AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Epilogue
O’Shea
One year later
“Baby, come look at this,” Ashton called from the couch. I grabbed my sandwich from the counter and made my way into the living room, flopping down next to her and looking at the computer screen.
“What’s up? What are we looking at?” I asked, taking a bite from my sandwich.
“What do you think of this mock-up design?” she asked, showing me a 3-D model of a living room she’d designed.
“It looks nice. Going for a contemporary look?”
“You can tell?” she asked, her eyes lighting up. I chuckled.
“You’ve been talking design stuff for months now. It’s hard not to know this stuff,” I said. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, yeah. I’m going for contemporary. I have light grey wallpaper and artwork in white frames to really make it pop against the color. Then here you have the dark grey sectional with white throw pillows, a dark stained wooden coffee table and end tables. Then the table lamps with white shades and a neutral colored rug here.”
I nodded. “It’s nice, baby. I like the little accents you put on the coffee table.”
“Yeah? I thought it looked a little too bare, so I kept it simple by just putting a tray on there and putting a small potted flower, candle, and a little vase with potpourri.”
“Have you showed it to your client yet?”
“Not yet. Kind of nervous.”
I kissed her forehead. “It looks good, babe. Besides, it’s just a mock. If they don’t like it, it’ll be easier to make changes to the design instead of after you’ve already changed the room in their house,” I said.
“You’re right. I’ll send it.”
“Good. Then you need to get dressed. We’re supposed to be going to your parents’ for dinner, remember?”
“Oh shit. I forgot about that,” she said, putting her computer on the coffee table and jumping off the couch. “I’m going to take a shower really quick. I won’t be long,” she said and rushed down the hall.
I pulled out my phone and saw a text message from Ashton’s dad.
Phil: Hey O! Just picked your mom and sisters up from the airport. Plane came a little late. Everything else is ready. See you soon, bud!
My heart quickened in my chest. As I thought of the events over the past year, it was hard to believe how far we’d come. She was just the woman that I’d stumbled upon at work, not even knowing I’d been talking to her on a phone sex line. We’d gone from enemies—at least on her end, to friends, to lovers, and now I was going to ask for her hand in marriage tonight.
Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous. I felt confident in my decision and confident that Ashton was my soul mate. She’d told me every single night how much she loved me ever since the night we finally told each other. I didn’t doubt that she’d say yes, but it didn’t stop memories of my last rejection to rise to the surface.
I took a deep breath and blinked the thoughts away. Ashton was so different from Kayla. The simplest things made her smile, she wasn’t high maintenance, and she appreciated the fact that I worked hard, despite my job title. A smile settled on my lips. Yeah, I was making the right decision.
Pulling the ring box from my pocket, I opened it and marveled at the rose and white gold diamond halo ring. Micro diamonds encircled the band, the large diamond glittering under the light.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Ashton said as she came down the hall. I snapped the box closed and quickly stuffed it back in my pocket as she entered the living room, fiddling with the clasp of a bracelet. She wore a flowing, thin pink dress that stopped above her knees and white sandals, her hair hanging in natural waves. Her makeup was light, but her dark, matte red lipstick was bold.
“That was fast,” I said, standing and moving over to meet her, kissing her gently. Her strawberry and creme body wash clouded my head as I held her close to me, nuzzling her neck.
“I told you I wouldn’t be long,” she murmured, hugging me. “Ready to go?”
“I don’t know. You look so beautiful I’d rather just take you back to the bedroom for a little while. Besides, I wonder how that dark lipstick will look on my cock later on tonight,” I said with a wicked smile.
She laughed and swatted me away. “Oh shut up. As nice as that sounds, my dad said he was grilling steaks tonight and I don’t want to miss that,” she said.
I nodded and ushered her toward the door. “I definitely agree with that. Let’s go then.”
