My Hart

Chapter 36

Things have changed so much in the last week. Mark... Dad has pretty much moved in with us. I guess he has more money than he knows what to do with. He owns a company and pays people to make money for him, so he doesn't have to work. He said he only did before he found us was to try and cover up the emptiness he felt. He has begged mom to quit her job. He paid off all of mom's debt as an excuse for her to quit her job, so all they have to worry about is making up for lost time. I'm happy for mom. She's always worked so hard to provide for us, and she has done really well. He has finally talked mom into putting in her two weeks' notice, so she can plan their wedding.

On my birthday, mom and dad went all out. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen. It was way over the top. I eventually agreed to let it happen because mom said it was important to Mark since he had missed all seventeen of my previous birthdays. I tried to explain that just a small gathering with a cake, them, and my friends was all I truly wanted. I mean, it's not like he missed them on purpose, he didn't even know that I existed.

Mark rented the entire arcade. He told me I could invite the whole school if I wanted. I ended up only inviting my friends and their families. We all had a great time playing laser tag, racing go carts, and all the other games that the arcade had to offer.

Mark bought me eighteen presents. One for every birthday I have had. His gifts were even crazier than his party. For my first birthday, he gave me a document asking me to legally change my last name to his. For my second birthday, he gave me a HUGE trust fund. For my third through fifteenth, he gave me shopping sprees at several different stores, credit cards with crazy credit limits, electronics, and things to that nature. For my sweet sixteen, he gave me brochures of very high-end cars for me to pick out any car I wanted. Some of those cars cost more than our house. I knew right away which one I wanted, and it wasn't in any of the brochures. There was a 1985 square body Chevy just outside of town that I wanted so bad. He chuckled as he agreed to buying that for me.

For my seventeenth birthday, he gave me the most beautiful diamond neckless with matching earrings that had belonged to my grandmother. It was passed down through his family, and now he gave it to me. He promised that she would be flying in to meet me soon. And for my eighteenth birthday, he gave me a blank check. I looked at him questioningly when I opened it.

"It's to pay for your college. Any school, any path that you choose." He explained.

"Thank you for everything, dad!" I said wrapping my arms around him for the first time. "You're going to have to learn that I'm a simple kind of girl, though." I smiled.

"I know. Thank the lord you took after your mother." He joked back.

For my nineteenth, he gave me charge cards at places to by household items for my dorm or apartment, which ever I chose to have during college.

After the party was finally coming to an end, Ayden and I walked outside for some fresh air.

"Here, I know this doesn't compare to your dad's gifts, but I want you to have it." Ayden said handing me a small box.

I opened the box to find the most beautiful princess cut ring I had ever seen. It wasn't too flashy like everything else I had received tonight. It was elegant and perfect. My head shot up, looking for answers in his eyes.

"This symbolizes a promise. A promise that I will always work hard to be the man you deserve. This is a promise that my heart, body, and soul all belong to you. This is a promise that I will always fucking love you. This is a promise that one day, when the time is right, I will ask you to be my wife." Ayden explained, his eyes never leaving mine. "Do you except my promise?"

"Oh, Ayden! Yes!" I said as tears fell down my cheek. He grabbed my face greedily and kissed me with absolute love. He took the ring and placed it on my left hand. I admired the ring on my finger before pulling him into another kiss.

"One day, I will upgrade it with one more worthy of your love." He said before kissing the top of my head.

"Ayden, it's perfect. Do not even compare it to the things my dad has given me. I would trade all of those things for this." I said holding up my hand to him. "I don't care what it costs. I do care where it came from." I said pointing to his heart. "What it means is what makes it my most prized possession. I'm a simple girl, who needs only simple things to be happy. I hope you never forget that." I said laying my head on his chest.

"I fucking love you." He whispered.

"I fucking love you, Ayden." I said looking up at him smiling. He placed a sweet and simple kiss on my lips. "Now, come on so I can show everyone!" I squealed with excitement.

"Mom!" I yelled as we walked back into the arcade. Everyone was gone except our group, my parents, and Ayden's parents. Everyone gathered to see what I was yelling about. I held up my hand to show mom.

"Honey! It's beautiful!" She said as she took my left hand and inspected the ring that resided there. Look of alarm crossed her face. "What does this mean exactly?"

"It's a promise ring. And I excepted!" I squealed the last part.

"That is wonderful!" Mom said as joy replaced the look on her face. "Look, everyone! Ayden gave my baby a promise ring!" Mom cheered holding up my hand. Everyone started clapping.

"Well, I think this is the part where I, her dad, am supposed to threaten you. I hate to disappoint but, I can't come up with one doubt to express to you." My dad said as he patted Ayden on the back.

"Thank you, sir. That really means a lot." Ayden said trying to keep from blushing.

"I'm so happy for you two." Kimberly said as she hugged me.

"Maybe you should go get your head checked." Tim shrugged before patting me on the back. I knew he was joking cause the look he gave his son showed just how proud of him he was.

Lying in bed that night, I watched the moonlight as it reflected off of my promise ring. Ayden said everything right, and I knew he meant every word. Worries kept creeping into my thoughts of the future. Was me getting my happiness going to be this easy? Something awful in the pit of my stomach said it wouldn't. I couldn't make myself even try to imagine what it would be like to have to live years without Ayden. Mom thought dad was dead and tried to move on. She admitted one night that she thinks she subconsciously picked the wrong guy on purpose because she knew no one but Mark would make her happy. I know Ayden is my person. I know it in my soul. I just worry that some unseen force is going to keep us apart for years like it did with my parents. I had to stop worrying about it before I drove myself completely insane.