^^Amazed-by Lonestar^^

Ivy's POV

As I watch Asher walk away from me, I feel my stomach drop. Something is up with him. He barely spoke to me, and I almost always walk him to his last class but today he told me to stay. We've officially been together for a month as of today, and I thought things were going well. With the way he was acting, I'm suddenly not so sure. Emersyn lets out a distressed whine at that thought before curling in on herself.

With a dejected sigh, I turn and walk back to my dorm leaving Brandon and Brock to continue their deviant little mating dance. When I get to my room, I find myself wishing that Emily were here. I could really use some girl talk right about now. She has been acting really strange lately, though. She keeps getting phone calls that she ignores and anytime we are outside together, I've noticed that she is constantly looking around anxiously. Whenever I bring it up, she assures me that it's nothing and refuses to talk about it. I hope in time she will be able to trust me enough to tell me.

Deciding that a distraction is needed, I walk over and turn on my gaming system and tv. Grabbing the remote, I sprawl on my bed and load my Oblivion character. Evangeline is a beautiful dark elf, but you can't let her looks fool you. She is vicious. I spend the next few hours dungeon diving, and when it gets to be 5:00, I save and then grab my things for a shower before heading down the hall to the bathroom.

Once I'm clean, I return to my room and open my closet. Sifting through my clothes, I choose one of my favorite dresses, a white summer dress with red flowers, and a pair of sensible white strappy heels. I pull on my clothes before blow drying my hair. Once it's completely dry, I pull my hair over my left shoulder and twist it into a side braid, allowing a few tendrils to remain loose around my face. Then I apply a light coat of black mascara and a quick swipe of vanilla flavored lip balm. Standing in front of the mirror, I turn from side to side, watching as the front of my dress parts, allowing a peek at my legs. I may be trying too hard to impress Asher, but I'm feeling a little insecure so I suppose it only makes sense.

^^Ivy's dress^^

When I deem my appearance suitable, I grab my keys and phone before heading out. I am surprised when I reach the start of the trail to find that there are rose petals scattered across the path. Suddenly, Emersyn perks up.

'Do you think Asher did this? Do you think he did this for us?' She asks me hopefully.

'I think so. I don't smell anyone else.' I tell her as I continue down the path. I'm simultaneously relieved that I dressed up and annoyed that because I dressed up I have to move more slowly to keep from destroying my dress and shoes. When I finally get close enough to catch a glimpse of Asher through the trees, I can't hold back my relieved smile realizing that this must be what had him so preoccupied earlier. The scene before me is lovely. I see string lights twinkling all over the trunk and lower branches of our tree, and it looks as though he has set up a picnic for us, just like that night that feels like forever ago.

'I knew he wasn't upset with us. I don't know what you were so worried about.' Emersyn says in a snooty tone.

I huff. 'Oh, sure. You've been practically crying in your soup since he walked away earlier, you big baby.'

'Whatever.' She grumbles. 'Just hurry up, our mate is waiting for us.'

As I get closer, I can finally make out Asher's appearance and notice that I'm not the only one that dressed up for this. He is wearing a light blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up neatly to his elbows, a darkly patterned bow tie, khaki dress pants, and... suspenders. Oh sweet molasses, my mate is wearing suspenders. When he finally notices me, I see him fumbling with something before the sweet sound of the opening of Lonestar's 'Amazed' hits my ears. This song is older than I am, but I love it.

^^Asher's outfit^^

I leave the trail and skirt around the trees keeping me from Asher. When I reach him, he turns the volume down to a softer level before taking both of my hands into his.

"Happy Anniversary, baby." He says as he leans forward to press a kiss to my cheek.

"Thank you, Asher. This is beautiful. And you look amazing." I tell him, taking a step back to look him over again.

Blushing adorably, he gives me a shy smile before saying,"Ivy, we both know that I'm not always the best with words. Especially when I'm trying to express my feelings, so with that in mind, I created this playlist in hopes that maybe it could help me convey what you mean to me. Each song that I chose makes me think of you, and how I want our life to be."

Just as he finishes speaking, the song changes. It only takes a moment for me to recognize it, and when I do my face flames. As the first line of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get it On' comes pouring out of the speakers, Asher's face loses all color.

"What the frog?!?" Asher all but screeches as he quickly grabs his iPod and starts repeatedly skipping songs, each one more sexually explicit than the last."Oh, for Pete's sake! Go lick a duck! I'm going to kill that son of a motherless goat as soon as I get my hands on him. I knew I shouldn't let Brock touch my things, I just knew it. But I just had to try to be nice. See if I ever let that warty hog near anything of mine again."

I can't help the laughter that escapes me as he curses the existence of Brock. "Baby, calm down. Just lose the music. It's fine." I reassure him once I get my amusement under control. "How about we just sit and eat. I can smell something amazing coming from that basket."

He reluctantly agrees and after turning off his iPod, he joins me on the blanket. He's still grumbling under his breath about banning Brock from his room as he plates up our dinner. I'm surprised to see my favorite meal, Beef Wellington and mashed potatoes.

"Wow, this looks amazing. How did you manage this?" I ask in awe.

His cheeks turn pink as he ducks his head. "I roped my mom into helping me. I really wanted this to be perfect. Too bad Brock ruined it by turning what should have been a declaration of love into a carnal invitation." He says grumpily.

I cup his cheek,"Hey, nothing is ruined. I think it helped actually. I've been pretty worried all day, and that kind of broke the tension."

" I guess you're right. I'm still going to destroy him though. But here, let's eat before it gets cold." He says as he pours lemonade into each of our glasses.

With no further preamble, I dig in. It is incredible, so juicy and tender. When our plates are empty, Asher places them back into the basket before standing and pulling me to my feet. He keeps my hand in his as he rubs gentle circles on my palm with his thumb. The look of absolute determination on his face takes me off guard. When he finally starts to speak, tears of happiness gather in my eyes.

"From the moment I first saw you, I have wanted nothing more than to call you mine. And with every passing moment, every word you spoke, and every touch we shared, I needed more. The night we danced here, beneath this tree I knew I was in love with you. It didn't matter that we had only just met, I knew deep down that you were the one I was meant to be with. Then you gave me your trust and introduced me to Emersyn and my world became filled with so much joy and love that I sometimes feel as though I might burst with it. So what I'm really trying to say is," My free hand flies to my mouth as he drops to one knee while pulling the most beautiful ring I have ever seen from his pocket and holding it out to me. ",will you do me the great honor of allowing me to call you my husband?"

When a giggle escapes my lips he seems to replay his words in his head. A blush immediately takes over his face and he drops my hand before rubbing both of his roughly over his face.

"No! Wife! I meant wife! Jiminy Cricket! So far the only thing that has worked out has been the food. So in the hopes that the way to a man's heart being through his stomach is also true for women, I will try this again. Will you, Ivy Lee Grant, marry me?" He says after dropping his hands.

"Yes! Of course yes!" I squeal and hold out my hand for him to place the ring on it.

Just before the ring touches my skin he suddenly pulls it back. "Wait! Oh, Caesar's Ghost! This ring is silver. Werewolves are allergic to silver. I almost just poisoned you or burned you or murdered you or whatever the narf silver does to werewolves. I am the worst boyfriend mate fiance you can get!" He rants.

"Baby." He's doesn't hear me as he continues freaking out. "Asher! Calm down." He looks at me. "That's just a myth, love. Silver can't hurt me. Now put that ring on me so that I can kiss my fiance."

He looks so relieved that I can't contain my chuckle as he finally stands and slips the ring onto my finger before crushing his lips against mine. I can't imagine life getting any better than this. Everything is absolutely perfect.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I have! Please don't forget to Comment and Vote.