Chapter 38 Plans and Proposals
Chapter 38 Plans and Proposals
Aellorah
“You, Stonehall, are going to put a ring on my finger…” Everyone in the room gaped at me in shock. “Look, you’re it for me, Stonehall. I don’t want to consider anyone else. I want to be yours for the rest of my life,” I told him. “But this isn’t just about me. I know you love me, too. You’ve stuck around through some fucked up shit. If you can handle all of this, well, the rest of our lives should be a walk in the park…”
I paused, tracing my fingers over the gold patterns in the marble countertop. “As far as my plan goes, well… An engagement will piss my father off. Daddy is reckless when he’s angry. So, we make him angry, and then we catch him in whatever plan he comes up with. Make sure we have evidence…”
Max
My eyes widened in stunned disbelief at Aellorah’s bold declaration. She was right. I’d tried to stand by her side since the moment I’d learned the truth about her family. Anything that came after dealing with them would be a slice of cake.
Over her shoulder, I gave Jax a pointed look, watching him slip silently out of the kitchen. My heart swelled with a mix of awe, adoration, and fierce protection as I returned my gaze to her cloudy blue eyes. “Aellorah Blackwood,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion as I yanked her close, “if anyone else ever tried to call you theirs, I’d rip their fucking throat out.”
A slow smile spread across my face as the magnitude of her offer truly sank in – her surrender and devotion to me.
I’d imagined the moment more than once, but I’d never imagined she would be the one to suggest it. “Hell, yeah, Princess,” I agreed, my confidence surging as she leaned into my hold. “You’re mine, and I’ll never let anyone else take that from us, least of all your daddy dearest.”
Jax returned, looking out of breath as he moved around us, pressing the small box into my hand behind my back. My pulse raced as I dropped to my knee in front of her, popping the velvet box open.
Aellorah’s eyes went wide like a doe caught in headlights, and I fought the urge to laugh at her reaction. Of course, she had been the one to suggest an engagement, but she hadn’t expected it to happen at that moment.
“Will you marry me, Blackwood?” I asked, my chest swelling with passion and commitment as our eyes locked on one another. “Be my partner, my confidante, my love, for the rest of our lives?”
Her lips were parted in a silent gasp. “Y—you had a ring already?” she asked in a breathless whisper of disbelief.
I nodded, a triumphant grin spreading across my face. “Since Halloween, baby,” I admitted. “And now I’m fucking glad, because you just put me on the spot,” I teased, my playful tone belying the sheer intensity of my feelings. “I think I’ve known since that first day I met you, that you were the one—that our fates were intertwined, that I’d spend every waking moment basking in your beauty and proving my love to you.”
Aellorah
I glanced down at the ring, the pear-cut emerald wrapped in diamonds, glittering in the light. Emerald—like his eyes—the perfect representation of our love.
“I… I can’t believe you’ve had it—yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” I agreed eagerly, tears dripping from the corners of my eyes. Max lit up with adoration and pride as he rose from his knee.
“Now, about your dad’s next move… Boys, gather ‘round.” He pulled the ring from inside the black velvet box, holding it out. “We’ve got some scheming to do, it seems, and I trust these guys implicitly to have our backs—no matter what dirty tricks your family tries to pull. But, for now, I just want to enjoy this moment with you.”
I let him slip the ring on my finger, admiring the stones for a moment before jumping into his arms and kissing him with everything I had in me. We both laughed when his friends started clapping and cheering like a bunch of idiots.
For the first time since I was a child, I felt nothing but joy. No doubt, no fear, only pure, unadulterated happiness. I belonged to someone, and he belonged to me.
“I love you, Max,” I whispered against his lips. “From bullying me in the bathroom to becoming my fiancé,” I mused. If someone had told me, after that first encounter, that we would wind up engaged, I would never have believed it.
“And I love you, my little ballerina,” he replied without hesitation, grinning against my mouth. “We make quite a pair, don’t we?”
“Well, step one… Let’s make this official,” I declared, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. Max entered the code and unlocked the device before handing it back. “We’re going to take a photo for my Instagram…” I stated, flicking open the camera and handing the phone to Hayden.
“I like the way you think, Princess,” Max agreed with a grin, towering over me. “But I’ll need you close,” he whispered against my temple, “so everyone can see my beautiful future wife in my arms.”
I positioned myself in front of him, back pressed to his chest. Max’s arms wrapped intimately around my waist. I craned my head back and to the side, pressing my lips to his. One hand cupped his cheek, the other—my left—I held up in clear view of the camera, showing off the gorgeous ring.
Hayden snapped a few shots, and then I let go of Max’s face, kissing him one more time before flipping my middle finger up in a crude gesture to the camera.
“Oh, my God. That’s badass…” Hayden chuckled, taking another photo. The implication would be clear, a statement to the world—and to my father—that I was taking control of my life, and I was choosing Max.