Free A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West

song, a man on bended knee. He’d said the right words at the worst possible time. Barb was dead, and her daughter was upstairs in Aunt Bluette’s room.
    He pulled a black velvet box from his pocket and raised the lid, revealing the biggest diamond I’d ever seen. It was round, bracketed by two pearls.
    I glanced up. Something didn’t feel right about this. “You just happened to have an engagement ring in your pocket?”
    “It was in my suitcase. I fetched it when you checked on Emerson.”
    I stared back down at the diamond. “When did you buy it?”
    “I didn’t. See, it’s my grandmother’s ring. An O’Malley heirloom. I’d wanted to give it to you yesterday during lunch. But everything went crazy.”
    “It still is.”
    “We can’t wait until our lives settle down. Because they might not. When we find a quiet moment, we’ve got to take it.”
    My lips cracked into an “oh shit” smile. I wanted those moments, too. But I was scared that marriage would ruin all the good things we had. I was even more scared of myself, of all of the pits and holes and quirks that I kept hidden inside me.
    Before I could protest, he slid the ring onto my finger. The diamond swung around, heavy as an ice cube, and knocked against my pinkie.
    “Maybe you can wear it on a chain until you have it resized,” he said.
    A chain? My throat narrowed. I was totally going to ruin this moment. But I had to speak my mind. “I need to think about this,” I said in a croaky voice.
    “Take all the time you want. No matter what you decide, I want you to have this ring.”
    “Oh, I couldn’t. It’s an heirloom.”
    “I want you to have it. I’ll never love another woman the way I love you.”
    A question had been sitting in the back of my head since last night. “Why?”
    “Do you really have to ask?” A smile broke over his mouth. “I love how you hum to yourself when you ice a cake. I love how your hand feels in mine. I love your kind ways, and that little gap between your front teeth. I’m a flawed man, but I love you, Teeny. And I always will.”
    His hands skimmed my cheekbones. A shiver ran down my neck. My heart pounded against my chest wall. This ring was more than jewelry or an heirloom; it was an emotional U-turn for him. My Coop was moving deeper and deeper into gray areas.
    I wanted to say, Yes, I’ll marry you , but I couldn’t shape the words. My hesitancy wasn’t about him. It wasn’t about love. It was about me. Marriage wasn’t like a chicken casserole, a recipe you made every Friday night until you, or your partner, got sick of it. Then you cooked something more exotic, like Shrimp Belvedere. Unlike food, a marriage ought to last forever. That’s a lot to ask for nowadays, but I still wanted it.
    My mama would have said, Quit thinking about recipes. Shut up and kiss him .
    So that’s exactly what I did.

 
    six
    Early the next morning, clouds gathered over the orchard, and the air held a metallic bite. I didn’t want to lose Coop’s ring, so I put it on a gold chain that I found in my old jewelry box.
    When I stepped into the foyer, he lifted my hand. He didn’t ask about the ring, but I could tell he was worried.
    “It’s right here.” I reached inside my collar and lifted the chain. The diamond swung down like a wrecking ball. I’d just tucked it back into my collar when Red came down the staircase, smoothing his wiry hair.
    “Sheesh, I just lied to the kid. She thinks we’re going to McDonald’s for breakfast.”
    I stepped closer. “Maybe we should tell her the truth.”
    Coop caught my arm. “Lester said she’d run away.”
    “What the hell.” Red pulled out his keys. “It’s a lose-lose situation for everybody.”
    Ten minutes later, the four of us got into the van. I scooted across the backseat and leaned against Coop. Emerson climbed in next to Red. She looked spiffy in a red polka-dotted sun suit.
    “After we eat breakfast, let’s buy a satellite dish,” she said. “I’m