The first night we decide to go into town and have dinner at the Hard Rock Café. After dinner, we’re walking downtown, checking out the shops when we come upon a tattoo parlor. Our freshman year of college Aiden and I got wasted and ended up getting matching tribal tattoos on our biceps. I’ve been thinking about adding to mine and so has Aiden. We walk into the parlor and speak to the guy at the desk. He immediately starts working on the designs we have in mind. I feel Allison walk up beside me. “What do you think, beautiful, you like it?”
She smiles widely, nodding her head yes. “I want one too.”
This is the first I’ve ever heard Allison mention being interested in getting ink. I throw my arm over her shoulder and tuck her close to my side. “What are you thinking about getting?”
“Well, actually I was thinking of getting script on the side of my foot.”
“I’m digging it. What saying?”
“Live and love fearlessly,” she replies softly.
I kiss the top of her head. “It’s perfect.” I’ve seen her read the letter from Gran enough times to know those are the words written in her letter. I can only hope this will help her heal. What started out as Aiden and me adding to our current tribal tats, turns into all four of us getting ink. Allison gets her script on the side of her foot, and it looks sexy as hell. Of course, anything on Allison is sexy as hell. Hailey ends up getting a fancy H on the top of her foot. Aiden and I both add the first letter of our last names to ours.
The tattoo seems to soothe something in Allison. Maybe she feels like Gran and her words will always be a part of her, but once we leave the tattoo parlor, my girl is back to normal. She’s laughing and dancing in the street with Hailey, and I feel like I can breathe again. I hated seeing her in so much pain and not be able to do a fucking thing to make it better.
The rest of our stay is an absolute blast. During the day we hang out at the cabin, lounge around the pool, and play in the game room. At night we hit up the club scene in Gatlinburg, there’s only one club, but the girls want to dance, so we dance. We laugh, dance, and drink the night away. We close down the club and continue our bash in the hot tub back at the cabin. Aiden and I also brought our guitars along, so we play and sing while the girls dance around the fire and sing along with us. When the day is done and we all retreat to our rooms, I make love to Allison.
Back home after the Gatlinburg trip, life is good. Allison’s still sad at times, but her tattoo seems to help her in the grieving process. The draft is a few weeks away, and I have her engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket, or Aiden’s drawer rather. Aiden and I have talked a lot about how and when. I didn’t want to do it while she was still so deeply mourning Gran, but now she’s doing better. She’d the old Allison, so I need to get my shit in gear and plan how I’m going to ask her to be my forever. I decide I definitely want to do it before the draft. I need assurance that no matter where I get drafted, if I do actually make the draft, she’ll be with me.
Aiden and I are in meetings upon meetings with our coach and agents. I have a fucking agent. This is taking up a lot of our time, so taking Allison away for a night, even to the beach house, isn’t in the cards. I have to improvise with a romantic setting at the apartment. I know I’ll need help, more than just from Aiden, so I call in reinforcements, Mom and Hailey. After swearing Hales to secrecy, I’m able to tell them my plan and what I’ll need from them to pull it off. It’s the week before the draft, and I’m running out of time. I’m a nervous wreck for a multitude of reasons. Mom and Hailey are, of course, on board and over the moon that I’m asking Allison to marry me. Neither one of them were surprised I already had the ring, they were, however, surprised that it’s been almost five months, and I still hadn’t found the right time to ask her. I explain about not wanting to ask her too soon after Gran, because she was mourning. I want her to remember this as a happy time in our lives. A day we can tell our kids about, when we are old and gray. I know, I know, totally losing the man card, but love does that to you.
It’s Wednesday, the day before we fly to New York for the NFL draft. Today’s also the day that will determine my future, even more so than the draft. With Allison’s schedule and mine, tonight is the only night I can get her in the apartment alone. Hailey’s job is to take her out shopping and keep her away until seven o’clock. Mom, who also brought Dad with her, Aiden, and I get to work on the apartment. We re-arrange the living room furniture, so all the furniture is pressed against the wall. We throw scarfs over the lamps to dim the lighting and place extra-large throw pillows, which Mom picked up, on the floor for Allison and me to sit on. The kitchen is transformed to resemble a romantic restaurant with table cloth, candles, and daisies. Everything is perfect, so I say goodbye to my family as I rush through a shower. I dress in a pair of well-worn jeans and a plain white t-shirt. This is me, and I want her to just see me tonight, just Liam, the one who’s madly in love with her.
My phone beeps, and I quickly read the text.
Hailey: We just pulled in, good luck, big bro.
Me: Thank you.
Game time and this is the biggest play yet. My nerves hit me hard, and I feel flutters in my stomach. Oh, shit! What if she says no? Just as I’m about to break out into full blown panic mode, I hear the handle on the door turn. I walk to the door to greet her, and as soon as I see her, my fears disappear. I love this girl, and I know she feels the same.
I lean in to kiss her lips. I’m afraid to get too close, afraid she’ll feel her ring in my pocket. “Hey, beautiful.” I take her bags and her purse and lay them down on the couch that’s pushed next to the wall.
“Hey, what’s all this?”
“This is me, having a romantic night with my girl. I’ve missed you. Things have been crazy, and with the draft starting tomorrow, I just need Allison time. You keep me calm.” That’s the truth, even though I’m leaving out the proposal. “Come on, I conned Mom into cooking for us. I wanted tonight to be special, so I didn’t even attempt to do it on my own.” At that, she laughs.
I lead her into the kitchen, and she gasps. “Liam, this is beautiful. I can’t believe you did all of this.”
Kissing her cheek, I pull out her chair. “You, my beautiful girl, deserve to be romanced.”
I serve us lasagna and a bowl of salad, placing the bread sticks on the table. I sit down in the chair right next to hers. While we eat she talks about her day with Hailey, I admit I asked Hales to keep her out of the apartment, so I could set all this up. We decide to wait on dessert, so I lead her into the living room, and we sit down on the pillows in the middle of the floor. This is it, I reach for my guitar.
She smiles brightly. “You’re going to play for me?”
I return her smile, even though my insides are shaking. “Yeah, I thought I would play something if that’s okay?”
She nods, so I strum a few chords on my guitar before I begin to play “I Live My Life For You” by Firehouse. I belt out the lyrics, begging her to understand what she means to me. Once I finish the song, I stand and lean my guitar against the wall. I walk back to Allison, offer her my hand, and tug her to stand up with me. I gently wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.