Book 3 [ The Untitled Series ]

Chapter Forty-Eight

Ashley

1 month later

It was Saturday afternoon , 1 in the afternoon to be exact- and I was getting ready for my engagement party. I wasn't even sure if an engagement party was a thing, but Alexus had insisted on throwing me one. It seemed that they- Leon and his family- used any excuse to have a party, but I didn't fight it. It was fun having people to be around that I could consider friends and family, and since Leon's mother had fallen in love with my little angel Raegan, she jumped at the opportunity to keep her every couple of weeks.

So, Alexus presentes me with the proposal of an engagement party, to which I had no say so what's so ever on food, drinks, or anything. Hell, I wasn't even allowed to say 'no.' All I was allowed to have a say so on was what I wore and that Carmen was invited. Other than that, my opinion was pretty much null and void.

I had tried to invite my mother but she was M.I.A.

I had her car towed from her home and sold it- well, Leon did, because I couldn't bring myself to- and I'd stopped making payments on her house too. I'd gone by there one day- with Carmen as my backup- and the place was almost completely bare. Everything was gone, save from anything that could be called junk. The place was completely trashed, with papers and litter everywhere.

I wished that i could've been sad at the state of my childhood home, but I wasn't. It only reminded me of the way I'd grown up, and to be honest, that house had been in even worse states back then. At least nobody had pissed on the carpets...yet.

" black or blue?" Carmen asked, holding up two dress for me to choose from. We were at my house getting ready, well, I was getting ready. Carmen was already dressed and ready to go, and honestly, having fun trying to dress me up. Apparently I didn't really have much of a say so in what I wore either.

" blue." I answered after quiet deliberation.

" i like the black one too." She said, tossing the blue one behind me on my bed, and handing over the chosen garment.

" why even ask me then?"

" to make you feel like your opinion counts, of course...But mama knows best."

I was taking the dress off of the hanger when Leon walked in, looking fine as hell. He had on a blood red, long sleeve button up shirt with black jeans and black Timberland boots. His cologne hit my nose, making me melt.

A few quiet seconds must've passed because he shook a package that he'd been holding in his hands. It was small, about the size of a cellphone. The silver wrapping paper reflected the light in the room viciously.

" hmm?" I asked, allowing Carmen to help pull my dress up and over my thighs. That, alone was a struggle. " bitch where the fuck did you find this dress? "

" in your closet. Now suck it in."

I did as she said as we both pulled it up so that I could put the straps on and she could zip it up. Once on, the dress wasn't horribly tight, it was just my large hips that had caused an issue. The dress was probably a few years old and obviously had never been worn.

" I got you a gift." Leon said, bringing my attention back to him as he shook the silver clad box. " i want you to open it before the party."

" why don't we open it when we get there? I got you a gift too." It was his engagement ring, finally. I had given him one that was more of a place filler for the real thing. This new one, I knew he would love. It was flashier than he was used to- a silver band covered completely in white diamonds- but it was worth it. It had set me back almost forty thousand dollars so even if he didn't like it, he was going to take that shit and pretend like he did.