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I drop to one knee and she gasps, holding a shaky hand over her mouth. Reaching into my suit pocket, I pull out a Tiffany Blue Box. “Aspen Foley, will you destroy my bachelor status and be my wife? My forever?”
She stares at the ring in shock.
“Oh, and be my forever sugar dealer?”
She laughs, still in shock. “You don’t need a wife for that.” I blink several times, waiting. Why isn’t she answering? A bead of sweat runs down my back, but I stay on bended knee, staring up at her.
Please catch my last Hail Mary.
What feels like an eternity later, but was actually only a minute, she nods her head excitedly. “Yes, I will be your forever. If you’ll be my forever taste tester.”
“This contract is leaning in my favor.”
I blow out a ragged sigh of relief and loosen my tie as the heat radiating off me becomes uncomfortable.
She holds her hand out for me to slip the diamond ring on her finger. The caveman instinct in me rages as I mark my woman as mine forever. I stand back up and lift her in my arms, kissing her for a solid two minutes. We will conquer this world together.
I knew she wouldn’t want me to ask her to marry her in front of a crowd, but I want to share with everyone that she’s mine. And I’m never one to say no to a party. At eight, after we’ve eaten, all our friends and Aspen’s family file into the empty restaurant until we’ve filled the entire place.
As Aspen is making the rounds showing off her ring, my best buddies surround me. I look around the circle of guys that I’ve spent the last twelve years with and I get choked up. We’ve been through a lot since college.
“We didn’t think it’d ever happen,” Aiden starts.
“This playboy is hanging up his single life,” I joke.
Max glances over at Aspen and slaps me on the back. “You found a good one.”
“It’s more like she found me.”
All our women glance at us and we lift our beers to them. Seeing Aspen with all their wives, laughing and enjoying her new friendships, rocks my world. They say everyone has a soul mate. I never believed the bullshit that one person was made for another. Until Aspen. She’s my person.
“Thank you guys for being here. It means a lot to me.” I glance at Aiden, Max, Jaxon and Ryan. I lift my beer in the air. “To years of friendship and marriage.” We all clink bottles.
As if the place wasn’t packed enough, the sound of a freight train, or rather my football team finally shows up.
“Sorry Dallas, we got held up at the event.” Donnie comes over and we shake hands with a shoulder bump. “So, did Mo tell you no way?”
The sweet sound of laughter comes up from behind me. “No, I did not. Someone has to keep this guy in line.” Aspen laughs, snuggling up to my side, adjusting my tie.
“Damn straight, Mo. Welcome to the family.” He pulls her in for a teddy bear hug and she loves it.
When he lets her go, she steps to my side. “Hey, can we go talk to my dad?” I’ve stopped having the knee-jerk reaction that she’s talking about Rudy. It’s a little confusing that she now refers to both as dad, but I’m learning if we’re seeing one, it’ll be David.
I slip my hand in hers and we head over to their table. David stands, giving both of us a hug.
“Congratulations you two.”
“Dad, I wanted to ask you…” She pauses, her emotions getting ahead of her. She blinks back the tears pooling in her eyes. “Will you walk me down the aisle?”
A throaty rasp escapes his lips. He clears his throat and wraps his arms around Aspen, hiding his face. His emotions vibrate through his body and I even tear up at their special moment.
“Yes. Yes, I will,” he murmurs.
They share a long embrace and Beatrice wipes away her tears, sidling up to my side. “Thank you for finding her,” she whispers. “Bringing her home to us.”
We were two stars from different hemispheres, destined to meet. Her life might have been a wild distortion, but she made mine as clear as the water on the island.
She just didn’t know her place in the universe yet.
