Page 136 of Addiction

“Why do you look so scared?” she asks when she pulls back.

“I’m going to ask Wade to marry me,” I blurt out.

“Oh…” Her eyes widen, and a little smirk twitches at her lips but it’s quickly gone. “Oh my god, Asher. That’s amazing.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Why would I mind?”

“Because this is your day.”

Big wide eyes stare back at me. “Oh… you mean tonight? Wow… oh wow.” She sounds surprised. Or horrified. I can’t work out because now that I’ve said it, I feel sicker than ever, and she is acting weird which only tells me it’s a bad idea.

“Is that bad? It’s bad, isn’t it? It’s too soon. What if he says no?” I had tonight all planned, but now I’m stressing. Panic starts to rise in my chest, and my skin starts to feel clammy. “Jesus, what am I thinking.”

“Asher. Stop.” She gets hold of my arms in a firm grip. She glances over my shoulder slightly before giving me her full attention. “Do you love him?”

“Of course. More than anything.”

“Then ask him. What’s the worst that can happen.”

“He’ll say no and leave me broken.”

She smiles. “Trust me. He will not do that.”

She hugs me again and squeezes me tight, and I know it’s now or never with this big proposal thing. But this is a massive deal for me, bigger than anything else I’ve ever done in my life because the thought of not having Wade scares the hell out of me. If I could have a conversation with anyone right now, it would be with the one man who’s no longer with us.

“I wish Pop were here,” I say in her ear. “I would have loved him to see this moment.”

As if she can hear the melancholy in my voice, she pulls back and looks at me, her eyes revealing that she shares the pain that I have inside at this very moment. “He is here. He will always be here.” Bubbles continue to fall, and I smile. “But more importantly, Asher, he’s in here.” She places her hand over my heart. “He’s looking down on us all the time. And he’s up there now screaming at you to get yourself a fiancé.”

I chuckle. “Okay. I guess you’re right.”

“I am. Now turn around.”

I frown. “What?”

“You need to turn around.”

“Asher?” I hear Wade’s voice just as the music is cut, and Nora’s face beams.

Turning, my breath is ripped from my lungs when I see the man of my dreams down on one knee, everyone else stands behind him. My heart skips and races and beats faster than ever as butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“What…”

I look back at my sister, who now has a shit-eating grin on her face. “You knew about this didn’t you.”

“I’ve no idea what you are talking about. Now don’t keep the man waiting.”

I turn to face Wade, my hand covering my heart, completely overwhelmed with what is going on right now.

“Asher Nelson, I love you with every damn bone in my body, and I will love you for the rest of my life. You mean the absolute world to me, and I love seeing this world with you by my side. So will you do me the honor of continuing our adventures together and marrying me?”

For the second time tonight, I’m speechless. This is not how tonight was meant to go. It was me who was going to do the asking. It was me that wanted to let the world know how much I adore and love this man because he deserves it all.

Needing to make this moment even better I step forward, Wade waiting on an answer as a look of confusion and worry covers his face. Rubbing my hand over my jaw, I get down on one knee in front of him. Everyone gasps and the biggest grin spreads across my face.

“All day, I’ve been this anxious mess when I’ve thought about this moment. I’ve asked the question in my head so many times that I can’t even count. The speech I had planned has now gone from my memory because you’ve taken my words from me.”