"The charms were a present for you," Cougar explains, his eyes latched onto each one as he moves his thumb over them. "It's a message for you. That I love you," he murmurs. "That I want you. You were supposed to see and understand." He kisses one her cheeks, then the other, easing back as he smiles and keeps his hand over the ring.

"You could not speak Spanish," he points out. "Had to buy them."