New Beginnings Read Online Free PDF Page A

get to me.
    Mike looked down at the rings. They were all shiny, big, and expensive. But that wasn’t a problem for the Prestons.  “What do you think?”
    “What does she like?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. She’s not picky.”
    “Then get her something simple. Scarlet’s ring is pretty ordinary, but that’s what she wanted. If I got her a huge rock, she’d chuck it at my head then reject my proposal.
    “How romantic,” he said sarcastically. “I hope Cassandra and I are as happy as you someday.”
    “Let’s see if she even says yes first,” I teased.
    “If we weren’t in the store right now, I’d punch you.”
    “And I’d punch you back.”
    He shook his head then looked at the rings again. “How about that one?” He pointed to one in the corner.
    “It’s nice,” I said. “But how about that one? It doesn’t have diamonds in the band, but it is a princess cut.”
    “Princess cut?” Mike asked.
    “It’s what Scarlet has.”
    He clearly knew nothing about rings. “I just want something nice.”
    “I can help with that.” The sales associate came to us. She was blonde and young. “What does your girlfriend like?”
    “She’s pretty simple,” Mike said.
    She opened the case and took out a few. “This is really popular right now. It has two rings, one with diamonds in the band and one with just the ring.”
    He shook his head. “That’s too much bling for her.”
    “Bling?” I asked with a laugh.
    He ignored me. “What do you recommend?”
    She pulled out a plain band with a single diamond in the center. “This diamond isn’t huge by any means, but it’s of the highest clarity and it’s an exceptionally rare diamond. That’s why the price is so high. It’s clean and sleek, so it’s simple but nice at the same time. One look at that diamond and all her friends will know how expensive the ring was—if you’re looking to pay that much.”
    Mike picked up the ring and inspected it. Rainbows flashed in my eyes every time it moved. It definitely was high clarity. “How much?” I asked.
    “Thirteen thousand.”
    Pocket change.
    Mike stared at it for a long time. “I’ll take it.”
    Her eyes widened slightly but then her reaction faded. “Excellent choice, sir. Ring size?”
    “Umm…” He looked to me for help.
    “Scarlet and Cassandra are about the same size, so I would go with a size six.”
    “Okay,” she said. “Anything else?”
    “Yeah. Can you engrave it?” Mike asked.
    “Sure. What do you want it to say?”
    Mike blurted out a date.
    I raised an eyebrow. “What’s special about that day?”
    “It’s the day I fell in love with her—the day I met her.”
    I smiled. “That’s awesome but you’re still a pussy.”
    He smiled. “I don’t care. I love being a pussy.”
    The woman looked uncomfortable by our choice of words. “After you purchase it, you can pick it up tomorrow.”
    “Can you take care of that for me?” Mike asked.  “I don’t want her to suspect anything.”
    “Of course.”
    Mike paid with a credit card and we walked back to the car.
    I suddenly realized something. “Why didn’t you want to bring Scarlet? I thought you turned to her for everything? She would have been perfect for this.” I wasn’t offended he preferred my wife over me. I let it go a long time ago.
    “You’re my brother. I wanted it to be you.” He gave me a serious look then started the car.
    My heart squeezed at his words. The last time we got mushy-mushy was when he protected Scarlet and risked his own life to keep her safe. Everything that he did to me in the past was forgotten. And now he did it again. “That means a lot to me.”
    “I know I act like I hate you all the time, but actually, I…I love you. Most of the time.”
    “I love you too.” I clapped his shoulder. “And congratulations.”
    “Thank you. Now Cassandra and I will be two idiots in love just like you and Scar.”
    “The four of us are a recipe for disaster.”
    “You can say