Anywhere With You (27 page)

The tattoo seemed to sooth something in Allison. Maybe she feels like Gran and her words will now always be a part of her, but once we leave the tattoo parlor my girl is back to normal. She is laughing and dancing in the street with Hailey and I feel like I can breathe again. I hated seeing her in so much pain and not be able to do a fucking thing to make it better.

The rest of our stay is an absolute blast. During the day we hang out at the cabin, lounge around the pool and play in the game room. At night we hit up the club scene in Gatlinburg, there is only one club, but the girls want to dance, so we danced. We laugh, dance and drink the night away. We close down the club and continue our bash in the hot tub back at the cabin. Aiden and I also brought our guitars along so we play and sing while the girls dance around the fire and sing along with us. When the day is done and we all retreat to our rooms and I make love to Allison.
Best. Trip. Ever
.

Back home after the Gatlinburg trip, life is good. Allison is still sad at times, but her tattoo seems to help her in the grieving process. The draft is a few weeks away and I have her engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket, or Aiden’s drawer rather. Aiden and I have talked a lot about how and when. I didn’t want to do it while she was still obviously mourning Gran, but now she’s doing better. She is the old Allison so I need to get my shit in gear and plan how I am going to ask her to be my forever. I decide that I definitely want to do it before the draft. I need assurance that no matter where I get drafted, if I do actually make the draft, that she will be with me.

Aiden and I are in meetings upon meetings with our coach and agents.
I have a fucking agent!
This
is taking up a lot of our time, so taking Allison away for a night, even to the beach house isn’t in the cards. I have to improvise with a romantic setting at the apartment. I know that I will
need help, more than just from Aiden so I call in reinforcements, mom and Hailey. After swearing Hales to secrecy, I am able to tell them my plan and what I will need from them to pull it off. It is the week before the draft and I am running out of time. I am a nervous wreck for a multitude of reasons. Mom and Hailey are of course on board and over the moon that I am asking Allison to marry me. Neither one of them were surprised that I already had the ring, they were however surprised that it’s been almost five months and I still hadn’t found the right time to ask her. I explain about not wanting to ask her too soon after Gran, because she was mourning. I want her to remember this as a happy time in our lives. A day that we can tell our kids about, when we are old and gray. I know, I know, totally losing the man card, but love does that to you.

It’s Thursday, the day before the NFL draft is to begin. Today is also the day that will determine my future even more so than the draft. With Allison’s schedule and mine, tonight is the only night that I can get her in the apartment alone. Hailey’s job is to take her out shopping and keep her away until seven o’clock. Mom who also brought dad with her, Aiden and I get to work on the apartment. We re-arranged the living room furniture so that all the furniture is pressed against the wall. We throw scarfs over the lamps to dim the lighting and place extra-large throw pillows, that mom picked up on the floor for Allison and I to sit on. The kitchen is transformed to resemble a romantic restaurant with table cloth, candles and daisies. Everything is perfect so I say goodbye to my family as I rush through a shower. I dress in a pair of well-worn jeans and a plain white t-shirt. This is me and I want her to just see me tonight, just Liam the one who is madly in love with her.

My phone beeps and I quickly read the text.

Hailey:
We just pulled in, good luck big bro

Me:
K. Thx

Game time and this is the biggest play yet. My nerves hit me hard and I feel flutters in my stomach.
Oh shit! What if she says no?
Just as I am about to break out into full blown panic mode, I hear the handle on the door turn. I walk to the door to great her and as soon as I see her, my fears disappear. I love this girl and I know she feels the same.

I lean in to kiss her lips. I am afraid to get too close, afraid that she will feel her rock in my pocket. “Hey beautiful,” I take her bags and her purse and lay them down on the couch that is pushed next to the wall.

“Hey, what’s all this?”

“This is me, having a romantic night with my girl. I’ve missed you. Things have been crazy and with the draft starting tomorrow, I just need Allison time. You keep me calm.” That is the truth even though I’m leaving out the proposal. “Come on, I conned mom into cooking for us. I wanted tonight to be special so I didn’t even attempt to do it on my own.” At that, she laughs.

I lead her into the kitchen and she gasps. “Liam, this is beautiful. I can’t believe that you did all of this.”

Kissing her cheek I pull out her chair. “You my, beautiful girl, deserve to be romanced.”

I serve us both lasagna and a bowl of salad and place the bread sticks on the table. I sit down in the chair that is setting intimately next to hers. While we eat she talks about her day with Hailey and I admit that I asked Hales to keep her out of the apartment so that I could set all this up. We decide to wait on dessert so I lead her into the living room and we sit down on the pillows in the middle of the floor. This is it, I reach for my guitar.

She smiles brightly, “You’re going to play for me?”

I return her smile, even though my insides are shaking. “Yeah, I thought I would play something if that’s okay?”

She nods so I strum a few cords on my guitar before I begin to play “I Live My Life For You” by Lifehouse. I belt out the lyrics begging her to understand what she means to me. Once I finish the song I stand and lean my guitar against the wall. I walk back to Allison and offer her my hand and tug her up with me. I gently wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.

“Allison, before you came crashing into my life I thought I knew what happiness was. I didn’t think that I needed love or someone by my side to share my moments with. Since meeting you I have realized the moments are just that unless you share them with someone you love, that makes them memories. Memories filled with love, passion, sadness, laughs and tears.” I take a deep breath. “You my, beautiful girl, have captivated my heart and soul. You are my best friend and I live my life for you. I don’t want to live without you entwined in every aspect of my life. I love you.” With that, I get down on one knee and pull the ring out of my pocket. “Allison Shay Hagan, you are the air I breathe and blood in my veins. Will you be my forever, will you marry me?”

I can feel the crocodile tears rolling down my cheeks and I am unable to contain the smile that I know is cast upon my face. I don’t need to think about the answer as Gran’s words flash through my mind
. “Let him love you, Allie.” “Live and Love Fearless.”
I launch myself into his arms and crash my lips to his, kissing him with all the love inside of me. He pulls away and
I groan in protest.
I bury my face in his neck breathing him in. Liam clears his throat.

“Um, is that a yes?” his voice is thick with emotion.

I lean back and grab his face with my hands, “That is a hell yes!” I crash my lips to his opening my mouth inviting him in. When we finally have to come up for air, Liam grabs my hand and slides the most beautiful ring I have ever seen into place. I look up at him and then back to the ring “Liam, it’s beautiful.”

Smiling, “That’s what Gran said when I showed it to her.”

I snap my head back to look at him. “W … What do you mean, when you showed it to her?”

“I bought the ring before Christmas. I showed it to Gran while we were there and asked her permission to ask you to be my wife. I had no idea that …” he trails off not wanting to finish his sentence.

“She knew,” I whisper.

“She’s here with you, beautiful girl. She held the ring and said that it was perfect for you. Aiden has been hiding it, because I was afraid that you would find it in our room. I was just waiting for the right time to ask you. I knew it was you that I wanted months ago, I just wanted the timing to be right.”

I have so many emotions running through me. I am elated that Liam wants to spend the rest of his life with me. It’s official, we’re getting married. I am stunned that he has been holding onto the ring for months. I can’t even describe what I’m feeling, knowing that Gran saw my ring and she knew that Liam was my forever. I am sad for the fact that Gran is not physically here to see me marry the love of my life. Liam says that she’s here with us and I have to believe that he is right. That she is here, watching over us.

Standing on my tip toes, I press my lips to his. “I love you, Liam MacCoy,” I speak softly against his lips.

“I love you too, future Mrs. MacCoy.”

Liam’s cell phone rings and he groans. He snatches it of the table that he has pushed next to the wall. “Somebody better be bleeding,” he snarls, and I smack him on the arm. He gives me a look letting me know he is not impressed with the caller.

I can hear Hailey on the other end asking if he has asked me yet, before he can reply I pull the phone out of his hands. “I cannot believe that you kept this from me!” I tell her.

The reply that I get is, “What did you say, please tell me you said yes?”

“Of course I said yes!” Screaming commenced on the other end of the line and I have to pull the phone away from my ear.

Grinning, he takes it back from me and hangs up, not even bothering to tell her goodbye. “I should have known better than to answer.” He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses my ring.

“It’s beautiful.” I meet his gaze. “We’re getting married.”

“Hell yes we are, but first I am going to make love to my fiancé, then we are going to have dessert, then I am going to make love to my fiancé again, and then we need to get some rest because tomorrow will determine our future.”

“You should have waited to propose, I don’t want this to take away from your excitement of the draft, you have worked hard to get where you are.”

“Baby, I needed to know before I walk in there tomorrow that no matter what happens, you are with me forever and always. I don’t care what team drafts me, hell if I don’t get drafted so be it. The only thing that matters to me is that I know that you, my beautiful girl, are my future no matter what the outcome may be.”

Again with the damn tears.
“I love you.” I hug him tight.

“And I love you, so much.”

I woke up this morning tangled up with my fiancé. She was sleeping peacefully in our mess of tangled limbs, her head resting on my chest. I kept her up later than I should have, but I couldn’t help it. Making love to her knowing that she had agreed to marry me, well let’s just say once wasn’t enough. This girl has changed me. I think back to the first time I saw her and I think that deep down I knew then that she was the game changer, although it took me weeks to admit it. Today is the big day, the NFL draft starts. Aiden and I are both rumored to be first round picks our agents say it’s a done deal. A year ago that was all I cared about. I would have been a nervous wreck going into this, but now holding this beautiful girl in my arms … I’m not nervous, don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted this since I was old enough to hold a football, but holding her is more important. I know that I have a good education to fall back on and either way I will be able to provide for her. Granted, if I’m drafted I can not only take care of her but spoil her to the degree of obscenity. However, I know that’s not what she wants or needs, she just wants me and that is what keeps me calm. I know that wherever we end up, she will be there by my side.

I am startled out of my memory when I hear Allison saying my name, “Liam.” Damn even her voice pulls me into her.

“Yeah, babe?”

“Your dad wants to know if you need anything, they are going to get drinks.”

I look to my dad who is grinning like he knows what I was thinking about. “No, thanks,” I say as I lace my fingers with Allison’s.