by A. Aubry
“Are you okay, honey?” She looked over at me, concern beginning to mask the excitement.
I faced her, giving her hand a little squeeze, “Yeah, I’m perfect. Did you have fun today?”
Her smile widened, and she nodded, “I had the best day. Thank you so much for bringing me here, for taking me around New York. I know you probably would’ve rather slept in before your game tonight, but this means the world to me.”
That explanation alone made my heart stop. I wanted to give Julianna the world, and to know that I could make her this happy with a simple trip to see some sights, it made everything in my world so much better. None of my past girlfriends would have appreciated such a small gesture as much as Julianna had. That was just one of the many reasons why I wanted to marry this girl.
“Do you think it could get any better?” I tried to hide my hard swallow with a smile.
“Besides you and the team winning tonight?” She asked as she tilted her head to the side slightly.
Always putting others before yourself, Julianna. You deserve to think about yourself every once in a while.
“Yes, besides work,” I found myself laughing quietly.
“I’m not sure then. Today seems pretty perfect since I got to spend it with you.” She kissed me, and my heart nearly exploded because now I was the happy one.
I put my hand into my jacket pocket that now held my phone and the ring box, “Then, let’s see if I can make it better.”
Taking the ring box out of my pocket, I dropped to one knee in front of the most beautiful girl in the world. Her free hand went up to her mouth as she gasped. Just when I thought that her eyes were wide as she was walking around the zoo, they were even larger saucers right about now.
“Julianna—”
“Yes!” Julianna squealed before she quickly stopped herself, “Sorry, I totally interrupted. Go ahead.”
Well, at least now I already had my answer.
I chuckled at just how excited she was, “Julianna. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but I also know that I love you more than anything in this world. I want to spend the rest of our lives telling you how beautiful you are and saying that I love you. Will you please make me the happiest guy in the world and marry me?”
Releasing her hand, I opened the box. Julianna took in a sharp breath as she gazed down at the ring. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape, staring at it. Did I make a mistake on the ring? Was she having second thoughts?
“Yes, Finn. Of course I’ll marry you!” She grinned and held her left hand out to me.
I put the ring on her finger, praying that I wouldn’t drop it because my hands were shaking. Standing up, I pulled her into my arms and bypassed our normal soft kiss start, going right for urging her lips open for me, so that I could kiss her with the passion that I was feeling. Those who were within the exhibit with us clapped, celebrating for us that we just took this step. Little did they know that we’d only been together for two months.
“I love you so much, Finn McAllister,” Julianna said softly as she held my face in her hands and her eyes met mine.
I grinned, “I love you too, Julianna McCall.”
Bringing my phone back out of my pocket I held it up for Julianna to see. We had taken pictures together at nearly every exhibit, but this one would be the best one because now we were engaged. I brought the phone out with the camera opened. She held up her left hand to show off her ring, but I surprised her with a kiss right as the picture snapped.
After sending it over to Julianna, I posted it on my social media sites before sending it in the group chat between my mother, Cooper, and Ashton. As Julianna was sending the picture and posting it on her phone, my phone was blowing up thanks to my family.
Mom: YOU GOT ENGAGED?! Finn Walker, we did not discuss this!
Cooper: Congrats, man! Mom, be happy for the man.
Ashton: HOLY SHIT! I knew you loved her but DAMN.
Mom: Ashton Michael!
Ashton: Sorry, mom…
Mom: Finn, honey, I am very happy for you. Julianna is the sweetest of all your girlfriends and I can see that you two love one another very much.
Me: Thanks everybody. I’ll call you all tomorrow since we have a game tonight.
Mom: Bring Julianna with you for your birthday weekend home!
Ashton: Yeah, Violet and I are throwing a birthday party at our place for you.
Me: I’ll see if she can make it. But you guys know that I hate parties.
Julianna took my hand and smiled up at me, “Ready to head back?”
“Of course, fiancée. Let’s go.”
We walked hand in hand down the stairs that led up to the exhibit.
“Weren’t you supposed to ask someone for their blessing in order to ask me to marry you?” She giggled giving my hand a light squeeze.
“Already done, I asked your mom and step-father this morning.”
“When the hell did you have time to do that?” She looked over at me as we walked out of the zoo.
“I did it when you were asleep. You’re a very heavy sleeper,” I teased before kissing her lips quickly.
She rolled her eyes and we hailed a cab. The teammates who were walking around the hotel were the first to congratulate us on our engagement. Those that didn’t know were surprised as all hell. I had only let a few key people in on my plan in case Julianna hung out with me and the guys. Some of them were terrible secret keepers.
I led Julianna back to the room, knowing that I had to go back and meet with the team. All I wanted to do at this point was celebrate with Julianna, but I also needed a job if I was going to continue giving her the world. So, when she grabbed my shirt when I tried to leave the room, I had to fight off my instinct to just give in and have sex right there.
“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to stay with me for a little while, fiancé?” She smiled innocently.
Damn, now that was a whole new turn on for me.
“I wish I could, baby. Tonight we will celebrate, I promise. Just you, me, and this big empty bed.”
I wiggled my eyebrows at her and she giggled. I gave her one more kiss before I left. The team meeting went by quickly, and soon we were all at the stadium getting ready to play. Playing the actual game was enough to distract me from the fact that the girl who had agreed to marry me was sitting in the stands. We won and there was never a time where I had showered and gotten changed faster than that night. The second that Julianna and I returned the hotel after Coach Thompson okayed me to leave, we both got each other undressed and into bed.
Sex with Julianna had always been intense and amazing, but there was something about that night. When she would run her hand over my back, I could feel the cool metal of her engagement ring skim across my skin. The first time she did that, I actually shivered.
She was mine, Julianna was always going to be mine. I knew it from the moment that I met her and the moment that we shared our first kiss. There was no way in hell I was ever going to let her go. As we laid in bed after hours of making love, Julianna turned to me and I could see the exhaustion that was growing in her eyes.
“Finn, I need to talk to you about something,” she whispered.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, “You can talk to me about anything.”
She bit her lip and I could see that she was nervous as to what my reaction would be. Oh, shit. Did something happen with the birth control? Was she pregnant or something?
“Michael’s father, who is also his lawyer, has been trying to contact me for the last week and a half. Michael’s therapist thinks it would be a good idea to get us together to talk through what happened, to bring us closure. Up until now…I had been ignoring his calls. But while you were in your meeting, I called him and made an appointment to go on Monday.”
“What? How fucking stupid is this shrink? He attacked you, Julianna. You shouldn’t have to be in a room with that asshole.”
“Finn, I think this is going to be good for us.
I’ll go, say my peace, and move on from all of this. That way I can spend the rest of my life moving forward with you, focusing all my attention on you and the family that we will start someday. When I met with Dr. Miller this week, she said it might be good for me to go…to help with my healing.”
Her fingers were running through my hair, a way she knew that would keep me calm as she explained.
I sighed, “Okay, if you and Dr. Miller think that it’s what is best for you then I support you. Just know that I’m not very supportive of him being in the same room with you. And because of that fact, I am going to be at this appointment with you. Michael hurt you once, I won’t allow him to do it again.”
She smiled and kissed my lips softly. It was the type of kiss that I had only ever gotten from one girl in my life and that was Julianna, “Thank you, sweetheart. I love you.”
“And I love you. Now, let’s get back to celebrating,” I smirked and lifted her leg over my waist before rolling over on top of her.
That night and the next morning, I had spent hours and lots of energy proving to Julianna just how much I loved her.
Two days later and I felt like I had instantly aged fifty years the second that we got in the car to go to the appointment between Julianna, Michael, and Michael’s therapist. The last two days had been pure bliss, complete with much alone time between me and Julianna. To be honest, I don’t think I’d ever had as much sex as I had had the last two days. It was as though my body just couldn’t get enough of hers and always wanted more. This morning, I left the house happier than ever to go to practice but when I got home and saw the somber look on Julianna’s face because we had to leave immediately for this shit, all I could feel was anger towards Michael all over again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Julianna move her hand from her lap to my leg, giving it a soft squeeze. She was the tension breaker of our relationship and just having her touch me, even through my fucking clothes, was driving me crazy. I sighed and let myself have a quick peek at my fiancée. Her lips were turned into a small smile as she looked at me and she was more beautiful than ever.
“Thank you for coming with me tonight, Finn. I feel better knowing that you’ll be there.”
Oh sweetheart, you don’t have to thank me.
I lifted her hand from my lap to my lips to comfort her, “I wasn’t here to protect you when the attack happened. I’m never going to let that happen again.”
I would die before I let anything happen to her again. She was my entire world, without her I would be nothing at this point.
Easing the car to a stop at a red light, Julianna moved her hand to my neck and pulled me in for an unexpected kiss, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I smiled as the asshole who’d been tailgating me for the last three blocks honked his horn.
There were many drivers in Minnesota that were just plain dicks. The guy behind me was the perfect example of one. As we continued on our drive, Julianna’s hand returned to mine, and I couldn’t keep from playing with her ring as I drove. She was going to be mine for the rest of our lives, I was going to protect her for that time, there was nothing to worry about.
Once the car was in park, I got out and went to open the car door for Julianna. She smiled at my gesture and I think it was safe to assume that the asshole she was going to meet in a few moments never did this for her. We held hands again, our fingers interlaced as we walked into the building. After a minor search by some guards for anything that could be used as a weapon, we came into the waiting room where a tall, powerful looking man sat on a plush chair.
“Julianna, so great to see you again. Although, I wish it was under better circumstances,” this mystery man took Julianna into his arms as though they were very close.
“Yes, other circumstances would’ve been nice,” Julianna replied but squeezed my hand harder than usual.
I’m right here, baby.
I extended my opposite hand to the man that Julianna obviously knew, “Finn McAllister.”
He took my hand and shook it, “Albert Green, Michael’s father and his attorney.”
Julianna looked up at me before speaking again, “Finn is going to stay out here with you, Mr. Green. He just wanted to be here to support me.”
Support you, protect you…watch you in that skirt of yours…
“Sounds good. I’m sure we will find something to talk about. Michael is right through that door with the therapist whenever you are ready,” Albert responded before looking at his phone and leaving the room.
Julianna released my hand and moved to face me. When she had been holding my hand after we got through security, her hand was shaking slightly. She was scared and rightfully so. The man in that room attacked her, he physically hurt her and put her in a hospital. He almost took her away from me. She pursed her lips nervously and I know she needed more comfort than just being next to me. I grabbed her face and gave her an innocent kiss.
“I will be right here the entire time. If you need me, you just yell, and I will come for you. Okay?”
She nodded slowly, “Okay.”
My poor, scared girl.
“I love you, Julianna. I’m right here to protect you.”
As she took in my words, she smiled shyly, “I love you too, Finn. Thank you for coming.”
“Anytime,” I covered my lips with hers in another chaste kiss.
She looked at me and swallowed hard. I let her go and stood there watching as she hesitated at the door for a moment before she disappeared into the room. Sighing heavily, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. If I paced, I would just remind myself of the night that she was attacked, how I paced in my hotel room for hours trying to get ahold of her. Damn, maybe I needed to go to a few sessions with Dr. Miller if I still remember doing that so vividly.
I took a seat on a large couch just as Albert walked back into the room. He sat on the chair he was sitting in when we got there.
“So, Finn. How long have you and Julianna known each other?” He asked, putting his ankle on his opposite knee.
“About two months,” I responded, flipping my phone nervously between my fingers.
He nodded, “And what is it that you do?”
Why was I playing twenty questions with the guy who spawned the devil himself?
“I play soccer with the Minnesota United.”
“Mhm.”
Okay this was getting weird. Luckily, his phone rang, and he excused himself again. Being a lawyer he probably got a million calls a day. My phone pinged with a text message from Cooper.
Cooper: So, why wasn’t I informed that you were going to propose to your girlfriend until after the fact?
Me: I’m sorry, Coop. It was a whirlwind decision. One night, I was watching Julianna sleep next to me in my arms after we had made love and I knew that I wouldn’t want to ever lose her.
Cooper: And it only took you two months to figure that out? Why the fuck did you waste your time with Natalie for almost two years?
Me: Because I was an idiot who thought that he was in love with her and her gigantic fake tits.
Cooper: I knew they were fake!
Me: Yeah, definitely were. But I did ask myself the same question after I met Julianna. Why did we both waste our time with two people who weren’t good for us?
Cooper: Sometimes life just works that way. Give you shit first before you find the diamond in the rough.
Me: Speaking from experience? *cough* Geri *cough*
Geri was like the Voldemort of our family. We never discussed her, unless it was a good time to point out one of Cooper’s flaws. He dated her all through medical school where they met. She was a complete bitch just like Natalie. When he finally broke up with her, a few months later one of his friends introduced him to his now wife Amelia. If she wasn’t the polar opposite of Geri, I didn’t know what was.
Cooper: Yes. But thankfully I found my Mia.
Me: Well, Julianna is my diamond in the rough. You and Ash will g
et to meet her officially on Friday.
As I awaited Cooper’s reply, I heard a loud thud come from the room where Julianna and Michael were. My heart started to race as I stood up from my seat.
“Finn!” Julianna’s voice yelled out loudly from the other side of the door.
My girl needed me.
I ran to the door, pushing it open so hard that it hit something that was behind it. Julianna stood up in front of her chair while Michael was in a tight headlock by a guard that I hadn’t seen. My feet carried me quickly to Julianna as I grabbed onto her, holding her close to me as she hid her face in my chest. Her body shook as she cried, what the fuck happened?
I looked over at Michael, pure hatred coursing through my veins, “What did you say to her you son of a bitch?”
He was pulling at the arms of the guard who had an arm around his head while two others tried to subdue him, “I called her out for the little gold digging whore that she is!”
Gold digger? My Julianna? He was fucking kidding, right?
Julianna’s arms tightened around me, “You don’t know anything about Julianna! You spent years putting her down and breaking her spirit, making her think that she was unwanted and weak because of the way that she looks. It’s not her fault that I make her feel good about herself, that I make her feel loved because she is beautiful and smart and the best god damn thing to ever happen to me.”
He laughed, “Well, you can fucking have her then. She’s not good in bed anyways, why the fuck would I want that? Go ahead, take my sloppy seconds.”
I let go of Julianna and headed in the direction of Michael. He had no right to talk about her like that. She was amazing in bed, he was the one who never satisfied her. Julianna tugged on my arm, trying to keep me from doing anything I would have regretted if it were anybody else but him.
