The lights are dimmed in the gathering room at my sorority house. The candle is being passed around the circle of my sisters for a third time. This is the big one, and we’re all excited to find out which girl was lucky enough to be proposed to and to pass her candle on Valentine’s Day.
I’m watching it go around at the same time my mind is flashing back to Chase, down on two knees just a few days ago, asking me if I would marry him. Part of me wishes I had said yes and run to the courthouse with him the next day. We could have the big white wedding later.
The candle comes around to me, and I pass it to my big sister, Steph, who is standing next to me. She looks at me, grins, then blows the candle out. I let out a little screechy scream, so happy for her, and throw my arms around her in a hug.
“Congratulations! I’m so excited for you!” I grab her hand to see her engagement ring.
She flashes a pretty round diamond, surrounded by a halo set on a wide band.
“It’s the perfect ring for you,” I say, and I mean it.
The size of the stone and band fit both her style and her hand perfectly.
“Can you believe it?” my sorority sister, Lauren, says.
“I know! Her ring is gorgeous!” Amber agrees.
Last semester, when Chase and Damon came up for a football game, the girls were flirting with them, and Lauren has been on a mission to find a really nice guy ever since.
Tonight, we’re going out on a triple Valentine’s Day date. Lauren with her boyfriend of four months, Barrett, who is really nice, and Amber’s latest fling, Garrett. The fact that they are dating guys with rhyming names never fails to amuse me.
“Do you think I will be cold in this?” Amber asks, looking down at the furry, tight red sweater and skimpy red plaid skirt she’s wearing.
“You have on heavy tights,” I tell her. “Grab a jacket in case.”
“What I want is for Garrett to keep me warm,” she says with a smirk. “I think I actually like him.”
“You should like him,” Lauren says. “You’ve been hooking up with him for over a month. That’s, like, practically a record for you, isn’t it?”
“Hush,” Amber says, causing me and Lauren to laugh. “I actually do like him. And since it’s the day of love and all, I just might tell him that tonight.” She gives us a smirk. “Unless he’s too distracted by my low-cut sweater and short skirt. If so, I’ll let him take me back to his bed before I tell him.”
“I think that I might be one of the next girls to pass a candle,” Lauren whispers.
“Really?” Amber and I say at the same time.
“Barrett can’t keep a secret from me. And he told me he bought me something special for Valentine’s Day. I think it might be a promise ring.”
“What makes you think that?” Amber asks.
“Well, I might have thoroughly searched his apartment,” she says with a grin. “And I found a small wrapped box. From a nice jewelry store.”
“Did you open it?” I ask.
“Oh, no! Of course not. I totally want to be surprised.”
“Says the snoop,” Amber teases. “How about you, Dani?” she asks. “Has Chase given you anything yet?”
“He always gave me a little bouquet of flowers and some candy when we were kids. But this will be our first Valentine’s Day together as a couple. So, I’m not sure.”
“Well, you look like a walking valentine,” she says, giving my outfit a once-over.
I’ve got on a black minidress with little red hearts all over it. I paired it with black stiletto pumps and a black faux fur jacket. And I might have some sexy red underwear underneath it all.
“Does it really matter what we wear?” Amber says. “It’s Valentine’s Day. They are going to be dying to see what’s underneath our clothes.”
“True,” Lauren agrees.
“We’d better get going, so we aren’t late,” I tell them.
When we get to the restaurant, all three guys are waiting for us just inside the door. The place is packed, as one would expect on this day, so our reservation is for ten o’clock. It’s a little late for dinner, but that’s okay. It’s a Friday night. And other than Chase’s morning workout, none of us have any plans for tomorrow.
Chase catches my eye, and he winks at me before our group is led to a table. Chase looks like a literal heartthrob—pun intended. He’s got on a black dress shirt and dark jeans, and he’s wearing a headband with springs holding up bobbling red glitter hearts.
“These are for you,” he says, pulling them from his head.
I stop his hand. “Oh, no. They are perfect on you.”
He touches the silk of my dress. “And you already have on a lot of hearts.”
I know we are at the table with four other people, but Chase is looking at me so intensely that I almost forgot they are here.
“Will you be my valentine?” he whispers.
I hold his gaze and just nod as we share some kind of moment.
“Barrett! Oh my! They’re so beautiful!”
I notice that Lauren has already opened the small box and is putting on a pretty pair of gold hoop earrings. Not the promise ring she was hoping for, but she seems okay with it as she gives Barrett a steamy kiss.
“Ladies,” the host says as three waiters carry out practically life-size white stuffed valentine bears and set them in front of our table.
“Are those for us?” Amber screeches, standing up and hugging, then slightly humping one of the bears.
“They are,” Garrett says to her as Barrett and Chase nod in agreement.
I give Chase a kiss.
“There’s more for you when we get home,” he whispers. “I just wanted to give them to you in private.” He looks at the bear. “Well, except for that. It was part of the dinner package. And—”
He’s interrupted when the waiters come out again, setting three single red roses on our table and cards with our names on them.
After the girls ooh and aah and we’ve ordered our food and drinks, Lauren goes, “You guys, we had a candle passing tonight! Dani’s big sister got engaged! Can you imagine? On Valentine’s Day?”
“I think a lot of people get engaged on this day, don’t they?” Barrett says, looking around the table for confirmation.
“Biggest day of the year besides New Year’s for engagements,” Garrett surprises us by saying.
Amber looks at him in awe. “How do you know that?”
“Oh, uh, well, I guess before I tell you that, I should give you your gift, and you can see for yourself.”
She looks confused, but then he hands her a small black box. She looks at the writing embossed on the lid and goes, “Bonners? Your last name is Bonnor.”
“Like the jewelry store Bonners?” Lauren excitedly blurts out.
Garrett nods and moves his hand to indicate that Amber should open the box. She does, and nestled inside is an adorable ring, similar to the dream ring Chase gave me with little diamonds, only this one spells out love.
Garrett takes Amber’s hands in his and says, “I know things are supposed to be casual between us, but on this day of love, I thought it fitting to tell you that I’m falling for you. Will you be my girlfriend?”
Amber’s eyes are wide as saucers and brimming with tears. She launches herself at him, says yes, and gives him a kiss.
Actually, it’s not just a kiss. They sort of start making out.
But Lauren interrupts when she sighs and goes, “Does that mean you’re promised?”
Garrett smiles and replies but keeps looking at Amber, “I hope so.”
“Damn,” Lauren says, nodding in a harsh, almost-headbanging way.
I can tell she’s not happy about this. She thought she was going to get to pass her candle. Although the earrings are beautiful, they’re not a ring.
She turns to Chase and says, “So, what about you? I suppose you’re going to propose or something?”
Chase laughs outwardly but squeezes my knee under the table. And I know he’s thinking that he kind of already did that.
I decide to defuse the situation by saying, “Gosh, all this love and candle-passing stuff has me thinking about my future wedding. Do you guys ever think about it? Like what you’d want for your wedding?”
Garrett says, “I have actually. The rings will be custom, of course. Heirloom pearls are a must. And my great-grandmother’s veil has been worn by every bride in our extended family, so it would be nice if my bride wore it. It’s made from handcrafted lace, brought with her family from Italy when they immigrated to the United States.”
“That’s amazing,” Amber says. “I imagine my bridesmaids in my favorite color—blue—but I want varying shades from light to dark, so it looks ombre in the pictures. And I want one of those sexy dresses. Sheer. Nude color. Lace hiding the parts you don’t want your grandparents to see.”
“I want a destination wedding,” Lauren says.
“The beach?” Barrett asks, and I wonder if he’s mentally taking notes.
“No, somewhere on a mountaintop, like Vail or maybe the French Alps. I’d wear a princess dress with a long train that would drag through the snow. I’d have a choker of diamonds, like you see at the Academy Awards, and a white fur coat—faux, of course. We’d take photos in the snow, and all the bridesmaids would pull up their dresses and show off furry boots.”
“You have thought this through, haven’t you?” Barrett says with a gulp.
Lauren waves her hand. “Oh, that’s just one of the scenarios. I have more. A rustic barn in the country that is all dolled up with gorgeous chandeliers. For that, I’d have a more boho lace dress that almost looks like it was macramé. Bridesmaids in floral print skirts, cowboy boots. We’d ride off in a horse-drawn buggy. Eat barbecue on antique dishes. I also thought about a wine-country wedding. Rows of grapes. Lights in the trees. Sleek satin gown—”
“I notice you never mention what your groom is wearing,” Garrett says.
Lauren looks at Barrett, not Garrett, when she answers, “That’s because I don’t know who my groom will be yet, so I can’t add him to the dream. But I can tell you that he is very handsome. And lets me handle all the wedding details.”
“Oh, that wouldn’t be for me,” Chase butts in, surprising me.
“Me neither,” Garrett says. “I definitely want a say in the day. A marriage is a union. The wedding should represent that by including things both the bride and groom desire.”
Chase nods, then turns to me, “What about you, Dani?”
“Oh,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I’m not sure.”
And thankfully, our food is served, ending the wedding-planning conversation.
When Chase and I get to the condo after dinner, him carrying the massive bear and me the rose, I’m shocked when the elevator doors part. Rose petals form a path from the elevator into the great room, where red streamers are draped across the room. Pink paper cutout hearts are on most surfaces. Chocolate-covered strawberries are arranged on a chilled tray. And although there are rose petals and red and pink everywhere, one thing stands out. A little bouquet of white daisies with their yellow centers.
“I know I said at dinner that I wasn’t sure what I wanted for my wedding,” I say to Chase before giving him a big kiss. “But daisies will definitely be a part of it. I can’t believe you did all this.”
“I want you to know you’re special to me,” he says with a grin.
“Special? Like, you might be in love with me on this day of love?”
“I’m in love with you every day.” He takes my hand. “Follow the rose petals the other way.”
I go back to the entry and see that the rose-petal trail splits, one leading into my condo, the other into his. We’ve been keeping the doors to both our units open, so it feels like one big space.
“Door number one,” he says, leading me into mine.
There, I find rose petals forming a heart shape on my bed and a red foil-wrapped gift box with pink ribbon on my nightstand.
“Why don’t you open that?” Chase says.
I pick up the gift and tear the bow and wrapping off, open the box, and pull out a very sheer pink chemise. “Don’t want to leave much to the imagination, huh?” I tease.
“Do you want to put it on now?” he asks.
“No, you still have to open your gift,” I tell him.
“Okay, next room then,” he says, taking my hand again as we follow the petal trail into his condo—specifically to his bathroom, where there is a stand with a bottle of chilled champagne, two flutes, and a bowl full of conversation hearts. I take a handful, expecting to find all the cute sayings I loved as a kid, like, BE MINE, HUG ME, and KISS ME.
“Chase!” I say, reading the hearts. “Where did you get these? They are all dirty!”
“Not dirty. A little more risqué perhaps.” He gives me a handful. “Thought you could pick a few, and we could do what it says.”
“These say, I’M EASY, MAKE LOVE, EAT ME, and LICK IT.”
“Would you like them performed in that order?” he asks with a smirk. A very sexy one.
I take the hearts headband off his head, put it on mine, and then unzip the side of my dress, letting it fall to the ground, showcasing the only thing underneath—a red thong.
I swear, Chase’s eyes turn a shade darker when there is desire in them. And tonight is no exception. He slides his fingers across my exposed chest, down to the thong, and strips it off me.
“Chase!”
“What?” he says, turning away from me to start running the bathwater. I then notice there are rose petals in the bottom of it that float to the top. “It’s too pretty to get wet.”
“But I thought it would—I don’t know—make you want to attack me.”
His face lights up in a smile. “Oh, I most certainly want to, but remember, we’re here. Alone. And we have all night. Would you like to start with a bath and champagne and we can discuss the order of the hearts?”
I put my hand on my hip. “On one condition,” I say in a sassy voice. “You bring the strawberries in here, too.”
“Deal,” he says, picking me up and putting me in the bathtub while he runs out to the kitchen.
Crushing on you.
Chase
The champagne has been poured. The strawberries are set up next to us. The water is warm.
“Here’s to our first Valentine’s Day of many as a couple,” Dani says, toasting.
“I’ll drink to that,” I tell her, taking a sip, then leaning down to kiss the side of her neck.
“So, the hearts?” she asks.
“Actually, I’d like to hear your thoughts on your wedding.”
“You mean our wedding, right?”
“Well, yes, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”
“You’d better be planning to marry me,” she says. “I mean, you basically already asked me.”
“Just testing the waters,” I tease, putting a piece of ice from the champagne bucket on her neck.
“Oh, well, that would probably indicate cold feet,” she says with a laugh. “Get it, like ice and a wedding?”
I laugh along with her. “You’d better not get cold feet with me.”
“No way,” she says. “So, I have been thinking a little about it. Mostly about the fun things between us. Like the dream ring, daisies, pennies for my thoughts. That kind of thing. It would be fun to incorporate stuff like that into our wedding to make it more personal.”
“Don’t forget cupcakes. And the stars. And fireworks. The way your butt looked in your bikini when I selflessly helped you learn to get up on one ski.”
“Oh, yes. I bet holding my ass in your hands when you were crushing on me was a very difficult job.”
“I was crushing on you.” I wrap my arms around her. “Still am.”
“Good. Because I do want to marry you, Chase. And I don’t want to wait that long.”
“How soon are we talking?”
“I don’t know. Just not long.”
And this makes me happy.
Because maybe, just maybe, the crazy idea that’s been floating around in my head won’t seem quite so crazy to her.
