The Fake Wife

A Meaningful Gift

Jake

I put the small box on the table and smiled. "It's your birthday present. Open it."

She shook her head. "Jake, you gave me so many things. You gave me two wonderful children, and you are a perfect husband. You organised all of this. I don't need anything else."

Alison looked around at the private dinner I had asked the staff to set near the lake. They hung fairy lights around the trees, which would look lovely at the sunset.

"No, Alison, after Valentine's Day, I gave you only materials and equipment to help you with your hobby. Those don't count as gifts."

She opened the box, her eyes glistening, and covered her mouth. "Jake, it's beautiful!"

"Those are the match for the ring. My great-grandfather commissioned them at the same place but gave them on different important occasions. The ring represents the first gift and the earrings the last."

I looked back at the Manor. "Lauren Stewart had lived happily in this Estate for many years wearing this ring." I pointed to the enormous emerald and diamond wedding ring Mother had given her and continued with my story. "However, she only wore the matching earrings after Steve Stewart's passing. They represented that her life should still sparkle and go on even after he was no longer at her side."

Alison was in a much better headspace now, and what happened next did not matter. I wanted her to continue like that, even if I would no longer be with her. Those earrings could not be more fitting for the occasion and our lives.

I held her hand and brushed my thumb over the ring, remembering Lauren and Steve together. "Even though he got the earrings earlier in life, he kept them with him throughout his life, and they arrived for her here only after the mourning period had passed." 

Telling the story, I looked at her face, and Alison was crying. She cleaned her face. "Their story was so romantic, Jake!"

"Yeah. Steve was deeply in love with her. I remembered them together when I spent my time here as a boy. She lived ten years after he left and died a little before Tommy was born."

This time, I was the one who wanted to give Alison something meaningful in my life. My heart did not burn with love for her, but I still wanted Alison to feel special, even though she had no idea how she ended up in my life.

"So, I met her then?"

Confused, I looked at her. "What?"

"You said Lauren died a little before Tommy was born. That means I met her. Wasn't she at the wedding? Or perhaps she wasn't well enough to travel that far."

I softly squeezed her hand and looked back at the Manor. I would not make up any story about the person I loved so much. Lauren meant a lot to me. "You never met her, Alison. It's the first time I brought you here."

I omitted the part of the story about why Lauren left me her things, especially the ring. She wanted me to have someone who would display all her love for me on her finger. I thought Gracie would, but that was not how the ring got out of the family vault.

We finished our dinner, and thankfully, Alison had changed the subject to countryside-related things. She was very impressed with the Estate.

It was a lovely evening, and the food they prepared for us was great. I got the tablecloth and laid it on the grass. The sun was setting, and we could see the beautiful orange sky. I sat leaning my back on the tree and put Alison to sit between my legs, resting her back on my chest.

We stayed there, watching the sky get darker. It was an enchanting sight, and I had missed those evenings in the countryside. 

"How did we meet?" Alison had not asked this kind of question in a very long time.