Cody had a mix of emotions as he looked at the girl who was standing in front of him. Cody took the ring from her hand and placed it on her finger before she had a chance to say anything further to deny the gift.

“Don’t worry about it, Thea. No huge deal. It’s nothing more than a gift from Pop.” Cody tried to reassure her by saying in a quiet voice that the old man would be upset if she refused to accept it.

Thea made her way around to face Pop. While she was putting the ring on her ...