For the Love of Ash (48 page)

Luke didn't come back until after second period was over. And when he came back, he didn't come up to me. He walked past where I was sitting on the bleachers and into the penalty box. His siblings were behind him.
 

"We have a special second period announcement. The owner of Larken Arena is here!" the main announcer yelled though the microphone. I stared, squinting my eyes as I tried to figure out what was going on.
 

Luke, Lilly, and Liam walked onto the ice and faced us in the bleachers. Luke stared up at me, holding eye contact. I cocked my head to the side. He had some elaborate plan; that much I knew.
 

"Before I make my announcement, I have some friends who want to speak up first." Luke handed the microphone over to Lindsay.
 

"Luke is a great brother and friend. I love him for his generosity, his loyalty, his willingness to do whatever is needed. He loves with his whole heart. He's been hurt, you know that. But he loves you and because of that, I love you. And you love him. There's so much love between all of us. So that's why you should marry my brother."
 

All at once, everyone's eyes darted to me. I stood up and clutched my chest. My eyes started to burn as I refused to blink. What was happening? Was this real? Lindsay handed the mic over to Lilly.
 

"Lukey Pukey can be super annoying, moody, and a jerk. Sometimes he forces me to stay home. Or he'll make us do homework on a Saturday. But he's less of a jerk when you're around. You should marry my brother because he's happy when he's with you. And when he's happy, we're all happy." Lilly's words made my tears fully spill over and dampen my gray shirt. I covered my mouth with my hands. Lilly handed the microphone to Liam.

"Luke has saved me in so many ways. But there's a part of Luke that needed to be saved. I see that because I feel that in myself sometimes. You have saved him. You loved him. And I can never repay you for making him whole. So instead, you repay me…by marrying my brother." I laughed at his speech, tears still rolling over my cheeks and disappearing in my shirt.
 

Suddenly, Asher skated out of the box and over to where the Wilsons were standing. He grabbed the mic and spoke. "Mom, Mr. Wilson is the coolest guy ever. He likes to play with me outside and read to me. He built this place for us. You smile a lot more when he's around. We should marry him 'cause he fits with us."
 

Luke leaned down and kissed Asher on the forehead. Then he started to walk towards me. I did, too. I hopped down the first level of the bench, still holding my face and trying to contain my emotions.
 

I grabbed Asher first and held him against me. I kissed his head and then looked up into the most mesmerizing gray eyes I'd ever seen. I could tell from the bounce in his step that he was nervous. He was shaking like a wet puppy.
 

"I love you, Maggie." He reached forward and took both of my hands in his. "You really do make me whole. You make me happy. And Asher is right." He looked over at Asher and smiled, basically beaming with pride. "We fit. You're perfect for me. I will never stop loving you.

"I promise that if you say yes to me, I will love you more and more each day. Today will be the day we are least happiest for the rest of our lives. I need you like I need air." He got down on one knee and pulled out a bright blue box, perfect size for a ring.
 

"Please, Margaret Rachel Larken, will you marry me and make me the happiest man on the face of the earth?" I paused, making him sweat. Then I nodded, because I was so overcome with emotion that I was shocked.
 

He opened the box, and inside was a perfect three-stone ring. The center stone was a princess cut diamond. On either side were two emeralds, Asher's birthstone. Well, I was screwed.

I bawled my eyes out at how perfect the ring was and the proposal and everything. Luke thought that he was the lucky one, but that just wasn't true. I was. He was everything that I thought I would never get.
 

"I love you, so much." I took his head in both of my hands and stared right at him. His eyes danced and smiled. Asher came over and hugged me from behind.

"I love you, too. Both of you."

Chapter Fifty-One

Luke

A bead of sweat trickled from her temple into her low cut shirt. Why she wore white on moving day was beyond me. Asher ran past me into his new bedroom, disappearing into the navy blue walled room. I laughed as I lugged a box of random kitchen things down the hallway, Maggie trailing behind me.

We weren't able to keep one of our places, so we shopped around all fall until we fell in love with this flat. It was more than we expected per month, but with the income from the arena, we could afford it.
 

It was two levels with three bedrooms. When you walked through the red front door, there was a small foyer and a staircase that led upstairs. Next to it was a narrow hallway that led to the kitchen, which led to the living room. It had two bathrooms—an amenity that meant a lot to Maggie.
 

"Is this it?" Maggie growled when she bumped into me, putting her box on the kitchen table. Everything was new and shiny. I knew it wouldn't last long.
 

"I can't carry the TV. Can you get it, Luke?" Liam asked. I looked him up and down, guilt following me. He went back to my parents' house last weekend since I was moving, claiming that he was ready and that he could handle living there.
 

Father got him in the ribs again. It was a good thing the place had three bedrooms because I refused to make Liam go back to my parents, and so did Maggie. She said it wouldn't be home without Liam, too.
 

"Sure. Just go relax," I told him as I wrapped Maggie in my arms.

"Stop. I'm gross," she squealed, wriggling around.
 

"I like it when you're gross," I whispered in her ear. I licked the soft skin behind her ear, all salty and wet. She pulled away fast. She ran into the living room and jumped on the leather sofa from my old place. I followed right behind her, covering her with my body.
 

"Stop, the kids are here," she said. I grabbed her face with my hands and kissed her softly right in the center of her glistening lips. Her hair was longer than I had ever seen it before, fanning out around her face like a halo. I raked my hands through the locks, loving the smell and silky feel.
 

"What would you say if I told you we had the night to ourselves?" I sat up, pulling her up with me and positioning her on my lap. I squeezed her butt, making her giggle into my neck.

"I would ask how much you had to pay Lindsay."

"She's taking them to the Ranger's game. You know she has a major thing for Finn. So I gave her free tickets."

"She has to know that you get those for free."

"Yeah, but I told her I wouldn't give her any unless she brought the boys."

"Hm. You are quite tricky, Mr. Wilson." I kissed her cheek, smacking my lips so they popped against her skin. She wrinkled her nose and wiped her cheek of my saliva with her palm.
 

"You taste so good," I murmured as I sucked on her neck.

"When do they leave?" Her voice was breathy, and I knew that I was having an effect on her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in the crook of my neck.
 

"Fifteen minutes, probably."
 

"Then let's finish unpacking!" She leapt off my lap and wiggled her butt all the way into the kitchen. Asher came down, and we put him to work, placing cutlery in the drawer and arranging them.

"I love this house," Asher muttered as he threw a box into the trashcan in the corner of the kitchen. Maggie walked to his side and wrapped him in a big hug, spinning them in a circle. I smiled from the other side of the room as I put away the carton of milk.
 

The doorbell rang for the first time. It was a strange beat, nothing like ding-dong. Instead, it was a melodic upbeat tune that sounded throughout the entire house. I nodded to Maggie and ran to get the door.
 

"I'm here." Lindsay rolled her eyes as she pushed past me into the house. She took a look around and dropped her bag near the door. She disappeared into the kitchen.

"Thanks for doing this!" I shouted.
 

Before I knew it, the kids were all gone with Lindsay, and Maggie and I were left alone in our new home. Maggie laid out on the sofa with a glass of red wine as she was attempted to set up the cable.
 

I lifted her legs up and sat underneath her, replacing them on my lap. She looked over at me and smiled, grinning from ear to ear. She narrowed her eyes on me, always so full of questions.

"What's our plan for the evening?"
 

"Well," I said, pausing for dramatic effect. "I plan to woo you with the Chinese food that should be here any moment. Then I will get you nice and tipsy with the wine you're drinking. Then I'll have my way with you and christen our brand new bed."

"That sounds like an ambitious plan," she laughed. She pulled a coaster out of the coffee table drawer and placed her wine safely on the table. "Why don't we rearrange some of that and get right to the part of you having your way." She looked up at me through her dark lashes, and my plan was shot to shit. I wanted her. Now.
 

"I can get on board with that." I pulled her onto my lap so she was straddling me and kissed her. My plan was to start slow and work her up, but I was just too eager. I practically assaulted her mouth with my tongue.
 

She tasted so good that I could not get enough. I pulled her bottom lip with my teeth. She moaned as I bit and sucked it hard. She ground her hips against me. I grabbed her hips hard, making her press against me and rock back and forth.

"I want more," she said as she grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it up. She kissed my chest muscles up to my neck to the corner of my mouth. Just as I was about to flip her over and ravage her entire body with my tongue, the sing-song doorbell rang.
 

"You have got to be kidding me," I growled as I flipped her over. I pulled my shirt over my head and grabbed the wallet from my back pocket. I quickly grabbed the food, paid the guy, tipped him, and then slammed the door. I didn't care, though.
 

"I don't want food right now." Maggie snuck up behind me and slowly began to unzip my jeans. I groaned as her fingers played in my happy trail. Then she grabbed my dick, and I full on turned to Jell-O.
 

But then, all of a sudden, the doorbell rang. I pulled back and looked at Maggie. She laughed.
 

"He must've forgotten something. I got it," I told her as I fixed my jeans and gestured for her to do the same. I paused at the door, waiting for her to fix her shirt so her boob wasn't out, and when she was clear to go, I swung open the door.
 

"Can I help you?" I asked the woman who stood on the other side.
 

"I'm looking for my grandchildren, Margaret and Asher." She tried to shove past me and peeked past the door. I glanced over my shoulder at Maggie who was taking a sip of her wine.

She quickly stood and faced this woman who was now standing in the entryway. "Here you are." She passed off her purse to me with her nose raised. I dropped it by the door.
 

"What do you want, Margo?" Maggie straightened her shoulders like she was gearing up for a fight. She flashed her ring almost in a bragging way, which made this old lady gasp.

"I'd like to speak to you…alone." The lady flicked her gaze at me like I was trash. I didn't look like much in my sweats, but I was far from garbage.
 

"Whatever you can say to me, you can say in front of my fiancé." The word sounded like fate rolling off her tongue. I smiled at her, nodding as I shut the front door and walked to stand by Maggie.
 

"Well, then. You're making a mistake, and if you don't undo your irresponsible decisions, then I'll be forced to take you to court." She rubbed her palms on her pants in a way that was scarily similar to Maggie's gestures.
 

"Take me. I've done a great job with Ash, and he'd pick me over you any day. I'm not scared of you anymore." Maggie paused to breathe, and I placed my hand on her shoulder. "I'll abide by the rules, and you can see him once a month. But that's it. He's mine." She stepped forward menacingly.
 

"I am his grandmother. In your care, he's had a concussion. He's learned to talk back to adults. He was depressed. Great job." She scoffed, clapping her hands like my mother did, just on the palms like a golf-clap.
 

"The concussion was because of hockey. And he's a great fucking kid!" I squeezed her shoulder to calm her down. "Don't you dare come in here and tell me how to raise him. Mother hated you. It's not my fault you feel guilty."

"Your ignorance will lead to that child's demise. If you don't take my help, then you're ruining him."