I make a face. “I thought you were paying for these?” When Aaron glances between us, she giggles. “I’m joking, dude,” I reassure him.
It’s pretty obvious he’s tired of our shit.
“So, Disney World?”
“No, I have other plans for our big life moments.”
“Life ruiner.”
I laugh as Aaron wipes down the finished product. Ally’s phone chimes all of a sudden, and she looks at me, and I look at her phone. I fully expect her to open the new email since that’s what that notification means. But instead, she hands her phone to the artist. “Can you take a picture of us?”
“For sure,” he agrees, and as I wanted, when we put our wrists together, it’s perfect. I never thought, all those years ago, one day I would be telling her I loved her through a can on a string, but here we are. I lean in, kissing her just as the dude takes another picture.
When we part, her eyes are hooded as she whispers, “I love you, Ash B.”
“I love you, Ally T.”
She kisses me again, and when he hands her back her phone, I hold my breath. She opens her mail and looks up at me. “It’s them.” I’m still holding my breath as she opens it. When the brightest, most gorgeous smile fills her beautiful face, I exhale gratefully. “I got it.”
“Of course you did!”
She jumps up and down until I catch her, lifting her up into my arms. “I can still come back and help with the volleyball team.”
“Yup!”
“And we don’t have to move!”
“I know. Best part.”
She snorts. “And we’ll still be with our families.”
“That’s good too, but we’ll need to stay clear of the girls.”
Her laughter tickles my stomach as she wraps her arms and legs around me. I hold her close, kissing her neck and her jaw. “I’m so proud of you,” I say, kissing her once more. “You finished what you started, and now you’ll have the job you want.”
“And I have you.”
I kiss her neck. “I mean, like Chandler, you’re winning at life.”
She laughs loudly, and I nuzzle my nose in her neck. My heart is exploding for her, and everything seems just right. Perfect, even. “Hey, Ally.” She pulls her head up, cupping my face. “Since you got the job, you wanna do me a favor?”
“Sure,” she says brightly, so giddy.
“Move your ring to your left hand.”
It takes only a split second for it to click, but unlike the reaction I thought I was going to get, she brings in her brows. “And if I had chosen Vancouver?”
I keep my face hard as stone as I say, “I would have asked for it back.” She smacks me hard in the chest, and I laugh loudly, holding her closer. I nip at her nose as she glares up at me. “I kid! I kid!”
She somehow gets out of my arms, smacking me again. “You’re such a brat! And your other plan was asking me in a tattoo shop?”
I grab her hand, pulling her to me as I laugh. She comes into my chest, her eyes burning into mine as I hold her hand, slowly sliding the ring off her finger. “Yes, because I have planned this,” I say as I transfer it to her other hand. “Because every day, I can’t believe this is real. That you’re mine.”
“Oh, Ash.” Her lip starts to wobble as her eyes fill with tears. “I am.”
“I know, and I swear, I’m still scared out of my mind…that this is all a dream.”
Her brows are basically touching. “I thought you were going to say something else.”