Unexpected Chance (17 page)

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ava’s hand wipe a tear from her cheek. Chloe reaches for her hand, and it’s as if it’s her hand in mine. I can feel their happiness for me. I never dreamed that happiness of this level would ever fill my heart.

I look back to Aiden, and he’s only a few inches from me now. His eyes are dancing with fire behind his thick, black rimmed glasses, and his hair, oh my God, his hair looks so amazing in the warm, cool breeze. Forget George Clooney and David Beckham. He has hair like . . . Who has better hair than them? Shit, I can’t even think right now. Aiden’s head cocks to the side as he searches my eyes.

“Do you have your phone? I left mine at the house,” he teases, breaking the tension, putting a smile on my face. My right hand comes to my mouth to stop the ugly cry mouth look that I’m sure is going on right now. “You saw that this morning, didn’t you?” he questions.

I nod my head with a smile as his thumb comes to my left cheek and wipes away the tears.

“Come on, already. My kids want to go see the dolphins,” Asher calls from the crowd.

Aiden chuckles, and then shakes his head back and forth. I stand on my tip toes and look around Aiden at his family. Chloe gives me a wink and a smile, then nods her head at Aiden.

I look back at Aiden again and it hits me. In the blink of an eye, this man came into my life outside of a bar, that I was literally being thrown out of. He caught not only me, but my heart, and he’s standing in front of me, smiling, with sexy ass hair, wearing a tux and his heart on his sleeve, with love in his eyes and he’s about to propose. Let me say that again so it registers. Aiden Wellington is about to propose to me. To me! Either that or they’re all doing some weird flash mob thing. And really, that’d be kind of cruel, because this really feels more like a proposal kind of thing than a flash mob kind of thing.

“Savvy, I didn’t understand why I never had anyone in my life. I honestly thought there was something wrong with me. But when those words,
she’s with me,
came out of my mouth, I just knew. I knew right then and there why there was never anyone in my life. There was no one in my life because I was waiting for that exact moment in time, for you. I was waiting for my soulmate to fall into my arms. That day I knew that what I had was something so special, so perfect, and that I was never going to let it go. I was never going to let
you
go. Then I thought I lost you. My God, I’ve never been so scared in my life. Savvy, I love you with all of my heart and soul. In front of my family, these strangers, and these meerkats, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

I giggle and think just how perfect this day is. I never want to forget it. I never want to forget a second of this day, for as long as I live. I thought last night was the best moment, the best feeling in my life. Aiden keeps proving me wrong by making the next day even better. I close my eyes and tip my head to the sky and smile. The bright sun warms my face, the gentle breeze tickles my cheeks, the hush whispers of the crowd, Aiden’s warm hands in mine, I take it all in. I open my eyes and look to the meerkats. Even they’re standing at attention with all eyes on me.

“Savvy,” Aiden whispers squeezing my hand.

My eyes come back to Aiden. He lets go of my right hand, he gently takes my casted left hand in his, and gets down on one knee. I think I just stopped breathing. He reaches inside his tux jacket and pulls out an orange velvet box and cracks it open. The crack of that box felt like thunder in my soul. I don’t care if it’s a ring made out of weeds, I don’t even look at it. All I can do is look into the eyes of the man that I love, the man that loves me, too.

“Savannah Russell, will you do me the greatest honor? Will you marry me?” he asks.

My life, and the shit that I’ve lived through, flicker through my memory like a vile odor at lightning speed. But at the last memory, I see my mother standing there with a proud smile on her face. All the bad memories clear and are replaced with all the happy new ones that Aiden and this family has placed in my life.

“Girl, he’s an old man. You better answer him before his knee cap crushes,” Amelia shouts.

The crowd laughs, then someone yells, “Say yes.”

“Yes,” I say, shaking my head up and down.

Aiden stands up, scoops me off the ground, wraps me in his arms and twirls me around. The crowd cheers, then his family rushes around us. With my head buried in Aiden’s neck, I feel someone touch my arm. I look down and see Chloe. This woman showed up in my bar out of the blue, depressed and completely dead inside. She has been a constant in life ever since, and she was the beginning to my Cinderella story. Never think that your life is such shit that you can’t show kindness to another soul. You always have something good to offer, even if it’s a club soda and a smile. I reach for her hand. She takes it with a squeeze. Tears pour down my cheeks onto Aiden’s tux. He sets me down, pulls away, and looks into my eyes. I grab his cheeks and smoosh my lips onto his.

“Honey, you need to get a look at this ring!” Willow adamantly says with wide eyes.

Aiden holds the box up between us. I just don’t know if I can look. It’s too much, it’s just so much good, it’s all just too perfect. He takes the ring out of the box, gently takes my left hand, and slips the cool metal band on my finger.

“Look at it, honey,” Chloe insists.

I don’t know why something so little is giving me such anxiety. I know I said I didn’t care if it was a weed, and I don’t. I’m the happiest woman on the planet right this second and I don’t need an engagement ring at all. It’s dumb, but I feel it calling to me, to look at it.

Aiden’s thumb brushes over the ring, then he nods his head at me. I look down between the two of us, and just like I knew it would be, it’s absolutely perfect. It’s so perfect that I can’t control the tears spilling down my face. I’m having this inner conflict that something so perfect shouldn’t be meant for me. I’ve always told myself that I’m not even worth that lipstick they put on a pig. But that’s all in the past, this is my new life, this is my shining moment. This zoo, the people that I’m surrounded by, the meerkats, it’s my Cinderella moment, and it’s really happening, it’s meant only for me.

The platinum band is dripping with diamonds down each side, and set in the center is a beautiful, radiant, large orange sapphire. I’ve always admired each of the girls’ engagement and wedding bands. But this ring, oh my, this ring had to have been made just for me. It’s breathtaking.

“It’s beautiful, Aiden. I love it, and I love you,” I say, and throw myself into his arms.

Aiden backs slightly away, smiles that sizzling smile, then kisses me on the lips.

“Mommy, can we go see the animals now?” Noah asks Amelia.

“Yes, honey, we can go now,” Amelia says. “Congratulations you two, we’ll see you two at dinner tonight,” she continues.

Everyone says their goodbyes and they each head in different directions. The crowd starts to thin out as Aiden and I stay wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Are you happy?” Aiden asks, taking my hand once again.

“Happy?” I ask. If I were any happier I think I’d self-combust and explode all over the meerkats.

“Yeah, happy. Are you happy?” he asks, nodding his head.

I never saw it before and now I understand what Willow was talking about at the bar that one night. The way Aiden is looking at me right now, I see it. I’ve never seen anyone look at me this way. If you could put the meaning of the word love into a look on someone’s face, that’s exactly what’s looking back at me right now.

“Is there a word that comes after happy?” I ask seriously.

“You mean like, ever after?” he answers, confused.

“No. Like a word that’s a million times happier than happy, because that’s what I’m feeling right now. I don’t think there’s a word in the English dictionary for what I’m feeling.”

“I’m good with that,” Aiden answers with a nod. He takes my right hand, threads it in his, then we start walking back toward the entrance of the zoo.

I look at my orange casted left hand with my awesome, beautiful orange engagement ring on it, and I can’t help it. Fresh tears slide down my cheeks, which is dumb because I’m happy, not sad. I did learn in class that the human body can take only so much of a certain emotion, whether it’s happy or sad. That the response to too much happiness is to cry, that that’s the normal response. It’s normal, but incredibly dumb.

Aiden scoops me off my feet, brings my lips to his, then carries me the rest of the way out of the zoo. He doesn’t put me down until we reach his car. He sets my ass on the hood of his car, places both hands on the sides of my face and looks into my eyes. His lips slowly come to mine, they’re warm and taste salty from my tears. He pulls away, takes my hand, walks me to the passenger side of the car and opens the door for me.

“Now home to rest before dinner tonight,” he says, swooping his hand in a get in the car motion.

“But, I’m . . .”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. You’ve had a big day. Let me have this last day before you’re back to school and work to pamper you.”

Well, why yes, it was very nice staying in bed all last night watching movies snuggled up with Aiden. The only time I got out of bed was to pee. And I think if Aiden could have made it possible for him to do that for me too, he would have. Eww, that’s gross, even for my strange brain to think.

“Alright, but I’m off the hook once we get to dinner tonight?” I say as sort of a question.

“You’ve got a deal,” he says, nodding his head.

The drive back to his house . . . Well, I guess it is sort of our house now, right? But the drive seems so much more colorful than it did on the way here.

I’m engaged.

I’m freaking engaged!

I’m freaking engaged to the most handsome, pure of heart, best man in the whole world. My mom would have really loved Aiden, I just know it. I can’t help but stare at my ring. It sparkles in the sunlight and I can’t help the huge smile on my face. If I didn’t think it was rude, I’d bring my ring right up to my eyeballs just so I could inspect every beautiful millimeter of it. I wiggle my fingers back and forth just to make it sparkle in the sunlight.

We pull into the garage, and the sight of all the boxes and furniture from the storage unit puts another smile on my face. Man, my face has never hurt so much from smiling before. I can’t wait to go through all of these boxes. At the storage unit, it seemed like everything I saw brought back another old memory that I had forgotten.

Aiden walks me down the hall into our bedroom. He sits me on the bed, gets down on his knees, gently takes my casted left hand, and kisses my ring. He reaches for my shoes and takes them off. Standing up, he lifts my legs, then swings me around so I’m lying down. He then tucks me into bed like I’m a human burrito. With a kiss on the forehead, he leaves the room. As soon as he’s out of the room, I un-burrito myself, strip out of my clothes, and slip between the cool, crisp sheets naked, just the way I like it. I bring my ring to my face, sink my teeth in my lip with a smile, and drift off to sleep.

Chapter 11

Aiden

Savvy’s been napping for about an hour, and just like the last time, I stand over her and watch her sleep. I can’t help the love bursting from my chest. I slip into bed beside her on my stomach, up on my elbows, and just stare at her. She’s lying on her back, her eyelashes flutter on her cheekbones, and her left arm is again resting on a pillow. I almost hate to have to wake her up. Just above her forearm where her cast ends, I trail feather light kisses up to the bend in her elbow. Continuing farther up the inside of her arm, her beautiful, sultry, green eyes come to mine. I freeze in place. Her lips tip up into that sly, sexy smile, which makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. That smile right there is the smile I plan on putting on her face multiple times a day for the rest of her life. She tilts her body and rests on her left side. Her warm, soft hand comes to my cheek. She rubs her thumb back and forth on the stubble on my cheek, then slides down to my neck.

I slowly pull the sheet down her body and discover her completely naked. As my fingers trail down her body, so do my lips. Flipping the sheet off completely, I turn her back over on her back and straddle her sexy, naked body. Her hands go to my upper thighs, then trail up to my chest, then down to the hem of my shirt. She lifts my shirt and palms my abs upwards, taking my shirt with it. I take it the rest of the way up and off over my head. Her nails dig into my abs and rake down my body. She reaches for the button on my pants and fumbles with it with her cast. I put my hands over hers, then remove them. I set her left wrist back on the pillow it was resting on.

Her bottom lip goes between her teeth. I bend down and take it with a kiss. Sitting up, I reach for my button and zipper, and slowly undo my pants. Her eyes fill with lust. Getting up on my knees, I pull my pants and my boxers down to the center of my ass. She partially sits up, then places her fingertips at my waist between my skin and boxers. I remove her left hand and place it back on the pillow, then shake my head at her. Her bottom lip juts out and she pouts. I point at her left hand silently telling her to leave it there. I take her right hand, bring it to my lips and kiss her fingertips. Her pout turns into a smile, then she runs her hand down my abs. Her right hand continues downward and runs around my back, then down to my ass. I pull her close to me, bend down and take her lips in another kiss. I thread my hands in her hair as her hand squeezes my ass cheek. I lay her down and nuzzle my nose under her chin, then kiss down her neck. Kissing down the peak of her neck, her legs desperately try to move my pants down my legs. I lay to the side of her and remove my pants, throwing them on the floor.

Coming back up to her mouth, I thrust my tongue in her mouth, then trail back down her neck over to her nipple, then down her left side. Coming across her belly button, I glide my tongue down nibbling along the way until I hit my target. She moans as I place her left leg over my shoulder. I push her right thigh upward, massaging her leg. I insert two fingers as she inhales a breath and her body writhes with pleasure.