The Perfect Plans Series [Box Set] (92 page)

My body responds just as awkwardly, following his lead with caution. It’s not easy moving to a sitting position when it feels as though you’re bending to place your bum down on air. Only it’s not air, it’s a cushion. A very soft, plush cushion.

“Okay,” I hear him say, feeling him sit beside me, “…you can remove the blindfold now.”

I’m more than eager to comply. Pulling it off swiftly, I look straight ahead, my eyes adjusting, slowly taking in the scenery around us. I gasp as the beautiful scene comes into focus, bright twinkling lights illuminating the night sky above and before us. Tears build instantly, threatening to blur my already hazy gaze.

Alex says nothing, sitting idly by as I absorb our surroundings. The trail he just walked me up - its floor lined with mulch and twigs that contributed to its shaky journey - is draped from either side with more strings of lights than I’ve ever seen.
No, that’s not true
…I’ve seen the likes of this magical fairytale image before - in the picture on my childhood vision board. My breath lodges in my throat, realizing my silly picture pales in comparison to the magnificence before me. The reality of it is simply stunning.

His perfect smile pulls my gaze, and I turn to look at him, my mouth agape. “How did you do this?” I whisper in awe.

“I have a few friends in the staging department,” he squeezes my hand, and it’s only then that I remember we’re seated.

Looking down, I’m taken aback by the quirky loveseat in stripes of brown and tan. A floor lamp you would swear came right from the set of
Friends
stands to the right of the settee, its dim light but a whisper among the twinkling glow above us, trailing all the way down the magical path ahead. It’s truly breathtaking.

“Alex, this is…” words escape me as my gaze takes it all in, returning to his with tears in my eyes. “It’s beautiful,” I sigh.

“Not as beautiful as you,” he takes my face in his hands, his perfect words dancing across my lips as he takes me in a soft, sensual kiss.

“No one has ever done anything like this for me,” I mumble, breathless against the warmth of his lingering lips, my hands curling around his neck to hug him.

His strong arms embrace me in return, and I lose myself in this amazing man before opening my eyes once more to bask in the beautifully lit scenery, secured in his loving hold.

Softly lit candles burn in glass votives gathered in a cluster on the ground beside the loveseat. My gaze follows the line of candles, momentarily cataloguing their placement. Adjusting in his arms, I turn, finding them on the other side as well, lining the floor around the base of the lamp, leading a new trail behind us.

I can’t help but shake my head at how far he’s gone to pull off the most romantic night of my life. “You thought of everything,” I look back into his stunning blue eyes, before turning to look behind us, the trail of votive candles leading my gaze to a sight that steals the remaining air from my lungs.

“I was going for
iconic
,” his humble whisper blasts through the silence of my gasp, as I stare, frozen in place, at the sign to which he’s referring.

Every individual letter is lit from within its casing, a perfect replica of the Hollywood insignia. The only difference being its staggering phrase…MARRY ME?

Oh my God
. My breaths return in a desperate pant, struggling to refill my lungs, my heart pounding through an explosion of excitement and shock.

“The first time I saw you, my heart whispered
she’s the one
,” his words pull my euphoric gaze to find him on his knee before me, my hand still held in his. “I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to be the man that makes you fall to your knees by whispering in your ear, the man you build a life with. I wanted to be the one that worships you, makes you feel desired…leaves you trembling in yearning.”

My mouth drops open on a gasping breath at the realization of what’s happening.

“You are more than just everything I need in this moment,” he reaches for the inside pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a velvet box, his beautiful blue eyes never leaving mine. “You are everything I have ever wanted…all I could ever dream of. You are
my
more, Abigail Dawn Ryan,” he releases my hand to open the delicate jewelry box, revealing a sparkling pear shaped yellow diamond, the size of which I’ve never seen.

My hand darts to my trembling lips, tears streaking down my cheeks, my lips parted in awe as I struggle to breathe. Looking back into his eyes, the love I see reflected there shatters me.

“You are my beginning, my end, my everything. And I want to spend forever enjoying all that will come in between. It’s always been you, Aby. It will always
be
you.” Removing the ring, he lays the box down to hold my left hand in his, his gaze worshipping me with his love, leaving me trembling in yearning as he whispers, “Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

The words leave my lips without thought or hesitation, “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.” My hand trembles as he slips the beautiful ring on my finger.

Taking his perfect face in my hands, I lean down to kiss his equally perfect lips, feeling his smile against my mouth. I’m so overcome with elation, surprise, love, I can’t slow my thoughts down, replaying over and over our journey, this moment, our futures. It’s an overwhelming, yet incredibly decadent thought.
My future with Alex.
It’s in that moment that I realize that everything I’ve done, everything I am, has led me to him.

“I love you, Aby,” he whispers against my lips.

Pulling back, his face cupped in my palms, I stare back at him in awe. Awe that he’s mine. That he’ll forever be mine. “I love you so much,” I manage through tears of joy, swiping my thumb along his plump bottom lip as he kisses the tip. “You
are
my tall bill, Alex. My
more
. I never thought I’d actually find you…that you even existed. I’m not sure how I got so lucky,” I smile, rewarded by his humble, shy grin in return.

“And I don’t know why I was the lucky guy that caught you that night,” he flashes his charming smile, taking my hands in his lap. “I usually don’t give much credence to fate, but finding you certainly makes me question its existence. What I
do
know, though, is that whether or not meeting you was destiny, falling in love with you was beyond my control,” he leans in, lingering at my lips for just a moment before claiming them.

“We found
each other
,” I smile against his lips. “And in this journey that led me to you, I also found myself,” I pull back to look into his eyes. “I needed to do that. I had to be mine, before I could be anyone else’s.”

“And I promise to never let you forget who you are.”

IT’S MID-MORNING ON a beautiful Friday in January, our fifth day back in London, and I feel…as though life couldn’t get any better.

It’s hard to imagine that I virtually walked into my ultimate fantasy - all on a whim of living my dream. An unfathomable desire for something
more
.

And Alexander Tate
is
my more.

Throughout the past six months, my mad and irrevocable love for Alex has been a prominent emotion that regularly incapacitates my days. I wake up every morning not from a dream, but
to
a dream - feeling blessed that he’s mine. Feeling loved, and loving wholeheartedly in return.

Feigning a smile against the warm breeze from the large open windows of The Little Square - my favorite café - I continue to admire the sense of individuality the setting exudes - a trait I’ve recently uncovered within myself, and have made great strides in order to achieve…my
own
individuality.

The warm summer breeze caresses my face as I sit back and relax, awaiting my much-loved coffee. Staring out onto Shepherd Market, filled with passersby, I feel a sense of peace knowing that the many months spent dissecting and reflecting on my life altering changes have long washed away.

And now I’m getting married, having fallen in love with the man of my dreams - who
truly
does exist, by the way.
Thank God for dreams
- my inner dreamer stands up and takes a bow.

I used to question my dreams for
more
- feeling selfish in my desire for the perfect life, never quite understanding why I was so unsatisfied with the one I had. But I’ve come to learn that it was never a
perfect
life that I wanted, craved. It was a happy one. I’ve learned many things along the way. I’ve learned that the grass isn’t always greener, but it’s not about that. It’s about making it work when it’s the right fit. A perfect love is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other.

I realize that most people would say I’m crazy - crazy for our whirlwind romance, seemingly right out of a dreamy novel. But I no longer question my own sanity. The only thing crazy is how I feel about the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.

So here I sit, thirty years old, carefree and…perfectly happy,
madly
in love - a world away from my past, looking forward to walking head first into my future.

Pulled from my wayward thoughts, I notice an older couple sitting at a nearby table, all smiles and laughter, the occasional shared heated look. I smile inwardly, realizing that’s exactly what I was searching for. What I’ve
found
. The one person who gives me tingles with just one look. The man I’ve always dreamed I’d end up with. The man with whom I can finally be
me
. The real me. No more pretending.

I pick up my double-double coffee and give myself a private salute.

A salute to dreams.

A salute to romance and inspiration and excitement.

A salute to endless love.

I vow to enjoy the present, look forward to the future, and live this new life to the fullest. It took me a long time to find it, it’d be a shame to waste even one second.

With that, my cell phone chimes, signaling a text from Stacey.

Subject: House hunting SUCKS

Have I told you today how much I HATE our real estate agent? I’m no gynecologist, but I sure know a cunt when I see one. If she shows me one more shoebox that needs “loving care” I’m gonna have a stroke. Call you tonight, my little twat waffle.

Stace xx

I can’t help but smile at the changes we’ve all been through…though some things never change. Like my feisty friend’s trucker-mouth theatrics.
I love my best friend
, I shake my head on a laugh.

“I’ll never tire of seeing that beautiful smile on your face.”

Looking up, I find Alex staring at me from the doorway, instant butterflies fluttering at the sight of him, as always.
I love the idea that he’ll always make me feel this way.

“Are you just going to stand there and ogle, or are you going to come over here and kiss me,” I ask cheekily.

“As you wish,” he smiles, it’s perfection something
I
will never tire of it either.

I stand to meet him, though it was an unconscious move, possibly my body’s eager need to be claimed in his kiss. His perfect kiss.
How does he always make it feel like the first?

“Ready?” he pulls back to look into my eyes.

“That depends,” I bat my lashes, “…where are you taking me?”

“Anywhere…Everywhere,” he smiles. “You in?”

For you, Mr. Tate? Always,
I nod, taking his hand with a beaming smile. A smile brighter than the sun…sweeter than fiction.

“LISTEN, SHIT HEAD, stop your damn pacing or I’ll make you,” Ben spews from his place in front of the mirror, absently styling his already styled hair.

“Fuck off,” I reply, fiddling with my tie, aimlessly pacing back and forth, wearing thin the Persian rug-covered floors of the church chamber room.

Time is dragging, every minute passing painfully slower and slower.
Fuck
, I gnaw at the corner of my mouth. Aby Ryan is
mine
, and it’s killing me to have to wait to slip that ring on her perfect little finger, sealing the deal for all time. That symbol that represents everything she means to me - everything I am for her, because of her - is so much more than the chunk of gold it was created from - is worth so much more in my heart than the diamonds adorning it.