Page 31 of Valentine's Day Daddy

“Thank you for making me want to.”

“I love you, baby girl.”

I hadn’t intended to say the words, but one look into those sparkling green eyes and I couldn’t help myself. They just came tumbling out. But the moment they crossed my lips, I knew they were true. Ashton’s eyes widen and she stiffens. Her mouth falls open and she’s speechless for a couple of beats and simply stares at me.

The silence drags on so long though, it starts to get awkward, and I realize I may have said too much. That maybe she doesn’t feel the same way or isn’t quite there yet. But I vowed to myself that I would be honest with her… about everything. She deserved the respect of me being completely transparent with her. But she was silent for so long, I knew I needed to say something to fill that voice and take us both off the hook.

“It’s all right if you’re not there yet, baby girl,” I tell her. “I just wanted to be honest with you. I wanted to show you that I’m not going to hold anything back from you ever again and—”

“I love you,” she says quickly.

A smile touches my lips. “Yeah?”

She nods. “I do. I love you, Ezra Mullen.”

“You sure it’s not just the post-orgasm endorphins?”

“I’m positive.”

“That’s a good answer, baby girl. A very good answer.”

Epilogue

Two years later…

“This is a really good idea,” Mimi says.

“Ashton’s good at her job,” I reply.

We watch as she works with her crew to get the ad campaign she’s getting set to launch for Soulmates. Over the last couple of years, the company has grown by leaps and bounds. We’ve got satellite offices established in twelve other countries and have more than ten million users domestically. With the influx of cash, Mimi has established a marketing division and threw the business to Ashton, who’s been moving up the ladder in her firm. This is by far the biggest account she has and so far, has been doing a bang up job for us.

“So? Are you going through with it?” Mimi asks.

I nod. “I am.”

“Nervous?”

“Not in the least.”

“Bullshit.”

I laugh softly. “Maybe a little bit. But it’s not like I don’t know the answer already,” I say. “We’ve been together for two years. Inseparable. This is the next logical step.”

“Wow. You make it sound so romantic.”

“Kiss my ass,” I say with a grin.

Ashton gets the first couple on the set and preps them before retreating to stand beside the director to watch.

“And action,” the director calls.

The interviewer asks the couple about their experience with Soulmates, and they go on to give a lengthy testimonial. They talk about their initial exchanges, their first meeting, and their feelings for one another. It’s a sweet story and will make for some great sound bites when they edit the film to fit into the advertisement. With the next speed dating event quickly coming up on us, the ad campaign Ashton is putting together is going to be aired extensively and a longer form film will air at the event itself. Ashton told us testimonials are the way to go and will resonate with people.

For the next three hours, Mimi and I watch as Ashton and her crew prep and then film the couples who met on Soulmates. Honestly, it gets a little bit repetitive after a while but I have to say that the stories are sweet. There are a lot of good experiences and people who’ve got good stories to share. I feel a little crass using those stories as fodder for our ad campaign, but at the end of the day, this is a business. And it’s not like I’m not going to be putting some skin of my own in the game.

“All right,” Ashton calls out. “I think we’ve got it all. Good job everybody.”

Mimi nudges me in the ribs. “It’s showtime, baby.”

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