I crossed the lawn.
“What did you do?”
Natalie glanced toward the cake.
“Dette,” she said quietly, “not here.”
I looked around at the crowd.
“Apparently, you wanted it here.”
Ryan stepped between us.
“What’s going on?”
I pointed toward the ring in his hand.
“Your sister put that inside the cake.”
Ryan stared at Natalie.
“What?”
“I can explain.”
“Then explain,” I said.
Emily had gone completely still.
But she wasn’t looking at Natalie.
She was staring at the ring.
Ryan noticed.
“Em?”
Emily swallowed.
“Let me see it.”
Ryan hesitated.
“Ryan.”
He handed it to her.
Emily turned the ring over in her palm.
Then she rubbed her thumb across the inside of the band.
Her expression changed.
She had recognized something.
“Emily?” I asked.
Her fingers closed around the ring.
She looked at Natalie.
“Where did you get this?”
Natalie didn’t answer.
Ryan looked from his sister to his wife.
“What is it?”
Emily opened her hand again.
“There are initials engraved inside.”
Ryan reached toward it.
Emily pulled her hand back.
“Don’t.”
The word was quiet.
But it stopped him.
I ended the bakery call after promising I would contact them later.
Around us, fifty guests were pretending not to listen.
I lowered my voice.
“Emily, come inside.”
“No.”
“Sweetheart—”
“I said no.”
She looked directly at Natalie.
“You wanted everyone here when I saw this, didn’t you?”
Natalie’s face tightened.
“No.”
“Then why did you put it inside my cake?”
“I didn’t know how else to make sure you would see it.”
Ryan threw his hands up.
“Can someone please tell me what you’re talking about?”
Natalie finally looked at him.
“You know exactly what we’re talking about.”
His face changed.
His jaw tightened.
His eyes dropped immediately toward the ring.
Emily saw it.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“Emily, wait,” Ryan said.
She stepped backward.
“You recognize it.”
“No.”
NEXT PAGE
For Complete Cooking STEPS Please Head On Over To Next Page Or Open button (>) and don’t forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
