Chapter 18

Eve and Brett were delighted to go to the benefit dance with them; he even went and rented a tuxedo for the occasion. Rosalee went dress shopping and she found the perfect dress. It was very pale pink with sparkly beads throughout and a slit up the right side. It cost so much more than she would ever normally spend on one dress, but this was a fancy occasion. She wanted to make Ace proud to be seen with her, and she hoped that he would like it. She wore the earrings that he had bought her and had to admit that she felt very sexy and yet classy. She nervously waited with the other two for Ace to show up.

As he drove to Rosalee’s place, he couldn’t wait to see her. After having talked to her on the phone and hearing how excited she was about going to the benefit and about the new dress she had bought, he wanted her to have a good time. As far as he was concerned, she could wear a burlap bag and she would still be the prettiest girl there. He just knew this was going to be a night to remember and wanted it to be one of the best nights of her life. It was also a place where everybody that knew him would know that she was his girl.

When he got to the apartment and knocked on the door, it was Eve who answered it. “Wow, you look absolutely beautiful,” he told her when she stepped aside to let him enter.

“Thank you, come join me and Brett for a drink while we wait for your date. She won’t be much longer; she wants to look perfect for you.”

He followed her into the living room and shook hands with Brett, accepting the drink that was handed to him. He was taking a drink from his glass when Rosalee entered the room, and his jaw dropped open. He could feel butterflies in his stomach, and his heart was pounding inside his chest.

She walked up to him, reached up, and gave him a peck on the lips. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”

He put his glass down on the counter and put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. “My God, you look absolutely stunning in this dress. I’m so turned on looking at you right now I think I’ll just carry you into your bedroom, rip off this dress, and have my way with you all night long.”

She blushed at what he had said and to say it in front of her friends, knowing that they heard every word that was spoken. “First of all, I paid a fortune for this dress, and there’s no way in hell you are going to wreck it. Secondly, I’m looking forward to tonight so you can get those naughty thoughts out of your head for now.”

Eve started laughing. “You better not wreck her dress, or she will make you suffer. I know our girl pretty well, and she may seem all shy and timid, but she has a temper. I highly suggest you don’t bring it out of her.”

Ace turned his head to Eve and smiled. “I’ve not seen that side of her yet; it just might turn me on.”

Rosalee broke free from his embrace. “I think we better get to the party before any of you embarrass me anymore than I already am.”

“I hope they serve beer there and not just champagne and wine,” Brett said as he got into the back seat of Ace’s car with Eve.

“Yes, no worries, they will have beer,” Ace replied as he held the car door open for Rosalee to get in. Getting in the driver’s seat, he started the car and looked in the rearview mirror at Brett. “I must say you look pretty good in that tuxedo.”

“Thanks, man, but I got to tell you I’m much more comfortable in jeans and a shirt than this monkey suit.”

Eve nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. “Oh stop, it’s not that bad, and you look drop-dead gorgeous in it.”

He put his arm around Eve. “And you look absolutely beautiful, my love,” he said, kissing her passionately. He was so in love with this woman and couldn’t keep his hands off of her. It was killing him that he had to leave her soon, but this was going to be his last tour of duty.

When they arrived at the benefit, Ace showed them to the table that he had reserved for them. Once they were seated, the two men went over to the bar and got drinks for everybody.

Ace noticed that Brett seemed a little nervous, and he kept running his fingers through the collar of his shirt. “Are you okay?” he asked him.

He looked back at Ace. “I’m nervous as shit.”

“Now why would you be nervous?”

Brett reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box and secretly showed Ace what was inside. “I’m going to propose to Eve.”

“Well, congratulations, she’s a lovely young lady, and I’m sure you both will be very happy. When are you planning on doing it?” He was actually quite happy for the man but was wondering how Rosalee would react after he had told her he never wanted to get married. Would she be upset?

“I’m not really sure yet, I guess I’ll just wait until I feel that the time is right. Please don’t say anything to either one of the girls.”

“I won’t, but we better get back with the drinks before they wonder what we’re talking about.”

During the next hour, many people came over to Ace to talk to him and were introduced to the others. Ace thought he would order a bottle of champagne so that it would be handy when Brett proposed to Eve, and he didn’t have long to wait.

Eve was busy talking to Rosalee when she noticed Brett getting off of his chair and squatting down next to her. “Brett, what are you doing down on your knee?”

“Eve, I have been in love with you for such a long time now. Every time I came close to letting you know, you started dating someone else, and then when you broke up with that person, I was seeing someone else. It seemed like every time one of us was free, the other one wasn’t, but that’s not the case anymore. I love you with all of my heart, and I would be honored if you would agree to become my wife,” he said, pulling out the box and opening it to show her the diamond engagement ring.

Eve covered her mouth with her hand, and her eyes lit up when she saw the sparkling diamond. “Oh my God, Brett, this ring is so gorgeous.”

“Come on baby, give me your answer, and please let it be yes.”

Tears filled her eyes, and nodding her head, she said loud and proudly. “Yes, oh yes, I’ll marry you.”

He slipped the ring over her finger, took her hand, and pulled her up onto her feet and gave her a passionate kiss.

The people around them saw and heard what was going on, and when she had said yes to his proposal, they all started clapping.

Ace was watching Rosalee during the proposal and could tell that she was extremely happy for her best friend. She didn’t look the least bit upset or hurt, but she could have been hiding the fact that she knew he would never propose to her.

Rosalee got up and hugged Brett, and then she turned and hugged Eve. “Oh, I am so happy for you, and just look at this beautiful ring.”

She squealed with delight. “Oh my God, I can’t believe he did this. I honestly thought he’d wait until he came back, but I’m so glad he did it now.”

“So are you guys planning on a big wedding or something small, and when will it be?” Rosalee asked.

The newly engaged couple looked at each other and smiled. “As soon as he comes home, we are going to go to the justice of the peace and get married right away with only a couple of our friends, which is you and Ace, of course,” Eve said, answering her question.

They all got up to dance, and with Rosalee in Ace’s arms, he held her close. “I’m really happy for your friends.”

"So am I. It took them a while to get together, but they finally did."

"Rosalee, I hope seeing your friend get engaged didn't upset you and got you thinking about our arrangement."

"Ace, I love you, and I would rather spend my life living with you, even if it's not as man and wife, than to live without you. It's like you said, we don't need a piece of paper to prove how much we love each other. Okay, maybe I am a little envious of Eve, but I understand how you feel, and I'm willing to accept it. As long as you will always love me and promise to be faithful, I'll be happy."

"Sweetheart, I will always love you, and I can promise you that I will never touch another woman as long as I live."

She looked up into his eyes. "Then I will always be happy." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him right there on the dance floor.

After the kiss, he looked around and didn't see Brett and Eve on the dance floor. "I wonder where they disappeared to?"

She giggled. "If I know them, they have probably found somewhere to have sex. I don't think we'll be seeing them for at least half an hour or so."

He rested the side of his face on the top of her head. She felt so warm and soft in his arms, and he had never loved anybody as he loved her. He vowed then to do everything in his power to make sure that she was happy. "I really wish that you would move in with me. I can't stand being without you at night or waking up to see your beautiful face."

"As soon as Brett comes back home, then I will." She could hear the frustration in his voice and knew he was disappointed.

Later on, when the young couple returned, and the men went to get more drinks, Eve looked at Rosalee, who had become very quiet. "Okay girl, I know there's something on your mind, so spill it."

"No, there's nothing."

"Now don't you lie to me, what's got you looking so down?"

She decided to tell Eve what was going on. "Ace asked me to move in with him."

"Oh my God, that is fantastic news."

"I told him no."

"Why in the world would you do that?"

"I know that Brett is leaving and won't be back for four to six months. I didn't want to leave you on your own until then."

Eve shook her head as she placed her hand over Rosalee's. "Oh, you silly girl. If you want to move in with him, do it, and don't worry about me. I will be fine on my own, and it's not like you and I aren't going to see each other all the time. Plus, I will be out on location a lot and won't even be home half the time."

"Are you sure you don't mind if I move out right away?"

"No, of course not. Now you tell that hunk of yours that you will move in, and you should do it right away."

“I will tell him as soon as he gets back to the table.”

When the men got back to the table and saw the women smiling, they sat down, and Brett asked what was going on.

“Go on, tell him,” Eve said to Rosalee.

“Tell me what?” Ace asked, handing her one of the drinks.

She smiled at him. “My answer is yes.”

“Answer to what?” he asked, confused.

“Yes to moving in with you right away,” she let out a squeal when he pulled her into his arms, squeezing the life out of her. “Ace, I can’t breathe.”

He released her and placed the palm of his hand on the side of her cheek. “You don’t know how happy you have just made me. You’ll come home with me tonight, and tomorrow we’ll go get all of your things.”

She nodded. “Are you really sure you want to give up this much of your freedom by having me living with you?”

“Oh girl, you know I’m crazy about you. I want this more than you’ll ever know. I think that you and I ought to go home now and celebrate in private.”

She knew exactly what his idea of celebrating was. “That can wait because tonight I want to enjoy the evening. You did promise me a night of dancing.”

“Yes, I did, so let’s get up and dance,” he said, getting up. He held out his hand for her to take.

When they were gone, Brett turned to Eve. “Good, now tonight we can make all the noise we want, and we won’t disturb her when she’s trying to sleep.”

“We wouldn’t anyway since it’s the weekend, and she stays with him. But since you’re going away for a while, I want to give you as much love as possible so that you will have something to think about when you’re away from me.”

“Rosalee, I don’t know what changed your mind about moving in with me, but I’m glad you did.”

“It was Eve. She told me I was a fool for wanting to wait. So if you want to thank somebody, you should be thanking her.”

“I will send her a huge bouquet of roses,” he said, placing his lips on hers.

When they were all once seated again and sitting there, Eve noticed a woman walking toward their table. She leaned over to Rosalee and pointed. “Who the hell is that? Whoever she is, she’s coming over here.”

They all turned their heads in the direction that she was pointing. The woman was beautiful with dark hair and one of those hourglass figures. She was dressed sexy, but there was an evil vibe coming from her.

“Shit,” Ace said when he saw who was approaching their table.