Page 79 of Heal For Me

He leans closer, cups the back of my neck, and presses a deep kiss against my forehead. “Don’t forget your line, baby. Just one word—yes.”

One word? Yes? What the—no. My eyes blow wide, and I squeal, but not in a good way, as panic surges through my system. “Ash, don’t,” I beg, and it only makes his grin bigger.

He wouldn’t do this to me. He can’t; he knows I hate this kind of attention. But he does. “If you do this, I’m saying no.” But it’s too late.

Ash Pearson lowers himself onto one knee in front of me. This is a sight I always dreamed about, but my annoyance is so loud I can’t focus on that.

People are already noticing what is happening, and it doesn’t help the embarrassment burning its way up my neck.

“Ashley,” I hiss. “Stand up.”

He glances around, and unlike me, the crowd only fuels him. “You stumbled into my life a short time ago.” I can’t believe he is doing this. “Our story hasn’t been perfect. There were a lot of odds against us, but we paid them no attention and continued to do as we pleased. Some bad decisions were made, but the bad, good, and between are just a part of our story now. Something we will one day tell the grandkids.” He winks, and my aching stomach flutters with the flaps of a thousand butterflies. “Before you, I was searching for what we have without even knowing what I was looking for. Beginning to believe true love didn’t exist, but you turned those gorgeous eyes on me and suddenly, the wait made sense.”

His voice shakes. I’ve never heard his voice shake before.

“Love isn’t an emotion. It’s a promise. Despite everything you lead to believe before me.” A real sob rips through me, and he squeezes my hand as if to say just hold on. He holds the ring up with his other hand.

“I promise to love you on your good days and even harder on your bad ones. Because there will be bad days, baby. But take this ring and I promise we will go through them together, side by side, hand in hand. I will love you forever and always. You and me, until the end of time.

“Marry me?”

Tears flow freely down my face, but I don’t bother wiping them away. He did it, he actually proposed. I want to be mad at him for embarrassing me and doing the exact thing I said I didn’t want. Also, for making me cry in public, but I can’t after everything he said.

“Answer him!” a voice shouts from somewhere in the crowd.

“You’re up, baby. You’re one line.”

The easiest thing I have ever said. “Yes.”

The crowd cheers, and I think I see a few flashes go off, but I pay no attention. Ash places my ring back where it belongs, then picks me up and spins me around, exactly like a cheesy rom-com, and I love every single part of it. I wrap my legs around him, and he squeezes me tightly to him.

“I’m still pissed you did that,” I hiss into his neck.

It vibrates against my lips with a deep belly laugh. “Be pissed, baby, but I just nailed that bloody proposal.” He turns his face and traps my ear between his teeth. “Won’t be the only thing I nail tonight either.”

I can’t help it, a laugh bubbles up inside me because leave it to him to mention sex right now. Most people have left, but there are still some watching us. “Please never change.”

“Never, Jailbird.”

I pull back and tilt my head. “You haven’t been calling me that much lately.”

“Do you miss it?”

I’m not admitting it out loud. But I don’t need to because he knows I do. He kisses my forehead and lowers me back to the ground.

“Don’t worry, you’ll always be my jailbird, attempting to hide that little monitor from me. Seducing me and me caving, even when I knew it was illegal.”

His eyes sparkle, and he tips my chin up so our lips can meet. “My little jailbird and soon-to-be wife.”

33

Ash

Janelle runs up and pulls Payson out of my arms. They jump around squealing even though she’s been engaged for months, this is exactly what she needed. Whether she knows it or not. My pride booms knowing I caused that. My plan was to propose as a joke, but then I got down on my knee and the words just came out.

I got to thinking that Payson hasn’t had many traditional things in her life, so I might as well start now.

Mum wanders up beside me, a tissue in her hand and dabbing at her face.

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