“Rhett said we can’t tell anyone. I would think that especially means your father.”
“Yeah. I’d think so too.” I press my foot to the accelerator when we hit the main road, trying not to overreact until I know what we’re dealing with. “No matter what he thinks he knows, we can’t confirm it.”
* * *
We arrive at our destination twenty minutes later. The moon is out, casting flickering shadows on the lake in the near distance. Stars scatter across the sky, shining clearly and brightly, as I drive the car up the winding driveway to the Stewart vacation house at Clear Lake. My parents also have a luxury cabin at Tahoe, but this place is homier and where Ash, Chad, and I spent several weeks every year during summer breaks.
Ash eyes me curiously. “What are we doing here?”
I press the button to pop the trunk. “I wanted to spend some time alone with you, and I didn’t want to head back to the house yet. I thought we could sit out on the dock, watch the stars, and reminisce about the good old times.” I flash her one of my signature smiles before jerking my head behind me. “Grab the blanket from the trunk, will ya, babe?”
Ash gets out, and I swing into action, grabbing the ring box from the glove compartment and the bag with the champagne and glasses from the back seat. Slipping the box in the pocket of my jeans, I hold the bag and climb out.
“We had so many cool summers here,” Ash says, coming up alongside me. The thick blanket is draped over her arm, and a content smile graces her gorgeous mouth.
Snaking my arm around her shoulders, I reel her in close while I hold the bag in my free hand. “We did. Coming here always felt like a different world. It was easier to leave all the Luminary bullshit at the front door.”
We stroll along the side of the house, heading toward the large dock at the rear of the property. It faces directly onto the lake, and at this time of night, and this time of year, it’s deserted. Just how I want it.
“Is someone else here?” Ash asks, spotting the lit firepit as we approach the end of the dock.
“I had someone swing by and light it. They should have left supplies to make s’mores too, and I have champagne,” I add, lifting the bag up high.
Ash pins me with a dreamy smile, rendering my insides to mush. “This is very romantic. I think you’re spoiling me.”
“I think you deserve it.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “You deserve to be spoiled every day of your life, and I intend to follow through.”
We sit in the two gray Adirondack chairs in front of the firepit overlooking the oldest lake in northern Cali. Popping the cork on the bubbly, I pour two glasses while Ash fixes the blanket over both of us. We roast marshmallows and make s’mores, talking and laughing as we eat and drink. I take sips of my champagne, letting Ash have most of it, because I’ve got to drive us home.
“It’s so peaceful here.” Ash leans her head back and stares at the smattering of stars overhead. “I could happily live here full-time and be a recluse.”
“Shutting the world out is hugely appealing, but we won’t have that luxury when we are in charge of the Sloth Luminary.”
“Ugh. I don’t want to talk about that tonight. Not here.” She turns on her side, snuggling under the blanket. “It’s magical here, and we’re getting married in three days.” She beams at me, and my heart pounds to a new beat.
“Are you happy?”
“To be marrying you? Absolutely.” She leans over and kisses me softly. “There are no cold feet here if that’s what you’re asking. I love you, and I can’t wait to be your wife.”
There will never be a more perfect moment. Setting my glass down on the ground, I slide out from under the blanket and go down on one knee in front of Ash’s chair. Her eyes startle, instantly flooding with emotion. I take her hand in mine. “I know this isn’t the way we would choose to get engaged and married, but I need you to know you mean everything to me, Ash, and I wouldn’t change a thing because it’s led us here to this moment. A moment I dreamed of and wished for, for so long, but I never thought it would come true.”
My heart swells with love as she stares at me like I hung the stars in the sky. When Ash looks at me like this, there is nothing I would deny her. She stares at me with so much trust, so much devotion, and so much love I am almost speechless. Clearing my throat, I shake myself, determined to do this one thing right for the love of my life. “I loved you from the first moment I met you, Ashley Shaw, but you were not mine to love. So, I shoved my feelings down, tried to be happy for my friend, and told myself if it was meant to be it would happen. And it did. The day you agreed to be mine was the happiest day of my life. It sounds cheesy, but that was the first day I felt complete. I have been walking around with this void in my chest for so long, but you fill it up, Ash. You fill it completely, and no matter what obstacles life throws at me, I know I can surmount them if I have you by my side.”
Removing the box from my pocket, I pop the lid and present the ring to her. “I couldn’t let things go without doing this right because you deserve everything, Ash. I love you and I promise to take care of you and worship and cherish you every day for the rest of our lives. I know you have already agreed to marry me, but this one is for us. This is the story we will tell our kids and our grandkids when they ask how we got engaged.”
Emotion clogs the back of my throat, and I’m struggling to continue. Tears are streaming down Ash’s face, but I know they are happy ones. “You’re the love of my life, Ashley Shaw, and I never want to spend another day apart. Marry me, my love?”
“Yes, Jase.” She’s crying and laughing, and my eyes are suspiciously damp as I slide the ring on her finger. “Nothing would make me happier or prouder. I cannot wait to be your wife.”
ChapterTwenty-Two
Ares
Iwatch Bree gushing over the rock on Ash’s finger with conflicted emotions. The girls are seated on stools at the bar in the basement room, fawning over the ring Jase gave her and giggling like they’re five. At least he knows her well. It’s not some massively expensive over-the-top gaudy diamond. It looks elegant and pretty on her finger, sparkling under the bright lights. She can’t stop looking at it, and she has the biggest smile on her face. Jase hands them a glass of champagne each, wrapping his fiancée in his arms as he bends down to kiss her. Ash tilts her head up, staring adoringly at him as she flings her arms around his neck and kisses him deeply.
Things start happening down south, and I silently caution my dick to calm down. Watching someone else kiss the girl I have feelings for should not be a turn-on.
What the fuck is happening to me?
