They were hiding in the bushes, not like Marines, but like frat boys about to jump an innocent freshman. Carlos couldn’t stop giggling, probably because of the tequila shots he’d insisted on downing before they’d made the drive over to watch JD propose to his girlfriend. Marcus kept complaining about being hungry. Aberlour was pretty sure he was sitting mostly on Ghost’s chest, but Ghost had yet to complain.
“How much longer?” Oliver asked. He was sitting at the bottom of the pile, blind to whatever was happening with JD.
Their role was easy enough. All they had to do was wait for JD to get down on one knee, and when—if—Caroline—the cute brunette they’d met several months ago in a bar—accepted his proposal, Team Specter was supposed to jump out and toss handfuls of confetti—made of biodegradable rice paper—because they weren’t uncivilized animals, according to Marcus.
Why JD had needed all of them to be there for this was a mystery to Aberlour. If he ever proposed, God help his soul, he’d do it as far away from these assholes as possible.
Most of them anyway.
At first, JD had wanted them to film the proposal, but then Marcus and Dave had bickered about who was the better camera man. Then they’d argued about whose hands were steadier, and it had culminated in a contest of skill that had had very little to do with the task at hand. In the end, JD had asked his sister to do the filming, and stashed Team Specter in the bushes as—moral support? Again, Aberlour had yet to figure out any of this.
“Wait for a squeal of delight,” Carlos said, then did a terrible impression of a woman’s squeal of delight.
“But what do you want us to do if she says no?”
Ghost asked, and yep, judging by his muffled voice, Aberlour was definitely sitting on his chest.
“Do we still throw the confetti?”
There was a second of silence as everyone thought it over.
“Sure thing,” Oliver said, trying to restrain his own chuckle. “You throw the confetti when he throws himself off the cliff.”
Even Aberlour had to snort at that particular image. JD would never do such a dramatic thing, but if Caroline said no, he’d definitely be heartbroken.
They fell silent as footsteps approached and they heard JD’s booming voice. The bush wasn’t nearly big enough for the group of very large men to hide behind, so Aberlour pushed his men down closer to the ground, and then plastered himself against Oliver. He turned to look into those blue eyes in the dim light.
JD was talking. Saying something about the love of his life, or the light of his days, but it was hard to make out from the depths of the concealing shrubbery.
Then there was more shuffling of feet, and Abe peeked between two branches just in time to see JD drop to one knee, one hand raised, a velvet box in his palm.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, looking up at Caroline, his heart in his eyes.
She gave a gentle nod as her eyes filled with tears and JD rose to hug her. It was precious, truly.
Aberlour was certain he’d seen tears in JD’s eyes, too.
“Isn’t that our cue?” Oliver asked, nudging Aberlour.
Right, the fucking confetti.
“Go!” Aberlour yelled, as Team Specter jumped out of the bush throwing handfuls of rice paper in the air.
Caroline screamed and stumbled backwards.
The ring, which JD had just started to put on her finger, flew up into the air and landed somewhere on the rocky ground.
Silence. Dead silence.
“Fuck!” Carlos said, breaking it.
JD covered his face with his hands and shook his head in denial of this major FUBAR. But suddenly he dropped his hands, and in a rush of love, grabbed his fiancé, spun her, and dipped her until she’d forgotten about the ring as they lost themselves in a kiss.
“Nice place to get engaged,” Aberlour observed, as he searched diligently for the lost ring. The view was nice from so far up. He understood why JD had chosen this place, even as he privately thought that maybe the ring had fallen over the cliff.
“Yeah? Is this where you want your girlfriend to get on one knee?” Carlos asked with a boisterous laugh.
Aberlour snorted.
