“Well, that didn’t go to fucking plan,” I said as I watched her walk away. I shook my head not knowing how I could have fucked that up. I’d spent weeks thinking about exactly what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.

“She didn’t exactly say no,” Dad pointed out as he tried to cheer me up.

Those in the crowd that had joined us dispersed and looked away from me. I was embarrassed as all fuck. What had I done so wrong? I thought about it over and over again. I went over every single second of the moment that started out so great until she just walked.

Olivia approached me. She knew all about my plan and she encouraged it.

“I don’t know what happened,” she confessed to me as she glanced off in the direction that Bethany had walked away. She shook her head. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“I didn’t either,” I grumbled with a loud sigh.

“Go find her. You know Bethany, she’s probably thinking too much. Go find her and talk it out. Put her mind at ease about whatever is bothering her,” Olivia suggested and I knew she was right. Bethany was always in her head.

Leaving the festival behind, I walked down the street that lead toward my dad’s garage and my apartment. It was the direction Bethany had taken and I figured that is where she went. We’d promised one another that we would work together to make us work. I wanted to make us work forever.

I jogged the rest of the way and up the stairs to my place. Swinging the door open, I found her as she stood crying over her suitcase. She was packing. She was running away. Her head shot up and she spotted me in the doorway.

“Girlie, please let’s talk first. Why are you running away?” I stepped to her. I pulled her into my arms as she cried on my chest. I held her tight, determined to not let go again. We’d walked out of one another’s lives too many times. There would be no more.

“Liam, you know we can’t keep this up. It’s impossible,” she whined.

“Why?” I asked.

“I can’t run back and forth between here and L.A. like I’ve been doing and you don’t want to live there. That’s always been our problem. My dreams took me far away from where you are comfortable. How could we possibly make a marriage work?” She tried to break away from me, but I wouldn’t let her. I held her firm where she stood. I glared into her eyes

“Bethany, Baby, I’m ready to follow you anywhere you want to go. L.A. I’m there. Seattle, New York City, the motherfucking moon. I don’t care. I’m there, always.” I held her firmly and I saw the disbelief in her eyes.

“What about Renni?” she asked, clearly worried about my daughter.

“She can come too. It will be good for her. We’re in this together. I can’t wish for anything better than the chance for my daughter to experience the world in a way I never could. I want her to thrive and you are the best person to help me make that happen. Just marry me, baby.” I felt like I was begging her and I was. I needed Bethany in my life, no matter the circumstances. I couldn’t live without her.

“Yes,” she breathed. I stared at her as if I didn’t believe her, because I honestly couldn’t. She’d just run away from me when I originally asked and now she was saying yes to spending the rest of her life with me.

“Really?” I asked in confirmation.

“Really, Liam. I’ll marry you.” She gave me the biggest grin and I kissed her with all my might. Her fingers gripped my shirt as she held onto me. She was assuring herself we’d never part. This time it was real.

I couldn’t take it. I needed every part of her as close to me as possible. Breaking away, I pulled her blouse over her head and my fingers unbuttoned her jeans as quickly as possible.

“Liam, stop. This might be too much for you. You’re still healing,” Bethany mentioned as I shoved her suitcase to the ground and laid her over the couch and climbed over her, unbuckling my belt.

“Fuck that. I’m healed enough to love you, baby,” I grumbled as I ripped my shirt over my head and kicked my jeans off.

Bethany’s eyes stared at my chest and the scars that were a reminder of the night I was nearly no longer in her world. Her fingers reached up and trailed along my surgery scar, followed by my gunshot wound.

“So many memories in those scars,” I mentioned down to her. “The best part was seeing your face before it all went black.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I’ve loved you forever.” My fingers made a gentle trail up her legs to the band of her panties. I pulled them off her legs and spread them.

I bent to her stomach and pressed my mouth to her skin, leaving simple, and loving kisses behind. I made a path of kisses down to the junction between her thighs. My tongue lapped her sweetness and she moaned, her hips rising to greet my hungry mouth.

“You’ve always tasted so good,” I mumbled with my lips between her folds.

I lapped over her clit, evoking her cries. With each lick her wails of passion grew louder and louder, all while my dick got harder and harder. I needed her more than ever. Skin to skin, heart to heart, and the promise of forever.

I moved up her body as she panted. I took no time before I sunk into her. Our bodies were automatically in sync as she wrapped her legs around my waist. I gripped at her curves and drove myself into her deeper. Bethany’s cries were silenced by my mouth taking hers in a sweet kiss. I swallowed her cries and we both collapsed a heated mess onto the couch.

“Will you really follow me anywhere?” she asked in my ear.

Using my elbows, I propped myself up and stared into those sweet blue eyes of hers. I nodded in response.

“Anywhere.”

“Good,” she responded as she ran her fingers through my hair. “What about Portland?”

“Portland sounds good to me,” I said with a smile as she bit down on her lower lip. “What’s this about Girlie?”

“I was offered a job up there. It’s not as big as L.A. and between here where your family is and Seattle where Olivia is. L.A. is so far and I really don’t have anyone there. I think a change of scenery is in order.”

“You’re amazing. You know that Dr. Cross?”

Bethany only grinned before I kissed her hard. I was willing to follow her absolutely anywhere. Always.