Praetor's legacy

Chapter 27

Percy's eyes fluttered open slowly. A ray of sunshine from the uncovered window lit up the entire room. Percy blinked a few times, getting used to the bright light. He looked to his left, seeing Reyna lying on her back with her dark hair fanned all around the pillow. Her lips were parted slightly and Percy grinned at the soft and vulnerable look on her face right now.

All he could imagine was waking up with her like this every day for the rest of his life. Even in their old age, if they were lucky enough to live that long, he would think she was beautiful, especially when her hair was a slight mess and she was slowly waking from her slumber. Her hand seemed to instinctively reach out and grab his hand. Her eyes slowly began to open, taking in the sights around her.

Percy smiled at her. "Morning beautiful." He brushed some hair back from her face and she smiled at him.

She yawned. "We better go get Aidan from Hazel and Frank. I don't know how well he slept since I'm usually with him when he falls asleep and when he wakes up."

She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and began getting ready for the day. Percy stood up from the bed and stood behind Reyna. He squeezed her hip and gently turned her around to face him. He pulled Reyna towards him and began to kiss her.

He smiled cheekily at her. "Sorry about the morning breath, but I just had to kiss you."

She rolled her eyes at him and swatted his butt, heading towards the front door. "Get ready. I'll meet you at the coffee shop with Aidan, okay? We'll spend some time with him and have a fun day, just the three of us."

As Percy began jogging towards the coffee shop to try to beat the morning rush, his eyes fell onto a small jewelry store that was tucked away between two large buildings. He stopped jogging and stared at the building. He'd never noticed it before. Percy seemed drawn toward the little oak door and the newly discovered treasures inside. He glanced down at his watch and thought he could take a quick glance inside before meeting Reyna and Aidan.

When Percy opened the door, it creaked loudly and almost made Percy jump. A little old lady sat behind a counter with beautiful pieces of jewelry laid out in front of her.

She smiled at him, showing her old and crooked teeth. "Good morning, young man. What has brought you into my shop this fine day?"

Percy looked a little sheepish when he said, "I'm not really sure. I just felt drawn here."

The old woman gave him a look as if she knew something he didn't. "Well, praetor, call me Muriel. I have a few pieces that I think you might be interested in over here if you'd like to take a look."

Percy casually walked to the counter where she was pointing and his eyes fell onto many beautiful rings. "Rings?"

Muriel's eyes twinkled when she corrected him. "Engagement rings."

"But I'm not engaged," Percy tried to explain.

She pouted at him. "But don't you want to be? Don't you want to spend the rest of your life with Praetor Reyna? Don't you think your son's family should be complete?"

Percy felt like he was breaking into hives. Just a little bit ago, Percy was thinking about how awesome it would be to wake up every morning right next to Reyna. He was only 18 years old, nearly 19, and he already had a son and a beautiful girlfriend he could see himself spending the rest of his life with. Was marriage the next step?