him and then looked away and then back again. Was that so wrong? “So what if I did? Easy, simple.”
“Did you even get her a ring?” he asked.
“No. I don’t need a stupid piece of jewelry to show my feelings,” I said scornfully.
“It’s not for you, idiot. You practically forced her to say no,” he said.
“What else would you have me do?” I asked, puzzled by Sorin’s scorn and what he was saying.
“Let me think. Maybe try to convince her that you’re asking because you want to and not because you feel some twisted sense of duty to do so,” he said.
“You think that matters?” I said skeptically.
“Yeah. You got to do it right. The ring and all that shit,” he said.
“Fawn doesn’t—”
He cut me off. “You’re wrong. She does. She wants to know that you want it.”
“And how do you know this?” I said.
“My woman’s not quite so shy as yours.” He shrugged. “Esther told me exactly what to do, including the part about the ring.”
I laughed, not at all shocked that Esther had dictated the entire thing.
“It seems to be working out,” I said.
“Yeah, it does,” he said.
I left then, thinking of what Sorin had said. He was right, and I would fix this.
----
F awn
----
“ W hy are you doing this again?” I asked Esther as she zipped Maria’s coat.
“Because you need some time alone.”
“But I—”
“No excuses. We agreed,” Esther said. Then she softened. “I’m going to watch her, Fawn. Nothing will happen.”
I nodded and then kissed Maria good-bye. Esther was right. I’d been clinging, and it was time to move on with our lives.
“We’re gone,” she said and then she headed out of the front door.
A few minutes later, Vasile came in.
“You’re early,” I said, smiling at him.
Then I looked toward the door, suspicion rising.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
“I wanted us to be alone,” he said. His voice lacked inflection and I searched his face, trying to understand this turn in behavior.
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk,” he said.
He looked at me, his green eyes bright but still unreadable, and my stomach dropped.
He walked over and grabbed my hands, towering over me. And then as I watched, my mouth gaped open as he lowered himself to one knee.
After an exhale, he started talking, though I could hardly hear him over the booming of my heart. “Fawn, because of you, I have a life I never thought possible. I live for you and I would die for you. I love you with all my heart. You are my heart. I want to know if you will be my wife?”
I was struck speechless, and stood there for long moments, mouth open as I tried to process.
Then, finally, I said words I’d only dreamed of. “I will.”
From his one-kneed perch, he flashed his eyes open at me and gave me a bright, almost innocent smile. In that moment, he wasn’t a Romanian mobster and I wasn’t a random victim.
He was just a man who loved me, and I was the woman who loved him back with all my heart.
He rose and then swept me into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. He set me down and then lifted a hand to still me as I reached for him.
“Wait,” he said.
I watched him as he exited and then returned with four or five bags in each hand.
He smiled, as excited as I had ever seen him. “I got you a ring.”
“That’s a lot of bags for a ring, Vasile,” I said.
He dropped the bags in front of me and then gestured toward them. “Look,” he said.
I reached into one of the bags and pulled out several small boxes. Then I looked in the others and saw what had to be dozens more.
“I got them all. Pick,” he said.
“You bought every ring in the jewelry store?” I asked.
“I wanted you to be happy,” he said.
I dropped the rings and then went to him and wrapped my arms around him.
“I have you. How can I be anything but?” I said.
Fourteen
F awn
----
A couple of weeks later , things were back to normal, or as close to it as they could be.
“What about
“Did you even get her a ring?” he asked.
“No. I don’t need a stupid piece of jewelry to show my feelings,” I said scornfully.
“It’s not for you, idiot. You practically forced her to say no,” he said.
“What else would you have me do?” I asked, puzzled by Sorin’s scorn and what he was saying.
“Let me think. Maybe try to convince her that you’re asking because you want to and not because you feel some twisted sense of duty to do so,” he said.
“You think that matters?” I said skeptically.
“Yeah. You got to do it right. The ring and all that shit,” he said.
“Fawn doesn’t—”
He cut me off. “You’re wrong. She does. She wants to know that you want it.”
“And how do you know this?” I said.
“My woman’s not quite so shy as yours.” He shrugged. “Esther told me exactly what to do, including the part about the ring.”
I laughed, not at all shocked that Esther had dictated the entire thing.
“It seems to be working out,” I said.
“Yeah, it does,” he said.
I left then, thinking of what Sorin had said. He was right, and I would fix this.
----
F awn
----
“ W hy are you doing this again?” I asked Esther as she zipped Maria’s coat.
“Because you need some time alone.”
“But I—”
“No excuses. We agreed,” Esther said. Then she softened. “I’m going to watch her, Fawn. Nothing will happen.”
I nodded and then kissed Maria good-bye. Esther was right. I’d been clinging, and it was time to move on with our lives.
“We’re gone,” she said and then she headed out of the front door.
A few minutes later, Vasile came in.
“You’re early,” I said, smiling at him.
Then I looked toward the door, suspicion rising.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
“I wanted us to be alone,” he said. His voice lacked inflection and I searched his face, trying to understand this turn in behavior.
“Why?”
“Because we need to talk,” he said.
He looked at me, his green eyes bright but still unreadable, and my stomach dropped.
He walked over and grabbed my hands, towering over me. And then as I watched, my mouth gaped open as he lowered himself to one knee.
After an exhale, he started talking, though I could hardly hear him over the booming of my heart. “Fawn, because of you, I have a life I never thought possible. I live for you and I would die for you. I love you with all my heart. You are my heart. I want to know if you will be my wife?”
I was struck speechless, and stood there for long moments, mouth open as I tried to process.
Then, finally, I said words I’d only dreamed of. “I will.”
From his one-kneed perch, he flashed his eyes open at me and gave me a bright, almost innocent smile. In that moment, he wasn’t a Romanian mobster and I wasn’t a random victim.
He was just a man who loved me, and I was the woman who loved him back with all my heart.
He rose and then swept me into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. He set me down and then lifted a hand to still me as I reached for him.
“Wait,” he said.
I watched him as he exited and then returned with four or five bags in each hand.
He smiled, as excited as I had ever seen him. “I got you a ring.”
“That’s a lot of bags for a ring, Vasile,” I said.
He dropped the bags in front of me and then gestured toward them. “Look,” he said.
I reached into one of the bags and pulled out several small boxes. Then I looked in the others and saw what had to be dozens more.
“I got them all. Pick,” he said.
“You bought every ring in the jewelry store?” I asked.
“I wanted you to be happy,” he said.
I dropped the rings and then went to him and wrapped my arms around him.
“I have you. How can I be anything but?” I said.
Fourteen
F awn
----
A couple of weeks later , things were back to normal, or as close to it as they could be.
“What about
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