Spiked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #6) - Toni Aleo Page 0,100
tucking it back into his pocket. “Stella, being dumb.”
I bring in my brows. “Huh?”
He shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Tell me.”
He meets my gaze, and his lip quirks at the side. “Don’t laugh at me.”
I shake my head. “I will not promise that.”
“Then I’m not telling you.”
I scrunch up my face, thinking really hard if I can contain myself. Usually if he says that, I can’t. “Fine.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
He lets out an embarrassed laugh, and then his eyes capture mine. “We sat in the car before we went into the mall, looking for songs to send you.”
There is no laughter in me. Mainly because my heart has exploded. “Really?”
“Really, and it was so silly because nothing felt right. And then the one that did, I felt I wasn’t ready to give you.”
“Aw, what song?”
He gives me a look. “I’m not telling you.”
“Why?”
“I might use it later,” he says, eyeing me through his long lashes. “But she was texting me another song that she says ‘fits us perfectly.’”
“Which one?”
“Again, not telling you. I haven’t heard it, and I want to listen to it first.”
“So rude,” I complain, and he winks.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
His words are more a promise than anything, and that excites me more than it should. Our entrees are brought out, and we dig in. We eat off each other’s plates, and the conversation is so easy. So us. I very much skirt around the edges of where I sent my resumes, and he says every sweet thing in the book, except the three words I’m dying for. He finishes before I do, and when the waitress takes his plate, I send him a forgiving smile.
“I’m getting full, but my mom didn’t raise a quitter,” I admit, and he laughs.
“It’s fine. Take a break.”
“So supportive,” I say as he grins. I lean back in the chair, thankful that my dress gives the food baby growing in my gut some room. I feel him watching me, and I look over, shrugging. “What?”
“I’ve got something else for you.”
I arch a brow. “What? Why? Asher, you’ve given me so much tonight. It’s really the perfect night.”
He swallows as he opens his jacket and pulls out a little box. “I want you to know how I feel about you.”
My heart actually stops as he places the little mahogany box in front of me. I look from it to him and then back down to it. I feel my heart kick back up and start to pounding. “What is this?”
“Open it.”
I look back at him. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
He scoffs. “I’m glad I’m not because you would have ruined it.”
That takes a bit of the pressure off. Kinda. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t understand what?”
“What this is,” I explain, and he looks at me blankly.
“Then open it.”
I’m almost afraid to. With a shaky hand and my heart pounding in my ears, I slowly open the box to the most stunning diamond duet I’ve ever seen. And holy hell, the diamonds are huge. I cover my mouth as I look back at him. “Did you just get paid?”
He laughs loudly, his whole body moving with the action as I glance back down at the box. “Do you like it?” he asks, and I feel the tears in my eyes as I reach for the ring. It’s a gorgeous white-gold band holding one emerald-cut diamond and a square-shaped one. The space between the diamonds is so unique. I slowly slide it onto my right ring finger since hopefully, one day, he’ll give me something for the left. Though this ring looks like it belongs on the left. I hold out my hand to take in the gorgeousness he’s just given me, but he takes my hand in his, nodding.
“Perfection. I knew it was made for you.”
Breathless, I fight back tears. “This is too much.”
“No, you deserve it,” he says softly. “And I want you to know, Ally, despite this space, nothing can keep us apart, because like this band, something will always hold us to each other.”
My lip wobbles as he traces his thumb along the band and diamonds, his eyes never leaving mine. He’s so proud of himself, and it fills me with such unbelievable love. “You’ve been working on that since you got the ring, huh?”
“Yup, a lot of thought went into it. Stella and Emery weren’t impressed,” he admits as a tear rolls down my cheek.
My voice breaks as I say, “Well, I am thoroughly impressed.”