Page 52 of Yours, Forever

I bit the inside of my lip. After one and a half hours pretending this way of shopping was part of my everyday life, I didn't have to look at Max to confirm the stylist knew what she was talking about. It no longer surprised me that Max had prepared for this; that he had gotten someone to book a hairdresser and likely a makeup artist for me later in the day. The shock itself had worn off. In Max's world,shoppingmeant arriving at a fancy loft, where racks of clothes waited for us to peruse through preselected outfits... After we were offered bubbly drinks and Max and Shannon the stylist caught up.

"Can we see it with the jewelry?" Max approached me on the small stand and gazed at me in the mirror, while Shannon asked an assistant to bring in the right box.

Shannon put a necklace on me and held the big, bold earrings up to my face. The shiny stones on the jewelry sparkled in the light of a hundred discreet bulbs, which cast their shine on me and illuminated me from every angle.

"The silver in the dress makes the diamonds stand out against you," she said.

Max stared at me with dreamy eyes. "You look gorgeous, darling."

The dress was comfortable, too. I didn't even miss my leggings. Yet my stomach seized up with tension.

"Do you like it?" Max asked.

I told him the truth. "I love it."

The issue wasn't with how beautiful the dress was or how good it made me feel. How elegant or striking my reflection appeared on the glass. The dress was nothing but a symbol of how different from my life this was. It made me uncomfortable.

"Have you decided then?" Max put a hand on my lower back. "Do you want this dress?"

I couldn't quite bring myself to say yes, so I nodded instead.

"Excellent choice." Shannon took the necklace off and put it alongside the earrings in their box. "Let my assistant take in the measurements and modifications; we'll deliver the tailored dress to you later today."

I nodded again and let them prod at me and pull and pin the fabric to the best fit possible; Max sat back and chatted on his phone like none of this was a big deal. After we were done, he led me out of the building and we walked down the block.

"We're close to my favorite jeweler's place," he said. "They're waiting for us."

"We have jewelry already, don't we?" I didn't ask if the necklace and earrings I would wear that night were pieces he owned, Shannon owned, or if we were renting, but I didn't think we needed more.

He cast me a sideways glance. "We're picking your engagement ring and our wedding bands, Eva."

"Oh... I thought..." I gulped. "I guess it makes sense."

"I won't take my wife to a gala without the right safeguards."

"Safeguards," I muttered.

We entered a jewelry store that looked straight out of the movies. Custom cabinetry covered the walls, and edged the room in low-profile showcasing surfaces, the kind where someonemight sit by, admire, and try a few pieces before choosing the right one. Warm, golden light was low and diffuse, except for the glass cases themselves; behind pristine glass, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings beckoned for our attention.

An elegant Black woman offered us flutes with champagne and took us to a private room.

"My name is Amina," she said. "I'll call Marcus."

She left us alone for a moment, in a space that echoed the outside room in a more intimate way. Max and I sat at one side of a glass desk, with soft subtle lighting on the ceiling, and some strategically placed lights on the table.

"Are you okay?" Max asked me. "You look somewhat uncomfortable."

I squirmed in my velvet seat. "I'm not used to all of this."

"I can see that. I don't think I've seen you wear much jewelry."

"It's all of it, to be honest. You really live a life I never thought I'd get to see myself."

The sparkle in his brown eyes muted as he stared at me. "I know it's different to what you're used to, but please don't let it ruin the experience. Let me treat you, take you out tonight. Then we can go back to Laguna Island with the memories... until next year's gala, if you don't have too horrible of a time."

He wanted to treat me. Just like I'd wanted for myself, when I went to Vegas and I ended up married to him. Since I couldn't dothattwice, maybe the gala could be a chance to relax and have a good time.

"I'll try to enjoy it," I said. "I won't panic. I know we'll go back home tomorrow."