Cursive - By Phoebe Lane Page 0,107

and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you, too," she said and felt some of her nerves vanish.

"All right, you two," Lana said, joining them at the table. "Leave all cutesy stuff for later. We have a book signing to—" She stopped mid-sentence and reached down to grab Aislynn’s hand to inspect the diamond sitting on her left ring finger. "What is this? Damn it, Ellie, you’re supposed to keep me updated about these things!"

Aislynn laughed and relived in her mind all the details of the day Jace had asked her to marry him.

"Good morning, babydoc," Jace had whispered. Aislynn had rolled over in bed and smiled when she met his eyes. "I know your brain doesn’t work well this early in the morning, but I need to talk to you about something. Meet me in the kitchen after your shower? I’ll have coffee ready."

"What’s wrong?" she had said, rising up on her elbows.

"Nothing’s wrong. I’ll be outside."

"Okay," Aislynn had said, getting up from bed, and realizing she was still naked from the night before.

"Are you and your brain awake yet?" he had asked when she joined him at dining room table.

"Yes, we are," Aislynn had answered, sitting on his lap instead of a chair.

"No, you’re not," he had said, turning his attention back to the news he was reading on his tablet, a huge amused smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Umm. Maybe later, when you’re fully awake," he had said as he snaked his arms around her waist and playfully snuggled his face in her cleavage.

"I told you; I’m awake," she had said with a roll of her eyes.

"No, you’re not."

"Argh, you’re so infuriating! Good thing you’re hot and amazing in bed, or I might want to kick your ass all the time."

"I will never get tired of hearing you say that, by the way. But for the record, I hope you won’t want to kick my ass today," he had said, clearly emphasizing the last word.

"You’re being more cryptic than the series finale of Lost. What’s going on?"

"Nothing," he had said, shaking his head. "Can you please pass the sugar?"

It had been then, when Aislynn reached over the table with her hand, that she had finally noticed it. The diamond sitting on her left ring finger sparkled in the light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them, reflecting a prism of colors on her white robe.

A gasp had escaped Aislynn’s mouth and her eyes had filled with tears, making them sparkle almost as much as the ring did.

"You’ve been wearing it since last night," he had said, nervous laughter in his voice. Aislynn’s eyes moved several times from her hand to him as the first tear ran down her face. "I took the liberty of putting that ring on your finger while you slept, but I don’t mean to presume you’ll agree to marry me, although I really, really, really hope you will," he had said softly.

"People spend a lifetime trying to find things that make them happy, surround themselves with people who bring out the best in them. I had no idea the moment I walked into that apartment with Ellie that I would find the person I didn’t know I was looking for…and that, of all things, that person would be a Rangers fan. I mean, what are the odds?"

Aislynn had laughed between tears, and Jace had continued, "When I close my eyes and think about my future, all I see is you. You’re in every chapter. I want to travel the world with you, I want to make you watch the last three Star Wars movies before you turn twenty-nine plus twenty, I want to watch you eat maple syrup-covered bacon for breakfast, and I want to proudly wear that reproductively-challenged T-shirt with you. You’re it for me, Aislynn. Will you please marry me?"

Aislynn had put her arms around his neck and cried, all the while whispering "yes" over and over in his ear.

"Can we get married soon? Like, really soon? No big fanfare, just us and your family?"

"Only if you say yes again," he had whispered.

"Yes. I’ll forever say yes."

"A few more weeks till the wedding and then a month in Australia," Jace said, bringing her back to the present.

"Oh, congratulations you guys," Lana said, hugging them both. "Well, then, since we’re breaking news here, I think this might be a great time for me to show you something. I