Anna Russel moves back to the small town, Cutten, California when she's offered her dream job at her alma mater. With struggling with her writing, being a professor, and her alcoholism, Anna is reacquainted with the man she left behind.
Lars Nordin...
The short woman cut him off, trying to break free from his grip, but he wouldn't budge, "If this is just another one of your presents, I'm going to cry."
Lars scoffed, "Why are you gonna cry?" He then whined, "I thought you liked my presents..."
"I do, just..."
How could Anna explain that the last time he gifted her a ring, she tried hard not to think of it as a promise ring? As a promise, that when the time was right, he was going to propose living the rest of his life with her.
Marriage scared Anna.
From the age she learned what the term meant up till she met Lars, Anna had never wanted to get married. She grew up in a family where divorce was a right of passage, and Anna refused to ever go through the dreaded experience. Anna whimpered at the sight of the ring, at how beautiful it looked.
Lars had made it himself, Anna had thought. She knew he could never allow himself to hire someone to do something he could easily do himself.
Anna's already blushing cheeks reddened even more, if that was possible. The small smile from Lars' face never left as he watched the cogs in her brain turn about.
The ring was made from sterling silver, just like the previous ring he had gifted her. When Anna raised her left hand to inspect the band, she saw that it had the same intricate designs as the one with the stone in front of her.
"Lars... I'm confused." Anna whispered to him.
He pulled her closer with a small grunt, bending down to kiss her neck softly before raising his head to look her in the eyes, "I kind of did it backward, the whole ring thing."
The look of confusion remained on her face, so he explained, "I had the wedding band finished, but the stone for the engagement ring took too long to arrive."
He cleared his throat, "I was just too excited, so I gave you the wedding band first but now that I'm thinking about it, I'm acting like you already said yes."
Anna looked up at him to find a bashful look wash over him, his cheeks even had a tint of warmth. Anna's hand that was around his waist and under his shirt, hooked onto one of the belt loops of his dark trousers, making sure he wouldn't walk away.
"Are you sure, Lars?" Anna had whispered the question, but Lars heard it loud and clear.
His head snapped up at the question, "Am I sure? Of course, I am, Anna. Why wouldn't I be?"
She shook her head, her hair flew around her like a wave, "I just... I'm just not the easiest person to be around, and not to sound cliche, but I have a lot of baggage as you know. I don't want you to grow resentful, Lars."
"Do you not want to get married, Anna?"
He sounded hurt, but Lars knew she was only being self-conscious.
A lot of the times it annoyed him because nine times out of ten, she was like this, but there was always that one time where she was happy and bright and fully herself. Lars only wished she was like that all the time.
"I grew up around failed marriages, Lars. I... I don't know how to love someone fully. The only thing I know about it is that my family didn't have enough of it and that Hollywood blew it out of proportion. But, Lars," Anna gulped, "Lars, I love you so much it hurts, and I never thought in all my life that I would find someone to love truly.
"Someone who I can come home to every day, and they want to see me there."
Anna chuckled then, "You are the one person I feel the most comfortable around, and I love you so much because of it. You are so kind, talented, and funny and not to mention the way you look at me... I feel like... like with one look. You know exactly what I'm feeling and know how to make me feel better."
"Is that a no?"
A beat of silence rang between them before Anna burst out laughing, her head leaned back until she composed herself where a wide smile adorned her face. Her hand that wasn't currently around his waist, rested on his chest as she placed her head on his peck.
Lars was as stiff as a board, terrified of rejection, "Are you going to ask me like a gentleman or slide the ring on my finger like a caveman?"
He let out a breathy chuckle, nothing but relief oozed from him, and when Anna kissed his neck softly, he all but squealed like a little girl, "Will you marry me, Anna Sienna Russell?"
Anna lifted her head from his chest just as he began to take the thin ring from the velvet box, "Of course, I'll marry you, you big oaf."
Lars smiled big, "Good, then I'll take this back," he began to slip off the wedding band he had previously given her months before.
Anna tried to snatch her hand away, but he had a firm grip, "Hey! That's mine."
Lars raised his brows but continued to take it off, "You'll get it back in a few months. Don't worry, Muffin."
She playfully rolled her eyes, letting him take off the wedding band, and watched as he slipped on the engagement ring. It was simple but told her everything she needed to know about Lars. Not only did he craft the ring himself, but he intricately carved in the Viking symbols that were passed down through his family.
The stone was moissanite rather than diamond.
The stone was ethically made in a lab rather than mined, not to mention it was cheaper, and in Lars' opinion, it sparkled even nicer than a diamond would.
"It's beautiful, Lars Nordin." She kissed him then, "Do you know how extremely talented you are?"
He laughed, putting the box with the wedding band back in his pocket as Anna wrapped her left hand around his waist and under the back of his shirt, "Don't go boosting my ego now."
It had gotten dark by then so the couple finished their walk back to the hotel with their arms around each other. When Anna had made a provocative comment in his ear while they stood in the elevator, kissing each other like it was their last day on Earth, Lars' eyes widened, and a grin plastered across his lips.
When the doors of the elevator opened, Lars had thrown Anna over his shoulder fireman style, making her giggle loudly as he raced to their room. He opened the door in record time before flopping her on the bed. Once Lars started removing his clothes and then made grabby hands at Anna, she knew she was in big trouble.
But for once, Anna wasn't nervous. If anything, she invited him in with open arms... and open legs.
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