Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

My cheeks flame. What the fuck is going on?

Their circle gets bigger until it’s just me and Slade in the middle, me gaping as he drops down to one knee.

The whole crowd gasps, realizing they’re about to witness something incredible.

He’s not seriously proposing to me on live TV, is he? Shay and Ben are going to be at home shitting their pants. Not to mention Daniella and Slade’s little sisters. They would be losing their minds. Daniella must think he knocked me up.

A spotlight shines down on Slade and with the lights of the arena out and complete silence, it feels as though it’s only the two of us.

I walk toward him, stopping just before him and grinning at the way he’s nearly my height, even down on one knee.

I place my hands on his shoulders, watching the way his eyes dance with delight. He’s teasing me. He knows how much I detest being on display, but he also knows that there would be no better way to do this.

My thumbs stretch out over his shoulders as his eyes soften, ready to get serious.

“Virago, you have been my whole world since the day you first walked the halls of Aston Creek High. You came in cocky and far too sure of yourself and not a goddamn thing has changed. We went through hell together and I hate that you had it so much worse, but you came out the other end being the incredible, strong, and compassionate woman you are today.”

My eyes grow watery as I hear Nessa and Luce up in the stands blubbering like babies. Slade reaches up and takes my hand from his shoulder, holding it firmly between his own. “You’re everything to me. I fell in love with you the second I laid my eyes on you and every single day since I fall a little bit more. I never want that feeling to end.”

I lean into him. “Are you sure?”

Slade grins, his eyes sparkling with emotion. “I’m so damn sure, baby,” he tells me, bringing his hand up to show me a little black velvet box with a shitload of diamonds shining up at me. No ring, just a big diamond swimming in a sea of other various sized diamonds. “I want to marry you, Skylah. I want to wake up every day and be able to call you my wife, I want to live my life with you by my side, I want to watch your tummy grow with our babies and watch those babies grow and call you mommy. I want it all with you.

“You’ve been such an inspiration to the rest of the world with your shelters and the way you’ve helped abused and battered women, but you haven’t just been inspiring to them, you’ve inspired me every single day to be a better man. Every day I wake up wondering what more I can do, how to better myself, and how to love you more than I did the day before, but that one comes so damn easy. I can’t be without you, Virago. So, what do you say? Will you put on a white dress and let me marry you?”

Tears fall over my eyes as I look down at him. My words get all choked up and all I’m able to do is nod.

Slade grins wide, quickly closing the box of diamonds before rushing to his feet and scooping me up in the process. The stands around us erupt into cheers and applause as Slade’s lips crush down on mine.

He kisses me deeply, giving me the absolute world.

I feel completely overjoyed. What could possibly be better than this?

Slade pulls back as my legs dangle below and I find myself grinning like a fool as his teammates jump around us, trying to congratulate their friend. I meet his eyes and laugh as the emotions get too much for me to handle. “Was it just me or was there no ring in that box?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. No ring,” he tells me before explaining himself. “I wanted to get a huge fucking rock. One that would weigh your whole hand down so every dickhead who walked past you would know you were married to the biggest mother-fucker in the game but Blake vetoed it. He said you’d never actually wear it, and he’s right. I should have known.”

I nod in agreement. “I don’t need a big ring for the world to know I’m with you,” I tell him with a seductive smirk. “They just need to see the constant satisfaction on my face.”

Slade’s lips pull up at the side, his eyes hooded and filled with a cheeky darkness that promises I’ll be more than satisfied when we get home tonight. “You’re right,” he tells me. “So, I made an appointment with the jeweler for tomorrow and you can tell him exactly what you want, that way when you look down at your hand, you’ll see what we created, not what someone else determined that you’ll wear.”