Chapter 58: A new chapter

SIX MONTHS LATER

Tristan's POV

I swivelled in my chair, fiddling with my pen as I tried to come up with ideas. Just when I needed my brain the most, I just couldn't seem to think of anything. I've never felt this anxious about anything before.

"Are you certain that's a good idea?" I inquired of Vincent, who sat across from me.

He had visited my office to discuss our new business deal. We just happened to have moved on to the next item on the agenda.

He looked at me in disbelief, as if there was only one obvious answer to it. "Yes, which woman wouldn't want you to take her to Paris and propose to her in front of the Eiffel Tower?" He answered sarcastically. He threw his hands in the air in disbelief.

As incredible as his idea sounded, that didn't sound like something Ashley would want. She wasn't that sort of girl.

I leaned into my chair and stared at the ceiling. I always thought the proposal would be the hardest part, but I guess so was the how to propose.

"If you think that is too cliché, you can go on a private island and spend a few days alone together there and then propose." He suggested next.

Now I was sure that he was just sucking any random idea out of his thumb. This is probably why you shouldn't take any advice from him. All of his ideas sounded like spending a lot of money, but nothing meaningful.

"Before anything, how about we see the ring first?" He asked dismissively.

I opened my drawer to take the velvet box out. I've had it for a week, but I just haven't found the perfect opportunity yet. It was a fifteen-carat ring with a pink square diamond at its centre.

I handed the box to Vincent who looked at the ring in admiration as he nodded his approval. "Not too bad," he answered. This was the first approving thing he has said so far. "But, you could have gone bigger, you know how we do things in our family?" He commented as he handed the box back to me.

"I know," I sighed. "We had a conversation and she mentioned how she thought huge rocks were overly exaggerated and just for showing off. I had to compromise on a ring that wasn't too big for her liking but also big enough for everyone to see." I answered. Shopping for an engagement ring can become impossible, especially when your girlfriend doesn't want anything too and I quote 'exaggerated'.

Vincent shrugged, in a that sounds like Ashley kind of way. "Are you sure? Don't you think that this is too soon?" He asked.

"I don't need another six months to be sure that I love her," I answered sitting up straight. Besides, things have been going great between us. We've gotten to know each other more and I couldn't be more sure about anything.

"I don't mean you. You are like a love-sick puppy. I was referring to her. No offence but she is hot. She has a great thing going now that she is working with both her father and her uncle. Very soon she is going to be out of your league. What makes you think she'll still want to be with you let alone marry you?" He said.

"Who hurt you this badly?" I asked.

I had touched a nerve. His face immediately went blank. "My ex-girlfriend actually." He answered sarcastically.

It's not that I haven't thought about it. We've already been through so much together that I'm sure we can overcome anything.

I realized something. There was never going to be a perfect moment. I'd probably have this ring on me for the next ten years at the rate I'm going. With a smile, I pulled out my phone to make the necessary arrangements. I'd do it tonight at home. I brought the house when we were together so I had no doubt it would be the perfect place. I'd have my garden perfectly decorated and I'd propose soon after a candle-lit dinner.

Vincent shook at his head showing his disapproval. "It would be your fault if she left you for being stupid. With a couple of failure attempts, hopefully, she will eventually say yes next year." He answered.

I smiled dismissing him as I texted Luke for arrangements to be made.

"How is Tyler doing by the way?" He asked next.

"His fine, I guess," I answered, my eyes still glued to my phone.

About a month ago, my mother decided that the best way to end her obsession was to start a new one. She went and got herself a replacement kid. I don't know who in their right mind decided that it was okay for her to adopt a ten-year-old kid. I'd be fine with all of this except the kid hates me. I've done nothing wrong to him. Maybe I'm a bit biased but it only took one visit for me to know there was no longer any space for me in that house.

"You should be happy about this," Vincent laughed. "Your mother will finally get to fix all the mistakes she made with you. It happened to me too." He laughed.

The secretary walked in to announce that an old friend of ours Dexter had arrived. We were working on a new business venture, and we had been waiting for him to officially start our meeting.

Dexter walked into my office as laid back as usual. He had barely changed much since I'd last met him. He had a few classes in college together.

We exchanged greetings as Dexter settled himself in. "I'll never believe the day I just had. I think I may have met my next wife," Dexter said.

At twenty-eight, he had already been through two divorces. Just last month, I heard he left his girlfriend standing at the altar.

"You meet my new wife every day. You clearly haven't changed yet." I chuckled. Thank goodness for pre-naps otherwise, he would be bankrupt.

"No, but this one is different. She has got the kind of blue eyes that you feel like you can just drown in. She is smart too, the perfect combination of sexy and deadly." He answered.

"Where did you meet this one this time? I'd think you learnt your lesson after meeting both your ex-wives in strip clubs," Vincent said.

"That's the thing, I didn't. It was at an event that her father's company JMR Events organised for us. I never let a woman destruct me from my business but this one got me," he answered laying back in his chair.

My body tensed as I clenched my pen into my fist, nearly snapping it in half.

A few months ago, Ashley started working for her father's events company named JMR Events. It was a way of him showing her the ropes while offering a new opportunity. What were the odds that we were thinking of the same person?

Vincent bit his lip trying to keep himself from laughing. "That's her name. She sounds like this chick I met last week," Vincent said.

"You know I don't share my women," Dexter answered. "Besides, I don't think she is the type of girl who goes to the kind of places you've been to. You probably don't know her." He answered with a wink.

I was probably working myself up over nothing. Dexter had very poor taste and it was unlikely that he had met Ashley.

Just when I'd dismissed the thought, Vincent pulled his phone out to show Dexter a picture of Ashley. Of all the dump things he could have done.

"You know her too," Dexter said in realization. "Don't tell me you two were hooking up." He said.

"No, we never got there. But Tristan here happens to be very good friends with her." Vincent chuckled. What was this idiot doing?

"Well good," Dexter answered. He turned to me. "Hopefully you can hook us up or something. You should talk to her as soon as possible. This Friday sounds like a good idea, don't you think? That way I have her for the whole weekend."

"That won't be happening," I answered sternly. "She is my girlfriend," I answered.

There was a blank look on Dexter's face as he tried to determine whether I was serious. This guy clearly needed to be taught a lesson. "No way, what a small world. It's no wonder she wouldn't give me her number." He laughed. "You two wouldn't happen to be serious, now would you? I wouldn't be too invested if I were you. Relationships end all the time." He continued.

I've never wanted to punch someone more in my life. I was ready to punch him with my fist. Luckily Vincent was here to diffuse the situation. "You know what? Why don't we move the meeting to the boardroom? I'm sure we'll all be comfortable there." Vincent suggested getting up.

Dexter agreed and left the room. He must have sensed he was about to get beat up.

Vincent erupted in laughter. "You know what? Forget everything I said. You have to propose as soon as possible. Even if you have to do it at McDonald's before it's too late." He laughed.

Maybe Vincent should have been the one I punched.

I couldn't help but think of how many sick perverts Ashley must meet every day.

***

I must have looked at my watch about five times in the same minute. Why was I nervous? I've made far more risky decisions and none of them have ever made my heart beat this fast. The house had already been set, our dinner table was perfect and so was the garden, just as I had instructed. Ashley would be arriving any moment from now and I was almost done cooking. Everything was perfect so why was I this nervous?

I wiped the sweat off my brow. Vincent was right, my idea was stupid. What was I thinking about planning a proposal here? Surely, I could have thought of a better idea.

I needed to calm down. Hopefully, she had another busy night, and she wouldn't show up.

Maybe I should turn off my lights and pretend I wasn't home. But she'd just walk in, that's what I get for giving her an extra key.

Since we've both been tied up with work, we have dinner together almost every evening. It just made sense that we'd both have the keys to each other's apartments after she moved out of her mother's.

I needed to get a grip. I've seen her countless times. Hopefully, this time it won't be any different.

The pan nearly slipped out of my hands as I turned on the stove. At this rate, the night was about to end in a disaster.

I froze after hearing the doorbell. She was here and I was nowhere near prepared.

I rubbed my hands together and proceeded over to the door.

And there she was, dressed in a crimson silk knee-length gown. I was astounded by how well the dress complimented her figure. I must have stood there for more than a minute simply staring at her.

"You look..." I found myself dumbfounded as I continued staring.

"We had an event at work, I managed to get out early." She explained.

I needed to do this soon. There was no way she was walking around like that without a ring on her finger.

She leaned for a kiss after I welcomed her into the house. "You are shaking. Are you sure you are okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I answered dismissively. I couldn't even hold myself together for two minutes.

"What's for dinner?" She asked instead as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Nothing special," I shrugged continuing with the cooking.

She settled on a stole and went on to talk about her day at work. All I could think about was how not to screw this evening up.

Ashley's relationship with her father has improved significantly. Not only do they see each other at work, they have dinner together once a week.

Her stepfather got a job at a security company. Ashley's mom is still skeptical but he has been around a lot often.

Her mom is doing pretty well too. She finally opened the bakery she wanted, and everyone has been raving about her pastries. It's fantastic that I get to be one of the few people who get to try her new recipes first.

"Your dad was wondering if you'd be free this Saturday to watch Tyler's football match." She said next

"Since when does he even care about that, he only ever came to mine so he wouldn't look bad and because it was a great place for him to meet new business partners," I answered.

"His Facebook posts say otherwise; besides, this is for Tyler. He just needs a lot of love and support from all of us." She answered. She was already wrapped around his finger. She hadn't seen the monstrous side of him yet.

"The poor kid, they are going to ruin him. I should probably report this to social services." I said concerned.

"He'll be fine," she laughed. "Besides, your parents are probably what he needs after everything he has been through." She reasoned. It's hard having overbearing parents, and it's even harder when they abandon you.

I got an email from my grandfather.

He has been trying to make contact countless times even though I'd made it abundantly clear that I no longer wanted to have anything to do with him. I used to think it was his way of trying to protect me but now I finally realize just what a terrible person he is. The things he is willing to do just make me sick to my stomach and I'm finally done.

He deserves everything coming to him. I was glad that the trial with Maddison's mother went smoothly. Turns out, there is nothing Maddison loves more than her reputation and money and for that, she was willing to let her mother rot and make herself the victim.

I was finally done with the cooking and dished our food in the dining room.

I slipped my hand into my pocket, making sure that the ring was safely secured.

Ashley voiced her approval. I'd made a Pad Thai dish for her, I knew it was her favourite. I finally had an influence on her.

"If my mom calls, please tell her I'm not pregnant." She stated this in the middle of her dinner.

I nearly choked on my food as my eyes widened.

"Are you pregnant?" I questioned, puzzled.

"Of cause not, she came over the other day and found Ivy's pregnancy test in my bathroom." She explained.

"Oh," I noted, amazed. "That explains why she's been texting me a lot more often." I faked a laugh.

I've never liked Ivy, especially now that she thinks she can re-negotiate her salary at every gathering. She is just one of those people I've had to make peace with.

After our dinner, I cleared the table.

The proposal could probably wait. This was a dumb idea anyways. Now that I think about it, I could think of a better proposal. I just needed to keep Ashley away from the backyard. The lights outside we turned off so she'd never know unless she stepped out.

But I was too late.

I had finished clearing the table and returning to the living room when Ashley stepped into the backyard.

It would be so easy to hold her back and stop her from going into the backyard.

What if I ruin everything we have now because I decide to move too quickly? Would I be happy with myself knowing that I'd ruined everything?

I rushed towards her as she turned on the lights. I should have planned this a lot better.

She immediately froze as everything came to light. With all of the flowers and foliage, the entire garden was illuminated. I'd ordered that a fountain be placed in place along with a trail of rose petals that trailed to a sign that boldly lit up reading 'Will you marry me?'.

Why wasn't she saying anything? Did she hate everything? Was this too soon like I had thought?

It was now or never. There was no way turning back now.

I got on my knee and pulled the ring out of my pocket.

She turned around to face me, the shook written all over her face. A mixture of emotions flooded her face which I tried to decipher.

Before I began, I cleared my throat. "I thought I was okay until you showed me just how pointless my life was." I can't picture my life without you, and I've realized I don't want to. I'm grateful for every time we've spent together, and I'd die happy merely for the chance to have known you. As chaotic as our journey has been, there's nothing I'd rather do than spend each and every moment with you. Every day, I want to be a better man just for you. So, I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve and defying all the odds that say we shouldn't be together. Will you marry me and continue this crazy adventure with me?" I finally asked.

She stared at me tearfully. I thought I'd be calmer after getting all the words out but my heart continued even faster.

It was a relief when she finally nodded her head vigorously before saying the words I'd been waiting to hear. "Yes I will," she answered.

I readily slid the ring onto her finger and sprang up in joy.

Without another thought, I pulled her into my arms. Our lips met hungrily with the same intensity. Everything else seemed to fade away at that moment. Nothing else mattered because everything we've been through led to this exact moment and I wouldn't change any of it.

"I love you," she whispered breathing heavily as she pulled away.

Everything was finally exactly how it should be.

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please vote, comment and share the story if you enjoyed it.