Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

With my lips by her ear, I whisper, “You know we’re about to do it all night, right?”

She pulls back and nods. “Oh, totally.”

I kiss her nose, and she laughs as she leans into me. I feel our parents staring at us, but I really don’t care. I only care about making this girl feel loved.

“So, what a year it has been for you two so far,” Elli says, and I look over at her. “Getting together.”

“Hiding it,” Mom adds.

Dad nods. “And then breaking up—”

Shelli holds up her finger. “I wouldn’t say breaking up. It was just an epic fight.”

“But you said we were done,” I remind her, and she shrugs.

“Technicality.”

I laugh as Dad shakes his head. “Epic fight that led to one over-the-top and completely disgustingly sappy song performed by you.”

Shea laughs. “Which then led to one amazing run that brought the Cup back to Nashville,” he says, and we all cheer as if we’re still at the Stanley Cup parade in Nashville.

“More really disgustingly sappy acts of love all over social media with the Cup,” Dad adds, and we all laugh.

“Hey, you said we had nothing to hide.”

Mom sets me with a look. “We didn’t mean post pictures of you with your hands on her ass in her barely there bikini.”

I look down at Shelli. “I love that bikini.”

She nods. “So do I.”

“I don’t. Not at all,” Shea says, and I snort as Shelli rolls her eyes.

It’s obvious our parents do not love Shelli’s choice of swimwear, but with a grin, Elli says, “And then after moving back to New York, you put on one hell of a show after saying you would never go back onstage. How does it feel?”

Shelli’s eyes meet mine, and I lose all sense of time. “It feels perfect.”

I kiss her nose as Shea asks, “What’s next?”

“I think I hear wedding bells!” Elli gushes, and Mom bounces beside her.

“Could you imagine how awesome that wedding would be!”

Shelli laughs in my arms, shaking her head. “We’re supposed to say Disney World!” she gushes, but our moms shake their heads.

“A wedding at Disney World?”

“We’re hardly thinking of—” Her words drop off when she meets my gaze. She narrows her eyes as she searches my face. “Wait. Do you hear them?”

I shrug. “I wouldn’t hate being married to you,” I tease, and she looks surprised by that.

“You’re kidding. After all this time, when you wouldn’t even admit to loving me, now you want to marry me?”

I just smile. “It wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Come on.”

“What? Seriously.”

“Really?”

I nod, and then I get out of my chair as I feel my heart jump up and down in my throat. “Really.”

I then fall to one knee while reaching for the ring in my pocket. My mom wanted me to get a box, but we both know it’s not from a store. Shelli’s hands come up to her mouth as she gasps loudly. I don’t have to look at my parents and hers to know the cameras are out or even that Amelia is on FaceTime so she doesn’t miss this. With shaky hands, I hold up the four-carat heart-shaped single diamond that’s set in a band engraved with “I love you and you love me.” I’m proud to give her this ring; it’s special to me. It was the start of my parents’ happiness, and now it will be ours.

She looks around and shakes her head. “That was all a setup?”

Our parents nod, and Amelia is already crying. “Yup. We planned this in June.”

“June?”

“Yup. June 22, the day I met with everyone—our parents and our siblings—to ask if everyone was good with us getting married.”

Tears flood her eyes. “Really?”

“Oh, hell yeah,” I say, and then I clear my throat free of the emotion trying to choke me. “I knew the moment I said I loved you that I was going to marry you. If I fell for you, even with never having wanted that at all, it meant you were special. Perfect, even. You challenge me, you support me, you make me laugh, and you love me. I can’t even begin to thank you for how much you’ve added to and changed my life. I love that we are each other’s first love, but I want you to be my only.”

Shelli lets out a sob as the tears stream down her sweet cheeks.

Damn it, I am too manly to cry right now. “I love you, Shelli Grace Adler, and I want to love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

She doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes,” she cries, and just like that, my life is complete.

With a shaking hand, I put the ring on her finger before standing and wrapping her up in my arms, lifting her out of her seat. Her lips press to mine, as do her tears to my cheeks, and damn it, I won’t cry. Okay, I might be crying. But in a manly way. When we part, we’re both wiping each other’s eyes, but I don’t care. This is perfect.