A few weeks after the Florida/Los Angeles trip, I had to fly to Ohio for a work thing. Ash took me to the airport and promised he'd be there the minute I was off the plane. After a mass of meetings, I managed to get some free time. So I called my mom and Amy and invited them to lunch.
Pulling into the parking lot, I spotted them standing by the door. I hadn't seen either of them since Christmas and I wasn't sure if Amy was aware of the engagement. Either way, I'd find out soon enough.
"Hey, sweetheart. It's so good to see you!" she said, giving me a quick hug after I greeted my mom.
"I know. We don't come visit nearly as often as we should." I replied as we all walked in.
After being seated and ordering drinks, we made small talk while we waited to order our food. I was in the middle of telling them about Disney World when my FaceTime rang. I answered it and a smile broke out when Ash's face popped up.
"Hey babe." I said, waiting for the picture to clear.
"How was meetings?" he asked, eyes wandering past the phone.
He was wearing his Rams jersey, which meant he was watching a game.
"Meetings were meetings. They want to do a small feature on us for the Valentines issue, by the way. I can call and get it booked when I'm done having lunch with my mom and Amy."
"Hi mama!" he called out, causing them both to laugh.
It was at that moment that Amy noticed the ring.
"Ashley Abrocket Purdy, you are the most romantic man I've ever met!" she exclaimed, reaching for my hand so she could get a closer look.
I switched my phone to my other hand, and let her ogle.
"Ok, I love you and I'll see you tonight. Enjoy your game!" I told him before hanging up.
"When did he propose?" Amy asked, just as the waiter brought our food.
"New Year's Eve at CC and Anna's party."
I couldn't help but smile about it, either. Honestly, I had never seen myself as a woman who would get married. After college, when my photography career had taken off, that's what I had always seen myself doing. I was the one who wanted to be the powerful, independent woman who didn't need a man to define her.
Ash had changed all of that when he found me at the Alt Press office in Cleveland. He came in for an interview and shoot for the new album, spotted me behind the camera and immediately we reconnected. Not that we'd ever really lost touch. Friendship was a hard road to navigate, especially when one friend is in LA and the other is across the country. Him moving to Nashville had damn near broken my heart.
But that shoot had made me realize that even though I was living in LA and he was in Nashville, we were still best friends. Distance would never change that fact, especially now. I still had my place in LA, and was currently renting it out to some friends. But having that changed nothing. It didn't matter where I lived, Ash was my home.
The three of us got lost in discussion of the wedding, with my mom wanting me to wear white. But I wasn't sure that was what I wanted. Ash and I weren't traditional. We never had been. And I wanted our wedding to be a reflection of the two of us, and the lives that we had started individually but managed with the help of one another and were currently building together.
After lunch, we all parted ways and I headed for the airport to return my rental car and wait for my flight. On the way, I played Vale, finding it peaceful and I knew that I wanted Jinxx at least to perform at the wedding. Possibly playing the wedding march on his violin as I walked down the aisle.
Waiting for my flight, I remembered that I needed to call in and get the feature for Ash and I set up. Once that was done, it was time to board. A few short hours later and I was back in Tennesee.
True to his word, Ash was waiting for me by baggage claim, baseball cap low over his eyes, looking down at his phone. He didn't know I was there until my shoes came into vision. A grin broke out as he wrapped his arms around me tightly, his face buried in my hair. I hugged him back just as tightly.
"You have no idea how much I missed you." He said when we pulled apart, one arm across my shoulders.
"I was gone for literally two days." I laughed, letting him lead me to the car.
"Longest two days ever." He muttered, setting off for home.
He was the biggest baby sometimes, but I loved him all the same.
After showering the travels away, I found him on the couch with his bass in his lap. Absent mindedly strumming some random nonsense. I sat next to him, with my laptop on my knees and my back against the arm of the couch.
"Can we set a date?" I asked, scrolling through Pinterest.
He looked up.
"For the wedding?"
"Yeah. I mean, I gotta know when it is so I can get into shape." I shrugged, knowing he would take the bait.
He did. Standing up, he put the bass on the stand in the corner. Coming back, he took my laptop from me, set it on the coffee table and pinned me to the couch.
"You, my dear, do not need to get in shape. You. Are. Perfect. In literally every way." He said, accentuating the words you, are, and perfect with pokes to my stomach.
This was an ongoing "argument" that we had. I just liked to pick on him. It was fun because he always fell for it so easily
"September." He said a while later, laying on top of me in his usual way. I was playing with his hair, trying to settle on something to watch.
"Early, middle or late September?" I asked, trying to think of what we'd have going on then.
"28th. One month before your birthday and the exact day I decided I wanted to marry you." He replied.
"Awe. Ash!" I cooed, giggling as he leaned up to kiss me.
What a cheeseball. But at least it was one thing we didn't have to worry about now. All I had left was... everything but the date!
