by Aly Martinez
“You want that one, baby?” I asked when she started to push to her feet.
She pointed to the dog next door. “No, I want that one.”
“No,” I said firmly even though I knew exactly how worthless it truly was.
“Yep.”
“No,” I repeated.
“Yes, that’s our dog. Isn’t he handsome?” she cooed.
“Damn it, Ash. I said a puppy.”
She cocked her head to the side and folded her arms over her chest. “It’s my birthday. You don’t get to argue with me on my birthday.”
I let out a huff, knowing she had a point. With a groan, I turned to the woman who worked there and said, “We’ll take him.”
Ash clapped, bouncing on her toes as they began preparing the adoption paperwork on a sixty -pound, three-legged basset hound named Julio.
“I cannot believe you picked that dog,” I mumbled an hour later while we waited for our brand-new bundle of slobber to be brought out.
“Don’t you dare talk about Julio. He’s perfect.” She hugged me.
“We’re going to have to buy him a new collar. I don’t think this one is gonna fit.” I pulled the pink collar from my pocket, accidentally on purpose dropping a black, velvet box to the ground. “Shit,” I cursed.
Her back went stiff.
“Damn it. You weren’t supposed to see that yet.”
“Flint,” she whispered, bending over to pick it up.
“Well, I guess it’s too late now.” I kissed her forehead. “Happy birthday, Ash.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as she slowly opened the box. “You asshole!” she declared for the second time that day, lifting a Volkswagen key from the box.
I burst out laughing all over again. “What? You thought that one was a ring too?”
“I hate you,” she mumbled then joined me in laughter. “You got me a car?”
“I’m getting busy at the gym, and it’s becoming harder to match up our schedules so I can run you around all the time. Plus, you can’t drive mine because of the hand pedals. This just made sense.”
She threw her arms around my neck. “I’ve never had my own car!”
“It’s pretty sweet too,” I told her proudly. “Go see if Julio is ready and let’s go home and check it out. Q and Mia should have dropped it off by now.”
Pushing to her toes, she placed a lingering kiss on my lips. “Thank you. For Julio, for my car, for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, especially for you.” She kissed me again before skipping away to the front desk.
I should have been the one thanking her.
“What the fucking hell is that?” Quarry asked when we arrived back at the house.
Ash struggled to lift the dog out of the back of the car. “His name is Julio, and shut your face . . . and your hands,” she snapped.
He’s adorable! Mia signed, settling on the driveway, where Julio promptly covered her in sloppy kisses.
I never in a million years would have chosen that dog, but he definitely made it easy to see why Ash had.
I looked over at Quarry, who was watching Mia’s tongue bath in disgust. I wolf-whistled to grab his attention. “Where’s her car?”
His eyes slid to Ash. “Shhhh.”
“She already knows, jerkoff. Now where is it?”
He tipped his chin toward the garage.
Using the panel on the outside wall, I typed in the code to open the door.
Ash’s head popped up as the garage door lifted. Nestled inside our garage was a black convertible Volkswagen Beetle with a custom license plate that read: WHEELZ.
Much to my dismay, there was already some asshole who’d claimed wheels. My eye had twitched when the lady at registration suggested substituting with the Z. I’d succumbed to the pressure though.
“Shut up.” She stood up, tossing Julio’s leash to Mia, and then jogged over. “Shut up,” she repeated, snatching the door open to reveal the custom neon-green floor mats that had cost a mint.
I didn’t have a ton of money, but she needed a car, and I’d wanted her first one to be something she loved. Ash deserved to have something that was all her own. Not a hand-me-down or something she’d picked up on sale. She deserved something that was created custom for the crazy woman who would be driving it. Well, actually, she deserved more, but it would take time for me to give her that. Thankfully, according to Ash, time was the one thing we had plenty of.
“Flint, this is too much,” she said, gripping the steering wheel and running her hands over the dash.
I rounded the hood to the passenger side. “Christ, this thing is tiny,” I complained, attempting to fold my body inside.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but can you . . . I mean, can we . . . afford this?”
I smiled at her concern. “I put a chunk down. Then we’ll make the payments. It might cut into my suit budget, but we’ll survive,” I joked, but for quite possibly the first time since I’d known her, Ash didn’t laugh at all.
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, you told me you bought me a car, but . . . I just didn’t expect . . .”
“Expect what?” I asked, popping the glove compartment open and retrieving a small, black, velvet box.
She swallowed hard when she saw it. “I’m not even going to get excited this time.”
“You should probably get excited, Ash,” I said, offering her the box.
“Stop,” she whispered, warily taking it from my hands.
Staring deep into her eyes, I urged, “Open it.”
Nervously chewing on her bottom lip, she popped open the top.
Then I ducked as she hurled it at me.
“Son of a bitch!” she screamed.
I roared with laughter. “What is your problem?” I said, snatching the long balloon she’d found inside the box from her hands and blowing it up.
“You told me to get excited. Now, you’re just being mean.”
I tied off the end of the balloon and handed it to her. “You should be excited. There’s a clown in the backyard waiting to make that into whatever animal you can possibly think of.”
Her glare softened as a smile grew on her mouth. “A clown? Seriously!”
“I remember I kinda hijacked you from the one at Blakely’s party. Figured I should start making that up to you.”
She quickly scrambled from the car, pausing only long enough to say, “Stop fucking with me, but I love you.” Not bothering to wait for me as I climbed back up on my crutches, she sprinted out the back door.
I chuckled when I heard her scream as all of the guests hiding in the backyard shouted, “Surprise!”
I didn’t follow her out the door though.
I needed a minute.
Sucking in a breath, I filled my lungs with every bit of the future I never thought I would have. Then, closing my eyes, I became lost in the present I never wanted to leave. Five years earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine a day when the constant fight finally became worth it.
Maybe she was the reason for the struggle all along.
I remembered it all.
I heard the gun.
I felt the bullet.
I saw her fall.
In less than a second, my life as I had known it was over.
But unquestionably, I would do it all over again.
For her.
“Don’t you dare hide in here. The clown just handed me a little, black box.”
My eyes popped open, and she was smiling in the doorway with the bright afternoon sun lighting her from behind.
“Yeah, about that,” I said, starting in her direction. “You should probably stay out of the bounce house.”
“Flint!” she squealed as I crushed my mouth over hers.
For Ash.
“DID YOU HAVE FUN TODAY?” Flint asked as we lay in the weeds, staring up at the night sky.
Rolling off his shoulder, I propped myself on an elbow, facing him. “Fun would be the understate
ment of the century. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing today was.” I paused. “Even your stupid boxes.”
That day was easily one of the best of my entire life. Flint had gone above and beyond throwing me a birthday party in the backyard. Most twenty-year-old women would have scoffed at how juvenile it all was, but not me. From the clown to the bounce house, right down to all the people who came and covered a table with gifts, it was perfect.
With the exception of the occasional cake my father had bought when I was a kid, I’d never had a birthday party.
I’d also never had a car.
Or a dog.
Or a man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Yet, suddenly, I had them all.
Flint’s chest shook with humor as he pulled me back down. “You know, for a girl who laughs as much as you do, you sure didn’t act like those boxes were very funny.”
“Oh, shut up.”
He scooted out from under me and shifted to his side. “Also, for a woman who spent her formidable years pickpocketing and hustling for your father, you sure weren’t very careful when you put that engagement ring back in the box after finding it in my desk.” He arched a knowing eyebrow.
Shit! “You knew?” I squeaked.
He winked. “I know everything, Ash.”
I slapped him on his chest. “I panicked, okay? I heard you coming back from lunch, so I just threw it in there.”
“Sounds like an excuse to me,” he teased, reaching out to grope my ass—a grope I quickly returned.
Smirking, he held my gaze until I worked up the courage to say, “Sooooo . . . about that ring?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He pulled yet another little, black box out of his pocket.
I’d seen the bulge in his pocket earlier, but I’d seen so many of them over the course of the day that it didn’t even excite me anymore. Actually, that’s a lie. Each one had excited me, but I’d given up hope that any of them actually contained a ring.
Until he produced that one.
“Ash, I love—”
Snatching the box from his hand, I yelled, “Give me that!”
“Hey!” he objected, but I jumped out of his reach before he could take it back.
My heart raced as I slowly opened the box, revealing . . .
“A piece of paper? You have got to be shitting me.” I threw the box at him, but while he did bat it away, he didn’t laugh.
I glanced between Flint’s serious stare and the tightly folded notebook paper for several beats, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It wasn’t a ring. But what I couldn’t figure out was why he looked nervous.
Flint sat all the way up and grabbed his crutches as I unfolded the paper.
Newsies
Get shot in the back.
Become a horrible human being.
Pineapple banana juice.
Graffiti a building.
Fall in love with Ash Mabie.
Make Ash Mabie fall in love with me.
Treat her like an asshole.
Regret it more than anything in my entire life.
Learn to walk again. (Not in a strawberry field.)
Buy a house with hopes that she will come home.
Tear up the grass to make a patch of weeds.
Chase her to the ends of the Earth.
Make Ash Mabie fall in love with me. Again.
Get a dog.
Propose to Ash Mabie.
Make Ash Mabie Ash Page.
Spend the rest of my life making sure she never stops laughing.
My heart stilled and the breath was stolen from my chest. A large lump formed in my throat, but my lips split into an impossibly wide smile.
“Propose to Ash Mabie” was crossed off.
Oh my God.
“Don’t say a single word until you hear me out,” he growled when I finally tore my eyes from the paper in my hands.
Flint was kneeling in front of me, using one of his crutches to balance. I awkwardly laughed, forcing tears I hadn’t known I had produced to spill from my eyes.
“Ash . . .” He cleared his throat then started again. “Ash, you’re twenty years old, and we’ve only been back together for a few months. It would be ridiculous to rush into something as big as marriage when we barely even know each other.”
I opened my mouth to object, but he got there first.
“Not a word.”
“Fine,” I huffed.
“As I was saying, it would be ridiculous to rush into something when we are still getting to know each other. But the other night, after you fell asleep in my arms, I realized I knew enough. I know you’re crazy and messy and you take great pleasure in screwing with me.”
I nodded at his assessment.
“I also know you’re one of the kindest and most generous people on this planet. I mean, let’s be serious here. I took you to get a puppy today and you picked the ugliest, most pitiful animal in there.” He swayed his head from side to side. “Which explains a lot about why you’re with me, but it also speaks wonders about who you are as a person.
“Ash, I know the way you make me feel and I know I will never in a million years be able to find anyone who could even come close to filling your neon-green Converse.”
I giggled.
“And more than that, I don’t want to. So yeah, this is probably ridiculous and rash and reckless, but I also know it’s exactly right.” He lifted a square solitaire engagement ring I immediately recognized. “Ash, I love you. Marry me.”
I’d always tried to be careful when it came to Flint’s mobility. He could walk with his crutches, but I knew that his balance was still sometimes an issue.
He had just proposed though. Careful was not in my vocabulary.
After racing forward, I launched myself into his arms, knocking him down as I fell on top of him. Julio barked from the other corner of the yard, and Flint immediately started cussing.
“Damn it. I dropped your ring.”
“I don’t care,” I replied, sealing my mouth over his.
He turned and patted the ground above his head. “Ash, stop. I can’t find it.”
“I don’t care,” I repeated, forcing his mouth back to mine.
He rolled me over. “You better care. That’s your engagement ring, and it wasn’t cheap.”
I groaned as he pulled his cell phone out to use as a flashlight. “You know, I can still say no.”
“Got it!” he exclaimed, looping an arm around my waist to drag me back on top of him. With a huge smile, he pecked my lips. “What do you say? You want to spend forever with me?” He lifted the ring between us.
“I’ll check my schedule,” I smarted, taking the ring from his hands and sliding it on my finger.
“Your schedule?”
“Yep,” I answered, admiring the diamond.
“Ash, stop messing around and say yes,” he growled, causing my smile to once again spread.
“I’m sorry, Flint, but now that we are getting married, you really should start getting used to me messing around with you.”
“Well, Ash, you need to either say yes or get used to me not messing around with you.” He tipped his hips against mine.
“Oh my God. You’re already threatening to withhold sex.” I laughed as he began tickling me. “Sex is not a weapon!”
“Say yes,” he demanded as I shifted to flip so I was on top. His eyes warmed as he swept my hair off my shoulder. “Marry me, Ash.”
Bending down, I rested my hands on his chest. Despite his playful exterior, his heart was racing. Brushing my lips across his, I proved once and for all that I was not clairvoyant. Not even my dreams had been bold enough to conjure that moment.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Flint’s breath hissed from his lips as his hand gripped the back of my neck and he took my mouth in a languid kiss. It didn’t turn frantic or desperate like it usually did with us.
We didn’t need the rush anymore.
There was ple
nty of time in forever.
Three years later . . .
“FLINT! WE NEED TO GO. Eliza just called and she needs a ride to that press conference thingy. Till has to be there early to set up the gym,” Ash yelled up the stairs.
“Thingy.” I laughed to myself. “I know. We have to go early too,” I replied, closing my computer. After snagging my suit coat off the back of my chair, I grabbed my cane to head out of my home office.
“What?” she yelled again. “I thought Till and Slate were the only ones who had to be there early?”
“As his agent, it’s kinda my job to be there.” I gingerly made my way down the stairs to find her standing in the kitchen with a half apron tied around her waist. “Don’t you look like Betty Crocker?” I smirked.
“Hey, I take my job as head rainbow-cupcake maker very seriously.” She blew the hair out of her eyes.
Using my thumb, I rubbed the flour off the tip of her chin. “I can tell.” Once I’d hung the hook of my cane on the counter, I put my hands under her arms and lifted her to sit on the counter.
“Don’t knock over my food coloring!” she squealed.
I glanced over her shoulder, noticing that it was too late for the red. “I’m not,” I lied, taking her mouth. “So, did you think any more about our talk this morning?”
“It was two hours ago . . . and I’ve been baking. So no.” She pecked my lips.
“Come on. We can work in a quickie now.” I moved my hand between her legs, rubbing against the seam of her jeans.
She swatted it away. “One, we have to go. Two, even if I agreed, birth control doesn’t just stop on demand. And three, I’m not conceiving a baby on the counter next to Quarry’s celebratory cupcakes.”
“Does that mean it’s a yes?” I asked, raking my teeth over the sensitive flesh of her neck.
She moaned sensually but pushed me away. “No. It means I’m still thinking. Now, can you let the dogs out while I finish packing up these bad boys?”
