Page 318 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 8
“I have no idea what goes through the mind of stalkers.”
I laughed and pushed on his chest. “I loved your confidence. I wished that somehow a little bit would rub off on me. I’ve spent so much time and energy always worrying about embarrassing myself. I don’t want to do that anymore. My journey belongs tous. Not them. And if I pressed those buttons, I’d be erasingourmemories of our time leading up to this point. I don’t want to do that.”
Tanner’s eyes softened.
“Yes, I fucked dozens of randos. And I’d fuck a million more if I had to to get you free. And yes, I’ve gotten into some horribly awkward situations. But I think my incidents might be one of the things you love most about me. And honestly…I wouldn’t change a thing about our love. The old me would have happily pressed every single one of those buttons. But I’m not the old me anymore. I have your love now. I love who I am. Because you love who I am.”
Tanner smiled down at me.
“And as long as we have that love, nothing else matters. So no, I’m not going to wipe anyone’s memories. I did what I did. And I’m damned proud of it. Plus, Matt was in a bunch of my incidents and we’re friends now. So it’s cool.”
Tanner laughed. “I was hoping you’d say that. I don’t want to lose those memories either. I love every cute, awkward thing you’ve ever done. You said you were attracted to me because of my confidence. It took me 343 years to become the man I am today. You’re the confident one, Ash. Putting yourself outside your comfort zone to free me. I can never thank you enough.”
“You think I’m confident?”
He nodded. “You’re the most confident person I know. You’re you. Always. Even if you do get a little embarrassed sometimes. You’re brave. And smart. And beautiful. And kinky as hell.”
I laughed.
“I love that you’re weird. Because I’m weird too. And ultimately...you’re my weirdo.”
I was smiling so hard it hurt.
“And I want you to be my weirdo forever.” He dropped down on one knee and pulled out the biggest rock I’d ever seen. It was a super cool geometric design. Kind of like the Society logo. It was so unique. And I didn’t have a doubt in my mind – Tanner had definitely designed it himself.
The buffet table next to us flipped over. Blueberry pies flew in every direction, hitting everyone, including us.
I laughed as a blueberry pie fell from Tanner’s face.
It was just like when I’d hit him with one the first time we met face to face. The scent of blueberry pies would forever remind me of him. I couldn’t believe he’d recreated our meet-cute.
Tanner reached up and wiped some pie filling off his face. And then he pointed to the table.
Under the pies there were big white blocks, spelling out the words: MARRY ME.
“Ashley Gertrude Cooper, will you marry me?” asked Tanner.
“Yes!” I threw myself into his arms, laughing as blueberry pie filling squished between us. I kissed his perfect blue face.
But then the realization that I was engaged hit me like a ton of bricks. I pulled back. “Tanner, I hate wedding planning. There’s so much to do. Do we even have a date yet? Have you thought about a color scheme? I get really frantic about planning stuff like this. We need to send save the dates immediately. Is there a courier here? Courier!”
“Just relax, baby.”
“How can I relax at a time like this?! We have seating charts to make. And center pieces. And Chastity is gonna want to have another bachelorette party…”
“Well, that’s definitely not happening,” said Tanner with a laugh.
“Tanner, it’s not funny. You’re a million years old. You have contacts all over the world. What is your guest list like? I think mine’s five people, but yours is probably 500. I don’t know how to plan a wedding for 505 people!”
“Well, I was worried you might freak out about this. Which is why I have one last surprise for you.” He helped me to my feet.
I had a million things spinning through my head. I tried to start making a mental list as Tanner guided me outside the castle. I needed a band. Shit, we needed a venue first. “Where is Nigel? We need his help.”
“He’s waiting for us out here somewhere,” said Tanner and pointed to the gardens. The entire backyard of the castle was decorated for a wedding.
Tanner turned to me. “But there’s no need to summon Nigel. Because we already planned everything.”
Oh my God.I opened my mouth and closed it again. “Are you saying that this isourwedding?”
