Page 75 of Wrecked
I knew they were throwing a surprise party for me there; Angela let it slip.
“Should we go there for a drink?” I asked innocently.
He nodded. “Great idea.”
I’d promised Angela I would act shocked.
Climbing onto my new ride, I grinned at the silver glitter helmet Ethan had hung around the handle. He left first, with me right behind him and the boys behind me, all in a neat little line. I marveled at how far Ethan and I had come. His leg was fully healed; he was riding again, and I’d continued with the Krav Maga classes. My therapist thought it was a good idea. I now felt safe in any dark alley walking home from work. Not that Ethan would ever let me walk home.
The drive to Mickey’s was short, and as we pulled up I recognized a few of the cars and motorcycles but pretended I didn’t.
I bet they decorated with a sign, “Congrats Hailey” or something like that. I was so damn lucky to have these people in my life.
As I pulled the kickstand on my new ride, Ethan and I walked hand in hand to the door. Once he reached to open the door for me, I looked back at Angela and winked.
Time for me to act surprised.
The first thing I noticed was a banner strewn above the back of the bar.
The second thing was that no one had screamed surprise, and when my eyes flew to the banner, shock ripped through me as I read the words:
Marry Me Hailey.
White Christmas lights were zigzagged across the ceiling, setting a romantic vibe, and all of my friends and classmates were gathered around the bar, watching and filming my reaction.
I spun, looking at Ethan with my mouth popped open.
He was on one knee, and that’s when the tears came.
“Hailey Willows, I simply cannot contemplate a life without you. Will you marry me and make me the happiness man on Earth?”
I could barely see him through my blurry tears. “Yes,” I croaked out, only now aware that he was holding a ring box.
He whipped the ring out and slipped it on my finger. I barely had time to glance at the beautiful circle cut diamond before the bar erupted into cheers and Ethan pulled me into a hug.
I’d truly never felt so happy and hopeful for my future until now. Ethan’s arms tight around me, this ring on my finger, it was all I ever wanted. Eternity with Ethan would not be enough.
Pulling back, he looked down at me. “What did I do to deserve you? I’m the luckiest man alive.”
I smiled, remembering now that I needed to talk to him about something, especially if we were getting married. “Would you still feel lucky if I asked you to move to Tucson with me while I complete medical school?”
His mouth popped open and now it was my turn to surprise him.
“You got into medical school?” I was trying to gauge his reaction, and by the grin on his face he was stoked.
I nodded. “Kind of. I didn’t tell anyone because I’d be too embarrassed if I failed, but I’ve been accepted as a biology major at UofA. I can get my bachelors in two years with all of my nursing credits transferred. Then I’ll pass my MCATS, and hopefully get accepted to UofA’s medical school program. You could run the shop there while I specialize in pediatric endocrinology? I could work nights at the hospital as a nurse to try and pay some of the tuition, but I’m gonna have to figure the rest of the money part out because—”
He grabbed his chest. “I’m marrying a doctor! Holy shit, Scotty is gonna flip. Don’t worry about the money. I’ll get a loan against the shop if I have to.”
“I’m not a doctor yet!” I laughed. “Is that a yes?” My stomach did flip flops.
“That’s an absolute fucking yes. I’ll follow you anywhere, Hailey.”
Genuine happiness spread throughout my limbs. I was following my dreams, living up to my potential. The bad days were finally behind me.
It was only up from here.
I was free.
The End
