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Tank had driven back with the team to get his car at my house while I drove to Aurora and stopped at Lucas’s house. I sat in the driveway for a while and when I looked up Lucas was standing on the patio looking at me.
“Hey Dad,” I said as he walked towards me and grabbed me into a hug.
“You can let go of it all now,” he said as tears made their way across my cheeks. I had no idea why I was crying, maybe because I could let go of the guilt or maybe because I felt relief, either way I had never cried like this before.
We stood like that for a while and he let go of me as I wiped my eyes dry. He led me into the quiet house and into the living room where he poured a drink for both of us.
“I’m glad you stopped here first,” he said as he emptied his glass.
“I’m not really sure why,” I said to him.
“Sometimes we just need to let go, there’s no shame in crying Ry, no shame at all,” he said as I took a sip from my glass.
“I’m going to ask Megan to marry me and before you ask no I won’t be asking for her father’s blessing,” I said to him.
“You’re too much like me,” he said with a smile.
“Yes I am, I guess I actually just wanted to thank you,” I said to him.
“For what?” he asked me with a frown.
“For never giving up on me, kicking my ass when I needed it,” I said to him.
“I could never give up on you and I’ll always kick your ass when it’s needed,” he said and I laughed.
“Don’t tell Mom about the proposal,” I said and he shook his head.
“Too late,” she said from the doorway and walked towards me. She hugged me from the side and I felt at peace as I inhaled her scent.
“Don’t go overboard,” I whispered and she laughed softly.
“I wouldn’t dare, I’ll leave all that to Megan,” she said.
“I love you Mom,” I said as I hugged her tighter.
“I love you Ryder and whatever you might think, I’m immensely proud of you, even when I yell at you it’s because I love you so much,” she said.
“So I gather me asking Megan to marry me is a good thing?” I asked and she slapped me behind my head.
“I can’t believe you’ve waited this long! Megan’s an extraordinary young woman and I know you two will be so happy together,” she said as I smiled.
I felt like a new person as I drove back to Princeton and I saw our bedroom light was still on as I parked the truck. Link’s truck was still there and I silently thanked him for not leaving Megan alone. She was asleep in the bed as I closed the door behind me quietly and I walked to the dressing room and took my clothes off and changed into pajama bottoms.
“Megan,” I whispered as I lay next to her propped up on one elbow.
“What?” she asked sleepily.
“Will you marry me?” I asked her and her eyes opened as she turned her head towards me.
“Yes,” she whispered as I smiled and took the ring from the box.
I slid the ring onto her finger and she smiled as she looked at it. She pulled my down on top of her and kissed me, “it’s beautiful,” she whispered as we broke apart. Her ring was of white gold with a pink square diamond in the middle, it was simple yet elegant and I had it insured because it was the most expensive thing I’d ever bought.
“I love you Megan Greer,” I said and kissed her again as I pulled her on top of me.
Six months later…
We had attended the official bonding ceremonies for Link and Emily, Cameron and Brenda and last week for Johnathan and Shelley. Much to my mother’s dismay I had refused to do the traditional ceremony and I had opted for something more me.
I stood in the front of the room on the upper floor of The Drake. I chose to do our ceremony here like my parents had and the Elders had accepted my request once again. I didn’t want to do our ceremony at a Sire meeting and I wanted my closest friends and family here to witness it.
Chase stood next to me as my best man and Melissa stood on the other side as Megan’s maid of honor. Megan had organized her own ceremony with some help from Rylee since her parents were still not talking to her. She had phoned them to tell them of our engagement and her father had just said that she would run back to them once I rejected her at the altar and put the phone down in her ear.
I had to, once again, resist the urge to go and hurt him. Megan was my whole life and the fact that he hurt her pissed me off. I was also smart enough to know that if I did hurt him, I’d piss her off, so I had relented and vented my frustrations on Chase instead.
The door of the ballroom opened slightly and I saw Sharice poke her head inside. Her eyes found mine instantly and she beckoned for me. I suddenly felt very uneasy as I made my way down the dais and towards her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her softly as she grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.
“Megan’s not here,” she said.
“What do you mean she’s not here? Is she running late?” I asked her.
“No, I mean she’s not coming at all,” Sharice said.
“Why?” I asked her.
“I don’t know, she told my mom that she can’t marry you, that too much had happened,” she said.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Neither do I because if I know one thing, it’s that Megan’s been in love with you for as long as I can remember,” she said.
“Where is she?”
“Her clothes are gone Ryder, she left her ring next to her dress,” she said and placed that damn pink ring in the palm of my hand.
“I have to go,” I said absent mindedly as I clutched the ring in my hand and I turned towards the exit.
“Ryder…”
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