Page 93 of Break Me
Epilogue
One Year Later
“Alright, Princess, close your eyes.”
Ava does, squeezing them tight, and beside her, laughing, Riley covers them with her hand, making Ava groan. But I know my girl, and she’s been known to ruin a good surprise or two.
Shade is closed, because who goes to a club on Monday night? Even in Toronto, it’s just not worth it to have it open. Caden has his beer in his hand beside Riley in the big, circular booth and I see his wedding band gleam in the candlelight overhead.
He winks at me.
Beside him, Felix looks bored as hell, his mop of black hair in his hands.
And on Ava’s other side, Tess is watching me carefully. She knows what’s about to happen and to be honest, I’m not sure if she’s happy about it or not. She’s been the hardest of Ava’s friends and family to win over. After what happened with Rolland, I’m shocked she even wants to be in the same room as me, let alone fly up to Toronto and stay at my house.
Which is also Ava’s house.
I set the cake down, candles flickering. It’s carrot cake. I personally find that disgusting, but Ava adores it.
I try to dig the ring out of my back pocket, sweating for a second thinking maybe I forgot it, but then I realize it’s in the other pocket.
Caden laughs and I glare at him.
Bastard.
Ava moved here over the summer and her dad had threatened me with murder if I didn’t put a ring on her finger before she moved, but I didn’t want to do it because he said so. And he did it in front of Ava. I knew she wouldn’t want that, either. She’s been volunteering at one of the local hospitals, on the cancer wing, because she’s not able to work yet due to work permits taking so damn long in Canada.
Truth be told though, I don’t mind. I don’t think she does either. Selling off my “business” to Felix, whose dark eyes are boring into mine right now as he runs a hand over his head, gave us enough money to make employment the least of our concerns right now.
Plus, Shade is opening up a second location in NYC, which will hopefully transition into me getting dual citizenship. With one of my fake passports. Which Ava hates, but with her family and friends being in the States, I have to be able to travel somehow and I don’t want to deal with the legal requirements to travel as a felon when I’ve got a perfectly good and illegal way to do so without that hassle.
I look awkwardly around everyone beside Ava, who is growing impatient, judging by that scowl on her perfectly pink lips. My heart starts to thud in my chest and I think about the Xanax I haven’t had refilled in nearly a year.
Fuck.
Guess this is what it feels like to deal with normal human emotions. Like anxiety when you realize you have no way to get on your knees in front of the girl you want to be your wife because you packed all her friends too close beside her in a goddamn booth.
Caden sees my predicament and keeps his eyes on mine as he takes another pull from his beer, being incredibly unhelpful as usual.
Riley, who has circles under her eyes from all of her grad schoolwork at U of T, flicks her brows up, telling me to hurry the fuck up. She’s still got her hand over Ava’s eyes.
I clear my throat. I’ll just have to do this standing up.
“You can open your eyes now,” I say, and Riley moves her hand.
Ava’s blue eyes meet mine across the dancing flame of the candle, and then her entire face lights up as she sees the ring I’m holding in my hand across from the table. I lean over it, offering the ring to her, careful not to fucking burn myself on the candles. I don’t know if most people propose with cake—Caden sure as fuck didn’t but then again he didn’t even ask—but it seems right for Ava.
“Princess,” I say, my voice shakier than I thought it would be, “I know your American dad will be pissed off he couldn’t make it tonight, but he’s already pissed I waited so long to ask you, so,” I take a deep breath, “will you do me the honor of marrying my sorry Canadian-Puerto Rican ass?”
She holds my gaze a second, making me wait, and then turns to look at Tess. “Move it, please,” she says lightly, and Tess rolls her eyes but slides out of the booth.
“You could just say yes now,” I say nervously, hating the silence that’s grown over our little group now as Ava keeps making me wait.
She slides out of the booth as Tess lets her by, and then comes to stand in front of me.
“I would love to marry you, Benji Silva,” she says quietly, a smile tugging on her lips. “But you gotta get on your knees for this.” She leans into me, standing on her toes, and whispers for only me to hear, “God knows I do enough for you,” and my fucking dick swells at those words. They’re true enough.
So I drop to my knees.
