“Did you know the Satin Touch ad was dropping on Monday?” Ben asked her and she shook her head no.
“I knew it was going to come out sometime soon, but she hadn’t told me a definite date,” she admitted, scrolling through the comments under Emerson’s post. There were plenty of stupid ones about both Emerson and Lyle as well as her and Ben being couples, but it was the requests for the new line to be released early that caught her attention most. Several of them made note of the ad previews they received making them want more and Emma pulled up her email, finding one in her own inbox from the mailing list.
“Umm…did you see this?” Emma asked Megan, turning her phone to let her friend see it.
“Oh my god…your dad is going to be lose his mind if he sees that last one in full at the airport,” Megan said and Ben took the phone from her, his eyes lighting up entirely as the quick little snippets of her photos rotated through the screen.
“Damn baby, you look so completely amazing. None of them can top the ones from Hawaii right now, but they’re so damn good,” Ben said, dropping a kiss onto her lips that made her melt.
“I love you, Ben.”
“I love you too, Emmy. Always,” he promised, holding onto her while they let the comments pour in on her pages, and Megan showed her the different things that went through the group chat that made them all laugh.
It was just before dinner when she pinned a single response under one of the many pregnant emojis noting, ‘Nope, not pregnant, just in love and wanting to share that with everyone. Wasn’t expecting a ring but I’d never turn it (or him) down when it came from someone that knows and loves me so well. Not only is it exactly what I’d have wanted if I had known it was coming, but it was also created from my favorite method, turning something old or forgotten or damaged into something new and beautiful. He saw the true beauty in the ring the same way he saw the real me, just as I saw the real him and that’s what makes me so happy to marry this man whenever we decide is the right time.’
“Aww…you just told them to f-off in the nicest way,” Megan mused and she nodded, before they headed out to get something to eat. She loved cooking most nights, especially with Ben helping her, but when she simply wanted to enjoy time with him not worrying about stirring or turning or checking on things, going out was the best option. With Megan in town, she also wanted to show off their favorite spots to eat, and they slid into the Italian place finding at least a fifteen minute wait ahead of them.
“Yo Ben, what’s up man?” Heath said pulling their attention over to the small group at an eight-top table just beyond the hostess station.
“Hey, just looking to grab some dinner. My girl’s best friend is in town with us for a couple weeks so they can hang out while I’m working and we’re taking her to some of our favorite spots,” Ben said with a nod towards her and Megan.
“Just the three of you?” Heath asked and Ben nodded. “Why don’t you just join us? We haven’t ordered food, just drinks. That okay?” he added to the hostess who nodded, and Emma smiled as she settled in next to Ben while Megan took the open spot next to Heath. “So what have you all been up to since the semester ended?”
“Not much, just moved in with my girl, spent a week in Hawaii, got engaged, and started working full-time,” Ben said pulling the entire table’s attention down to them.
“Sorry, did you say you got engaged?” Heath asked and Megan showed him the photos she’d posted while Ben lifted her hand to show him the ring. “Damn…you’re making me feel like I’m years behind the curve. I mean shit dude, you’re actually working in finance this summer and planning for the future, while I’m still trying to just enjoy shit and not think that I technically graduate after this next year.”
“Yeah, now try dealing with two of them like that because while Emma may not be already working within whatever career she wants for the long run, she knows where she wants it to head, and she’s making money to help her get there, while I’m trying to figure out if I want to live in the sorority house next year or get my own apartment,” Megan said making her laugh softly.
“You got a job too?” Heath asked her curiously and she shrugged a bit letting Megan pull up the email with the photos. “Man, you’re not going to be able to go anywhere without someone asking if you’re the guy that’s dating the girl from the ads now, you know that right?”
“And I’ll just happily tell them I’m the guy that’s engaged to her, who gets to go home to her every night,” Ben returned letting her fully enjoy their time together while Megan and Heath shot little flirtatious nothings back and forth.
By the end of the night, Megan had a date with Heath for Monday, and she had over a hundred more comments on herposts, most of which were nice, but the ones that weren’t, she just ignored. They could question it until they were blue in the face. It wouldn’t change that she loved Ben, even if he was still mostly a nerd.
Chapter 19
Emma smiled seeing her Mom coming through the front door of the salon. Her flight this morning had been delayed, and she hadn’t known if she’d even make it today. Not that there was really any rush now in her mind. Not when she’d overheard the rudeness of the stylists while waiting for her appointment time.
“Oh, I’m so glad I made it,” her mom gushed, giving her a huge hug that soothed the irritation rushing through her.
“Me too, Mom,” she said, smiling more seeing the slight sheen of tears in her mom’s eyes already. “I haven’t even tried a dress on yet, you can’t cry already.”
“I just can’t help it. I still can’t believe my little girl is getting married…at twenty,” her mom added making her laugh a bit.
“It’s just a few weeks before I’m twenty-one,” she said with a little shrug.
They’d gotten dozens of questions as to why they were already picking a date, let alone one that was barely nine months out as it’d been when they announced it to everyone at New Year’s. They’d chosen September thirteenth, the day they’d first kissed, first truly started dating so it could be their official anniversary without anyone asking questions on it, and to celebrate the full circle they’d made since then of going fromjust friends, to knowing they’d always be friends on top of being lovers.
“I know, but I was twenty-five before I got married so you’re about five years ahead of when I was picturing this day. It seems so fast,” her mom teased making her laugh a bit.
“You met Dad when you were twenty-three and got married at twenty-five. I ‘met’ Ben at seventeen going on eighteen and now we’re getting married at twenty going on twenty-one which is a three year wait, so we’re actually behind you all,” she countered, resting her head against her mom’s for a moment at the shock on her face. “But unlike the two of you, we don’t plan to have a baby in the next two years…or probably four or five after that. We want to get settled in our lives after college, which yes, we both fully plan on finishing.”
“Good, and you know we love Ben, how he treats you. It’s just trying to reconcile that you’re going to be married so much sooner than we imagined, let alone that you’ll be living here in New York and not near us. Add in that you’re paying for most of it yourself and we’re also just feeling a bit left out,” her mom stated surprising her entirely.
“You’re still paying for the apartment though, and that’s just as much for a year as what we’re looking to spend on the wedding. We don’t want to take advantage of what you and Dad worked so hard to earn,” Emma told her, earning another hug and smile from her mom.
“We worked so we could see that you had every possibility option available to you honey. Your scholarship is covering more than we are so there’s no reason to argue over the costs of things. Between what was already in your college fund and the stipend, it more than covers the apartment, and since neither of you have argued having your dad staying the week moving forward still, there’s no impact to us. The money in that fund was always for your use, and we intended to help pay for yourwedding whenever it happened,” she argued, and Emma gave her a hug as Emerson arrived a bit out of breath.