Page 89 of Memories By the Shore
“I love you, Avery Thomas.”
She sucks in a breath. “I don’t want you to think, just because we’re having—”
My index finger reaches her lips, hushing her words. “Stop. That’s not why I want to marry you. It might be happening sooner than I thought.” I chuckle. “But I knew I always would.”
“Oh, Jasper. Yes! Of course, I will marry you,” she shouts in a high-pitched tone.
I anticipated this answer, but hearing it with my ears is an entirely different emotion. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” She bends, bringing her lips to mine. “I love you so much!”
Overcome by pure euphoria, I quickly rise, gripping her by the hips and lifting her into the air.
“The ring!” Easton yelled in a reminder of a crucial piece I had forgotten.
“Oh yes!” I laugh, lowering Avery into the sand. I shove my hand into the front pocket of my shorts and remove a small black velvet box. Silence surrounds us, the moment drowning out the wave rolling through the shore. Avery and I lock our gaze onto the box as the lid pops open. I’ve seen this ring many times, but now I see it through a new lens. “It was my mother’s.”
Avery’s hands fly to her chest, clutching tightly. “Oh wow.”
I take the two-carat oval-cut diamond ring from the box and reach for Avery’s shaky hand. “It’s yours now.”
Raising her hand to get a closer look, she gazes in amazement. “I can’t believe how beautiful it is.”
“Can we come over now?” Bodhi bellows with annoyance.
“My brother is waiting!” Riley adds. Instead, the three don’t wait for a response and jog directly over to us.
I ignore the guys, turning back to my fiancé. “I want to be with you every single step of the way. I want you to experience nothing with this pregnancy without me.”
“I’m so glad we’re doing this together,” she answers distantly, still staring at the diamond on her finger.
Taking two fingers, I pinch her chin, forcing eye contact. “Riley’s brother is at the courthouse waiting for us.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Wait. Now?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Um. Wow. Okay. What about Helen and your dad?” she asks, biting her bottom lip—valid questions, but I don’t want them trying to talk us out of it. Even though my dad insinuated this, it might make him rethink his stance if he finds out I’m actually going through with it.
“You’re my family now.” I bring my palm to her belly. “This baby. Us.”
Avery nervously pulls her bottom lip between her teeth while her eyes bounce between mine. She cycles through all the reasons why we should wait or whether we should do this. “I love you so much, Jasper. I didn’t grow up knowing what love looked or felt like. But you’ve shown me what it’s about.” She pauses, gazing upward, filling her lungs with salty sea air. “Let’s get married.”
“Fuck yes!” Easton chuckles, pulling Avery into a hug.
“We’re all coming,” Bodhi states, his arms folded at his chest.Islap his friendly shoulder. “I knew you would.”
“Is that why you wanted me to wear one of my black sundresses?” she asks, blowing a few strands of hair away from her face.
“Yes. I knew you’d want to get married in black,” I reply, pulling her back from Easton. She tucks into my arm.
Avery pinches her eyebrows together wearily, looking at me playfully. “Wearing a black wedding dress isn’t bad luck, is it?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Bodhi quips, shrugging his shoulders.
I laugh. “I doubt it.”
“Texting my brother.” Riley holds his phone in front of him. “I’ll tell him we’re on our way.”
