About an hour later he returned to his car, his purchases safely tucked away in the small purple shopping bag embellished with the swirling Bergdorf's logo. He hoped that Mel would be pleased with his choices and if she wasn't they would simply exchange them. Mel was, by all accounts, the most unpredictable woman he'd ever known. Anything could set her off and even having known her as long as he had; she still managed to surprise him.
He sat in his car and removed the small ring box from the bag. Slowly he lifted the lid as though a hidden treasure lay inside. And it was a treasure. The gold band securely in his fingers, he removed it from the box, turning it around and around. He'd chosen it carefully, making certain to follow Mel's specifications; simple, nothing fancy, just a plain but elegant band of gold. But there was one touch that he added that Mel wasn't aware of and he wasn't planning on telling her about it, for her knew that she would disapprove. But when Bryon offered to engrave the ring in the store for free, Niles didn't hesitate. He decided against the traditional initials and wedding date, choosing instead something simple. Just four letters. Four seemingly small letters. But they were four letters that made up what was perhaps the most powerful word in the English language.
L-O-V-E
He wasn't sure what made him choose that word, when he had his choice of anything at all. Perhaps he needed to remind himself…
No. he needed no reminder. He loved Mel and he was going to marry her. He would be her husband and she his wife.
Without hesitation, he slipped the ring onto his finger, surprised at how familiar it felt. He hadn't worn a ring on his left hand (or even his right for that matter) since the day that he knew that his marriage to Maris was over. The day he'd stood with Frasier and his dad on the balcony on a lonely Saturday night. When he learned that Maris had been having an affair (with their marriage counselor no less) he was certain that his life was over. But he was wrong. He was newly engaged to the woman he loved. And his life, his new life… was just beginning.