Living with Her [Book 3]

Chapter 30

As darkness descended, so did the snow. Dusty sat in the trailer by the window with a mug of hot chocolate while It's a Wonderful Life played on the small television that her mother and Dust were watching. Dusty's attention was outside, watching the softly falling white flakes and hoping that they would stick. She loved the dreamy descent they took to earth, dancing delicately in the wind before finding their final resting place.

The sound of her iPad whirring broke her away from her thoughts with a start. She looked down and saw Ashley's name flashing on the screen. Moving into the bedroom, she accepted the call. Ashley was wearing a bright red Christmas sweater with matching lipstick and smiling into her iPad. "Dusty!" she gushed when her friend answered. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Ash." Dusty smiled. "I thought we weren't going to call each other until tomorrow morning, after we'd opened our presents?"

"Well..." Ashley smiled coyly into the camera. "That's just it. I got an early present that I simply couldn't wait to tell you about."

"Ooh, spill!" Dusty said, sitting cross-legged on her bunk and leaning forward expectantly as she gazed into her iPad. Ashley smiled into the camera but then her gaze settled on something beyond the screen.

"Come wave to Dusty," she said softly. There was a rustle of footsteps, and then Ricardo appeared next to Ashley, wearing a crisp white shirt and a massive grin. He was just as Dusty remembered from Italy, with perfect olive skin and dark, intense eyes.

"Oh my goodness, Ricardo, hi!" Dusty waved eagerly into the camera. Ricardo shyly waved back.

"Hello, Dusty-Rose," he said in his European accent. "Merry Christmas to you."

"And to you."

"Okay, you can carry on helping my dad," Ashley whispered to him, and he left the girls alone to continue their conversation.

"Did he surprise you with a visit?" Dusty asked excitedly, her heart bursting with the romance of such a gesture.

"Yeah, he arrived this morning," Ashley explained, still gushing. "He called and said could I pick him up, and I was like from Italy, yeah, you're dreaming. And he said, 'No, I'm at LAX, and I have your Christmas present with me.' He'd been saving for months to come over. I couldn't believe it!"

"That's so romantic, Ash! You're going to have an amazing Christmas!"

"I know!" Ashley beamed, unable to contain all her glee. "And my parents adore him!"

"Well, he's lovely."

"But that's not all," Ashley said mischievously.

"It's not?"

"He said he had a Christmas present for me that he couldn't wait to give me."

"What was it?" Dusty asked, hanging on her best friend's every word as she relayed the story to her. Ashley didn't say what the mysterious gift was; instead, she showed it to her. She extended her left hand so that it fully filled the screen, revealing the large diamond ring, which she was now wearing.

In her trailer in West, Dusty began screaming with delight. Across the country in Los Angeles Ashley was also screaming. Kayla turned to her son with an anxious look upon her face. "Do you think Dusty is all right?" she queried.

"She's talking to Ashley. She's fine," Dust replied. "Probably excited about who went out off Top Model last week," he added. Dusty finally ceased screaming and admired the beautiful ring.

"It's stunning," she breathed. "I can't believe you're getting married!"

"Me neither!" Ashley beamed. "The ring belonged to his late grandmother, isn't it exquisite? And we're going to get married in Italy so all his family can be there; they can't all afford to fly over, whereas mine can. Which means that you get another Europe trip since obviously you'll be my chief bridesmaid!"