Page 34 of Flawless Aria

“I’ve thought of nothing else since… Never mind. So here goes. I love you so much, Jax, and I guess I always have. Someone very special reminded me of that today. My answer is yes. Yes, I’ll marry you. For real. Wherever and whenever. As long as I’m with you.”

Is this really fucking happening?

Perhaps it’s a figment of my imagination?

Could I be dreaming?

If so, pinch me just to be sure.

“Are you sure, baby? The last thing I want is to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.” As hard as it would be, I’d let her go if that’s what she wanted.

“Deep down, I believe I always have been sure. There’s always been something between us, I just didn’t want to stand in the way of you and Stephanie. After today, I know how much you love me. It was obvious when you ignored her and wanted only me. I’m head over heels in love with you, Jaxon Carter. Can you forgive me for making you wait?”

Does she need to ask? Hell no, because I was in denial for years myself.

“Poppet, haven’t I forgiven you for all your crazy teenage antics? So why the hell wouldn’t I forgive the beautiful woman that you are today?”

ARIA

Jax isthe one who reminded me that Macy was coming today. I completely forgot all about it. Under the circumstances, I’m sure she’d understand if I had to cancel, but Jax assured me between the three of them, they could take turns sitting with his mom. Since the band doesn’t have anything scheduled for the day, Zander’s able to stay with Hadley. With that settled, I’m supposed to enjoy my day with my bestie.

I’ve no doubt she’s going to be thrilled when I tell her it’s not a fake engagement anymore. Oh my god. It’s not fake anymore. Now Jax and I really need to plan our wedding. Maybe we should wait until Trish is feeling better. After all, she’s the one who put the bug in my ear to tell Jax how I truly feel. I could have spent years being in denial, but it makes so much sense now. I loved him enough to let him go while he pursued my sister. And when her true colors came out, I was there to pick up the pieces. Maybe it was the other way around, but whatever. What’s important at the end of the day is we found our way back to one another after so many years apart.

After last night I was exhausted, but now that I’m showered and dressed, I’m feeling so much better. I’m glad because I want to celebrate all good things with my bestie today. I haven’t seen Macy since our engagement party, and even then I didn’t have much time to chat with her. Today will be a great day to catch up.

As soon as I hear a car pull into the driveway, I open the door. It’s senseless to wait for her to knock or ring the bell. She smiles and waves when she notices me standing there. “Hey, girlfriend. It’s wonderful to see your smiling face.”

“Right back at ya. I’ll get out of your way so you can use the restroom.”

“Aw, you know me so well. I’ll make it quick. Girl, you’re glowing, and I want all the dirt.” Really?

While she’s taking care of business, I glance in the hall mirror and you know what? She might be right. With that said, it could be from her visit, or maybe Jax has something to do with it. Maybe a little bit of both. I do feel lighter and much happier since I finally had the chance to tell him how I feel. Loving him is the easy part, but admitting it to myself, not so much. Now I could shout it from the rooftops. I want everyone to know that I’m engaged to the hottest drummer in the damn world!

“Imagine that. Aria Mitchell is all alone and smiling. Who would have thought?” Sometimes she’s a snarky bitch. God, I love her so much.

“Don’t you dare tell anyone. I wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation of being a cold single woman. Oh, wait.” Holding up my hand, I wiggle it back and forth so the diamond hits the light. “Not single anymore. I’m engaged.”

“Do you plan on taking my advice then? Going through with the fake engagement since it’s very much real? Since I haven’t heard a peep out of you or from the tabloids, I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up here today.”

“In all fairness, I’ve been very busy since Jax’s mom had a stroke.”

“Oh my god, babe. What happened?”

I spent the next hour filling her in on everything that happened at the hospital, Stephanie included. Once she knew that Trish was doing much better it was time to change the subject.

“Apparently, you weren’t the only person who knew Jax and I were madly in love all these years. Someone else brought it to my attention yesterday.” I wait to see if she’ll bite, and of course I piqued her curiosity.

“Seriously? Well, sweetie, now you can’t deny it any longer if someone else pointed it out to you. Do tell, and don’t leave out a thing.” How could I? It’s embedded in my brain.

In my best Trish voice, I say, “‘Rumor has it that your engagement to Jax is as fake as a plastic plant. Thankfully, I know better. I watched your love blossom for Jax over the years. Always taking a back seat to Stephanie must have been tough, but your patience and genuine affection never wavered. Now, seeing you both together, it’s clear that your love is as real as it gets.’”

“Get the fuck out. She did not. Did she?”

“She most certainly did. It made such an impression on me that I memorized the damn thing. How intuitive is this woman who heard a ‘rumor’ but flipped it around to her advantage? And mine. After that is when I realized what a fool I’d been all along. Jax and I have loved each other for so long and I was in denial. Not anymore. Last night, I told him I loved him and that I’d be honored to be his wife.”

“Girl, it’s about damn time. Today’s the perfect day to plan a wedding before you change your mind.”

“I don’t know, Macy. Our moms were looking forward to making the plans and now with Trish, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Is it too early for wine? I sure could use some right about now.” Standing up, I head into the kitchen with Macy right behind me.

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