••• THIRTY-FOUR •••
Sophie

"So, Sophia, have you regained any of your memories yet?" Dr. Asher, my neurologist, asked as he shined a light in my eyes. I shrugged as he continued to examine me.

It had been five months since my accident, and slowly, bits and pieces of my memory had returned. But my brain still felt like one big puzzle, with too many pieces missing to complete it.

  "Just little things," I admitted as he stepped back and sat in a chair across from me.

  "How has raising a newborn been?" he asked, typing on his computer. I grinned at the mention of Aurora.

  "Amazing! Well, not every day is amazing, but just seeing her smile makes it all worth it." I sighed, and he smiled at me.

  "That's great, Sophia. Have you been keeping up with your memory exercises?" I nodded, thinking about how Ashton would come home from practice, or after we put Rory to bed, and quiz me with matching flashcards. Could I fall any more in love with him than I already had?

He had stood by my side through this whole ordeal. It was no surprise that I'd fallen in love with him again, but he hadn't made any moves. Sure, he flirted with me all the time, but he never tried to touch me or kiss me and God, did I want him to kiss me.

  "Well, Sophia, you've been making wonderful progress. I know just remembering little things might seem insignificant to you, but these are huge milestones you're crossing." He praised me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I gave him a small smile and thanked him.

  "I'll schedule you to come back in about six to eight weeks, but if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call my office." I hopped off the exam table and nodded as I grabbed my things.

Once I exited the building, I pulled out my phone, ready to call my mom and let her know I was ready to be picked up. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw Ashton leaning against his car, holding a bouquet of daisies.

A huge grin spread across my face, matching Ashton's, as I slowly approached him and gave him a shy wave.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked with a giggle once I stood in front of him. He held out the bouquet.

  "I'm here to pick you up and hopefully take you on a date tonight." I raised an eyebrow in surprise as I slowly took the bouquet from him, clutching it tightly to my chest.

  "You want to take me on a date?" I asked in disbelief. He reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, causing my heart to skip a beat.

  "Why do you say that like it's something totally crazy? Of course, I want to take you on a date!" he exclaimed with a heart-stopping grin on his gorgeous face. I couldn't believe what he was saying after everything we'd been through. "So, will you go on a date with me?"

  "You don't even have to ask," I said without hesitation. He placed his hand on my cheek and let out a shaky breath.

  "Before we go on this date, can I please kiss you? I need to get it out of the way now, or I'm going to obsess about it for the rest of the night," he admitted. I giggled and nodded, feeling like all my prayers had been answered when he immediately crashed his lips against mine.

I knew it wasn't our first time kissing, but I had no memory of how amazing his lips felt against mine. We kissed each other like our lives depended on it as if stopping would end the world. But eventually, we needed to breathe, so I slowly pulled away. Ashton grinned widely down at me.

  "Kissing you is hands down the most amazing thing I've ever experienced in my life," Ashton whispered.

  I giggled and rolled my eyes at him. "Have you always been this cheesy?" I teased as he opened the car door for me. He shrugged.

  "Only for you, Sophie-Lophie." I bit my lip to hide my smile as I climbed inside, shaking my head at him. I was so unbelievably lucky to have this man in my life.

When Ashton asked me on a date, I wasn't expecting him to pull into the parking lot of the United Center.

  "Um," I started, looking around, unsure of what we were doing here. "Are we meeting up with someone, or do you have to go to practice before our date?"

  "No," he chuckled as he grabbed my hand. "I was able to rent out the United Center so we can go ice skating in private." He grinned at me, and my jaw fell open in disbelief.

  "No, you didn't!" I exclaimed, completely stunned. He chuckled as he released my hand and then opened his door.

  "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself." He winked at me, and I grinned as I opened my door. We took off towards the arena entrance.

I looked around in shock at how empty the United Center was. Ashton chuckled as he watched me.

  "I've never heard it so quiet in here," I admitted, and he held his hand out to me.

  "Come on, Soph, I've got a surprise waiting for us on the ice."

I shook my head in a daze as I eagerly took his hand, and we headed toward the rink.

The surprise he had waiting for me was a rink covered in daisies, arranged to spell out the words "I love you." Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the rink in complete surprise. Ashton continued to pull me down towards the ice. Luckily, there was a carpet laid out so we could walk onto the ice without slipping. I shook my head in disbelief.

  "Ashton, what is going on?" I asked as he grabbed both of my hands and smiled down at me.

  "Soph, I know these last few months have been incredibly difficult, and I know for you this is technically our first date, but I can't hide my feelings anymore. Almost losing you, seeing you become such an amazing mother to our daughter, I can't keep this secret anymore. I love you with everything I am, and I just had to tell you. You and our daughter have brought me so much unbelievable joy that I never want to live without either of you." He whispered as he slowly got down on one knee, and I gasped.

  "I have been in love with you since I was a teenager, and no matter what happens to us, I will always love you with every beat of my heart."

  "Ashton..." I croaked out, unable to say anything as we stared at each other with tears in our eyes. He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

  "I know this all seems very sudden, but ever since your accident, it's shown me that life is short, and the things we love most in this world can be ripped away from us in a second without any warning. So, I wanted to give you time to heal before I asked you the one question I've been wanting to ask since before I almost lost you," he breathed out. With shaky fingers, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the most gorgeous diamond ring I had ever seen.

  "Sophia Lincoln, will you do me the greatest honor and make me the luckiest man in the world by marrying me?"