He knew it was fast. They were both young (she was, especially), but if they were essentially going to be starting a life together anyway, it was a step that he was willing to take, wanted to take. But now he just had to find the right ring. It wasn't as though he couldn't afford to give her the very best, but he wanted it to be something that she would want to wear, not something that was so expensive she was afraid to even look at it in the wrong way.
Robert, of course, had been researching this sort of thing for some time now, just on the off-chance that she did want him to go with her. And now that she'd said that she did, well, there was no reason he couldn't move his research into an actual purchase.
And then, just like that, he'd found the perfect ring. But it wasn't some big, gaudy stone; it was his mother's ring: simple, elegant, and faultless. He just hoped that Belle thought so, too. If not, he could always take her to pick out her own ring, but he wanted to surprise her.
Of course, they'd have to take a trip outside of Storybrooke, but he didn't think she'd mind that. If she wanted to keep the fact that she was taking a trip with him from her father, she and Ruby could always meet him outside of town; he didn't think Belle's friend would mind helping her out. Otherwise, she could take a train or a bus to the nearest station outside of town and he could pick her up there.
If she didn't care about that anymore, then they could just pack up and go. But go where? That was the question. He wanted to do this right, to pull out all the stops and give her a day that she could always remember, even if she said no. And he hoped and prayed that wouldn't happen.
A trip out to Boston might be ideal, really. An afternoon of seeing the sights, dinner, a show, and a horse-drawn carriage ride in the moonlight through the park. Yes, that would just about do it. And they could have sparkling grape juice in the gazebo he was so fond of. At which point, he would propose.
It was going to be perfect.