Girls all around me start to gather and swoon as Alex motions with his head for me to come to him.
Slowly, I force my feet to work and walk around the bar. As soon as I get close enough to Alex, he stands up and grabs my face, singing to me without any music from his guitar.
“When you kiss me on that midnight street. Sweep me off my feet . . .”
Singing, he presses his forehead to mine and starts rubbing his thumbs over my face, wiping my tears away. I start to cry more as he swings his guitar behind him and wraps his arms around me, moving us both to the music.
“Is this really happening? Alex . . .” I whisper into his chest.
I can’t believe this is happening right now. I feel as if any second now I’m going to wake up from this perfect moment and be standing here in this stupid bar, wishing that I were with Alex.
He whispers the last word to the song, before cupping my face and pressing his lips to mine. His kiss is so intense . . . so desperate and full of need that I almost die right here in his perfect arms: the perfect kiss of death.
His breath fans against my lips when he pulls away. “I love you, Tripp. I’m so fucking in love with you that I need you to breathe. I’ve been in love with you since the first day we met and every day with you only makes me love you more and realize that I never want to go another day without you. You are and will always be the best thing in my life and I promise to never let you forget that. I need to know that you love me too.” He pulls my chin up and looks me in the eyes, before whispering,” Do you?”
My eyes search his and I forget how to speak as he watches me, waiting for an answer. My grip on him tightens as I finally get my mouth to work. “You have no idea. I love you so much that I can’t even breathe right now.” I hold a shaky hand up. “I’m shaking right now because I never thought this day would come. You’re my best friend and my whole world. I never want to lose you. I can’t lose you. I need to know that I never will.”
He tangles his hands into the back of my hair and moves his body into mine. “You will never lose me, Tripp. I just need to know one thing?” He runs his thumb over my bottom lip, taking my breath away. “Can I keep you? I don’t just mean for today or for a week or a month. I need to know that I can keep you forever. I need you to be my something for the pain for the rest of my life.”
He surprises me by dropping down to one knee and pulling a ring out of his pocket. “Tripp Hazel Daniels, will you be my wife? I want to marry you and make you smile every day for the rest of my life. I can’t imagine a life without you and I definitely don’t want to imagine your life without me in it. Say yes . . .” He whispers the last part and that’s when I lose it.
I drop down to my knees in front of him and place a hand over my mouth as the sobs start to escape. “Yes. Yes, Alex. A million times . . . yes! Every day for the rest of my life . . . yes.” I nod my head continuously as the tears run down my face, soaking the front of my shirt.
I can barely even see the ring when Alex slips it on my finger, and I truly don’t care. It could be a vending machine ring for all I care. All that matters to me is spending the rest of my life with my best friend: my future husband.
The bar erupts into cheers when Alex pulls me into his arms and kisses me. I can hear Harley happily crying above us and jumping around in excitement.
“Can I take you home? I’ve missed you so damn much.”
I nod my head and laugh through the tears. “Yes, please. I need to get out of here.”
“Good.” Alex pulls me up to my feet and sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, biting it playfully, before releasing it. “Because I have eight days to make up to my fiancé.” He smiles big, flashing his dimples. “Fuuck . . . I love the way that sounds.”
I throw my arms around him and kiss him so hard that he almost falls backward into the bar. He grabs the back of my neck and smiles when we break the kiss. “Damn, baby. Now I really can’t wait to get you home.”
Harley throws her arms around me the second that she sees an opening. “I knew it!” She squeals. “I so knew it. Now get out of here. It’s slow enough now. Dax can fuck off.”
“I love you,” I say thankfully. “Thank you, Harley.”
Grabbing me by the back of the neck, Alex pulls me in for a long kiss, before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the bar.
I can’t stop smiling as I look at our hands entwined together. Everything about it just feels so right.
“I love it too,” Alex says, pulling our hands up to kiss mine. “So get used to this; every fucking day. I am your man and I promise you I will show you that in every possible way.”
“You’re perfect, Alex. Seriously perfect,” I admit.
Alex pins me against his truck and spreads my legs with his thigh, making me straddle it. “I’m only perfect with you, babe.” He kisses me soft and deep, before stopping and smiling against my lips. “I love you, Firecracker.”
I moan as he pushes his thigh further between my legs, breathing heavily against my lips. “I love you.” I lean my head back. “So damn much.”
Alex removes his thigh from between my legs and smiles. “I’m going to love hearing that for the rest of my life.” He bites his bottom lip seductively. “I want to get you home, but we have a stop to make first. I’ll explain on the way.”
Grabbing my ass, he helps me into his truck and rushes over to the other side. He starts his truck and hands me my phone. “Why don’t you give Tara a call and tell her we’re on the way.”
I swallow hard, beginning to worry that something bad happened, but knowing Alex, he would be freaking out a lot more than he is if it had. It instantly calms me, letting me know that everything will be okay.
Alex always makes everything okay, and now I have the chance to show him that for the rest of my life. Tripp Carter . . . I love the sound of that, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
Eight months later . . .
TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY AND all I want to do is get out of this shop, away from Ace and Styles’ annoying asses, and spend the night with my wife. I just got done with my last appointment for the day and I can’t deny that I rushed my way through it, being careful not to fuck up James’ back piece in the process. He picked a shitty day to set an appointment anyway.
“Damn, birthday boy in a hurry today or what?” Styles jumps up to sit on the desk, watching me as I throw my leather jacket on. “Where you going anyway? No more appointments today?”
I grin at him as I reach for my keys. “Monty’s. I’m meeting Tripp, Lyric, and Memphis for dinner and then I’m taking my wife home to pamper the shit out of her. I canceled my last appointment.” I spin my keys around my finger. “That woman loves me, man. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. So yeah . . . I’m in a hurry. Everything else can wait.”
Styles crosses his arms over his chest and looks over at Ace as he pops his head out of his room.
“Happy birthday, fucker.” Ace shouts, before slapping the door and disappearing.
I turn to leave, giving Styles a quick head nod. “I’m out, man. Tell Ace I said to fuck off and have a good day.”
“Alright, dude. Eat some good shit for me. I’m starving and there isn’t shit for food around here. I need a nice, fat, juicy burger right now. That or some hot chick to walk through that door and that doesn’t happen much these days since you scared them all away with that wedding ring.”
“Yeah . . .” I nod my head and reach for the door. “Good luck, man.”
Before Styles can hold me back any longer, I rush out the door and jog over to my truck, hopping inside to head to Monty’s.
It’s been eight months since I’ve asked Tripp to marry me, and three months since I’ve been able to call her my wife. Everything has changed since that day and I wouldn’t go back to my old life for anything.
Styles and Ace may not be too excited about the lack of girls at the shop since I’ve been wearing this ring, but I haven’t ever been happier in my entire life, and I make sure to tell them that daily when their asses are moping around complaining.
Since we got married Tripp and I have been going through the process of buying a house together, and we’re supposed to hear word any day now. I’m hoping that Tripp will have some good news for me tonight at dinner. That shit would make my birthday complete.
I pull up outside of Monty’s and practically jump out of my truck before I can even pull the keys out. It’s been seven hours since I have tasted Tripp’s lips, and right now that’s the only thing I’m hungry for.
When I walk inside, I spot Tripp sitting across a table from my brother and Lyric. Memphis notices me first, whistling and yelling. “Over here, birthday boy.”
I see Tripp twisting her wedding ring on her finger when I approach, but she quickly stops and jumps up to give me a kiss. “Happy birthday, stud.”
I grab her face and kiss her harder when she tries taking a seat. “I don’t think so, baby.” I run my thumb over her lips and bite my own. “I haven’t tasted those sweet lips all day. Come here.”
She smiles against my lips as I kiss her for a third time. “I missed you too,” she says, knowingly.