Page 93 of Paradise & Vodka
"That's exactly how I feel about you, baby." I pressed my lips to hers. Things were definitely going in the right direction.
No matter where I hid the ring in my house, I worried it would burn a hole and fall out to expose my future plans.
Getting out of my bed, I slipped over to my dresser, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out the black velvet box. I took out the one carat, emerald cut, white gold, twisting infinity ring from the box, and slid back into bed. When I was certain Ashleigh was still asleep, I lightly grabbed her left hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. I laid back down and waited for her to stir. She didn't, and the minutes turned into an hour as I stared at her, waiting for her to finally wake up.
The night before, we had fucked multiple times because we were happy that we were taking the next step and moving in together, but apparently, I’d fucked her into a coma, so I did something I knew would wake her. I got out of the bed again, went downstairs, and made her a cup of coffee. When I made it back up to the bedroom, she was still sleeping. I ran the mug below her nose, hoping the smell would finally do the trick. It did. Her eyes fluttered open.
"What … Coffee in bed?"
I grinned and held out the mug for her to take. "It's time to wake up."
She sat up and grabbed the mug with thewronghand. "Why?"
"I have a question for you."
"Okay?" She took a sip.
"Actually, two questions."
"Okay?" she repeated.
"How would you hold that mug with two hands?"
Her forehead scrunched. "What?"
I nudged my head toward the mug and repeated, "How would you hold the mug with two hands?"
"Um, like this?" And she did, holding the handle with her right hand and bringing her left up to the side of the mug. The ring clinked against the ceramic, and her eyes widened.
I got down on one knee, watching her as realization finally dawned.
"Nick …" she whispered, looking at her hand.
"I know we haven't been dating that long, but since our dance under the Fijian moonlight, I realized that I never wanted to go a day without you in it. I should have never let you go when we got back to Vegas, but I was a coward and didn't know if you felt the same way—"
"Just ask me your next question already."
I laughed and grabbed her left hand. "Okay. Ashleigh, baby, will you be mine forever?"
She was already nodding before I finished. "Yes."
I stood, grabbed the coffee out of her hand, and devoured the lips I'd get to kiss forever.
Six monthslater
I staredat myself in the floor-length mirror. I'd always envisioned this day, but I never imagined I would have another life growing inside of me while I was dressed in a white lace dress.
When I woke up this morning, I felt nauseated. I thought it was wedding jitters, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I hadn't had my monthly visitor in some time. Without anyone knowing, I went to the drugstore, bought a three-pack of pregnancy tests, and went home to take two of the tests.
Nick wasn't home. He’d stayed at Paul and Joss's house, letting me have a girls' night at ours to get ready for our big day. I wasn't sure how he was going to react. I'd jokingly said I wanted kids after he put a ring on my finger, and now we were walking down the aisle in less than an hour. We'd opted to stay in Nevada for our wedding, given the last wedding we’d attended practically turned into an episode ofDateline. But neither of us wanted to get married on The Strip, and I'd always thought the red rocks on the outskirts of Vegas were pretty, so we booked a venue where we could marry with the giant rocks behind us at sunset.
Everleigh paid for everything. Two months ago, she and my parents moved to Vegas, and the dry heat had been working better for my father's lungs. They found a doctor in LA who was a specialist and so far, so good. We were taking it one day at a time.
There was a knock on the door of the suite in the hotel where our wedding was being held, and then Joss entered. "Everyone is ready."
"Great," I replied, and my gaze met her baby bump. She was only three months pregnant, and soon, she and Paul would welcome their own bundle of joy.
And then Nick and I would.
