One Step Forward

Chapter 19. House Shopping

Mya's POV

"Linc, we should just wait a little bit longer. People would think we're crazy," I murmured through tears. 

Linc wiped away the tears that escaped as he held my face in his hands. "They already do, love." Linc pressed his lips softly to mine. He knew I had lost this battle. Linc shut the truck off and climbed out.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked, confused. I watched him walk around the truck, and when he got to my side, I realized where we were parked. He stopped right in front of a jewelry store. "Oh my god," I gasped as he opened the door of the truck. 

He pulled me out of the truck.

If I said a word, I would burst into tears, so I stayed quiet as we walked into the store. A man stood behind the counter. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Engagement rings," Linc said simply. 

The man walked along the counter and stopped in front of one of them. He waved a hand across it as if to showcase it. Linc's eyes scanned them. There were many beautiful ones, but my eyes stopped on one in particular. There was something familiar about it; it resembled a promise ring that Linc had bought me when we were fifteen. It wasn't the same, but the similarities were uncanny. 

"That one," Linc said, and pointed at the same ring. 

It was strange how it stood out to both of us. 

The man grabbed it and handed it to Linc. 

Linc grabbed my hand, but I hesitated. "I have to see if it needs to be sized," he said.

I grimaced and let him place it on my ring finger. To make things even more eerie, it fit perfectly. 

"Hmm," he said, and his eyes flickered to mine. He stared at me as if he had just won the lottery. "This one," he told the guy. 

He took it off my finger and placed it back into the box. Linc also pointed out two wedding bands. One for him and one for me, and the guy placed them in the bag. 

I pulled Linc aside. "We don't have to do this right now."

"The rejection you're giving me today is starting to hurt my feelings a little," he muttered.

"Babe, that isn't what I meant."

"Then what?"

"The price. You're in the process of buying a house," I grumbled.

"Stop," he said and rolled his eyes. "One day, I'm going to buy one way more expensive, so you're going to have to get over the price thing." He pulled me up to the counter and pulled his card out of his wallet. The engagement ring alone was over three thousand dollars. I cringed at the total. 

The man wished us a wonderful day, of course, since Linc just blew over seven thousand dollars in his store. 

"This could've waited," I said.

"I have enough to cover it. Relax," he muttered and rolled his eyes. 

"Right, you still have to fix your truck," I said.

"It was deemed totaled, actually," he said. "I'm just going to drive Dad's truck for a while. There is nothing wrong with it. The miles are low, and it is paid off."

I sighed and shrugged. "Okay."

"The only question I have now is, do you want a big wedding?"

I chuckled and shrugged. "Enough about the marriage thing. Let's just go look at houses for now."