When he was done, he walked into my bathroom and grabbed a towel, walking back in and cleaning off any remaining come from my face and neck. He leaned down and kissed my lips. With a smile, he tossed the towel in the dirty clothes hamper and pulled his boxers and pants back on. I reached out and took the clothes he was handing me and got myself dressed again. I sat on the edge pulling on my heels before taking his hand and heading out of the apartment. There was a silence between us, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was complete and showed the level of ease between us.
When we reached work, I went inside and sat down at my desk, glancing up at Tanner sitting at his desk across the hall. He looked up and caught my glaze, flashing his big charming smile at me. I was so in love with that man, and though a week ago, I thought I would never be with him, today was the beginning of the rest of our lives together. We were perfectly in sync with each other in a way I hadn’t ever seen before. We were best friends, partners, and lovers, exactly what I always wanted from him. MJ may be the merger on everyone’s mind, but in my head, the merger between the two of us was the single biggest life changing event I had ever experienced. I was desperately in love with that man, and he was finally all mine.
Epilogue: Tanner
It had been a year since Ava and I finally decided to let go of everything holding us back and just be together in every way possible. It had truly been the best year of my life. It was amazing how good our relationship was when we didn’t have to worry about hiding or lying to anyone, when we had the support of her family and the support of the people around us. We were the happiest we had ever been, and to my surprise, that did not hinder my ability to kick ass with my company. It had ended up increasing my productivity. I was in a good mood all the time, and from that, I drew motivation.
About six months into the relationship, she left her apartment and moved into the penthouse. We hired a decorator and made the place a lot homier and something that we could call ours. I loved having her there all the time, going to sleep with her at night, and waking up to her beautiful face. She loved to cook when we got home from work, and I would never complain about that. My kitchen was finally getting some action for once, at least some action that didn’t involve hot, sweaty naked bodies.
Dean and I had continued to grow closer and closer, and after a year, we were right where we had been two decades before when we started MJ together. He and Lindy had ended up working everything out, and he moved back into the house. I saw such a transformation in that woman, it was nuts, and if I hadn’t seen it slowly unfold, I wouldn’t have believed it. She went from the snooty rich woman to the woman everyone wanted to be around. She would do picnics, go on adventures, and she loved coming to visit Ava in the penthouse. Dean’s life ended up better than he could have imagined.
I looked across the table at the old bastard and laughed, watching him trying to order Chinese food from the waitress. He was never very good at pronouncing the names, so he just pointed and nodded when he ordered. It was really good to be out to dinner with Dean, but this time wasn’t our normal dudes evening out. It was special, or at least it was to me. Ava was with her mom at the house, working on the fall harvests in their garden. I’d asked Dean to join me at dinner, using the excuse to get away from the women for a bit, even though neither one of us wanted to leave their sides. After we ordered and our drinks were delivered, Dean leaned back in the chair and started stretching. He looked at me with curiosity obviously noticing that I was feeling a tab bit nervous over what I wanted to talk to him about.
“So,” he said, yawning. “What’s the special occasion.”
“I want to talk to you about something.” I tried a smile, but I’m not sure it didn’t come across as stiff and unnatural.
“All right. Whatcha got?”
“Ava and I have been seeing each other for over a year,” I said. “I love her more than anything in this world, and I knew a year ago that this was the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with. So, I wanted to bring you here today to ask you for permission to propose to Ava.”
I pulled out the ring I had gotten her and showed Dean. He whistled at the large shimmering stone and shook his head in amazement. I had picked out something really special for her, and I didn’t give a damn about how expensive it was, which he likely knew.
“Man,” he laughed. “I knew this was coming. I had a serious feeling in my gut.”
“What do you say?”
“Well, if she’s into old guys and understands your balls will be by your knees soon,” he said, laughing, “then I absolutely give my blessing on your marriage. It takes a special kind of woman to be secure in that.”
“Thanks.” I laughed, too, but more in relief than anything. “This won’t be part of the story when people ask how I proposed.”
“Understandable.” He chuckled. “But seriously, I would love nothing more than for you and Ava to get married. She is pretty much head over heels in love with you, and it’s only gotten stronger over the last year.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. “Do I call you Dad?”
“If you want a throat punch.” He shrugged
We ate our lunch, laughing back and forth at each other’s jokes. It was definitely going to be an interesting dynamic, but I couldn’t think of any better father-in-law than my own best friend. Of course, I would never call him that in public, and it was a little strange to think about it. After lunch, we parted ways, and I jumped in a cab to head back to the office. The adrenaline in my chest was pumping at that point, and I couldn’t wait to see the look on Ava’s face when I proposed to her. I had been so sneaky, and she didn’t have a clue that I got her a ring and wanted to propose to her. I knew she didn’t need me to. She was happy just being with me, but I knew there weren’t many other things in this world that would bring me greater joy than making Ava my wife. We could start a family, have some rug rats, and simply enjoy life with each other.
When the car pulled up out front of the building, I got out, pulling the ring box from my pocket and opening it one last time. Seeing the ring and how perfect it was for Ava gave me even more motivation to ask her. Sure, the office wasn’t the most romantic place for a proposal, but that was where both of our hearts were, and I found it poetic that she got engaged in the same place we fell in love. I rode the elevator up the stairs and started whispering to everyone through all the cubicles. I had them call upstairs to the others in the office and then waited until everyone was down in one place. I put my finger in front of my lips and held up the ring box. People covered their mouths, trying not to give it away. Slowly, we crept down the hall and toward Ava’s office.
I poked my head around the corner and smiled, catching her attention. She looked up and grinned, putting down her pen and pushing the chair back. She walked forward and out of the office, freezing as soon as she saw a ton of employees following me like the Pied Piper. She looked at them suspiciously and then back at me, unsure of what was going on. I smiled big as I took her hand and lowered myself down onto one knee. Ava put her hand over her mouth and gasped as I looked up into her eyes.
“Ava, sweet Ava,” I began. “Decades ago, I made a vow to never fall in love again. I told myself that I would be fine all alone in this world and that changing my mind on that would severely affect my business. Then you walked in with your amazing personality, your keen eye for business, and your absolutely gorgeous smile. We have been through a hell of a lot together, that’s for sure. In the end, though, you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. That has been there like a stamp on my soul since the moment I laid eyes on you, and I knew that I had to have you as my wife. So, that being said, will you please do me the great honor of accepting this ring and becoming my wife?”
She looked down at the sparkling diamond, and her eyes got big. I took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. She looked at it for several moments and then back at me.
“Yes,” she said, laughing. “Yes, yes, yes.”
The whole crowd behind us exploded in cheers and applause. I stood up and walked toward her, taking her in my arms and bending her backward, pressing my lips firmly to hers. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. When I pulled her back to her feet, she smiled and turned to the crowd behind us. She held her hand up in the air and flashed her giant diamond to the crowd.
“I’m getting married,” she yelled.
The crowd of people once again burst into cheers and applause, and I could see the smile on Ava’s face go on for days. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips plump, and she had decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. I watched her move seamlessly through the crowd, stopping to hug people, show them the ring, or strike up a conversation. Her laughter was intoxicating, and I could feel the excitement in my chest brewing. It was real. I was really going to get to marry my best friend. Together, we were unstoppable, and I had come to the realization very early on that without Ava, I just didn’t feel complete.
We walked toward the conference room where I had ordered a cake and a bunch of flowers. The place was covered in white roses like the one I had brought to her apartment many months before. She shook her head and leaned over, kissing
me on the cheek. We spent the afternoon talking to everyone, laughing, telling stories, and eating cake. Neither one of us had many friends outside of work, and the people there were like extended family to us. It was the perfect place to celebrate our love, celebrate our upcoming nuptials, and the perfect place to create such a beautiful memory.