1 month Later...

Devon's POV-

It's been a month since my father was arrested and brought out on charges of breaking and entering as well as attempted rape. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the past rape charges stick due to a lack of evidence. Now, I know you're all thinking, but what about the photography session with the bed-sheet, the ones that did show my bruises, right? Well, those weren't good enough. My father's defence claimed that it could have been staged. Who the hell would stage something like that on purpose? They clearly had to be demented! With that said, we did have a lucky break because, a young lady came clean about him doing the same thing to her a few years ago, when she was on her way home from the same pub my father liked to get drunk in. She had done a rape kit and DNA helped lock him away for the next fifteen years. Now, a day after his sentence hearing, I sit here, in my apartment, working on my latest design project. I had decided to do my courses by correspondent through an online firm. They've been great so far and I was halfway through the program already. I was looking forward to finally open up my company and really start living. Tomorrow was the day that we celebrated my official freedom.

“Will you hurry up!” Shane tells me. I looked at him with a slight look of annoyance.

“Will you just calm down!” I tell him laughing as I walked up to him. “You just woke me up ten minutes ago and you want me to seriously be completely ready and out the door now for breakfast at your parents?” I put my hands on his chest. “Come on now!” I said on his lips and threw in a pout. I could tell that he was fighting an ever growing urge to pounce on me and that amused me as I walked away seductively, I heard him groan. “What was that?” I said as I looked over my shoulder, slipping into a cute sundress.

“You're gorgeous.” He says, now watching me from the doorway of our room. I walked into the bathroom, quickly putting on some mascara a bit of blush and brushed my hair.

“Let's go.” I tell him, pulling him to the door.

“Simply gorgeous.” He repeats himself.

Sidney's POV-

I was so thrilled to be able and spend an entire day with my girl. A day at the spa was what we decided to have. I couldn't wait to catch up. We had seen eachother relatively every day since she had moved in with us initially but we hadn't had our classic hang out sessions in months. As much as I loved Marty, I missed my girl D.

“I'll see you later around dinner time?” Marty asked me. I nodded as he gave me a kiss.

We enjoyed getting pampered for a while until we sat, our feet soaking, in our massage chairs when one of the spa ladies came into the room with a gift-box. I couldn't help but giggle as I saw Devon's eyes grow as big as dollar signs when the lady stopped in front of her and handed her the box. She looked at me as soon as she opened the envelop that was on top of the box.

“Did you know about this?” She asked me. I shook my head and she handed me the card.

D,

Meet me wearing the contents of this box.

Love,

Shane

“This dude's setting the bar so high for every other man out there.” I look at her as I see her holding up this gorgeous light pink, almost white strapless lace dress. “And you're in so much trouble tonight!” I laughed at her shock.

Devon's POV-

I was floored by that beautiful dress, gown, what-have-you, dressy number that Shane had asked me to wear tonight. I honestly thought that Sidney had something to do with this seeing as she was with me the other day when we saw this same dress in the window to a boutique. I had been so taken with it that I stopped for a split second to admire it. I kept walking just as quickly too. Where the hell would I ever wear something like that anyway? Apparently, Shane knew a time to wear it.

“Earth to Devon!” I hear Sidney call out. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked over at her.

“Sorry.” I tell her. We were in the process of changing. Sidney, into her street clothes, and me, into this gorgeous number. I couldn't help but feel conspired against for some reason. No matter how I rationalized things in my mind, I couldn't shake that feeling.

“You look hot!” Sidney came around the corner. After I got a bit of help doing up the zipper, I took a look in the mirror. My legs looked a mile long, my matching shoes were helping with that. I had gathered my hair up in a loose twist and left bits of hair hanging all over. The look was purely romantic, to say the least. “Let's get going.” She tells me when I'm done. We jumped in Sid's car and drove back to her house where Marty was talking to her father. Marty walked up to the car and handed me another card with a black silk scarf.

D,

Please put this on. Marty will make sure you get where you need to go.

Love,

Shane

I looked at Marty and then handed him the scarf as he helped me put it on.

“You look gorgeous by the way.” He tells me. I felt myself blush and heard him and Sidney laughing lightly. “Are you ready?” He asked me. I nodded. I heard a few kisses and then Marty walked and then sat me in the car.

We drove in silence for most of the way after I tried to get information from Marty. He kept laughing.

“Sorry doll.” He must have said a few dozen times. The car eventually came to a stop and Marty helped me out of the car. I felt him behind me, untying my blindfold. I looked at my surroundings. I was at the park. Shane was standing there dressed in a tuxedo, holding a single white rose.

“I'm leaving her in your capable hands.” Marty says.

“Thanks man.” Shane says. My heart fluttered. I found myself being nervous all of a sudden. What is this all about? After a few seconds which seemed like an eternity, I heard Marty drive off as I stood there, holding Shane's gaze, unable to move. Shane moved toward me with his million dollar smile that makes my heart flutter. He handed me the white rose, put a hand on either side of my hips, leaned in and kissed my neck as I smelled the flower.

“You look beautiful.” He says as I feel myself blush. I couldn't help the soft laugh that came out either. “Walk with me.” He extended his hand and I took it.

We walked to his spot in the forest behind the park. I was floored by the sight that beheld me there. I found a table, two chairs, candles, you know... The works.

Shane's POV-

I couldn't believe the sight before my eyes when she got out of the car. Sidney had told me that while they were out a few weeks back, that she had seen it in the window of a boutique and appeared to have fallen for it. Knowing that tonight would come soon enough, I headed out with Sidney and picked it up. I can't imagine her looking better than she does right this minute.

We had walked to my spot in the forest behind the park. I watched her as her jaw dropped. I smiled as she looked at me.

“You did this?” She asked me. I nodded.

“I had some help but yeah, it's my idea.” I confessed. Let me paint you the scene... It starts with a table and two chairs. Add a large candle centrepiece, miniature candles in the grass surrounding the table, a white table cloth, two plates covered by those fancy dish covers and some mood music courtesy of yours truly's iPod. Yes guys, it's a sissy look, I'm sure that's what you're all thinking but I bet you anything, your woman would love for you to come up with something like this at some point in your lifetime together.

“Amazing! Simply amazing.” She tells me as I chuckle.

“Awe shucks! You're making me blush.” I say as I pull her chair out for her.

Devon's POV-

So as the saying goes, we ate, we talked, we danced. In truth, we actually did. The food was amazing and the company was two-folds as amazing as that of the food. We were on our way home after I watched Shane pack up all of the stuff. The lights were turned off at the main house. Where was everyone? Instead of taking us to our apartment, Shane walked me to the front door of his parents house. He grabbed the keys and unlocked the door.

“I have something to show you.” He tells me and extends his hand. He led me to the door of his old room. “Go ahead, open it.”

“Nothing's going to jump out at me, right?” I ask him and he couldn't contain my laughter.

“No. Nothing will jump out at you.” He reassures me and then leans on the wall beside the door.

As I open the door, I find an empty room. Well, next to empty room, after I turn the lights on, that is. In the far corner, where Shane's bed once stood, I find a poster board. I looked back at Shane who was now leaning in the doorway; he nodded to go ahead. I picked up the board and studied it. On it, there was a collage of pictures. Not just pictures, but photos of us that he took in that last project of his that I helped him with mixed in with some from our childhood. There was this cute one of Sidney and I wearing pig tails and Shane in the middle. Sidney and I were making faces for the camera as Shane was busy looking at me and smiling. I couldn't help but laugh. I noticed that he had also superimposed words like love, friendship, family, sexy, etc. My hand glided from one photo to the next. Steamy ones from the park, the ones from this very room all surrounding this one that didn't seem quite to fit. This was so overwhelming. Too many surprises in one day can make a girl go a little loopy. Surrounded by all these photos was one of two hands held together; bound by a ribbon with rings dangling off of it, marriage was whitewashed across this photo. My brow furrowed and a soft noise behind me snapped me out of it and I turned. I found Shane on bended knee.

“Devon, I've spent my life trying to find the perfect woman when she was always right in front of me all this time. I've made you a promise and I still hold to it. I'm in this until the end. It's you and me in this together but I want forever.” He tells me. I slowly put his poster back down and start walking up to him. “Let me tell you about my forever Devon. I see a house, two, maybe three kids, us together, married, happy, so much so that it's almost sinful to be us. I see dreams coming true. If you marry me, I'll make sure that each and every one of your dreams comes true. If you marry me, I'll spend my forever making sure you're happy because, if you marry me, you'll already be making me the happiest I could ever imagine being.” I was crying silent tears at this point. Noticing I was speechless, Shane grabbed my hands in his. My gaze continuing to hold his. As I studied his face, I realized I hadn't given him an answer. I slowly smiled at him as my head began to nod and I dropped down to my knees in front of him so I could grab his face in my hands and kiss him all over. He pulled the ring out from the inside chest pocket of his jacket and held it out.

“And this is for you.” He tells me, grabbing my left hand and proceeded to slide it onto my ring finger. We headed back to the apartment after I took the time to turn the lights off and leave a note for Mom and Dad thanking them and to let them know that my girl had said yes!

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