Seven months later

Bash

Standing with the rest our graduating class, I watch with pride as Tori walks up the stairs and onto the platform to receive her diploma. As much as she had wanted to suck up her pride and find other ways to graduate, she kept the scholarship I’d created for her. I know a small part of her would’ve liked to have quit school and found someplace cheaper, just so she could be independent, but that would’ve meant leaving me behind. And I wasn’t about to allow that to happen.

I glance over at Tori’s father, a tall, balding man in his early fifties and smile. He doesn’t even know I’m over here, but his smile mirrors mine. Years ago, I had made him a promise that I would do anything I could to help Tori after putting her through hell. I vowed to take care of her, and when I let him down, I did everything in my power to make amends. He was content with the scholarship arrangement, though he has no idea I paid Tori’s tuition from my trust fund. He still believes my father has a charity that gives scholarships to the academically gifted.

As Tori shakes the Dean’s hand and holds her diploma in the air, she grins at her dad first, before her eyes land on me. This moment is priceless, worth every cent. She walks across the stage and toward my section, before taking her place with the rest of the students in her honor’s society.

It’s not long before they announce my name, and I make my way onto the stage to receive my diploma. Or the piece of paper that acts as one until the real thing comes in the mail. I find my parents in the crowd, and my dad moves his right arm back, as if he’s about to throw a football to me, and then pretends to release the imaginary ball. What a dork.

I laugh at him and shake my head while raising my hand to wave to my mom.

My dad is proud, and I’m just happy he was able to get away from work to be here. He’s missed so many important events in my life. Of all the days to miss, this would not be the one, especially since he knows my plans for after graduation, plans that involve Tori and the life we want to build together.

After they finish the final speeches and the Dean announces the graduating class, we shuffle out of the auditorium, the crowd turning into a stampede. I find Tori, slip my fingers between hers, and drag her through the throng, not wanting to let her out of my sight.

Our parents have the crowd working against them, so we wait for them on the lawn. Tori grips my gown and pulls me into her chest. I dip down to kiss her on the lips, wishing we were alone right now. We haven’t spent a day apart since I’d promised there would be no barriers between us, and I never want her to leave my sight.

“Keep kissing me like that, and we’ll have to skip lunch with our parents,” she says once our lips separate.

“Don’t worry, babe. I intend to keep you locked up for the rest of the weekend.”

“You have the NFL draft, so I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’ll settle for being locked up for the night.”

Just thinking about the draft makes me nervous. My dad swears that I’m a shoe-in, especially given his career with the organization, but I have my concerns. Not every great college player is selected the first time around. And, now that Tori scored herself a job at a financial firm downtown as an analyst, I’d like to stay in the area, which means the Philadelphia Eagles need to pick me.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that will happen because I don’t want Tori to feel obligated to leave her job before it even starts to follow me around the country. I know she would, and that’s why I’m hoping the draft goes as planned.

Tori’s dad finds us first. She runs over to him and jumps into his arms. After she finishes her private conversation with her father, she takes her place at my side.

He smacks a hand on my back and pulls me into a hug. “Nice to see you, son.”

Joe has been calling me son for almost as long as I have known him, and even more so now that I am making things with Tori official.

“You too, Sir,” I say, shaking his hand.

“Enough of that formal shit, Bash. Call me dad.”

Tori chuckles and her laughter is contagious. “Sure thing, Dad,” I choke out.

My mom and dad come up to Joe, and they exchange pleasantries. We’d introduced our parents a few months ago at a dinner my dad hosted. Being a massive football fan, Joe jumped at the chance to meet my father and some of his friends. He was in his glory and loving every second of it.

Now, our fathers are good friends, which worked out, seeing as we will all be one big happy family someday. They even talk on the phone a few times a month. Despite being surrounded by so many football lovers, Tori still hates the sport. But she never misses a game. My girl cheers her ass off, pretending as if she knows what’s going on. I joke with her that she just likes my uniform.

“So, today is the day,” my father says, not referring to graduation.

My mother kisses me on each cheek and then pinches them, embarrassing me in front of a lawn full of people. “My baby,” she says into my ear. “I’m so proud of you, Bash. And Tori is lovely. I’m so excited for you.”

Tori cannot hear my mom. She’s too busy talking to our dads to notice. Mom slips a black ring box into my hand and closes my fingers over it. “Be good to her. This ring has been in our family for over two hundred years. It’s good luck, you know.”

I smile and kiss my mom on the cheek, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, Mom.”

After our bodies separate, I nod at Tori’s father, who already knew that I’d wanted to propose to Tori after graduation. I would have done it midway through the school year, but her dad would only give me his blessing if I could promise Tori was not pregnant and would graduate with honors. I satisfied both obligations.

Joe takes a step back from Tori, and I move forward. Tori’s eyes travel from me to her dad and back to me. She seems confused, even though she should have known this was coming. I wasn’t kidding when I told her she was the one, and that she is mine forever.

With the box in my hand, I take Tori’s in the other, giving her a light squeeze, as I drop to my knee in front of her. This is the moment I had run through my head a thousand times over the past few months. After living without her for so long, I could never go back to that feeling again. I need to make this official. Forever.

Her eyes widen, and she covers her mouth with her hand when I remove the ring from the box and hold it out for her to see.

“Is that your mom’s ring?” She chokes out between tears, wiping them away with her finger.

“Yes, and I want it to be yours.” I suck in a deep breath and prepare myself for the speech I have committed to memory. “Victoria Elizabeth Reynolds, I knew you were the one the day I met you. Losing you was the hardest thing that’d ever happened to me. Everything in my life was handed to me on a silver platter, but nothing with you was ever easy. I had to work to get you, and because of that, I respected you even more. You were worth the wait.”

“Bash,” she says, stroking my shoulder with her fingers. Overcome by emotion, she doesn’t say anything else and lets me finish.

“I might be a Prince, but you will always be my queen. Will you marry me?”

She nods, the tears streaming down her cheeks and a smile plastered on her face that reaches up to her bright blue eyes. “Yes, of course, Bash.”

I slide the ring onto her finger and gaze up at her beauty. It’s not just our parents clapping behind me. People are cheering us on, the sound growing louder in the courtyard.

“As usual, you’re causing a scene,” Tori says with a smirk. “Now, get up here and kiss me.”

I shake my head and laugh, as I rise to my feet. Taking her face in my hands, I do as she says and kiss her. There’s so much passion behind the kiss I have to remind myself we’re in public because my body is responding to Tori in ways that it shouldn’t right now.

I don’t care that everyone is watching us. Lifting Tori up, I continue to kiss her, ignoring all the cheering and chatter around us. For as long as I can remember, I have been in the spotlight. It’s pretty much an occupational hazard for a Prince, and now Tori will be one of us.

Forever and always.