Accidental Meeting (Accidental Hook-Up 3)

“I would also like to thank Shane Valentine.” I find him in the crowd and grin. “He has always been there for me, and he’s made my life amazing. You might have heard the headlines about us, but you don’t know the truth. You don’t know how amazing he is to me; how wonderful our love story is. He makes my life incredible.”

I had more to say but my eyes are filling with tears. Emotion is getting the better of me and I need to get off this stage before I completely humiliate myself. To my man, with my award…

Chapter Twenty-Eight – Shane

Eighteen months later…

“Are you ready for this?” Mom asks me as she glances her eyes around the room. “It looks nice.”

“You think?” My eyes run critically over everything. “Are you sure it’s okay? I want it to be perfect.”

Mom wraps one arm around my waist a grins. “I know you do, but it is perfect. You have it under control.”

I breathe deeply, trying to keep myself calm, but I can’t. Nerves are getting the fucking better of me, this is the most scared that I’ve ever been about anything. It doesn’t help that I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, I think that’s freaking me out more than anything else. My control freak side needs to be certain.

The dining room looks like a scene from a movie. That’s just how I wanted it to be. Flowers everywhere and candles flickering, hearts decorating the walls, romance screaming everywhere.

“You’re going to be fine,” Dad calls from the kitchen. “Especially since I have cooked the best meal ever.”

I still can’t believe that Dad has cooked. I could have done it myself but I didn’t have the time. It gave him the chance to show off a skill that I didn’t even know that he had. He got so buried in his life of crime that I think he forgot about everything else. Mom is dragging the best side of him which just shows how perfect they are for each other. I think that’s what Tia does for me too. I hope I do the same for her too.

“Thanks, Dad, I appreciate it a lot. It smells delicious.” I turn to Mom too and smile gratefully at her. “And thanks for all the help decorating the room. It means a lot to me.”

“That’s okay. I just want it to be perfect for you. I know how much this means to you.”

“Yeah, me too. What do you think she’s going to do? Do you think she will say yes?”

“Yes, of course I do. You two are so perfect together it just makes sense.” Mom narrows her eyes at me. “Why? What are you worried about? You have that anxious look in your eyes.”

It’s strange that she knows me so well now, after all those years of us having nothing to do with one another. I guess it’s because we’re so much alike. Nature really has won out here. Plus, we’re spending a lot of time together, trying to make up for all the missed years, which is awesome as well.

“Yeah, I guess I’m just worried that she’s going to freak out about her family. It isn’t so much about her saying yes, I do think that she will want to marry me, I’m just concerned that she’ll be upset about losing them more.”

I met her family and friends from back home only once last year, and it’s safe to say that it didn’t go well. It wasn’t so much that they didn’t like me - I don’t think - it was clear that none of them approve of the direction of her life. Just like she told me. They want her back home marrying a nice guy from where she lives.

I don’t think they like how confident she’s become as well. She isn’t the same girl who I first met, never mind the person who left that town. I can understand their struggles.

“Tia is a very strong person,” Mom reminds me. “She has carved out her own life. She will chase her own happiness in whatever way possible. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

“I hope so.” I gulp down the thick ball of emotion that lodges in my throat.

“Right, your dad and I need to go.” Mom moves towards the kitchen and gets Dad’s attention. “Tia will be home from work soon and you don’t want the two of us cramping your style.”

I hug them both and send them on their way, admiring the easy way that they are just so easily together now. It’s so natural, it seems strange that there was ever a time they weren’t together.

Once they finally go, I wander around the room, making sure everything is perfect, then I bound up the stairs and put on my favorite suite. The ring is in the pocket and I check it yet again, just like I have done every single day since I brought the ring. I needed the day to be right though, and the timing now feels perfect.