Page 10 of My One Rule

No way, I think to myself.

“Let’s give them a show,” Ace says, and my attention is back on him.

“Should I pretend to say no?” He asks with a menacing grin.

“No!” I laugh. “You better freaking say yes,” I say with a laugh hoping no one can hear us.

My knees shake underneath me against the tiled floor. I did not expect to be down here this long.

I clear my throat and start with the intention to say the most outlandish, silliest thing. “Ace, you hired me to be your house pet. To lay in your lap, and get pets on my head and rub my belly.”

He’s trying so hard not to crack up so much that he has to cover his mouth for a moment.

I can feel the entire room trying to listen to what I’m saying. “When I took the job, I was desperate. I didn’t think I’d meet my new best friend, please don’t tell Chance I said that…”

Ace slightly shakes his head. Suddenly, we’re the only two in the room.

“You not only gave me a safe place to live and grow, but I can’t imagine my life without you. More than safety, I have love and a real family and I’m so lucky…”

The last worst came out more difficult than I thought, unable to meet Ace’s gaze for a moment. A few stray tears tumble down my cheek without permission. I resist wiping it away and decide to get this over with. “Will you marry me?”

Ace’s gray eyes are misty too when I finally look into his eyes.

“Yes,” he whispers.

My body reacts automatically and I launch myself into him.

“He said yes!” Someone else yells behind us and then the entire restaurant is cheering for us.

It takes another ten minutes for the congratulations and photos and handshakes and hugs to stop.

We finish our meal, Ace charges it to our room and we walk back hand in hand to our room. At least that’s where I assume we’re going, until we end up at the little marketplace.

He leads me in and I follow, a sense of giddiness and caution swirling in my stomach.

We stop in front of the jewelry section and he tells me to turn around. I obey and listen to him shuffle through things.

“Okay,” he says and I turn around.

“Can you pick from these?”

I look over the rings-rings!

My jaw drops.

“I mean… if you want one. I know these are just cheap little rings but…”

I cut his rambling short and pick the silver one with a swirl on it.

I try it on and it’s a little big.

“What size is your finger?” His brows furrows in worry.

“I don’t know.”

He searches for a smaller size and gives it to me. “Here’s an eight.”

I try it on and it’s almost perfect, if not a little small.

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