Livia could sense Corvin’s frustration, but she was too irritated to care. The Antique store was the exact opposite of the jewelry store. There were ramshackle shelves stuffed with items. The advertised rings were set up on a long table in front of the cash registers. Some fancier items were contained in locked plastic shelving that could be cleaner. Livia ignored those.

The rings were set out in rows in paper ring boxes. The collection was eclectic and disorganized. Corvin was curious now despite his frustration. He picked up a purple-colored stone in a silver setting. He inspected the price on the bottom. “Amethysts are pretty affordable, but this one is too cheap to be anything but glass.”

He studied it a bit more in the light. “Yep. Glass.”

He set it back down. Then picked up another ring and inspected it.

Livia liked having a more eclectic variety of options. The stones were of different sizes and had more reasonable settings. She inhaled as she saw a single white stone set in a delicate filigree. She fell in love with it instantly. She turned it over and found it wasn’t cheap as she’d liked but not expensive.

“What do you have there, Liv?” Corvin asked.

She looked at him. “I like it, but it’s probably the most expensive one here.”

She went to put it down. Corvin grabbed it from her and looked at the price. He laughed.

“Livia, this is not expensive—” he said.

“It’s expensive. It’s a couple hundred—”

“This is rose gold, and that’s probably a real opal. It’s a fair price,” he said.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Livia asked.

“It does have a really unique setting, doesn’t it? Very delicate metalworking, surprisingly feminine—” Corvin lifted his eyes to Livia. “I didn’t expect you’d choose something like this.”

“Cause I’m not feminine?” she asked.

Corvin grinned. “You’re definitely feminine. You just don’t display that much. Can we see if it fits your ring finger?”

Livia held out her hand, and Corvin slid the ring up her finger. “It’s a little big,” he said. “We could resize it, but it might be wise to leave it so it’ll still fit if your fingers swell due to pregnancy or age.”

Livia couldn’t repress her smile. “I really like it. It’s not too tight, so it won’t irritate me. I can turn the gem around to the palm side to protect it if I’m doing something with the back of my hands. Plus, the oval is pretty flat and lies along my finger. It doesn’t stick up, so it can get caught on things—”

“Alright, Hun, we’ll get it,” Corvin said. “It suits you.”

Livia looked at him hopefully. “Really?”

He laughed again. “Livia, I thought we wouldn’t find anything good here, but…this is a beautiful ring. Unique. Something we wouldn’t find in a typical jewelry store. I like that.”

“Do you like anything?”

Corvin pursued the table again, intent this time. “This has a similar shape as yours—oval. Possibly, Carnelian.”

He lifted a dark orange stone, a warm, masculine color. He tilted it back and forth, testing it in the light. “Definitely, Carnelian. Set in white gold, I think. It was the most favored gemstone in Ancient Rome. Seems…fitting.”

Corvin turned the ring over to see the cost. He laughed.

“Is it bad?” Livia asked, peering over his arm to see.

Corvin tilted the price for her—$25.

“Well, do you like it?” Livia asked.

“Let’s see if it fits,” Corvin said. He slid the ring from the paper box and onto his ring finger. It fit his finger perfectly. He met Livia’s gaze, eyes dancing.

“Liv, I like it,” he said, voice low. “It doesn’t feel like a wedding ring, but I’d like wearing it. We will get it now and find a band I like better in the future. Deal?”

“Deal,” Livia said.

The shopkeeper came to the cashier. “Did you folks find anything you like?” he asked.

He did a double-take. “Are you getting…engaged?”

“Married,” Corvin said.

The man laughed. “You know they say those people who spend the least on their wedding rings last the longest. Oh! You chose the opal. Isn’t that the most beautiful stone? People come in here looking for boring diamonds, but that one is a prize.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“We’ll take it and the Carnelian,” Corvin said.

“Pleased as punch, I am. Did you know the Romans favored Carnelians? Supposed to protect you from evil curses.”

“I did know that,” Corvin said.

“Check out our wedding gown rack in the back. Vintage gowns.”

Corvin purchased the opal and tucked it away, and Livia bought the Carnelian and tucked it away. Corvin took her hand in his and lifted the back of it to his lips. He placed a kiss there and asked, “Do you want to go check the wedding gown rack?”

“Why not?” she asked.

What they found on the rack was too vintage or too large. Corvin encouraged Livia to look at another stand of vintage dresses. She saw something she liked when she found a rose-colored tea dress overlaid with lace.

“Oh,” she breathed. “It’s so pretty.”

Corvin lifted it from the rack and held it close to her face. “Liv, you should try it on. That shade of pink is perfect for your complexion.”

There was a little dressing room in the back of the store where Livia changed into the dress. She wanted to press up on her toes and twirl like a little girl. The sleeve was cut to fit tightly on her wrist for several inches and then billowed over the rest of the arm. The buttons decorating those sleeves were faded and worn.

Corvin smiled when he saw her. “That is also a style I never expected you to wear. You look gorgeous.”

Livia put her hands over where the fabric clung to her waist. “It does remind me that… I’m smaller.”

“You mean your actual size?” Corvin teased.

Livia looked at her feet. “Yeah.”

Corvin studied her. “Does that make you uncomfortable, Liv?”

Livia shook her head. “It makes me like my actual size.”

“Then, let’s get it.”

Livia showed him the buttons on the wrists. “The buttons are worn down, though.”

“Liv, buttons are easy to replace.”

Livia turned her back to him. “Is everything on the back good?”

“It’s still in good condition,” Corvin said. “I’m buying it for you.”

Livia hesitated when she saw the price tag. “It’s $75.”

Corvin rested his hand over her hand that held the price tag. “How much would you usually spend on a dress, Liv?”

“Nothing over $50,” she said.

“Then how do you find anything nice?” Corvin asked.

“I shop clearance or borrow. Most nice things you only wear once anyway—”

Corvin interrupted. “That’s not my experience. In Caesarea, it’s expected of Patricians to dress formally frequently.”

“Is it?” Livia asked.

“So, you’ll get good use out of this dress,” Corvin said. “And if it makes you feel comfortable in your body, that’s worth the price.”

“You really want to get it for me?” Livia asked.

“Yes, please, don’t argue with me,” Corvin said.

“Alright,” Livia whispered. “I won’t argue.”

Corvin leaned over and pressed his lips to her hair. “Thank you, Fabulous.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be thanking you for buying me a dress?” Livia asked.

Corvin grinned. “It’s my pleasure, Liv.”

###

After they exited the antique store, Corvin and Livia split up to look for wedding clothing. Corvin took Livia’s new dress to his SUV while she went with Aurelia to find a wedding dress. Aurelia pulled Livia’s arm through hers as they approached the dress store. They stopped dead at precisely the same time when they saw the banner across the top of the store— ‘store closing.’

“We might find a deal,” Aurelia said.

“Or nothing,” Livia added.

“Well,” Aurelia patted the back of Livia’s hand. “We’ll make the best of it, Livia. No matter what.”

It was pretty clear that all the dresses in Livia’s size had been cleared out within a moment of looking. Aurelia made a call to Corvin. He sent her photos of the pink dress he’d bought. Aurelia led Livia over to the part of the store where they were selling what she called “notions.” It looked like a bunch of buttons to Livia.

“Now, Livia, can we find any buttons that will match the color of your dress?” Aurelia asked.

“None of these shades of pink is right,” Livia said.

“These are pretty,” Aurelia said, gesturing to a package of vintage-inspired glass buttons molded into the shape of budding roses. They were beautiful and delicate, and Livia liked them.

“Do you think they’ll match?” Livia asked. “They’re close to the same shade as the opal Corvin bought me.”

Aurelia looked intrigued. “Opal?”

Livia’s cheeks heated. “I didn’t like how much the sets cost at the ring store. So, I made him take me to the antique shop next door. We found this beautiful Opal ring—”

“Let’s get these then,” Aurelia said. “Or we can get these golden crown buttons.”

“I like the roses,” Livia said.

They picked out a veil and shoes and purchased the items at the register. Aurelia put a hand on Livia’s arm while they waited for the cashier to come.

“Is this okay, Livia?” she asked. “We can try to find a dress elsewhere.”

“I really loved that dress,” Livia said. “Probably better than any of the ones in here.”

“I know, but it’s the dream of every girl to have the white wedding gown—”

“No,” Livia shook her head. “It’d make me feel like I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I already have to do that too much.”

Aurelia’s face softened. “I’m so impressed by your character, Livia. I am relieved my son will marry a woman as good and honest as you.”

“I’m a touch grumpy—” Livia warned.

“Aren’t we all?” Aurelia laughed.

The cashier approached, rang up their items, and they left the store. Aurelia drove Livia to check out the options for flowers. Where it turned out that Livia had the most opinions. Since they didn’t have time to make an order, they would have to cobble their own together with what the shop had in stock. There was a lot of lavender, and Livia found that fitting, considering her and Corvin’s history with lavender.

The other flowers in stock were roses. To add a contrasting detail, Livia added some wheat stalks, which Aurelia found a particularly Taurus selection. After gathering the supplies needed to assemble their own bouquets, they drove to the town hall building to meet up with Corvin again.

Hyrum waited for them there with Livia’s paperwork. He pulled her into a tight hug, which wasn’t very common for him.

“After you obtain the license, we’ll chat,” Hyrum said.

Livia’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Nothing is wrong. There are just things that should be said.”

When Livia’s eyes widened further, he laughed. “Good things,” he assured her.

Livia walked at Corvin’s side uncertainly. He noticed her expression. “What’s wrong, Liv?”

“Hyrum wants to talk.”

“About what?’’

“I don’t know,” Livia said.

“There’s no point in worrying about it. The discussion will come soon enough, and there’s no reason you should expect it to be unpleasant.”

After thirty minutes of waiting in line and showing their papers, Livia and Corvin had an official marriage license. It seemed unbelievable that this was really happening. Livia studied Corvin’s face. He was so calm, and it wasn’t one of his fake emotionless expressions. He was genuinely confident about what they were doing. Livia wasn’t that sure. She wondered if she was being incredibly foolish and was about to ruin her entire life.

That’s when Hyrum snagged her and pulled her into his car.