28. William

Several weeks had passed since I realized I loved Jane. I'd been waiting for the perfect moment to tell her how I felt but no moment seemed good enough. Plus she seemed to be avoiding me these days. I didn't understand why but I could feel her pulling away. It felt like she was hiding something but I didn't know what.

Josie seemed to be in on the secret but she was a brick wall. I'd tried and failed to get the truth out of her. I'd long since given up on that particular quest.

After much deliberation, I decided that the best way to tell Jane how I felt was to propose. I never actually proposed to her when we got married. That meant there was no love in the foundation of our relationship. The ring I gave her last time had no emotion or personality. I didn't choose it because I thought she would love it, I chose it because it was flashy. I needed to find a ring that actually represented my love for Jane. A ring that shows her just how committed I was to this relationship.

I wanted to make this work. I wanted to be with her forever. For real this time.

"How about this one sir?" the woman in the store asked as she presented another ring to me.

It was the fifth one I'd seen that day. I shook my head. None of them were what I was looking for but then again I didn't know what I was looking for. I thought I would know when I saw it but I was losing hope of that happening.

What ring would Jane truly love?

What would suit her best?

I thought deeply about that for the next few minutes while I glanced at the available rings. Finally, I saw it.

A gorgeous rose gold ring with a red diamond sitting in its center. It was unlike any other ring I'd seen. This one looked straight out of a fairy tale. It looked like it was meant to sit on the hand of a queen.

It was perfect for my wife.

"You have an incredible eye, sir," the woman said. "This ring is from our exclusive collection."

"I'll take it."

"Don't you need to know how much—

"I said I'll take it."

I didn't care how much. Money had never been a problem for me and I certainly wasn't going to skimp on an engagement ring for Jane. I stared at the red diamond and my mind drifted back to Ryan's last birthday party where Jane had decorated my suit with red velvet cake.

I laughed slightly. This ring was perfect for her, perfect for us.

Ryan glared at me from the other side of my table. I could tell he was contemplating reaching over and punching me in the jaw. Fortunately, he couldn't do that because he was here for work.

I'd messaged his boss and told him I was considering building a new branch for my company. He'd rushed at the chance.

Everyone wanted to work with an Aldaine.

"What do you want, William?"

"Don't you have to call me Mr. Aldaine?" I joked.

Ryan"s glare intensified and I lifted my hands in surrender. "Fine, you don't have to."

"I have work to do, Will. I don't have time for whatever game you're playing at."

I sighed. "I just want us to talk." I paused and pulled out the ring box. "About Jane."

"What is this?" Ryan asked as his gaze shifted from the box to me.

"It's an engagement ring. I'm going to ask Jane to marry me."

"Aren't you already married to her?"

"I want it to be real. I love your sister, Ryan. I really do," I said, hoping that my words and actions would be able to help him see how sincere I was.

He sighed. "How can I trust you, William? You've broken my trust before so you must understand why I'm not eager to go down this road again.

"I understand that. If you can"t trust me then please just trust that I love Jane and I would never do anything to hurt her."

"I'll hold you to that."

I extended my hand and Ryan glanced at it. For a moment I thought he was going to stand up and walk away. He leaned forward and shook my hand. It would take a lot more for us to ever be friends again but this was a start.

My office door burst open and my mother walked in. Ever since what happened with Riley, I'd been a bit hesitant about getting a new assistant which meant my mother strolled in here whenever she felt like it. She'd always done that but now I had no one to warn me of her arrival.

"Ryan!" she said brightly once she saw him. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm doing good, Kiara." Ryan's face lit up. He walked over so he hugged her. "You look incredible, as always."

"You're too sweet."

I couldn't help feeling strangely left out. Ryan was angry with me but he still treated my mom like family. They had always gotten along so really I wasn't surprised.

"I have to go now." Ryan excused himself and walked out.

"What brings you here mother?"

"I came to congratulate you! I heard the Titan Capital deal went through."

After firing Bolton and Riley, I was able to convince Titan Capital to work with me rather than Hannibal Group. It wasn't easy but at the end of the day, they realized that I had their best interest at heart. The guys at Hannibal Group were notorious vultures. If they got their hands on Titan Capital, they would swallow them whole. There would be nothing left of their company after that.

"Thanks, mom. It was a tough battle but I—

My mother cut me off with a loud gasp. "What is that?" she asked as she stared at the ring box on the table.

"I'm going to propose to Jane."

She smiled and picked it up. "It's beautiful. She'll love it."

"You think?" I asked, slightly unsure.

"Of course. And your timing couldn't be more perfect."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, I was just…" her words drifted off. "I was just saying things. My head is a mess these days. Old age, I guess. Anyway, when are you proposing?"

"Tomorrow."

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves. The proposal was still more than a day away but I still felt incredibly nervous.

What if she didn't like the ring?

What if she didn't love me the way I loved her?

What if she said no?

Maybe Jane still expected us to get a divorce and here I was planning to spend the rest of my life with her. It was all so complicated. The only thing that wasn't complicated was my feelings for her. I knew what I felt. I knew that I loved her.

Hopefully, she loved me too.