as well. But with them all in town, they’ll want to be there, God help us.”

  The saleswoman took the form from Athena, put in some information, and then asked for Martin’s card. He handed her the credit card, and gave her the number of his cell to contact him.

  “I think that’s everything. If you want to come in the day we finish the sizing, you can try it on prior to us doing the inscribing,” she said.

  “Sure. Give me a call when it’s ready and I’ll come by,” he told her. They got a stub off the sheet with the order number on it, said their goodbyes, and were out the door minutes later. “Well, since we’re here anyway, do you want to grab a bite before heading back?”

  “Yes please.” She was grinning. Typical Carver male wasn’t letting her pay for the rings. She had known that he wouldn’t, and if she hadn’t been so impatient, she was sure he would have asked her to marry him. Then again, if she had waited, they couldn’t have had a Christmas wedding this year.

  “All right, what are you smiling about now?” he asked. He pointed to a pub up the street, and at her nod, started that way with her hand in his. “Come on, Athena. Give it up, what’s got you looking like the cat who got the canary?”

  “I just think that it’s cute. You told me I had to buy your ring since I asked you to marry me, and yet you are the one who’s paying for them. I love it. You are….” She sighed a happy sound. “You are my Martin Carver. My knight in shining armor and forever mine.”

  “Didn’t say you weren’t buying my ring, sweetheart. I figured it was less confusing for the salesperson to only have one credit card for the hold. You’re still on the hook,” he teased. Pulling her in closer to him, he grinned down at her, and tugged the door to the pub open for her.

  “So you say.” She walked into the pub before him and had a seat at a table. “It’s just another one of the millions of things that I love about you. You amaze me and I love every part of being with you and the things you do for me.”

  “Haven’t really done that much, love,” he said with a shrug. Modest, too, apparently. “Now I will buy you a pint and something to eat. I’ll even let you maybe talk me into buying the rings for you. Maybe. But you’ll have to be extra persuasive. Think you could handle that?”

  “Not in public I can’t,” she told him with a grin. “However, I can promise you that I will persuade you later when we get home.” She leaned into him and whispered, “With my mouth around, well, you know.” She pulled back and winked. “A sucker.” Ha! Yeah right, if she was sucking anything, it was going to damn well be him.

  “Uh huh,” he said. He was grinning at her when the waitress arrived to take their drink order. She handed them menus before heading off to fill the order. “I do like where your thoughts are at, though. Both creative and highly effective to get what you want.”

  “Exactly. I’m nothing if not creative. So, do you think that I’ve convinced you?” She had her hand on his once more, her fingers toying with his as she watched him.

  His lips twitched as he watched her, his gaze finally dropping the menu. “Don’t know, still hedging a little here. We’ll have to see if you can pull it off first. Oh, they have potato skins, definitely getting those.”

  “Oh and chips and salsa too, please,” she said as she looked over the menu. “Aside from that I want the steak, rare, with baked potato as the side.” Pub food at its best.

  “Sounds good,” he said with a nod. “I think I’ll get the steak sandwich instead, a side of fries, and I’ll be a happy man. Especially since I’ll be having that nice, big-ass glass of ale that’s currently making its way toward us.”

  The waitress arrived and set their drinks down before taking their orders. When she left, he reached over to take Athena’s hand once more. “So, what type of wedding do you want to have, sweetheart? Big, small, all the hoopla, what?”

  “The only people I need at our wedding would be us, the minister, and our family. I don’t need big. I don’t need all the hoopla. All I need is the man I love and our family,” she said simply. “So if it’s Vegas, we should charter a flight because it would be the cheapest way to get all our family there, right? Or maybe Travis can pull some strings and fly us there himself?”

  “Who said we’d actually be doing Vegas? That was a random thought, and truly, I think it might be better to do it at the ranch. No rushing to get back, because Mama would insist on having everyone on the ranch for Christmas, so there would be rushing involved. We could do it midday on Christmas Eve, have a party in the afternoon with the family and friends, and then we all huddle down to await Santa Claus’s arrival. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll even get a bit of snow for Christmas day. That would be awesome. We haven’t done an old fashioned sled ride in forever. Mainly because we’re never all home to do it, and the snow is such a hit and miss.”

  “I love that idea. Think your mom can pull it off? Put it all together so that we can get married midday on Christmas Eve? As for the sled race, just no getting hurt. I’ve seen how you Carver boys play to
gether and you are all rough and tumble, so please no getting hurt?”

  “All right, maybe I should clarify for you,” he said with a laugh. “The sled is something my grandfather built. It holds about sixteen people, and it only is ever used on Christmas because of its age. Joshua tends to it each year, giving it a cleaning, waxing the gliders, oiling the wood, and all that fun stuff. We bundle up under blankets, and take a ride around the neighborhood. If there’s the snow to do it. It doesn’t do well on dirt or gravel, so it’s been a time since it’s been used. As to the wedding, sure. If we give her free rein. Now, before you say you’re all for that, we need to give her some guidelines or the entire county will be there, including neighboring towns. So we have to come up with a clear list of dos and don’ts for the woman if you’re okay with setting her loose.”

  “It’s been forever since we’ve had snow, hasn’t it? It would be lovely to be able to do that, though. I would love it. It sounds like a fabulous time, being able to have you holding me close, keeping me warm.”

  “It has. We usually get a dusting now and again, but I think it’s been a good six years since there was enough of a dump to be useful. Maybe we’ll get lucky, though. Mother Nature might smile on us,” he said with a shrug.

  “We can hope,” Athena said with a grin. “I think that would be lovely, having the family with us for a ride in the cold weather. Just having the whole family in is fabulous.” The Carver family didn’t get together very often. The kids were all doing their own things and making their ways in life.

  “Well, cross your fingers for snow then. But be specific when you’re wishing for it. We only want it to kick in as of Christmas Eve. Around the six or seven o’clock mark would likely be good. Nice big flakes so we have what we need for the sled, otherwise no go.”

  The waitress appeared with their appetizers, and settled them in the middle of the table. After depositing silverware, napkins, and little plates to use, she left them to eat.

  “Ah yes, it would be bad if the snow kicked in before that and we weren’t able to get everything done that we should be able to in order to ensure that our wedding goes off without a hitch. And we don’t want a great deal of snow so that we can’t get out of town for our honeymoon either.”

  “True enough. But with the truck, we can get out of pretty much anywhere if need be. Not worrying about that right now. We have a bunch of other things to work on first. Guidelines for Mama, for one. You need to get your dress. I need to get a suit. I say we don’t worry about a wedding party ‘cause there’s no way I’m playing the favorites game with the brothers. We need to limit the guest list on the off chance it has to be done inside the house instead of outside in a tent or something to that nature. Weather dependent, of course, but still, keeping the guest list small isn’t a bad thing. Shit, what else is there?”

  “We are only inviting your family and maybe a couple of friends. I don’t need big. We can worry about a big party to celebrate next year. Right now, this is all for us.” Which was the truth. The wedding was all about them getting married and sharing their love with their families.

  “All right, well then, we should write up the guest list for Mama so she knows who we’re limiting to. And so she can send out the invites to the friends. Though we should likely call them to let them know about it given when it’s for. It’s going to be hard for some of them, I’m sure, but Mama will make it worth their while. I say we keep the food simple. I definitely don’t need fancy. Maybe a potluck style with a bunch of favorites from our childhood to nibble on. Flowers shouldn’t be an issue. Music’s not a problem either since we have the sound system at the house that can be piped into the various rooms of use.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” She nodded. “When we get home tonight, we will make out our guest list. Then we will talk to your mom about the food.” Because if anyone could figure out what to serve for their wedding, it was Theresa Carver.

  “We’re going to have to talk to her anyway, so we’d better have all our ducks in a row. We should likely do it tomorrow night. Plus, we have to tell her we’re getting married before anyone else figures it out. Otherwise, I’ll be in the doghouse yet again.”

  “Good point. Okay, we should go straight to the ranch and talk to her before anyone else tells her.” Especially if they were able to get her ring today. It would really not be good if someone saw her with a ring on her finger and told Theresa before they could tell her.

  “No one’s going to know anyway, not until I can pick up the rings later in the week because of the sizing and engraving that they are adding to it. So, we’ve got a couple of days. We’ll go tomorrow night. That gives us tonight to get our lists together, scratch out an idea of what we’d like, and set the ground rules so she can’t go off script on us. It’ll be fine, as long as you don’t go around telling everyone you meet we’re engaged,” he said with a grin.

  “Right, I will keep my mouth shut,” she assured him. “Although it will be hard. I want to shout from the highest roof that we are going to be married. It’s just such an amazing feeling to know that I’m going to marry the man I’ve loved all of my life.”

  “I hear you there, sweetheart. I have the same idea, but I also know the hellfire that would rain down on my head if someone else called her up to ask about the engagement without her being informed first. Look, if you’re really worried about it, we’ll call her when we get home tonight. That way she can start the calls first thing in the morning to announce it to everyone under the sun.”

  “Yes, please. I would feel far better about that,” she said with a nod. “I am just seriously worried that someone or something will tip her off. Even though we are in another town, I’m scared stiff that someone will tell her or see us together in the jewelry store or something.”

  “Alright. Why don’t I call her right now? Eat your chips, sweetheart, and I’ll call Mama to give her the news. It’s early enough she might be able to hit up the biggest gossips in town. Go on,” he said. Digging out his phone, he dialed and put it to his ear.

  “Okay.” She grabbed a chip and munched on it while listening to him on the phone with his mother.

  He just grinned at her and gave a shrug. “Hey Mama,” he said. “What? No, ma’am. Everything is fine. Athena and I are just out for dinner after doing a little shopping. We wanted to share the good news with you before anyone else gets wind of it. Athena’s accepted my proposal, and we’re getting married.” Over the noise of the pub, Athena could hear the shriek coming from the phone as Martin held it away from his head.

  Athena grinned. “Yes, he’s going to make an honest woman out of me, finally,” she said when Martin held the phone close to her. “You are the third person to know. Martin first and me second.” She listened to her screech once more and she began to snicker. “I think you should calm her down, honey,” she told Martin.

  “Ya think?” he muttered. “Mama, you need to take a deep breath and calm yourself. This isn’t the first time you’ve heard this news from one of your kids. What? Hey, that’s just mean,” he said with a laugh. “We got there, didn’t we? Yup, all right. No, we’re having mine fitted, and then both are being inscribed, so it’ll be a couple of days before we have them in hand. Long story, Mama. We’ll explain when we come out to do dinner with you. Sorry, what was that?” he asked, pressing his finger to his other ear. “Well, since you volunteered, we’ll talk about that then too. Listen, Mama, I’ve got to go. It’s starting to get rowdy and rather loud in here. Yes, ma’am, we’ll call and set something up. Bye, Mama.”

  When he hung up, Athena grinned. “So she’s happy?” She took a sip of her drink and another chip. “What was it that she volunteered for before hanging, up by the way?”

  “Helping us plan the wedding,” he said. “And yes, she’s rather happy. Either that or we may need to get her on some sort of medication. That shriek of hers likely spooked every head of cattle we have out there.”

  She laughed. “It’s not like you are the fi
rst of her kids to get married.” She shrugged. “Although you are the last one because isn’t your older sister in a committed relationship with her girlfriend?” They were waiting for same-sex marriage to become legal in all of the states, waiting for everyone to be able to choose to marry and love equally.

  “Yup, I’m the last one, technically. She’s probably just ecstatic, though, because she’ll have all her kids married before Mrs. Donahue. That woman’s been hassling Mama for a while now about the fact that her last daughter is marrying in June. Those two are damn competitive, and over the weirdest shit.” He picked up one of his potato skins and nibbled on it.

  “Oh lord. I remember Dad talking about Mrs. Donahue and your mama from when they were in high school together. I guess they always have had that competitive streak in them.” Which was not a bad thing, for the most part, at least.

  “Among others in town from, what I remember. There’s always been a few that Mama’s been more than a little competitive with. The marriage thing is Mrs. Donahue, then there’s the one with the whole gossip bit, another for the best tomatoes each year, and on the list goes. I swear, for such a sweet woman, Mama is a tiger when it comes to outdoing everyone around her.”

  “Oh lord. Your mom is too funny. I adore that woman, though, and I have to admit that I’ve helped her win a few of her competitions. Not just this one, but a couple of years ago, she had to sell something for her book club. She was at the end of her list and needed to sell another ten pies to win. I ended up buying twenty. I gave pies to my clients that month.” Just because she had too many for one person to possibly eat.

  Martin was staring at her. “Oh my God, you’re an enabler.” His lips curled, and his shoulders began to shake. “I would never have guessed in a million years. I applaud the fact you were helping out my mama and all, but shame on you, Doctor Rhodes.”