Chapter Four

The drive down to the ring shop was tense, Ava felt like her emotions were all over the place, occasionally glancing at Kris who had his eyes on the road.

He didn't seem as strung out or tense as she was, maybe she was just overreacting. 

"Ava?" Kris glanced over at his girlfriend. "Are you okay?" He asked with a furrow on his brow.

Ava blinked in surprise, immediately going on the defensive, she did not want him to think that she was having second thoughts about their engagement because she most definitely was not. 

"W-what? No… no, I'm not, why would you ask that?"

Kris looked over at her again, his eyes widening briefly. "Well… your scent is a bit sour." 

Ava's surprise was palpable, she had totally forgotten that Kris could figure out if something was wrong by the dips in her scent alone. 

"Oh, I'm just um… a little nervous." She admitted truthfully. 

Kris wasted no time reach over to entwine one of her hands in his.

Ava glanced down with a pure smile which quickly shifts to slight concern. "Should you be holding my hand while driving?"

"I always want to hold your hand while I drive but you and my mom keep scolding me."

Ava laughed, he was not exaggerating about that. "Well, today is a special day so you get a pass." She allowed, using both of her hands to encase his.

Soft conversation filled the car afterwards and it was when Kris pulled up to the store that she realised that she wasn't nervous anymore. 

Kris put off the engine, free now to use both of his hands to hold his future mate.

"I love you." He said, three words which were barely able to contain the entirety of his emotions.

Ava leaned forward to press their lips together. "I love you too, now let's go put a ring on it." She grinned at him.

"With pleasure." He agreed.

She waited with a fond smile as Kris hurried around to open up her car door for her, taking his hand and letting him help her out.

"Have I told you how beautiful you make that dress look?" Kris said to her when she was out of the car.

Ava's cheeks reddened. "Yes, definitely more than once."

"That doesn't seem enough." Kris scolded himself. "I should say it more often."

"Please don't say it too much or people will ask if I'm sick." Ava waved away his plans, pressing her palms flat against her cheeks to check if they were as hot as they felt.

Kris liss her forehead with a smile, offering his arm to her.

They walked into the store, arm in arm, matching happy smiles.

Ava leaned her head on her boyfriend's arm, using both of her hands to hold onto him.

He was easily far taller than she was, dressed in a black shirt which he rolled up the sleeves up and undid the first couple buttons of.

With matching fitted, black slacks and his dark blond hair slicked back, he looked like every woman's dream.

But he was Ava's, she could plainly tell from how his dark blue eyes kept wandering over to her, staring at her like she was a precious gem, from how he very carefully carried her tiny pearl bag, his other hand tucking her safe and close.

She wasn't worried at the attention he easily garnered from the women drifting through the jewellery shop, it was already very apparent Kris saw no one but her, and it was the same for her.

They already did research together so they already had their minds made up on what rings to go.

Ava had insisted on getting Kris a ring as well and he was not about to disagree with her, he would treasure the ring.

Roughly an hour later, they were done with getting the engagement rings and also the wedding rings, although that would be till the wedding day.

They had gotten matching diamond rings, Ava's ring had a delicate floral pattern while Kris's was a plain band.

"I bet you haven't eaten breakfast." Kris called Ava out as they made their way to the car, this time he had an arm securely around her waist. 

Ava pouted. "That's because I was too nervous to eat." She patted her tummy. "But I'm hungry now, meal's on you."

"Sure." Kris smiled warmly, watching as Ava pulled away from his hold to bound over to the car, she easily got excited Iver the little things.

He didn't process the thought before his hands were moving, taking his cellphone out to take a picture of her, laughing and running while she occasionally looked back at him.

"Don't trip, baby!" He called worriedly over to her.

Her scoff was loud. "I'm not that clums… ah!" She tripped just as she was protesting but Kris had already predicted this scene and was by her side in no time, catching her before she fell.

He smiled patiently at her as he helped her regain her balance. "You were saying?"

It took all of Kris had to not burst out laughing when she crossed her arms in a peeve, blowing her curly hair out of the way. 

"I want to smack you and it's all your fault."

They had gotten to the car now and Kris gently pushed her curls behind her ear. "I love you." He reminded through a smile threatening to break out over his lips.

Ava's upset expression did not go away but her cheeks reddened, her breaths coming out erratically. "Then buy me food."

"Deal." Kris accepted, opening up her door for her.

By the time he got to his side of the car, he noticed that Ava was no longer ticked but she had her palms over her face.

"What do I have to do for Brooke to not find out about this?" She sighed, looking up at Kris, she knew they were going to be teasing her about it for weeks to come.

Kris glanced up at her from his phone, a sheepishly smile on his face. "Too late, I already sent her a video." He waved the phone at her.

"Ugh!" Ava exclaimed in frustration. 

~♡~

"Why did you look like you wanted to eat our waiter?" Ava noted when they were done with their meal.

Kris had offered for them to get ice cream but Ava was not having that, it was almost noon but she knew that when they got to his house, Brooke would insist on feeding them breakfast still.

Kris just possessively tucked his fiancée closer, of course, she hadn't noticed the waiter hitting on her, he doubted she even remembered what the waiter looked like.

Still, his blood boiled and it was quite unfortunate that they were living in the human world, he would have gone for the fucker's neck.

"Nothing really." He waved away her concerns, his voice low. "He looked a little bit familiar." He weaselled his way out of telling her the truth.

Being possessive of the one he loved was a part of his very nature but he did not want it to come off like she couldn't hold a simple conversation with other male species, although he would definitely go for that if he could have his way.

Ava had already moved on from that and it calmed his inner beast somewhat. 

"Let's go pick up Sugar then we'll go to your house." She decided.

He could tell that she was equally excited and nervous for his mom to find out about their engagement, just as much as she was about it herself, it was sweet of her.

He drove down to her apartment, pulling up in no time.

"Wait here." He said to her when he parted the car. "I'll get Sugar."

Ava agreed with a smile, not worried at all. He was one of the few people her black cat could stand to be around.

"Hey, Sugar." She beamed at her cat when he jumped out of Kris's arms to walk across the car into her arms.

Sugar meowed plaintively, spinning around a couple of times before reaching up to place both of his paws on Ava's face.

"Good to see you too…"

Kris put the car in gear and drove down to his own house, listening in as his future mate held a full-blown conversation with her meowing cat, he occasionally joined in as well because there was something about Sugar that made it seem like the cat was listening to you, probably dissing you.

"Brooke would be so glad to see you." Ava murmured to her cat, picking him up when Kris opened the door for her.

She could see the curtains move at the window and she shared a knowing glance with Kris, it was no secret that his mom had probably been waiting for them to come home.

"Hi, Brooke!" She called happily as Kris opened the front door for her, walking in with her cat. "We're home and we brought Sugar!"

Brooke immediately made an appearance at the mention of her favourite animal. "You brought Sugar?" She questioned with twinkling eyes, dressed in another sundress, a pale pink one.

Sugar hopped out of Ava's arms with a happy screech, bounding over to Brooke who bent down to pick him up.

"I'm starting to think you're his favourite person." Ava said, narrowing her eyes in mock suspicion. 

Brooke laughed at this, crinkles forming beside her eyes.

"You're still thinking about it?" Kris butted in, waving a hand dramatically in his mother's direction where Sugar was trying to nuzzle into her. "Look at that."

Brooke laughed harder, she wasn't about to tell them that it was most definitely because Sugar liked her scent of Honeysuckle and chamomile that's why he always cuddled up to her when he was brought over.