Page 127 of Once Upon a Fake Date

“Parker…” I whispered, looking down at him, the script now completely forgotten. I didn’t need to be told what to say. Not when he was down on one knee in front of me, about to say words I could have only dreamed about.

“Audrey Rose Ashford,” he started, squeezing my hand, still clasped in his. “There hasn’t been one single moment of my life that I didn’t love you. These last few years with you have been the best of my entire life. You fill my life with so much sunshine. With all of your sparkles and your pink, and I wouldn’t ask for it any other way. There’s no one else I would get on stage and sing with. No one else I would make a total fool out of myself and write a script for, either. When I say I would literally slay a dragon for you, I think you know I mean it.” He winked. “Once upon a time, I asked you to be my girlfriend.”

“Fakegirlfriend,” I clarified, trying to blink away the wetness in my eyes even as I made the joke.

He snorted. “It worked, didn’t it?” Shaking his head, he pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “Now, I’m asking you to be my wife.”

All the oxygen had escaped my lungs. I definitely wasn’t breathing. Not as Parker pulled a little pink box out of his suit jacket, popping it open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Nope. Definitely not breathing.

Parker gave me his signature grin, looking up at me with love shining in his eyes. “Will you marry me, Rosie Girl? Will you make me the luckiest man alive and live happily ever after with me?”

“Yes,” I nodded, tears falling rapidly. “Yes, yes, yes!”

He scooped me up in his arms, twirling me around before setting me on my tiptoes and kissing me passionately. His lips coaxed mine apart, and everything in the world faded away. It was just him and I—this man that I loved so much. The man who would be my husband.

When we broke apart, Parker rested his forehead against mine, grinning. “What do you think?Audrey Rose Maxwellhas a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

It sounded better than nice. It sounded like all of my dreams had come true.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” I said against his chest, staring down to look at my new ring. The rose gold band looked like vines, with little diamonds embedded in the leaves, and a large princess-cut diamond sat in the center of the band, with a pink diamond set on each side. It was gorgeous, and I couldn’t look away. “I’ve wanted to marry you since I was twelve years old, Parker.”

He laughed. “I have you beat. I think I told my mom I was going to marry you when I was nine. Mom thought I was crazy, but look at us now. I was right.”

My fiancé kissed me again, softer this time.

“You did all of this for me?” I asked, looking around the stage.

Parker nodded, running his hands through his light brown strands of hair. “Yeah. I had some help, obviously.” He cleared his throat. “The script was all me.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, placing my hand over his heart. “I loved it.”

“Yeah?”

I hummed in response. “Though I think you need to dial it back a bit on those acting lessons, Dream Boy.” I winked at him. “Getting a little too sappy.”

He smirked. “I told you I’d give you your happily ever after, didn’t I? This is just me making good on that promise.”

I rested my head against his chest, soaking up all his love. He had promised me that, and I knew he meant it.

It was why I had given him my heart from the very beginning.

PARKER

The cotton-candy skies were brilliant, streaked with the golden glow of the setting sun. I was captivated, unable to look away, sipping at the beer in my hands and marveling at how far we’d come.

I’d promised her a happily ever after, but today truly felt like the start of that.

All our friends were here—gathered in the large tent, string lights woven above the dance floor where I could still hear everyone singing and laughing.

Out here, though, staring out across the grounds, all I felt was the calm peace of knowing I was exactly where I was supposed to be. That my life was perfect in every way imaginable.

“What are you doing over here?” Audrey asked, coming to stand at my side.

She wrapped her arm around my waist, and I couldn’t help but smile as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. I was staring off into the sunset, the river in the distance. We were at a castle upstate, which was everything I could have imagined it to be. It was spring—her favorite season—and flowers were in full bloom around us, painting the landscape a beautiful hue of vibrant colors.

Placing my hand on her hip, I tugged her in tighter next to my body. “Just appreciating the view.” But now, I wasn’t staring out at the gardens.

I was staring at Audrey.

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