I Promise Read Online Free Page A

didn’t want to take it from you.”
    Christy thought a moment. “I don’t think I would have been ready then. I don’t even know if I’m ready now.”
    â€œIs that why you want a longer engagement?” Todd asked. “Do you need more time to be sure?”
    â€œOh, I’m sure I want to marry you.” Christy reached for his hand and held it with both of hers. “I didn’t mean that to sound the way it did. I’m sure with all my heart that I want to marry you. Only you. What I meant was I’m not sure I’m ready for all the adjustments and planning and decisions, like with the ring. I mean, you would think I would have an idea of what I want already, but I’ve never given it much thought. I just want it to be uniquely ours so that every time I look at it I’ll think of us. Does that make sense?”
    â€œSure,” Todd said. “You heard what he said. They can custom make anything you want. I’m sure you could have him put a stone like that blue one you liked into a different setting.”
    â€œIt might take a while to do that,” Christy said.
    Todd flashed her a mischievous grin. “That’s okay. It’s not like we have to have the ring by January or anything.”
    Christy playfully thumped him on the arm. “Todd,seriously, do you think we could pull off a wedding in less than a month?”
    Todd shrugged. “Hey, all we need is a ring and a minister, right? And before you comment on that, how do you feel about stopping by to see Doug and Tracy?”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œNow, I like that answer.” He started the car. “Quick, clean, decisive.”
    Christy settled back in her seat and thought about how much sense it made to wait until August for their wedding and about designing her own ring and about how much money they needed for rent. She thought about how many decisions they would need to make and how Todd appreciated “quick, clean, decisive” answers.
    As Todd drove into a residential area where cottage-style beach bungalows lined the street, Christy came to a conclusion. “You know what, Todd? That’s going to be my goal over the next few months. I’m going to work at making quick, clean decisions.”
    â€œYou have good instincts, Christy. You should trust yourself and go with your gut feelings more often.”
    She studied his profile as he pulled up in front of Doug and Tracy’s house. This man of her dreams who sat beside her had grown into a strong God-lover who was also deeply in love with her. Christy felt her heart pounding until she thought it would go zing! and fly right out of her.
    â€œWhat?” Todd glanced at her as he backed theirVolvo into a space along the curb.
    Christy pressed her lips together, intending to keep her zingy feelings inside. But then Todd stopped the car, looped his arm over the steering wheel, and turned to her with his silver-blue eyes peering deep into the secret place of her heart. Suddenly August seemed very far away.
    â€œOkay,” she said, following her gut instincts yet speaking in barely a whisper. “You win. January it is.”
    Todd leaned closer. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”
    Christy’s heart raced. Her cheeks flushed. Never had she felt so overcome with the intensity of her love for Todd. Did she dare repeat the whispered words that had escaped her heart?
    â€œWhat I said was . . .”
    A flicker of an image came to Christy. The two of them were pulling away with a squeal from the very curb they had just parked in front of and driving one hundred miles an hour to the first drive-through wedding chapel they came to in Las Vegas.
    She blinked. No, this isn’t one of those moments when I should trust my gut for a quick, clean decision. If I did, I’d end up dashing ahead of you and God and everyone else.
    â€œI said I love you,” she whispered. “That’s