Wheels of Fire

Fuck proposing at dinner, I have a better idea.

“Let’s grab tickets for this,” I suggest.

She barely glances at the brochure I hand her before agreeing. “That sounds like fun.”

I hope she says yes to my proposal as easily.

They hand us thin blue plastic ponchos as we board the boat. One of the guides actually recognizes us and thoroughly shakes my hand.

“Wow. Big fan. I caught your show down in Union. It was so dope.”

“No kidding. You drove all the way down there?”

“Hell yeah, Vicious Vandals with Kickstart? No question. You’re my top two favorite bands of all time.”

“Thank you.” Sometimes, I still feel so new at this, a statement like that is hard to process.

He points to the left. “If you go to the back of the boat, you’ll actually have a better view of the falls when we turn around.” He nods at Mallory. “If it’s too much, you can avoid the spray inside but still have a good view inside too.”

“Thank you.”

His gaze slides to Mallory and back to me. “So are you still friends with Andrew Lane? Like you guys hang out together and stuff?”

“Yeah. Well, we just got off tour and I went home to visit my folks but, we’ll hang out back in L.A.” Andrew’s like lint. I can’t brush him off no matter how hard I try.

“That’s so cool.” He bobs his head up and down. “I hope you guys tour together again.”

I’m saved from answering by the guy’s boss yelling at him to keep the line moving. Mallory and I duck and race for the back of the boat.

The boat hasn’t left yet but a fine coating of mist sticks to us. I help Mallory into her poncho and brush her hair off her already damp cheeks. “You don’t get seasick, do you?”

Her nervous gaze studies the water. “Why? Is it that rough?”

“It might get choppier as we approach the falls.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I slip my poncho on and hold my arms out to show it off to her. “What do you think?”

“Still a badass rock star, even in blue see-through plastic.”

“Excellent.” I lean down and kiss droplets of water from the tip of her nose.

The gentle rumble of the boat’s engine increases and few minutes later, the whole thing lurches away from the dock. Mallory grabs the railing with both hands. I brace myself behind her body to protect her from the jerkiest movements. “I’ve got you.”

We’re instantly drenched. Water splashes up and over the railing. Mallory yelps and inhales a mouthful.

“Yuck.” She sputters and spits it out, shaking her head.

Shit. There’s no way I can propose out here. One of us will end up flying overboard.

“Do you want to go inside?”

She looks longingly at the indoor area and back to the water. We’ll have the best view of the falls when the boat makes its turn and we head back. But we should still be able to see from inside. Hell, if not I’ll just take her for another ride tomorrow.

My proposal can’t wait another second.

Mallory

Soaked and shivering, Chaser leads me inside. We still have a clear view of the surrounding falls and it’s easier to hear the announcer inside. I’m still worried I’m ruining the experience for Chaser.

He tugs on my hand and I turn away from the falls to find him with one knee against the ship’s wet, rusty floor.

“Chaser? Are you okay? Did you slip?”

He shakes his head and fumbles a small blue, velvet box out of his inside jacket pocket.

My heart thumps. My body trembles. This can’t be…

Chaser wraps his fingers around my left hand and stares up at me, so much love shining in his eyes.

“Mallory, you make me a better person.”

“What are you doing?”

He answers with a half-smile. “Even when I screw up you love me and help put me back on the right path. I want to travel down every path with you by my side for the rest of my life. Every second we’re apart, I want to be by your side. I love everything about you—your voice, your kindness…” He squeezes his eyes shut for a brief second before asking, “Will you marry me?”

Tears stream down my face and my throat closes, cutting off the yes that I want to shout at the top of my lungs. Frantically, I nod my head up and down while thrusting my hand in his face. “Yes,” I whisper in an excited rush. “Yes, yes, yes!”

He fumbles with the box for a moment, then grins at me. He lifts his chin. “I wanted to do it out there when we were under the falls, but I was afraid the ring might pop out of my hand and into the water or we’d go flying overboard.”

“Good call.” Wild laughter spills out of me and then dies in my throat when I finally take in the ring. “Oh my God, Chaser. It’s so beautiful! It’s Princess Diana’s ring!”

“Not exactly,” he says, slipping it on my finger. “It’s square, not oval.” He winks. “I wanted it to be unique to my princess.”

“It’s beautiful.” A halo of tiny diamonds sparkle around a large, square cut cornflower blue sapphire. “I love it so much.”

Cheers and clapping explode around us and we both look around.

“Kiss her!” someone shouts.

My cheeks heat up and my gaze shoots to Chaser, who stands and pulls me into his arms. He tips his head down, studying my face for a moment. “You gonna be my wife?”

“Only if you’re my husband.”

“Perfect,” he murmurs, closing the distance between our lips.

The burning heat in his eyes is more than arousal. It’s a vow.

“I will love, protect, and cherish you until I die, Mallory,” he whispers before brushing his lips against mine.

I wrap my arms around his neck. Our slick, plastic ponchos crinkle and slide together—an obstacle to getting as close to him as possible. Finally, he pulls back.

Nervous from all the inquiring stares, I lead him to one of the benches up front.

“When did you?” I hold my hand out, wiggling my fingers in front of me. “Did you find it while you were on tour?”

“Nope. Put a deposit on it last time we were home. Picked it up the night before we left.”

“Oh my God.” Wild laughter spills from my lips followed by shame. “Chaser,” I whisper.

“You thought I was running off to get high, didn’t you?” His gentle question doesn’t hold any judgment.

“Maybe a little…”

He cups my cheek and touches his forehead to mine. “I don’t blame you. And I’m sorry you ever had to worry about that.”

“When do you want to get married? Where?”

Instead of excitement, sadness darkens his expression. “When I get back from the next tour. It’ll give you some time to plan everything the way you want it.”

“I don’t care about anything except you.” I pause to reconsider. “Barefoot on the beach?”

“I like that idea.” His mouth flattens into a serious line. “Before we return to L.A., we need to tell your father we’re engaged.”

The rebellious woman inside me who ran off to Hollywood shakes her fists in the air. “Why? So he can give us his blessing? I don’t need or want it, Chaser.”

“I’m not asking him anything. No one’s stopping us from getting married,” he declares in a defiant tone that actually puts me at ease. “But he’s going to be my father-in-law for the rest of my life. I want to do my part to start off on the right foot. That means I need to show him some respect.” Chaser pauses and seems to reconsider his declaration. “Even if it’s not the kind of respect he demands.”

As much as he jokes about being a biker-rock star-bum, Chaser has more honor and courage than any of the men who work for my father. If he can set aside his prejudice long enough to see who Chaser is, he’ll be proud to have him for a son-in-law.

“He’s not exactly in a position to make demands,” I point out.

“No.” His mouth quirks. “He?

?s not. Lucky for me.”