Chapter 15.02

“Unfortunately, it was all for nothing,” I said, disappointed. “It’s no longer in the store, so there’s nothing to show. Does Jenny know you’re here?” I asked.

“No,” Dr. Cox replied. “Mickey is at his friend’s place, and Jane left before us.”

“I’m sorry about the ring, Jay,” Mrs. Julie said.

“Good thing I pay attention to details too—not just Janie,” Dr. Cox laughed, making everyone look at him.

“Adam,” Dad chuckled, “I think you should stop teasing them before they kill you tonight.”

“Andrew? Adam?” Both mothers asked at the same time.

“Ladies,” Dr. Cox said with a smile, reaching into his inner pocket and placing a blue heart-shaped box on the table. “I’d like your second opinions.”

“This is truly beautiful,” Mrs. Julie said, touched, as she opened it. “Will you tell me what I missed?” she asked her husband kindly.

“Well,” Dr. Cox began, “as you all know, Andrew and I were here before Amber’s wedding to sign some paperwork.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “I didn’t know about that.”

“Then listen, son, and you’ll understand,” the lawyer continued. “Andrew was curious about the ring Johnny had described to you all a few weeks earlier, so we went into the store. Neither of us is an expert in jewelry, but from the selection, it was clear that this was a rare piece—something an experienced eye would immediately pick out.”

“Just like the little girl,” Dad interjected with a laugh.

“Exactly,” Dr. Cox resumed. “So after a few minutes in the store, we decided not to take any chances and bought it.”

“I’m sorry, son,” the lawyer turned to me. “But if we had waited for you, it might not have been there anymore.” He laughed.

“And what if moving in together didn’t go well and we didn’t stay together?” I asked.

“Then I’d pay your father back and give it to whoever Jane chooses instead of you,” he said calmly. “I know you like to be sure of things, son,” he teased, “but you still have a lot to learn.” He laughed.

“I certainly wouldn’t leave a fake ring under the couch,” I said more sharply than I should have, making Dad raise his hand to smack me lightly. But Adam just laughed and held up his own hand.

“Let it go, Andrew,” he said. “Do you think this was accidental?” the lawyer asked, still laughing.

“No, Johnny,” Mrs. Julie answered. “Adam had already asked me over dinner days before, but I wasn’t sure how the kids would react, so I asked for time to figure out what they thought.”

“That’s when I placed the fake ring where Janie would find it while cleaning, so she could immediately talk to Daniel,” Dr. Cox explained. “Which she did—though she’s smart enough that I didn’t understand a word of it.”

“Then my daughter asked me privately if I had ever considered marrying Adam,” Mrs. Julie continued. “She said that she and Daniel had already discussed it casually, and if things worked out, I should feel free to say yes—they would be happy.”

“If the kids hadn’t agreed, it would have just been a regular birthday barbecue,” Dr. Cox added.

“But I thought he asked them that morning,” I said.

“Officially, yes,” he smiled. “But as you already know—I gather every bit of information about my kids’ admirers before a date. Do you really think I wouldn’t be thorough in a case like this?” He laughed.

“Sorry for my tone,” I said. “I really do have a lot to learn.” I laughed.

“Did you guys know at the barbecue?” I asked my parents.

“We did, but we didn’t say anything because of Jane” Mom said.

“Mrs. Julie,” I asked, “were you surprised by the actual proposal?”

“Yes,” she admitted. “We were eating at a fast-food place when he brought me home from work.”

“Adam, seriously?” Brad asked.

“Julie is a smart woman,” Dr. Cox explained. “She’s been proposed to before. She knows exactly what kind of setting nervous men create. If I had taken her to a proper restaurant for a date, she would have figured it out immediately. So I was unpredictable—it worked.” He kissed his wife’s hand.

“So it was improvised?” I asked, trying to gather ideas.

“No, son,” he said. “I planned everything, but to her, it seemed spontaneous. Are you gathering ideas?” He laughed, seeing right through me.