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friend, I still feel partly responsible for her showing up at my door.
    "Sit down." I lead him to my chair, as his chair is covered in sauce. "Eat my food. I'll get another plate and an ice pack for your hand."
    Just as he eases into the seat, he jumps up. "Shit!"
    "What?"
    Andrés turns to me with his hands in his pockets and a wild-eyed expression. "It's gone!"
    "What's gone?"
    "N-nothing." He averts his gaze and shakes his head.
    Then he lurches to the front door. I'm pretty sure my heart stops beating. I see it there on the floor—the black pouch that looks suspiciously similar to the one that holds the engagement ring he'd almost given me last month. He hastily slips it in his pocket and turns to me with a sheepish grin.
    "It must have fallen out when I punched Jackson." He shoves both hands in his pockets and rocks on his feet, looking at something beyond my left shoulder. I cast a glance behind me. The microwave? Is that what's got his attention, or is he just having trouble looking me in the eye?
    How long does Andrés plan on carrying that ring around in his pocket? I tell myself I should be happy he's still carrying the ring, but then I wonder why he doesn't give me the damn thing. The sting of his indecision feels an awful lot like rejection.
    "Maybe you should keep it in a safe, so you don't lose it again," I say, unable to mask the hurt in my voice. I can't look at him a moment longer, so I turn my gaze to the floor. Oh, great, breadcrumbs and spaghetti sauce on the tile. Karri leaves a trail of destruction wherever she goes. I angle my toe and squish a crumb beneath my shoe, imagining that crumb is my heart being crushed under the weight of that little black pouch.
    Andrés bridges the short distance between us, and before I can stop him, he takes my hand in his. "I'm sorry." His voice is barely a whisper, but when he cups my chin and turns my gaze to his, I'm struck by the intensity in his dark eyes.
    And then my legs weaken when he falls to one knee and pulls that pouch back out of his pocket. He drops the ring into his palm and holds it up to the light. It's just as I remember, a beautiful circle of emeralds with a large, luminescent diamond in the center.
    "I love you, mija." His deep baritone has a nervous edge to it, and though I can see he's trying to keep his composure, his hand trembles slightly. "Marry me? Be mine forever?"
    "Yes!" I fall to my knees and throw my arms around him. "Yes, I'll marry you."
    I'm barely aware of Andrés removing my arm from his neck and slipping the ring on my finger. But I'm very aware of him pressing into me, of his lips on mine. I grab his hair by the roots, clinging to him. We share a kiss that is so explosive, tremors take hold of me, rocking me to my core. And then he sweeps me into his arms and carries me into the bedroom.

Chapter Two
    Christina
    Damn! What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with us? Andrés had to have known, too. I look over at my sleeping fiancé. It wasn't until after we'd shared mind-blowing sex and polished off a huge pot of spaghetti that I realized we'd forgotten to use a condom. I'm getting really careless. Really careless. I didn't intentionally mean to forget the condom this time. Did I? I drape my arm over my head and groan. This damn sinus infection makes my head feel like it weighs a hundred pounds. That's why it's so hard to remember to be responsible.
    I think about that pregnancy test stored under my bathroom counter. I know it's too early to tell if I conceived last night. I think the directions on the box said I have to wait a week. Even if I didn't get pregnant last time I was careless, I know I could be now.
    I hold my hand up and squint at the shiny emeralds and diamond as they gleam in the morning sun. It is the most exquisite ring I've ever seen. I can't believe the gems belonged to his grandma, and Andrés tore apart her ring to make this for me. I clutch my hand to my chest and sigh. This ring is a treasure,