Page 39 of Shaded Amethysts
“It didn’t take long for us to figure out that the job was bigger than we could handle. When your parents explained the situation to Alex, he showed up here with the entire movie crew. They worked tirelessly to get everything perfect, then we all prayed there wouldn’t be a frost overnight,” Gage explained.
I was still bewildered. “That was very nice of them, but I’m not clear on why they would do all of that work. I haven’t even met most of his crew.”
Gage beamed with pride when he said, “Alex was so impressed with the creativity of my proposal scene that they are going to use it in the movie. He said it was much better than the cliché one he had planned at a fancy restaurant.”
It took a moment for his teasing to sink in. When it did, I smacked lightly at him and said, “Hey!”
I couldn’t even be pretend-angry with the marvelous man, though. He had truly knocked this out of the park. Unable to contain my excitement any longer, I looked down at the flower proposal and said, “This was perfect!”
“Except one thing,” he added.
When I turned to face him to see what could have possibly gone wrong with this supremely romantic gesture, Gage was bent down on one knee with a ring box open in front of me.
“Avery Biggs, I don’t deserve you, but if you’ll marry me, I’ll spend the rest of my days trying my best to be worthy of your love. Will you make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife?”
The flower-spelled words blurred in the background as tears welled in my eyes and I nodded my head to answer his beautiful, life-changing question.
The trees startled me by yelling, “What did she say?”
Immediately recognizing Molly’s voice, I shouted back to my best friend, “I said yes!”
The whoops and yells of excitement drew near as a large group of friends and family hurried out of the cover of the forest to encompass us in a joyous circle of unbridled happiness and small-town love.
Epilogue - Avery
I took a deep breath of the fresh floral scent as I sat frozen in Gage’s shop staring at my laptop. My hand shook over the mouse. Part of me wanted to refresh the screen, but I was scared. It was time for the state’s bar exam results to be posted. This was the moment of truth when I would find out if all of my years of study and hard work had paid off.
My hand hovered as I tried to work up the courage to click the button. Gage finished with another delighted customer, then walked up close behind me. He leaned down toward my chair, allowing the soothing heat of his body to seep into mine as he whispered very near my ear, “Check the results.”
“I’m nervous,” I revealed.
“I’ll still love you with all of my heart either way,” he promised.
Those reassuring words gave me the rush of confidence I needed to tap the button. After what seemed like an eternity the web page refreshed and the word ‘PASS’ appeared in giant, capital letters on the screen.
I squealed with excitement, stood up, and launched myself into Gage’s open arms. He twirled me around before saying, “I’m so proud of you. You worked hard for this, and you deserve every bit of success that comes your way.”
After I made excited calls to share the news with my parents and Molly, Gage said, “I have something to show you.”
When he led me out the back of the store and up the staircase toward the second floor, I couldn’t imagine what he was up to. Guessing, I asked, “Did you renovate the apartment up here?”
“You’ll see,” Gage said mysteriously, unwilling to share any hints.
When we neared the top step, I gasped as the glass door came into view. The name ‘Avery Biggs, Esq.’ had been lettered on the glass.
“You were pretty sure I was going to pass, huh?” I teased him.
His eyes sparkled at mine before he answered, “I have every confidence in you and your abilities.”
“It’s perfect,” I answered him honestly before asking, “But what about when my last name changes to Tavish?”
“I wasn’t sure if you planned to change your professional name, but I would be delighted if you choose to go by Tavish. The lettering will be easy enough to change, but this is just a starter office for you to begin your world domination, anyway. I’m sure you’ll outgrow it soon.”
Once we walked inside the small, comfortable space, I weighed in with my opinion. “It’s wonderful. Plus, I get the added benefit of aromatic flower scents wafting up through the air vents.”
“I should charge the next tenant extra for that added bonus,” he agreed.
Turning serious, I walked over to sit down on the edge of the desk he had arranged in the middle of the room. In a husky voice that I hoped sounded sexy, I said, “There’s just one finishing touch that needs to be taken care of here.”
