I dropped… handed over the PA, pulled off my hat and sunglasses and began strumming my ukulele. Clearly people were beginning to figure out who I was, considering gasps were heard and then camera phones were lifted into the air.

When we’re born into this world, we don’t really get a say. Little boys and little girls handed brand new families. There comes a time in life when we finally get to choose. And I choose you. I choose you.

I walked slowly down the aisle and got down on one knee as I continued to strum the song by Andy Grammer, hopefully he’d be cool with my cover.

We can’t give our two cents of how tall we want to be, we don’t get an opinion on our ethnicity, but the one we spend our life with, that we get to choose. I choose you. I choose you.

I choose you to be by my side.

I choose you to hold me at night.

It’s the biggest decision, I’m about to get right, and I choose you. I choose you.

I played the next verse as people began to hold their cell phones in the air waving them back and forth like they were at an acoustic concert. Alyssa watched me sing, tears pooling in her eyes.

Everybody has one. A choice they have to make. Half human half heaven, that decides the family tree.

I repeated the chorus and then stopped playing at the bridge. This time I put the ukulele down, reached for her hands, and finished the song a cappella.

I was worried I wouldn’t know what to do when I was in these shoes, kneeling here it’s clearer than the sky is blue, that I choose you, I choose you. With so little we control, thank God it’s in the rules, we get to choose and I choose you.

My voice cracked at the end as I released her hands and reached into my pocket. Shaking, I pulled the box out and opened it, revealing the Tiffany’s ring I’d bought a while ago.

Alyssa gasped and put her hands over her face.

“Lyss,” I whispered. “I’m not eloquent. We can agree on that. I’d like to think I’m romantic, but honestly, right now — I’m just done. I can’t… I can’t put into words how I feel, what you do to me, how much I love you. Love seems like such a weak word. It doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about you. You’ve started a fire in me, and I’m freaking obsessed with the slow, painful burn. I choose you. I choose us. Will you be my wife? Will you choose me too?”

Holy shit. I was about two seconds away from passing out.

Alyssa nodded and then her arms flew around my neck as she knocked me over onto my ass. “I can’t believe — I can’t! Agh, I love you!” Her lips found mine and the plane erupted into cheers as I held her body tight. “You ass,” she whispered into my ear.

I fell back laughing as she grabbed the box from my hands and put the ring on her finger. Her smile fell.

“What?” I reached for her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” More tears streamed down her face. “It’s just that… this is the ring I wanted. Did Jaymeson tell you? How’d you know?”

Embarrassed, I looked down.

“Demetri?”

I kissed her mouth and sighed against it. “Jaymeson didn’t tell me. I saw the ring in the window, and I couldn’t stop looking at it. For some reason it drew me in and I knew I had to buy it, because I had the same reaction when I met you.”

“You wanted to buy me?”

“Among other things,” I teased. “But mainly, I just wanted to be near you. I wanted to be in your atmosphere. You drew me to you and I was hopelessly lost the minute you told me your name, and again when you made me taffy, and again and again. Every kiss was like a part of my heart was getting ripped from my chest, and in return a part of you was getting fused with my soul. I never want to be apart from you, Lyss, and that’s the truth.”

We helped each other to our seats as people congratulated us, and more clapping ensued.

“I don’t get it.” Lyss’s brow furrowed. “Why were you being so shady in the hot tub?”

“Panicked. I had the ring in my pocket, so I didn’t want you to know that I was getting ready to propose soon.”

“So you decided to freak me out instead?”

“Never said I was the smartest rock star on the planet.”

“Nope, but you are the hottest.” She grinned and grabbed my hand. “I love you Dem.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jaymeson

I drove back from the airport faster than the speed limit allowed, but I was bored as hell and horny as a teenager. There were willing females still waiting at the hotel — and I was going to be the one they were willing with.

Maybe.

I slammed on the brakes as a deer ran out in the middle of the road. After honking my horn a few times, it skittered away. I sped off and cursed into the cool night air.

The temperature was oddly warm, especially for Oregon. I could almost believe it was California, you know, if you took away the crisp bite that was still present in the air.

Finally, I took the exit for Canon Beach, counting down the minutes until I was able to park the car, grab a couple of tequila shots and a willing woman who’d most likely Tweet about our one night stand the minute it was finished.

My gut clenched at the thought.

I ignored my gut, just like I ignored my heart and everything else in my damn life. I didn’t do relationships. It was like a sick four letter world to me. No way was I going to end up like my parents, divorced, unhappy, bitter, and about one plastic surgery away from dying on the table with a permanent smile on my plastic face.