Straight To You: A Novella (Taking Chances Series Book 1) (13 page)

“I guess I should be happy my mistake led to your happiness. I really am glad you’re happy.”

“Thanks, Derrick.”

The doorbell rang again, and they heard Ben call out from the other room, “I’ll get it.”

A moment later he stuck his head in the living room. “Okay, this night is getting more interesting by the minute. Ash, there’s someone else here for you.”

Ashlynn stood up with a puzzled look on her face. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked into the front hallway and stopped in her tracks. The man before her was the very person she wanted to see. “Jeremy! What are you doing here?”

Jeremy’s blue eyes were dark with worry. “I missed your phone call. I called you back a couple of times, but you didn’t answer. Then I called the store to see if you were there, but Zoe said you had the night off. I was worried when I couldn’t reach you. Are you okay?”

Her face brightened at the sight of him. “I’m good, actually great now that you’re here. I didn’t mean to worry you. I left my phone upstairs so I didn’t hear it ring. I was going to call you again after …” Her voice trailed off when Derrick entered the hall. She saw Jeremy’s jaw tighten. “Jeremy, this is Derrick. He just dropped by. Derrick, this is my boyfriend, Jeremy.”

Derrick ducked his head as he hurried toward the front door. “I was just on my way out. Nice to meet you. I’ll see you around, Ashlynn.”

“Thanks again for the flowers,” she called out as she closed the door behind him. She turned to face Jeremy. “You’re probably wondering who that was.”

“You read my mind.”

“Remember the guy I told you about who broke up with me the day we met? That was him.”

“Alright. But that doesn’t explain what he was doing here.”

“He came to apologize for ending things on a bad note. And to ask for another chance.”

“I see. I appreciate the first part, not so much the second.”

“Don’t worry, Jeremy, I told him I was taken.” She stepped closer to him. “I was also going to tell him before you showed up that I care about my boyfriend very much and I’m so sorry I shut him out this past week.” She reached out and took his hand. “I missed you so much.”

Relief crossed his face. “I’ve missed you, too.” Jeremy pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.

She breathed in the familiar, masculine scent of him, one she had missed for too long. She closed her eyes and exhaled. “Can we talk?”

“Of course. I’ve been waiting to talk to you.”

They headed to the living room and sat down.

“Let me start first,” Ashlynn said with a coy smile. “Thank you for your letter. I finally found it today.”

“Today? No wonder it took you so long.” He had been trying to be patient about giving Ashlynn time and space to think. But in all honesty, if she hadn’t contacted him in another day, he would have reached out to her first. “I’m glad you decided to call. Judging by what Zoe told me though, I should have called you sooner.”

“What did she say?”

“That Mopey and Dopey had made their appearances already and she was waiting for the other five dwarves to show up. And Prince Charming had better make things right with his princess or else she would have to dig up her slippers … or was it sneakers? She lost me on that last bit.”

Ashlynn laughed. “Stilettos maybe? It’s a long story.” Her expression suddenly grew serious. “You know what, I’ve had it wrong all this time. I got so caught up with fairy tales and armor and horses that I forgot the most important part of the story - the knight’s heart. It’s not what the armor looks like, but what lies beneath it.” She paused her rambling when she noticed the confused look on Jeremy’s face.

“I don’t think I follow. Are you talking about a new Disney movie?”

“Nevermind all that,” she answered with a grin. “All you need to know is that I love you. I love and accept every part of you.”

“Are you sure about this? About us?”

“Yes, I’m sure now.” She looked at him with hopeful eyes. “There was a time after my parents died when I really doubted God and started questioning whether He had the best in store for me. I didn’t see how anything good could come my way after losing the two people in the world that I loved the most. But I’m finally seeing that He does work everything together for good. I just had to learn to hold His hand and walk through the darkness and trust that He knew where we were going. And He brought me to
you
. The more I get to know you, the more I see of your heart. And it’s like seeing a piece of God’s heart for me. I know without a doubt that He has the best in mind for me.”

Jeremy’s face broke into a wide smile. Ashlynn’s words meant the world to him. He knew what he wanted and needed to do in that moment. “I have something for you. Hold on a minute.” He went out to his car and returned with a black case. He took a guitar from the case and placed the strap over his shoulder.

Ashlynn looked up in surprise. Had Jeremy picked up a new hobby? “When did you learn to play the guitar?”

“This past week. Bobby lent it to me and taught me some chords. The rest I learned on the web.” He took out several pages of sheet music and lay them on the table. His pulse quickened as his nerves took over, but one look at Ashlynn calmed his heart. Her eyes were so kind and accepting that he immediately felt at ease. He began strumming some chords slowly as he tapped the rhythm out with his foot. “I’m sure you’ll recognize this song.”

A slow smile spread over Ashlynn’s face as she heard the familiar tune of
God Bless the Broken Road
. She watched Jeremy as he sang and was moved by the depth of emotion that poured out on his face. When he finished, she held him in a long embrace. Ashlynn couldn’t believe how well this song suited them. She could see it now, could understand the plan God had laid out for their lives. “That was beautiful. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Jeremy set the guitar down on the floor next to him. He took out a small black velvet box from his jacket pocket and swallowed slowly. He had been holding onto the box every day this week, hoping he would still have a chance to give it to Ashlynn. He turned to her, his throat suddenly dry. He hadn’t planned for things to happen this way, but he had never been so sure of anything in his life. He didn’t want to lose another minute. He knelt down by the couch and faced her. “Ashlynn...”

Ashlynn’s eyes grew round as she began to realize what was about to take place. Her heart began pounding in anticipation.

“Ash, I wasted so much time trying to find my way to you. I didn’t know how lost I would get in the process, but somehow God was gracious enough to redirect me. And I am grateful every day that the broken road I was on led me straight to you. What we have is amazing, beyond anything I could have imagined. You love and accept me and believe in me so deeply.”

Ashlynn held her breath as she listened. The sheen on his bright eyes caused a tear to fall from hers.

“I spent this week pleading with God. Each day that passed reaffirmed how much richer my life has been with you in it, and how much I would be losing if I lost you. I don’t want to live a day longer in uncertainty. I want to spend the rest of my days with you, loving you as best as I can. Ashlynn Joy Peters, will you marry me?” Jeremy opened the box to reveal a one carat diamond set in a platinum band laid out with smaller diamonds. The band began as two separate ones, overlapping one another before melding together near the bottom to form a singular path. It symbolized so perfectly how the two roads of their lives had converged into one.

Ashlynn blinked her eyes several times.
This is really happening!
Since she was a little girl, she had dreamed about the day of her proposal, but reality was even sweeter than her imagination. Here was a man who desired her and treasured her beyond himself. She choked back emotions of disbelief and awe as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes traveled from the ring to Jeremy’s face and she felt her heart soar to new heights of joy. “Yes. Yes!”

Jeremy took the ring and placed it on her finger. The stone sparkled and shone as brightly as their faces. “Thank you. You’ve made me the happiest man on earth.” He cupped her chin with his hand and kissed her lips gently. They embraced and sat together savoring the moment.

Ashlynn’s head spun with a dozen questions.
Engaged, we’re engaged?
She looked Jeremy in the eyes and grinned. “This ring is beautiful. How … when …?

Jeremy chuckled at her dazed look. “I surprised you, didn’t I?”

“Surprised is putting it mildly. When did you plan this?”

“Our last night in Boston.”

“Wait, the night we had the big blowup and I told you I needed some space?”

“Yes, that night. You know the next morning when I went out with Chris to shoot some hoops? We made a detour to the jewelry store. I’ve been holding onto the ring ever since and praying you’d give me a chance to give it to you. I was going to plan something more elaborate, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. I hope this is okay.”

“It’s more than okay. It’s amazing. Of all the days for you to propose, you couldn’t have picked a better day. Today is my parents’ anniversary. For the past ten years it’s been the worst day of the year for me. But you’ve given it a new meaning and a new memory. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“Now it makes sense why Ben said you might cry more than usual if I proposed on January 3rd. I assumed they would be happy tears.”

“You assumed right. So you talked to Ben about this? When did that happen?”

“Remember that very important call I had to take at the airport? I had texted Ben and asked him to call me as soon as he could. I probably should have clarified that important didn’t mean an emergency. It took me a couple of minutes to calm him down and reassure him everything was okay and you were safe. Then he got worked up again when he figured out the reason I was calling. But no worries, both he and Melanie gave their blessings.”

“You survived his interrogation, did you?”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I have my ways of convincing people.”

Ashlynn thought for a moment. “And a lot of confidence, too. You bought a ring, then learned how to play the guitar even when you didn’t know for sure when I’d talk to you again. How did you know I would come around?”

“I didn’t know for sure, but I was willing to take my chances. I wasn’t ready to give up on us. If anything, I was more motivated than ever to show you I was serious about you, about us.” Jeremy tipped her chin up with his index finger. “And I remembered what someone very wise once told me. Everyone deserves a happy ending. I just kept hoping for mine.”

“Sounds like you’re becoming quite the romantic, Jeremy Adams.”

“You’ve convinced me. I can’t help but be changed by you.”

“What can I say?” Ashlynn beamed. “I’m kind of irresistible.”

FIFTEEN

Ashlynn stared at the ring on her left hand. It still felt so new and somewhat foreign even though she was often reminded of its presence when the diamond snagged on her clothing. In fact, the stone had created a small hole along the hem of the white draped cardigan she wore today. But in all honesty, she didn’t mind. Not one bit.

“You’re blinding me, girl!” Zoe called out as she walked into the store. “We’re going to have to start handing out shades to all the customers.”

Ashlynn laughed. “I’m still getting used to it myself.”

“If it’s too heavy or bulky, I’d be happy to take it off your hands. The ring of course, not Jeremy.”

“No, thank you. You’ll just have to work on getting one for yourself.”

“Yeah right.” She raised one eyebrow. “So, did you guys set a date for the wedding?”

“Yes, July 7th. I’ll be done with school by then so we can go on our honeymoon without lugging a ton of textbooks along. And Jeremy thought it was important to have a date that’s easy to remember. He doesn’t want to take any chances he might forget our anniversary.” A smile of amusement lit up Ashlynn’s face.

“Oh, he’s smart, too? Now why can’t I find a guy like that?”

“Hey,” Ashlynn said as her eyes widened, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier. Jeremy’s got a friend from work who’s really nice
and
smart. Bobby’s a lawyer. He’s going to be in the wedding party, too. And I heard he has a thing for redheads.” Ashlynn rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I can see it now … you guys will meet, it’ll be love at first sight. You’ll dance together all night long and when I throw the bouquet, you’ll be the one to catch it and-”

“We’ll ride off into the sunrise, get married, and have a dozen ginger kids,” Zoe finished with a smirk. “I appreciate your wishful thinking, Fairy Godmother, but let’s focus on one fairy tale at a time. There’s a lot to be done before the wedding, like planning for your bridal shower.”

“Alright, fine. I did tell Melanie you would be getting in touch with her about that.”

“Great, I can’t wait to get started. I have all sorts of ideas that I found on the Internet.”

“Um, none of them involve anything embarrassing, right?”

“Embarrassing, no. Fun and sexy, yes.” She grinned in response to Ashlynn’s uneasy expression. “Oh hey, speaking of sexy, I have something for you.” She handed Ashlynn a brown paper bag. “You can think of it as educational material for your wedding night. Don’t worry, I did my research and got you something kosher.” She waved her hand around. “I made sure to stay away from any of that kinky stuff.”

Ashlynn pulled out a thick paperback book with a red cover. “A Celebration of Sex, by Douglas Rosenau.” She flipped through the pages and sensed her cheeks grow warm. “Whoa, there are diagrams?”

“Yep, a picture speaks a thousand words. And those pictures scream
hot
a thousand times over!” She wiggled a purple painted fingernail at her. “Don’t tell me you’re not curious about doing the deed. You might be inexperienced, but I bet there’s a little tiger in you just waiting to get out.”

“A kitty cat’s more like it,” she replied with a small smile. The truth was that she had been thinking about the wedding night ever since Jeremy proposed. She felt both excited and anxious at the thought of giving herself to him. Maybe reading the book would ease her nerves and answer some of the questions on her mind. “Of course I’m curious, it’s like I’m finally going to eat this dessert that I’ve heard is so amazing.” Ashlynn swallowed hard. She closed the book firmly and held it to her chest. She tried to sound nonchalant, but her hazel eyes sparkled with interest. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was your first time like?”