He winced. “You’d been with him for six months.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Ashton.” I really was sorry, although I wished in a way that he had never found out; I could see this was hurting him.
“It’s okay. I understand, honestly I do. I’m so sorry that all of this happened to you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you again, I promise.”
I smiled at his understanding, wondering again why on earth an incredible boy like him would want someone like me, who had so much baggage that I could barely carry it all. “The only thing that could hurt me now, Ashton, is you. I’ve given you the power to kill me and you don’t even know it.”
He laughed and laced his fingers through mine. “Then I guess you’ll always be safe because I will never hurt you, not ever,” he promised as he kissed me tenderly, making everything feel better in my world. He was so careful, always so gentle that it made my heart ache with love for him. I smiled and buried my head in his chest and felt a happy tear fall down my face. The reality that it really was over finally sank in, and I felt my tired muscles relax into his embrace. Everything was going to be fine from now on. Ashton loved me. The player had my name tattooed on his chest. He wanted me forever.
“I love you, Anna,” he murmured into my hair.
“I love you more, Ashton.”
I wrapped my arms around him and smiled against his neck, breathing him in. Now I was home. Lying in Ashton’s arms was how I wanted to spend every waking hour for the rest of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After a week of lying around in a hospital bed and being scolded by Ashton for overdoing it every hour of every day, I was finally discharged. The best thing about being discharged, as far as I could see, was that Ashton would finally get to sleep in a bed. He’d spent the week sleeping at my bedside in an uncomfortable chair because he didn’t want to leave me. The silly boy was suffering for his chivalry too because every morning, I watched as he stretched his bunched muscles and winced. He’d refused to share the hospital bed with me because he was frightened he’d roll on me and tear my stitches. I was looking forward to tonight as he could finally sleep in a bed and relax. That wasn’t happening at our apartment though; instead, we’d travelled to stay with my parents in Washington for a week at their request. Ashton had called his captain and had been signed off work for an extra week before he was expected to return to light duties, so the timing for being pampered by White House staff had worked out perfectly.
At dinnertime on our first night at the White House, I dressed in a plain, black T-shirt and baggy sweatpants. I’d become accustomed to wearing loose pants for the last week because I didn’t want a pair of jeans to rub on my stomach and make me sore again. Ashton, on the other hand, looked incredibly handsome in a pair of perfectly faded denim jeans and a dark green shirt.
He held his hand out to me at the door; I gripped it tightly, loving the feel of his skin on mine. “I feel a little underdressed tonight. You look so damn hot, and I look like a bag lady,” I admitted, scowling down at myself.
He sighed and hooked his finger under my chin, tilting my head up. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he promised, looking straight into my eyes. I smiled gratefully and, somehow, he managed to make all of my insecurities fade with that one intense look. His head dipped and his lips pressed against mine tenderly for a second before he took my hand and led me out of the room and down the hallway towards the dining room.
Instead of going in though, he stopped outside and looked down at me. He seemed a little nervous as he kicked his toes on the floor almost shyly. “Want to come for a walk with me before dinner?”
I frowned, confused. He’d been the one to agree to us eating with my parents tonight at eight o’clock, so why was he now suggesting a walk beforehand when he knew that would make us late? He never liked to be late, especially not if it meant keeping my dad waiting – he seemed to be making it his life’s mission to gain my dad’s approval.
“Um… sure, I guess,” I agreed hesitantly. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s a nice night, that’s all. Just figured we could get some fresh air.” He shook his head in answer, but he still looked like something was troubling him. His eyes were tighter than usual, his hand was gripping mine just slightly too tight to be natural. As he gave my hand a little tug and made me start walking again, I frowned at his back, letting him lead me along. Something was wrong. All day today he’d been a little distant and had kept walking out of the room to make phone calls. I’d put it down to the fact that we were travelling and so he was making arrangements with my guards and stuff. But was it more than that?
As we got to the side door, one of the staff opened the door and nodded in greeting. The cool air hit me in the face as we walked out of the house and down the steps. By day, the White House grounds were stunning, but by night they were spectacular. Little lights marked the edge of the path and illuminated the bushes and plants from underneath. The smell of the flowers was beautiful, almost as if it was artificial. Ashton walked along the path for a way before stepping over the little chain that lined the edge of it. He turned back to make sure I crossed it alright too. As he smiled, the stress on his face was easy to see. My insides clenched, wondering what on earth this was going to be about. I prayed with every bone in my body that he wasn’t bringing me out here to break up with me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, really anxious now.
“Of course,” he replied immediately.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked in the direction that we seemed to be heading. “So, where are we going?”
He chuckled, squeezing my hand gently. “Damn, you hate surprises so much,” he teased, shaking his head at me. Surprises? What does that mean? He sighed. “We’re not having dinner with your parents tonight,” he said quietly as we stopped next to a huge hedge.
I recoiled, shocked. He was the one who had agreed to it, he had even said how much he was looking forward to it.
His nervous smile widened as he stepped backwards, pulling me along with him around the corner of the hedge. My breathing faltered when I saw what he’d done. There was a picnic set up next to the large fountain that I knew was in the centre of the grounds. Little gas lanterns illuminated the scene, casting romantic shadows everywhere. I’d seen the fountain from my window last time I’d been here but had never bothered to venture out to it. It was incredible. Little cherubs and angels were all carved out of marble in the centre, and the water was lit from underneath, making it glow a pale blue.
Around the edges of the fountain stood bunches of a dozen white roses, probably about ten of them in total. There were rose petals scattered over the blanket and grass and it was a clear night, so all the stars were out. Everything was just perfect and incredibly romantic. Tears welled in my eyes because Ashton had gone to so much trouble, just for me.
“Ashton, this is beautiful! You expecting someone?” I joked, wiping the tear that fell from my eye.
He laughed and nodded towards the blanket that had cartons of food all laid out in the middle. “Sit down then, Baby Girl,” he instructed as he picked up a couple of plastic glasses and poured some juice out for us.
“What’s the occasion?” I asked, looking around at all the food that was here. Everything was my favourite: chicken; quiche; pasta; chocolate fudge cake; strawberries; peanut M&Ms; marshmallows and every other weird thing I liked.
He smiled. “No occasion, I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
There was still something up with him, his body was still tense so it couldn’t have just been the secret of the picnic that was troubling him. “But something’s wrong, I can tell. Can you just please tell me? You’re making me nervous.” I bit my lip, silently pleading with my eyes for him just to blurt it out and get it over with.
He sighed deeply, shaking his head. “Damn it, woman, I wanted to wait until after we’d eaten,” he scolded playfully.
I gulped, having no idea what he was talking about as he stood up and held his hand down to me. Hesitantly, I put my hand in his and pushed myself up awkwardly, wincing at the tug in my stomach as the wound protested against the movement.
When he shoved his hand in his pocket and then got down on one knee, my breath caught in my throat. The reason for his nervousness now hit me full force. It wasn’t something bad, he wasn’t going to break up with me and he hadn’t been transferred to some random place and didn’t want me to come. No, Ashton Taylor was about to propose to me again.
A little squeal left my lips as my free hand flew to my mouth, grinning behind my hand as he took a deep breath, clearly still nervous, and produced a little, black, leather ring box. He shifted awkwardly on his knee, obviously hurting himself because of his injuries, but it didn’t show on his face as he looked up at me. I could see the love and tenderness in his eyes, and my insides trembled with happiness at the sight of it.
“Annabelle Spencer, I fell in love with you the very first second I saw you. I would do anything for you; I’m going to love you until the day I die. Please will you make me the luckiest man in the world and marry me?” he asked, his voice sounding thick with emotion.
My eyes were blurry with happy tears as his words sank in. “Yes,” I managed to choke out.
His shoulders relaxed as his smile grew wider and his eyes twinkled with happiness. His hand left mine and he popped open the ring box, exposing the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life. “This was my mom’s engagement ring. It’s the only thing I have of hers. I’d love for you to have it, but if you’d rather me buy you something new instead, then I totally understand.”
His mother’s ring? I whimpered because of how special it was. Not only did I love it because it was a symbol of his love for me, I also loved it because he was giving me something that obviously meant a lot to him because he’d lost his mother so young. My heart swelled in my chest as my emotion threatened to bubble over and leave me a blubbering wreck.
“I love it,” I whispered. And I did. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, classy, not overstated, just perfect and something I would have chosen for myself. It was white gold, with three diamonds set into it – one bigger one in the centre and a smaller one either side.
“You do, honestly?”
I nodded, chewing on my lip, grinning down at him as I offered my shaky left hand to him. “It’s perfect. I’d love to wear it. Thank you.”
He grinned as he plucked the ring from the box before sliding it onto my finger. As he got to his feet again, he took my face in his hands and brushed my tears away with his thumbs. “Thank you, Baby Girl. I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy every day of your life,” he whispered against my lips just before he kissed me, stealing my breath and making my heart speed up uncontrollably.
I gulped. I just couldn’t speak. So much happiness was swelling inside me that I could barely cope with it all. It was too much. “I love you, Ashton Taylor,” I whispered, looking into his beautiful green eyes.
“And I love you, Annabelle Spencer.” He pulled me closer so that my body was pressed against his gently, as he ran his hands down my back with his forehead still pressed to mine. “I can’t believe you couldn’t wait though,” he said suddenly, shaking his head and laughing.
A blush heated my cheeks as I smiled apologetically. “You looked nervous; I thought it was something bad.”
He sighed. “Don’t assume the worst all the time. The worst is over. There are only good times for us now,” he said tenderly.
I smiled at his beautiful words. “Get that from a how to propose to a girl book?” I teased.
He nodded, smiling. “Yeah, you know I like those how to books,” he joked.
He pulled away and sat down, spreading his legs and patting the ground for me to sit between them. I sat obediently, leaning against him carefully because he was still covered in bruises. When his lips touched the back of my neck, I felt a little shiver of desire tickle down my spine.
I sighed contentedly and looked down at the ring that was now mine, tracing my thumb over the stones. “This ring is so beautiful,” I gushed. I’d never owned anything so special.
His arms wrapped around me so gently, it was as if he thought I was made of glass. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather me buy you something new? I have money saved,” he stated.
I shook my head adamantly and twisted so I could see him. “It means so much to me that you’ve given me your mom’s ring. Honestly, I feel so special.”
He grinned and kissed the tip of my nose. “You are special.” I chuckled and sat back down, reaching for two plates before scooping up a few M&Ms. “You do know that I won’t ever be able to give you everything you want, and I’ll never have the kind of money that your parents have, but I promise I’ll give you everything I can. I just hope it’s enough to make you happy,” he said quietly, sounding a little sad about it.
I turned to look at him and frowned. “You really think I care how much money you earn, or where we live, or what car we drive?” I asked. I was a little disappointed that he would think that of me.
“No, Baby Girl, I know you don’t. I just wish I could give you everything in the world,” he explained, his voice apologetic.
Now he was just being silly. “Ashton, all that stuff is nothing without this.” I pointed to his heart. “I don’t want anything else from you, apart from you to love me and be happy. I would live in a cardboard box with you, blissfully happy. It’d be a bit of a pain in the butt when it rained, but I’d do it,” I joked, trying to lighten his mood. It worked, he laughed.
“Right, I guess soggy cardboard walls wouldn’t be too good.”
I smiled, leaning in closer to him. “But I’d love that box if you came home to me safely every night. That’s the only thing I need from you,” I said honestly.
“Well then, that I can do,” he replied, smiling now.
I nodded, satisfied that he was happy, and then turned my attention back to the food that was laid out before me. “So, I guess I’ll be needing to find a new school soon,” I said casually, as I popped a couple of grapes into my mouth.
“A new school? Why’s that?” he asked, sounding confused.
“Well, I’m not staying at ASU if you’re in LA.” I frowned, horrified at the thought.
“LA? Where did that come from?”
“Well, you’ll go back to LA once your sick leave finishes. I figured you’d ask me to come…” I swallowed awkwardly as panic gripped my chest at the thought of being without him. Was he expecting us to have a long distance relationship until my schooling was finished? I couldn’t do that. “Oh God, you do want me to come, right?”
He scoffed and stroked the side of my face soothingly. “Anna, calm down! Jeez, I can almost hear your heart speeding up,” he scolded. “I’m not going to LA; I’ve asked your father to find me a position that’s closer to you. He’s found me a great placement in Arizona so I’ll still get to live with you while you’re at school, just like I always planned.”
He was staying with me? But what about his friends? His dream job? “Ashton, no! I’ll come to LA with you. Your friends are there, you’ve been living your dream job; I can’t take that away from you. I can’t ask you to give up your life for me,” I argued desperately.
He smiled. “You’re my life, Baby Girl, and there’s no way I’m giving you up,” he smiled at me wickedly.
My heart melted into a puddle. He truly was incredible. “But I have nothing tying me to ASU,” I countered, trying not to think of the friends I’d made, or the year I was almost through this time, or the way that people treated me like I was a normal person even though my father was the President. I didn’t care about any of that; I just wanted him to be happy.
“Anna, it’s done. I want to stay with you and I want you to finish your course with people that have been good friends with you since before your father’s election,” he said seriously
.
“You really are the sweetest, most thoughtful, romantic, special boy in the world.” I looked at him in awe. I had never met anyone like him in my life, and I was honestly the luckiest girl alive to have him love me like he did.
He laughed. “Boy? Baby, I’m all man,” he corrected, faking hurt.
Jeez, don’t I know it! Damn badass! “Oh no, you’ll always be my Pretty Boy,” I teased.
“Oh yeah? Even when I’m old, wrinkly and grey?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah. You’ll always be pretty to me,” I promised, stroking his bruised face lovingly, tracing the lines and bruises carefully before pressing my lips against his. He kissed me back with so much love and passion that if I had been standing, it would have knocked me clean off my feet. I closed my eyes, and all I could think about was how this boy was mine, how he wanted to be with me forever and how he was my perfect other half.
For ages, we just lay on the blanket that was sprinkled with rose petals, looking at the stars, holding hands. Nothing needed to be said. Everything was perfect and incredible, and I knew that with Ashton at my side, it always would be.
Epilogue
~ Ashton ~
Anna had been named sole beneficiary of Carter Thomas’ will. He left everything to her – his cars, houses, money, and shares. Of course, the police knew that it was all obtained through illegal means, so they petitioned the courts to impound it. However, to be able to confiscate the money, they had to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the money had been obtained by breaking the law. The trouble was that Carter was incredibly proficient at covering his tracks.
It took over three years for them to build their case and prove the money had been made through illegal businesses. Just over a half of it was confiscated by the state; the rest had been laundered again and again to make it appear clean even though everyone knew that it wasn’t. Anna was, therefore, issued just over twenty-nine million dollars of Carter’s money.