Page 77 of Dirty Money
Sky Rocketing Investments – Dirty Money Part 8
Weston couldn’t believe how long Aulora was taking to answer his very simple question.
Would she marry him?
What he didn’t know was a lump the size of Texas had lodged in her throat, preventing her from saying even one word. Her hands covered her mouth, her blue eyes were wide and shining with tears which were streaming in small trails over her pink cheeks.
Weston wanted to remember how she looked exactly. Her dark hair had freshly cut bangs that hung to the tops of her dark brows that were expertly shaped. Her blue eyes were shiny with more than mere tears, there was happiness in their depths. Her creamy skin was blemish free, a rare thing for her. Not a hint of makeup and still gorgeous, he thought. She was his choice, a perfect choice for him. Now she needed to give him the answer he wanted.
“Aulora?” he asked as he repositioned himself, his knee was beginning to grow numb with his wait. His heart was beginning to beat faster as nerves settled in.
Was she going to tell him, no?
Just as he’d nearly given up, she finally bobbed her head a bit, letting him know she was accepting his proposal. He let out a huge sigh and pulled her left hand away from her face so he could slip the three-carat diamond engagement ring onto her slender ring finger. She held her hand out and gazed at it, even though it was shaking like a leaf on an autumn tree in a stiff breeze.
When Weston rose, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life as she began to sob. “Yes! Yes, Weston! I’ll be your wife!”
“Good to hear the actual words, peach,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
The young men he’d hired to sing his proposal started singing another song of congratulations in an acoustic harmony. Neither paid attention to the words as their hearts pounded and their minds went in the direction most newly engaged couples go in.
This is where it all begins, the rest of our lives together.
Weston danced with his new fiancé to the song the men sang, sweetly. Aulora lay her head on his shoulder and followed along as he led her around the candlelit hospital lobby, making circles as they went.
It wasn’t his ideal place to make such a grand gesture, but he’d found himself thinking more and more about how to ask her to marry him and this place seemed like a very good idea. With the birth of her baby sister and the start of her family again, Weston found he wanted to be a real part of it all. Not just the guy who was with Aulora went it all went down. He wanted to be more than that.
When the song ended, Aulora raised her head and looked at Weston. “Thank you, West.” Her thick, dark lashes still held a couple of tears, looking like rain drops on branches. When she blinked, they fell down her cheeks that were pink with what he thought might be excitement.
She looked into the golden eyes of the man she’d one day marry. His handsome face would forever be etched in her mind. The way the candle light made shadows in the hollows of his cheeks and made a flicker in his eyes, bringing out the green in them. He was fantastic to look at, and she’d get to gaze at him forever.
“Thank you,” he said and kissed her with a sweet kiss that had everyone clapping and cheering for them, somewhat quietly, due to it being a hospital.
When their kiss ended, Aulora saw her father coming out of the shadows, holding up his cell. He’d been taking a video of the whole thing. “Congratulations, you two!” The smile he wore went all over his face. There was no doubt about his happiness with their union.
Aulora was confused to find her father had made it down. She’d left him in the hospital room with Clara. The elevator hadn’t opened up again. “Daddy? How did you…”
“Weston asked me for my approval first, Aulora. Of course, I gave it to him. Once I knew what he was about to do, I told Clara. You can imagine her reaction. I had to sprint down the stairs to video the whole thing. Clara insisted I get it captured for eternity. She’s so sentimental you know.”
Aulora laughed and wiped her eyes. She held out her hand with the new ring on it, wiggling her fingers, making the dim light catch on the diamonds cuts. “Did he show you this, Daddy?”
“No, he did not. Let me see it,” her father said as he put the cell down and took his oldest daughter’s hand to look at her new engagement ring. “Gorgeous! I’d say this is absolutely flawless. Much like my beautiful daughter.”
“Oh, Daddy, I’m far from flawless, but I have to agree about the diamond, it is absolutely gorgeous,” she agreed then looked over her shoulder at Weston who was holding her from behind. “And very extravagant. I’m sure you spent a fortune on it, and I would’ve accepted your proposal if it had been out of a gum machine. But I love it!”
His lips pressed against her cheek. “Yeah, I knew you would. I wanted to get you something that let you know that you mean the world to me. Knowing that you’d accept me with or without money is a thing I truly appreciate, Aulora. I mean that.”
The long day had ended perfectly. Aulora was an engaged young woman, a new sister, and things were looking pretty great for the future. Her cell rang, and she took it out of the pocket of her skirt. It was Clara from her hospital room upstairs. “Get up here, girl. I have to see it!”
“Coming, Mom,” Aulora told her stepmother as she giggled.
Up they went to show Clara the video and the ring and hold the baby some more before they had to leave for the night. Aulora and Weston sat and held the baby as Clara watched the video and cried as she did. “This is just so beautiful!”
“It was,” Aulora agreed then handed the baby over to Weston and went to Clara’s side. She kissed her stepmother on the forehead. “And thank you for giving me, my first sibling. It’s taken a while, but I’m finally not an only child anymore.”
“You’re welcome,” Clara said then hugged her. “I’m looking forward to being a part of making this family grow. I’d like to thank you for being here. Being a real part of bringing your little sister into the world and into our family. You’re a part of her, Aulora. Never forget that.”
“I can see why Dad loves you so much. You’re a blessing in both our lives. I’ll never forget that Hope, and any more kids that come along, are a part of me too. And thank you for being so great. Accepting me and helping Dad see that he needed to make amends with me and my mother was big of you. It takes a special person to do something like that. I hope you know I respect the hell out of you.” Aulora told her then hugged her again. “We need to get out of here, so you guys can get some sleep. We’ll get things ready at your house. And get ourselves settled in the room across the hallway from you. I can’t wait for you guys to get home.”
