“Ash, open it.”
“No!” she yelled. Then she pleaded, watching me intently, “Are you sure? Like, really, really sure?”
I grinned, pushing the box even closer. “I’m positive, Ash. Absolutely positive.”
She looked back down, sucking in a deep breath before extending a shaky hand to pick it up. “I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too,” I replied, waiting for her reaction as she slowly pried it open.
Staring down, with tears in her eyes, she exclaimed, “You asshole!”
I burst out laughing. “Ash, baby, we’ve been together for three months. Did you really think I was going to propose at a burger joint on your twentieth birthday?”
“No!” she snapped. Then she looked to the side and mumbled, “Maybe.”
I continued laughing but took her hand and lifted it to my lips.
“I’m glad you think this is funny,” she bit out, pulling the silver dog bone from the box. “What is this?”
“One step at a time, Speedy. I figured maybe we could get a dog until you’re old enough to legally drink at your own wedding.”
“Just so you know, there was no guarantee that I was going to say yes.”
“You cried.”
“So?”
I winked and pulled the box from her hand. “You were gonna say yes.”
She rolled her eyes then laughed. “I was totally going to say yes.”
“That’s really fucking good to know for future reference.” I reached back into my pocket, and her eyes grew wide again. “Oh God, stop! It’s not a ring.” I revealed a small, pink collar and twisted the silver dog bone onto the loop.
Her shoulders fell, and I laughed all over again.
“I should not have started with that damn box. I had no idea that you would assume it was a ring.”
I’d known with one hundred percent certainty she would think it was a ring. Ash had found the engagement ring I’d bought her while she’d been snooping around my office at On The Ropes. I knew because she’d put it back in the box upside down and then spent the rest of the day tearing up every time she so much as looked in my direction. I got the best sex of my life that night. She rained I love yous over my entire body, focusing the majority of her attention on my cock.
I got hard from just thinking about it.
“I thought we could go pick out a puppy. I’ve never had a dog, and I figured maybe you’d want one. But . . . I mean, if you don’t—”
“No! I do. I really do,” she interrupted, snatching the collar from my fingers.
“Are you sure, because you didn’t seem too excited?”
Leaning over the table, she planted a kiss on my lips. As she tucked the empty box into her purse, she said, “Let’s go get a dog.”
I drove Ash to a pet store, where I had full intentions of buying her a small and fluffy lap dog—something yippy she could fawn all over. However, she refused to even go inside, stating that there were plenty of dogs at the animal shelter waiting for a new home. So, after a quick search on my phone, we were on our way to the adoption center at the local pound. Ash painfully paced up and down the rows of caged animals, apologizing to each and every one for not being able to take them home, before finally settling on the ground in front of a Chihuahua puppy. She sat there for several minutes, poking her fingers through the chain link and letting him chew on the tips.
“You want that one, baby?” I asked when she started to push to her feet.
She pointed to the dog next door. “No, I want that one.”
“No,” I said firmly even though I knew exactly how worthless it truly was.
“Yep.”
“No,” I repeated.
“Yes, that’s our dog. Isn’t he handsome?” she cooed.
“Damn it, Ash. I said a puppy.”
She cocked her head to the side and folded her arms over her chest. “It’s my birthday. You don’t get to argue with me on my birthday.”
I let out a huff, knowing she had a point. With a groan, I turned to the woman who worked there and said, “We’ll take him.”
Ash clapped, bouncing on her toes as they began preparing the adoption paperwork on a sixty -pound, three-legged basset hound named Julio.
“I cannot believe you picked that dog,” I mumbled an hour later while we waited for our brand-new bundle of slobber to be brought out.
“Don’t you dare talk about Julio. He’s perfect.” She hugged me.
“We’re going to have to buy him a new collar. I don’t think this one is gonna fit.” I pulled the pink collar from my pocket, accidentally on purpose dropping a black, velvet box to the ground. “Shit,” I cursed.
Her back went stiff.
“Damn it. You weren’t supposed to see that yet.”
“Flint,” she whispered, bending over to pick it up.
“Well, I guess it’s too late now.” I kissed her forehead. “Happy birthday, Ash.”
Her eyes sparkled with tears as she slowly opened the box. “You asshole!” she declared for the second time that day, lifting a Volkswagen key from the box.