The Life Of Aaron Prescott

Bonus 1

A A R O N

"Holy shit," I whisper, hands sweating. "Jesus fuck, Ry, I can't do this."

The small ring box in my back pocket felt like four hundred pounds weighing me down. How do you breathe again?

Tonight I planned on asking Lindsey Hayes to marry me and become Lindsey Prescott, or Hayes if she wanted to keep her last name it was up to her but, I was asking her to be my wife tonight and I was losing my shit right now.

Ryan shakes his head, putting two comforting hands on my shoulder. "Buddy, it's going to be okay. She's going to say yes and then I'm going to be the best man and say the hilarious speech at your wedding everyone remembers more than the wedding itself, okay?"

I let out a deep breath, I nod. "Yeah, yeah. You're right, I can do this." I look over towards the door and see Lindsey walk into the restaurant. She looks beautiful in her brand new red dress and red heels, her beautiful brown hair sits in ringlets on her shoulders and her glossy lips are drawn into a bright smile. "Nope, never mind."

Ryan laughs. "Aaron, I never thought I'd be the one to say this but," Ryan draws in a breathe. "Get your shit together because you have the most beautiful girl you've been with for what? Five years now, she's going to say yes because I think if she got sick of you she would've left a long ass time again."

I glare over at Ryan. "Bad way of putting it but you're right."

Ryan shrugs. "I'm just a musician, I'm no motivational speaker. Pretty sure that's your job."

Two years into college Ryan finally broke a deal with a record label to record his first single. It took a while for it to get big but when it did it skyrocketed, Ryan officially has one million monthly listeners and his numbers are only going up.

"Yeah." I smile at him. "Thanks, and how do you know that I'd ask you to be your best man?"

Ryan scoffs, rolling his eyes. Never outgrew his childish personality after five years either. "Who else were you going to ask, your uncle? Two Aarons in one ceremony isn't a good mix."

After staying at Jordan's for graduation, I had finally contacted my uncle and we scheduled a meet up at a local café. I have been talking to him and my aunt ever since and she's been obsessed with me choosing to become a clinical psychologist.

I hit Ryan in the shoulder. "Go, I have to propose to someone."

Ryan smiles, turning away towards the back doors. "Good luck, just make sure it's not like your promposal and you should be fine."

Telling him about that will forever be my greatest regret.

I shake my head away from Ryan, looking back at Lindsey who's seated at our reserved table. Trying my best to calm my nerves and not break out into sweats, I move towards our table and take a seat across from her.

"Hey," Lindsey kisses me with her cold lips. It was early February in LA and still a bit chilly in the nights. "I thought I got stood up for a minute, did you come in through the back door?"

"Nope," I say. "Just talking to an old friend of mine."

Yes, we were at my old job and even though I never took Lindsey here, it held some significance towards our relationship.

Lindsey pulls off her coat, throwing it into the empty place in her seat. "Well then let's order, because I'm starving."

After a long couple of years of therapy and personal recovery, Lindsey has finally been able to break off of her headspace and everything James has created in her head. I'm so proud of her for being able to accomplish so much for herself.

Therapy for myself has been going great and I can say that I have not had a night terror in almost a year and I've gotten a lot better around loud noises and unannounced touch.

Lindsey and I order an appetiser of wings while we look over the menu. It has changed since I've worked here but I still know some of the items. Honestly I'm too nervous to eat, so I just pretend to choose something before I drop my menu onto the table.

Lindsey takes longer to drop her menu -given how she hasn't ever been here- before she whips out her phone.

Lindsey's writing career had launched last year after her first romance novel hit the New York Times best sellers list. Currently, she's working on the sequel and I couldn't be more proud of her.

"Have you been talking to Rose lately?" I ask.

Lindsey nods, "yeah her and Mason just moved into their new house, Rose is already talking about kids. The woman just got married last year."

I laugh. "Yeah, funny you bring that up."

Lindsey chuckles, "what do you mean?"

I take a deep breath in, standing up from my side of the booth so that I can stand in the middle of the aisle and start to go down on one knee. Lindsey looks up from her phone, stopping dead in her tracks as soon as she sees me.

"Lindsey," I smiled, reaching into my back pocket so that I could grab the ring box and pop it open. "I never thought you to be someone I could stand for five minutes let alone five years but I've grown to love your carefree, adorable, bookworm personality."

"The day you let me into your house I was done for. You've been there for me whenever I needed you and you've seen me at my weakest moments." I sigh. "So, Lindsey Hayes, querida, will you do me, Aaron Prescott, the great honour of being my wife and putting up with me for the rest of your life."

Lindsey smiles, pulling a tear away from her eye. "Yes, serial killer. I guess I can put up with you for a while longer."

I slip the engagement ring onto her finger with the biggest smile on my face before standing up and enclosing her in my arms. Everyone around us in the restaurant starts clapping behind us but that fades for me because I want to stay right here in this moment with the woman I love and will love forever in my arms.

I pull away, kissing Lindsey with so much passion that I feel a sense of euphoria from that alone. Lindsey places a hand on my face, our foreheads touching. "We're getting married."

"We're getting married."

"Yes!" Ryan's voice yells in the background. "I'm gonna be the best man, woohoo!"

I inhale deeply, turning around sharply. "Ryan Perez, you are so dead."