"She's the one"

Work has been shit all day. All I can think about is Nova. I promised her I wouldn't bother her today and I'd let them all work. Beau has messaged me throughout the day.

I'm working on a van when my phone goes off. It's from Beau 'Everything is okay but your sister stopped by and went off with Alice.' Shit, so my sister is back in town.

I hope she hasn't seen Eleanor yet. Whenever she stops by, Eleanor gets so upset when she leaves. She goes missing for weeks, sometimes even months at a time.

Whenever she comes back it's always after a fight with her boyfriend. He's one of Alice's brothers. I've never liked any of her family but especially him.

"Everything okay boss man?" Jose asks. Tossing a dirty rag in one of the bakers we have sitting around.

"Yeah, my sister is just back in town and I need to call my mom." I know he understands. He's met her a few times.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll finish up here." I thank him and walk away to make the phone call. I walk into my office and pull out my phone. Dialing my mom.

"Hey Madz, everything okay?" She sounds worried.

"Everything's fine I just wanted to check on Eleanor. I heard that Rachel is back in town." I hear her huff and that answers my question.

"Yeah she stopped by this morning before Eleanor got on her bus. She was so upset she couldn't stay at home and hang out with her mom. But then Rachel said she had plans and broke her heart even more." That just pisses me off. I wish she would just stay away for good.

"I'll pick her up after school and take her out for ice cream. Maybe she can hang with Nova and I for a little bit. I'm sure Nova won't mind if she's been asking about her." I'll shoot out a text to Nova letting her know of the plans.

"That sounds great Madz. I'll pack her a bag just in case. Do you need anything else?" I pause for a minute. "Madz you okay?"

"Yeah mom I just wanted to ask you something." She hums over the line. "I know this is way early and it sounds crazy but I was wondering if you think I should ask Nova to marry me."

"Madz." She says softly over the line. "I don't think it's crazy at all. I see the way you look at her. You love her and that's all I've ever wanted for you."

I don't say anything back because it all hits me at once. Nova is everything I didn't know that I needed. She's so sweet and caring. Always worrying about everyone else.

All the hardships I've had in my life have led me to her. Meeting her was something wonderful and once my eyes met hers I just knew we would spend forever together.

My chest can no longer hold all these feelings in and I need her to know this. I stand up from my desk and finally speak to my mom again. "Thank you mom. I have something I need to go do."

"Okay honey. I'll see you later. I love you." I tell her I love her back and hang up. I need to go to town and pick out a ring for Nova. I started heading towards the door when Chad stopped me.

"Jose and I are finished up for the day. We finished up the van you were working on." That's good. I had forgotten all about that van. "Want us to lock up, it looks like you were leaving."

"Yeah that would be helpful. Make sure you guys set the alarms before you leave. Thanks." I head out to my truck and search for the best jewelers I can find in Georgia.

After looking on the web I found one shop that has the best reviews. It's a two hour drive. That's something I can handle. I pull in the address on my maps and drive towards the interstate.

About an hour into my drive I realized I told my mom I'd pick up Eleanor. At the same time I get a call from Nova. I press the answer button on my steering wheel.

"Hey Madz." Nova says.

"Hey darlin'. Is everything okay?" I hope she's only calling because she wanted to check in.

"Everything is great. We are actually sold out of everything. I was actually calling to see if I could go get Eleanor." That's perfect and works out great for me.

"That sounds like a great idea. She ran into her mom this morning and was a little upset. Just take Beau or Axel with you when you leave." I notice I need to take the next exit so I flip my blinker on and move over.

"Are you heading somewhere?" Nova asks. Shit. What am I supposed to say? I've never lied to her before.

"Um yeah. I'm heading to town to pick up some parts for a car we're working on." The lie comes out smoothly.

"Okay, ill let you go so you can focus on the road. I'll send you photos. I love you Madz." I'll never tire of hearing that.

"I love you too Nova." With that the line ends and I turn the radio on. I'm getting off on my last exit when I see the sign for the shop I'm looking for.

Parking is hard to find since my truck is so big. So I drive around a few times before I find a spot. Once I'm parked I check my phone and I have a photo from Axel.

It's of him, Nova and Eleanor. With Eleanor covered in chocolate ice cream. A smile tugs at my lips. Nova loves her just as much as I do. I can tell from the way she looks at her in the photo.

I save the photo and set it as my background but I zoom in enough so Axel isn't in the photo. I just want to see my girls. Turning off my phone and placing it in my pocket again.

I find the jewelers I'm looking for and walk into. I'm getting some dirty looks but that doesn't stop me. I'm used to people fearing my cut. Walking around I look at what my options are when I see a elderly man come from the back.

"Hello sir. Is there anything I can help you with?" He gives a gentle smile and the others have stopped looking at me. I glance around and nothing catches my eye.

"I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girl. I'm not finding anything I like though. I need something as special as her." The older man seems to understand. He takes a step back.

"I have just one ring in the back that just came in. It was a special order I placed. Let me go in the back and grab it." He leaves me out front and goes to grab it.

After a few minutes he's back and has a case in his hands. "This is a Paulette Morganite engagement ring. 14k rose gold. I found this a few weeks ago and it was just calling for me to order it."

He hands over the ring and I look over at him. "Can I take this out?" He simply nods. I take the ring out of the case and look it over. The middle diamond is a peach color.

The rest of the ring is surrounded by diamonds. I imagine placing it on Nova's finger and I see it. This is the ring for her. I place it back into the case and hand it back to the sales man.

"I'll take it. This is the one." He nods and I follow him to the register. "Thank you for helping me. This ring is perfect for her."

"I was honored to have been a help. She must be really special for you to take the time to pick out something so beautiful." I don't answer him but I can see him smiling.

I hand over my card and he checks me out. "This ring comes with a lifetime warranty. You just need to come in for cleanings every six months." I thanked him again and left the store.

Heading back to my truck I hide the bag into my backpack. I don't want Nova to find it and I know she won't go though my stuff. I trust her. I check my phone and have no new messages.

Driving back home I think of everything I want in life with Nova. I want to give her everything she wants, a family, and lifelong happiness.

I don't know why the universe led me to Nova but I'm not complaining. I'll treat her right for the rest of my life and love her as hard as I can.