Chapter Seventy-One
Ashley
“Good morning, sweetness,” his deep voice murmured in my ear. “Millie and I want to show you my new place.”
I opened one eye and looked at him.
“ Millie and you? Is she already awake?”
“Awake, fed, bathed, and ready to go.”
“What time is it?”
“Eight.”
I sat up like a shot.
“ Eight? How is that possible? I slept all night!”
“Well, to be fair, I did wear you out before you fell asleep.”
A smile crossed my lips as I thought back to my last “present” for my birthday. Multiple orgasms courtesy of his tongue.
“Ten out of ten would recommend,” I quipped as I rolled out of bed.
He dropped a kiss to my forehead.
“I couldn’t agree more. Now, get ready. The realtor is going to meet us in an hour so I can show you around.”
“ An hour ? Sloane! That means I have, like, twenty minutes to shower and get ready!”
“Relax, baby. It’s not that far. You have plenty of time.”
****
Sloane
“I mean, I appreciate you want my opinion,” she called from the bathroom while she brushed her hair. “But, ultimately, it’s your decision. If you like it, you should get it.”
“Let’s be honest, Ash. I’m hoping you’ll move in eventually. Maybe even marry me.” I leaned against the doorjamb of the bathroom with a grin to watch her finish getting ready. “Although, I’m feeling pretty confident since you’re going to need health insurance if you’re only going to work part-time.”
“I’m not marrying you for health insurance,” she scolded.
“What if I knocked you up again?”
“Well, since we’re not married for this one, I don’t think another one would make a difference.”
“How about for love then?”
“I’d be okay with that.”
That’s a relief.
This diamond was burning a hole in my pocket.
I glanced at my watch, then asked, “Ready?”
She zipped up her makeup bag and tucked it in the drawer by the sink.
“Yep!”
It was a good thing the minivan was so easy to get Millie’s car seat in and out of its base, otherwise, I would have just suggested we walk. But getting in the Honda was going to make the surprise that much sweeter.
After we were all buckled in, I pulled out of the driveway and turned directly into the one next door.
“Did you forget something?”
“Nope,” I said as I slowed to a stop at the front door behind the realtor’s car.
“I don’t understand?”
“This is the place I’m considering making an offer on.”
“ What? I looked at the listing price, how can you afford this?”
“Well, for the last nineteen years, I probably only paid rent half of that time. So, for the other half, I had zero expenses, which all got invested. And, I got a ridiculous signing bonus from Armstrong Labs. Like, buy a beach house kind of ridiculous.”
“Sloane… this is too much…”
“No, sweetness. It’s perfect. I’ll be next door until you agree to marry me, so I can still help out with Millie as much as possible, and—”
Ashley interrupted me.
“You keep saying when I agree to marry you , but you haven’t technically even asked!”
There’s my cue.
I reached inside my pants pocket for the blue velvet box and presented it right there in the minivan with our daughter jabbering away in her car seat.
It couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Well, baby”–I popped the lid to reveal the one and a half carat round cut diamond I’d spent over an hour picking out—“I’m asking now. Will you marry me?”
Tears streamed down her face, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself for having surprised her twice in twelve hours.
Then, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up pink piece of paper and handed it to me.
I cocked my head with furrowed brows. She still hadn’t answered, so I slowly unfurled the paper, glancing at her with every unfold.
Finally, I flattened it out to read…
YES!
I guess I wasn’t as sneaky as I thought.