Page 140 of You and Me, For Real
She rests her forehead against mine. “I love you,” she says softly.
“You do?”
She nods, her nose nuzzling mine.
My smile widens, and I pull back to shout, “I love this woman!” I lift her into the air and spin her around. She giggles indelight, throwing her head back, her long hair tickling my hands. I’d marry her this second if she’d let me. But just like with Roxy, I’ll keep my pace slow and steady, gently persistent with my love. When she’s truly ready, I’ll ask the question. For now, I’ll just bask in being in her presence.
I gently place her back on the ground. “Ma’am, I’m afraid you asked more than one question. I think it’s best if you leave right now.” I keep my face serious.
She smacks me playfully. “You’re just looking for a reason to leave, but I’m afraid, sir, we need to stay. But don’t worry, I’ll be right by your side the whole time.” She straightens my tie. “You deserve this moment. Close this chapter with a bang so we can start a new one tomorrow.” She clasps my hand and turns toward the media.
Man, I love this woman. And I’ll make sure she knows it when we’re somewhere much, much more private later.
Ashton stands in front of the cameras next to me with ease. You’d think she’s been doing it her whole life. Growing up with paparazzi hounding her trained her for moments like this. I’m beyond grateful she’s willing to share a piece of herself and step back into the spotlight with me.
After a couple of minutes of taking pictures, the media gets distracted by the arrival of another cast member.
Scarlet.
I tense.
While we had our brief phone conversation prior to my interview, I haven’t seen her since the gala.
She looks regal in a form-fitting white gown that fans out at the bottom. Her lips are her typical ruby, making them pop even more against the white. Her teeth glow against the red as she waves toward the media.
I step to the side, my instinct telling me to run, to protect Ashton. But she holds steady, firmly holding my hand.
She looks into my eyes and says, “No more running. No more hiding.”
I beam with pride. My beautiful wallflower has come out of her shell, and she’s never looked more brilliant.
Scarlet walks toward us. Her steps are timid.
Ashton lets go of my hand and hugs Scarlet. “Hi, Scarlet, it’s good to see you.”
I know what Ashton’s doing. She’s conveying to Scarlet that there are no hard feelings about our private moment she witnessed. There are no more secrets between us.
They release from the hug and hold onto each other’s forearms. Scarlet’s expression is slightly stunned, but she’s a well-trained actress and shrugs it off quickly. “It’s good to see you, too.”
Meanwhile, I stand off to the side like an idiot, unsure what to do with myself. Do I hug her, too? Handshake? Group hug?
“Thank you for coming to the gala last week. Your support of the rescue means a lot to me.”
“Of course.” Scarlet’s lack of words is the only indication of her nerves as she continues to smile wide.
Ashton turns toward the media and speaks louder. “This woman is a near saint. Did you know that between her and her father, their family has rescued almost a dozen dogs?”
Scarlet dips her head closer to Ashton’s ear. “How’d you know that?”
Ashton ignores her and addresses the cameras again. “I’d like to take this moment to ask Scarlet if she’d do me the honor of joining The Rescue Ranch’s board along with myself, Luke Carter, Lynn Wilson, Griffin Ford, and Wren Reynolds.”
The crowd whistles and cheers.
Scarlet turns to Ashton. “Seriously?”
She nods. “Seriously.”
Scarlet’s eyes become misty. “I’d love that.”
