What do you say to the love of your life when he's lying on top of you holding an engagement ring and you aren't sure if you're ready? But you don't want to lose him. But also when you feel like you wouldn't mind spending the rest of your life with him and you look forward to seeing his face light up with joy that you will accept him in every way and every form?

I didn't want to say 'yes' but I didn't want to say 'no'.

"A-are you sure," I asked nervously.

"Never been more sure," he answered. "With my family ignoring me and practically havin' no friends left back home, it's just you baby. You are my family, you are my home. And I wanna hold onto this. I love you."

I slowly sat up, making him sit up too. He sat next to me on the bed and I reached over to caress his cheek, ultimately kissing him. His lips were still sweet from the candy he had earlier and I enjoyed tasting it. I looked down at the open box still in his hand and smiled.

"When did you even get this and know my ring size?" I chuckled.

"Back in Colorado," he said bashfully. "When I stepped out with Swazz before the party. It hit me like a wall after you talked about that Plan B pill. It had me thinkin' about the future. I don't want a kid right now or anything but the whole thing had me thinkin' what if. And I realized I would go through hell for you, i'd swim a damn ocean for you. So...I kinda stole one of your rings and took it to a jeweler that Swazz knows. Broke me off with a deal, don't ask about the price."

"I won't ask," I laughed.

I kissed him again, placing my leg over his lap. Then I stayed close to his face, smiling.

"I'll marry you," I whispered while nodding.

"You're gonna marry me babe?" He smiled in between kisses. Slight disbelief showed in his face but he was over the moon about my response.

"Ride or die, right?" I was trembling a bit; in a bit of disbelief myself.

He eased the ring onto my finger and I looked down with amazement.

"Wow...you're totally stuck with me now," I joked.

"I'm glad it's you I'm stuck with." He kissed me once more.

"Well," I stood up. "I'm gonna check out that General Store across the street that I've been eyeing. Want anything?"

"I'm good babe." He stretched. "But if you happen to get ice cream, I hope you're sharing."

"Sharing ice cream huh? I'll think about it."

"You better."

He watched me as I put a little more clothes on, biting his lip.

"What are you staring at," I grinned.

"The girl I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with," he responded.

I straightened out my shirt and crawled back onto the bed toward him. My lips gently met his and I felt his hands on the back of my waist along with a soft groan.

"Go to the store later," he spoke against my lips.

"I'll be back before you know it," I giggled as I pulled away. "You want ice cream, don't you?"

"I want pie," he smirked. "With whipped cream on top."

"Whatever you want." I winked at him and left the room.

As soon as I got outside, I took the deepest of breaths and looked down at my ring. Did this really just happen? I'm an engaged woman now. Mom will flip, that's for sure. I don't even want to think about what my dad will say. He'd probably kill him and make it look like an accident.

When I got into the General Store, it wasn't what I expected. It was like a small Walmart. They had a mixture of everything in this small space, not to mention a bar on the side. It didn't make sense to me but I went to that bar. I needed a drink to calm my rattled nerves.

"Shot of whiskey please," I asked of the bartender. I held out my I.D. but he waved it off, pouring my shot anyway.

"It's on me, Charles," I heard a woman say nearby. I turned to see a woman slightly resembling Lady Gaga. I almost lost my mind until I realized it wasn't exactly the beautiful Stefani Germanotta.

"You don't have to-"

"Love, the shots are 3 bucks here, it's alright," she smiled. "Charles, make it a good whiskey, she needs it."

"What do you mean I need it?"

"I'm good at reading people." She tilted her head and examined me. "You're nervous about something, possibly unsure that you're sure...and you're engaged, I'm guessing recently because that ring sure is sparkling, honey."

I gulped at how spot on she was. She couldn't have been from around here. The people around here look like they still use floppy disks. She was up to date with her fashion and her makeup was on point. I had to keep telling myself she was not, in fact, Gaga.

"Don't tell me if I'm right, just drink up that glass of liberation," she said before sipping on her drink.

"...Thank you," I said, downing the shot.

"Don't mention it, sweetheart. Look, whatever is troubling you, you've gotta push through it. You've got a strong heart. You didn't stumble in here drenched in tears begging for a drink."

"I'm not...unsure about getting married."

"I didn't say you were," she pushed the second shot toward me. "I was guessing it was something else, a secret perhaps. But if that's the first thing you thought of, then...maybe you are. I'm on my second marriage and I'll tell you what: we will never know who is the exact one we'll share our lives with forever. But the great thing about life and love is to just experience it! Marry the fucker! Life is just one hell of a casino and you've gotta try your luck at all the tables regardless."

She sipped up the rest of her drink and requested a margarita. Her dark red lipstick still somehow remained intact.

"Do you love him?" She asked.

"With all my heart."

"Then roll the dice. No matter what it lands on, you can't lose if you love him and he loves you. Ask him if he'd take a bullet for you; that's what my mother used to tell me."

"Here you go, Jo," the bartender said, placing the green drink in front of her.

I smiled to myself, nearly blushing at the thoughts running through my head. I already knew Nate would take a bullet for me.

"I'm not saying you have to marry the lucky guy tonight," she continued. "But I wouldn't be mad if you did. Just hold on to him. From what little I know about him, he's a keeper."

She looked at her watch and finished her drink in record time.

"Better hit the road," she said, hopping off the barstool. "Got a show in Vegas. Love big & love hard, my dear. Thanks for the lovely drinks Charles."

She pats me on the shoulder and places a wad of cash on the bar before leaving.

"That..." I said quietly to Charles. "That wasn't Lady Gaga, was it?"

"Lady who?"

. . .

I finally returned to the room with the pie, a can of whipped cream, and a bottle of Cran-Grape juice. Nate had fallen asleep with the TV still on. I just stood there after putting down the grocery bag, admiring how peaceful he looked. I wanted him to stay in that peace; away from running, from being estranged from his family, and from worry. I don't mind all the marijuana but lately he's been smoking it for stress instead of just good vibes. Sometimes he'd get heavy bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and waking up from night terrors. He always talks about them and how he keeps getting shot at in them, thinking that they're premonitions. There was that one nightmare where he shook out of his sleep, still halfway under, grabbing onto me and telling me that Kalin was back to kill him. I had to calm him down and tell him it was just a bad dream, assuring him that Kalin is still locked up along with a recovered Myles. Peace...my god he deserves a peaceful life. And I feel so helpless to know I can't give that to him until we're out of this bullshit ordeal with Foosh and Evan.

As I took off my shoes and jacket, I slowly got back into the bed. I channel surfed through all 10 channels until I found nothing and ultimately turned it all off. We had the rotating fan on and I just stared at it and listened to its low hum. It was as if Nate realized the TV was off and he slowly woke back up, turning to look at me.

"Damn, was I out?" He asked, rubbing the stubble on his cheek.

"Yeah, must've been tired," I answered. "I was only gone for like 20 minutes."

"Really?"

"They had a bar in there...oddly."

"That's weird."

"I know." I paused and gazed into his eyes. "...I love you so much."

He moved some of my hair out of my face and pushed himself up to kiss me, touching my chin. The short & sweet kiss turned into a deeper kiss...and then a deeper kiss. He stayed to the side of me as he helped pull the shirt above my head, tossing it near the front door. His mouth couldn't wait to reach my breasts, not even unhooking my bra, he just pulled it down a bit until he could kiss, suck, & nibble. Meanwhile his hand unbuttoned my pants and as I reach for his, he stops me.

"Uh uh," he whispered, slipping his hand beneath my panties & starting to rub. "This is only for you. I wanna hear how happy I make you."

His mouth traveled back to my breasts. His tongue was soft - his teeth were gentle. He finally allowed me to unhook my bra and that's when he truly unleashed all the great things his mouth could do. His fingers went from rubbing vertically to rubbing in circles to a constant rhythm. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging a bit.

"Fuck, I love when you do that," he whispered against my skin.

He moved up my chest, kissed on my neck, and found my lips once again. His fingers drove me insane, running themselves over all the right spots but never lingering; therefore giving me the ultimate tease in intervals.

"I always keep it wet lil mama," he added between kisses.

"Nate, holy sh..."

It came out of nowhere - that peak, that explosion. My back arched, his lips never left my skin, and a smile grew across both of our faces. He played in my juices a bit more and then rose his fingers to his lips, licking them clean.

"Why are you so sexy," I chuckled quietly.

"I don't know," he shrugged with one eyebrow raised, being a little cocky. "But I do know that I love you more than anything. I won't let anyone hurt you, Liv. Not even myself. Not anymore."

. . .

We had a late checkout the next day and took more pictures by Utah mountains, stopped into Believe-It-Or-Not roadside shops, & eating before being on our way again. We drove for hours until it got dark, but there was no exit toward a hotel or anything. But I enjoyed the clear night sky with the twinkling stars watching over us.

"Babe," Nate called out from the driver's side. "Stick your head back in, the road is pretty dark, I don't want your head gettin' cut off or anything."

"Pretty gruesome, don't you think," I said, sticking my head back in the car. "Happy?"

"Yes," he smiled. "Yo, you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"The car...doesn't feel like it's running smooth as usual."

Soon after he said that, smoke started coming out from beneath the hood.

"You gotta be fuckin'— oh come on," Nate exclaimed.

He pulled over on the side of the road and we both got out. I turned on the flashlight of my phone as he popped the hood to examine the situation.

"Times like this I wish I paid attention to all that shit my dad said about cars," he said. "But I know white smoke means it's not gonna fuckin' blow up. You got signal?"

I looked at my phone bars. "No, you?"

"...Shit."

The sky was no longer that comforting when everything else was darkness and we were left to wonder what every single sound was. I held onto Nate; wishing, hoping, and praying a car will drive past during this time of night.