Page 195 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Maybe it wasn’t a smart idea to travel here right after we got into the new house,” Soren hummed, mostly to himself, and I chuckled.

He was still thinking way too much over everything, but it was one of the things I loved about him.

“Nah, if anything, they’re excited to have the place all for themselves.”

We’d just moved into our new gorgeous house in Carpinteria. It might be an hour away from LA, but we loved it there—our little piece of heaven within arm’s reach.

Soren and I had been inseparable since that day in the hospital, and things had been going well, enough for us to live together for the past few months. Just like he’d promised, Soren took over his grandfather’s firm, and other than making Daniel angry for stealing some of his clients, he was doing great. Andrei had started college in hopes of becoming a lawyer and was already excelling, while also moving in with Miles. Thankfully, they were only an hour’s drive away, so I saw his face almost every day, especially with him coming on the weekends to study with Soren, who helped him with his school. To be honest, it was beyond me how Soren still remembered what he’d learned in college with it being years ago. Levi had also started college, but unlike Andrei, he and Jessie chose to move in with Soren and me after we left the old house. Jessie loved Carpinteria’s nature, and he spent the hours he wasn’t drawing searching around, although he was mostly working on his business. That kid was creating amazing art for clients all over the world while also working on his very first webtoon.

Watching them pursuing their dreams not only brought me pride but also pushed me to do the same, and after closing my small surf shop, I signed up for a few photography courses. My new passion was the reason I dragged Soren out of bed at the ass crack of dawn so I could take some beautiful pictures of the ocean at sunrise. I used to think nothing could beat Malibu’s sunrise, only to find that it was nothing compared to the ones in Koh Samui.

“Let’s go.” I took Soren’s hand and began leading the way to the shore. Our cabin was not too far from here, but yesterday when we were swimming, I saw a spot that I knew would make the best place for a shoot.

“Do you know where to go?” he asked, and I nodded, holding on to his hand harder.

“I do,” I said, thinking of how happy this simple moment made me feel. There was something utterly amazing about being alone, with the person you love, on the other side of the world—so far away from everything you know. As crazy as it sounded, it gave me comfort.

I had never been this happy in my life before, and while the old Ash might have felt guilty over this unbelievable amount of happiness, the new me didn’t. All simply because I’d stopped living life in the shadow of regret. My life was mine to decide on, even if my choices didn’t suit others. But the last year had taught me that when you’re confident in your decisions, things had their way of working out. Mom finally came to terms with my choice to be with Soren, and the two of them had actually learned how to get along. When she wasn’t so stubborn and Soren wasn’t too bitchy, they made a great team. Aiden was also settling down well in my old house, which was originally his and which I gave back to him. With him returning to California, it only felt right.

And Kai? He’d started his recovery journey back from scratch and was making great progress. And while I could happily say he was doing a great job staying sober, I couldn’t say the same about us, as he took the hating on me part very seriously. Everything we used to have was as good as gone, and Kai hardly ever spoke to me. But from what Aiden had told me, he was doing much better, and I was happy. I was happy to know he was finally able to move on the same way I had. And oh, did I move on.

I turned my head to look at Soren, my gorgeous man who was all mine to admire. With his shirt open and his hair falling loose over his brows, he looked so relaxed and peaceful that it warmed my heart. Not that it was new because literally everything he did made me all warm and fuzzy.

“Do I have something on my face?” he asked when he noticed me staring.

“No, I was just thinking about how handsome you are.”

His lips stretched up in a smile. “And yet, you are a thousand times prettier.”

I snorted. “It isn’t a competition.”

“Of course not, because you’d win so easily.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.

Now smitten, I giggled like a little kid, my cheeks turning red despite how accustomed I was to his flattery. What could I say? He was always smooth with his words.

“Oh, isn’t this the place?” Soren then said, snapping my attention away from my cheesiness.

Looking up, I saw he was right. “Yes, it is.” I’d already pulled out my camera from its case, grateful that we got here just in time to catch those first rays of sun. Walking over to the beautiful spot that was basically the end of the shore, I stopped a few inches from the water and positioned myself to face the horizon. The sun started to rise, and I took the first picture, the snapping sound mixing with the waves each time I took another photo, wishing it would be as precious as this moment. The sun slowly stretched its rays over the sky, painting them and the water in bright colors. The ocean was so calm you couldn’t even tell where it ended, and instead, those turquoise waters spread on and on until the far, far horizon. The only sounds you could hear were those of nature slowly waking up, and it brought me so much peace.

“Soren, come here. I want to take pictures of you.”

Soren moved in front of the camera, turning the view, which was beautiful until now, into perfection. Excited over this beauty, I began capturing this moment through the lens, admiring how after all these years, he still looked like a young prince. But then, he fumbled with his pocket until he pulled something out of it, and at first, I had no idea what it was until I did, and my heart stopped. Slowly lowering my camera, I gazed at the small black box in his hand with my mouth open.

“S-Soren?” I swallowed hard, my camera nearly slipping from between my fingers.

He smiled at me with such warmth before he cleared his throat. “At first, I thought of doing this at sunset, but then I realized that sunrise would be a much proper hour because—” He got down on one knee, not even minding the wet sand. “—I want this to mark new beginnings.” He opened the box, and I gasped at the sight of the silver ring presented on white velvet. It was simple, classy, and so Soren. “I know our love story was complicated, to say the least.” He chuckled, and I snorted, half crying already. “But it was beautiful nonetheless, and you, Ashton, are without a doubt the love of my life. And while I know and hope our story is far from being over, it would be my honor to go through the rest of this journey as your husband.” He held my stare, his silver eyes shining so vividly, even more than the ring itself. “Ashton Sage, would you give me the greatest honor of marrying you?”

My throat was too sore to speak with the number of tears I tried swallowing, and instead, I nodded. “Of course,” I cried, covering my mouth. “Of course I’ll marry you.” Thankfully, my camera was attached to a string around my neck because the next moment, I tossed myself on him, not caring if it would break. My weight crashed us both down to the sand as my lips were already on his. “Fuck yes,” I said over his mouth. “I’ll marry you a thousand times.” I kissed him again, my chest tight with love and joy.

Soren pulled back only to take my finger.

Shit, I almost forgot about the ring.

My hand trembled, but he calmed me down by stroking my skin with his thumb before slowly sliding the ring down my finger. My face was all red from excitement and sticky with tears, but that didn’t stop Soren from kissing my cheek.

“I’ll love you forever, my little Sparrow,” he promised in my ear while I kept looking at my beautiful ring, which was the same color as my summer’s eyes.

Getting back to our cabin, which was more of a suite, was nearly impossible. I could hardly keep my hands to myself, and that was without mentioning Soren, who was all too eager to get me naked before we even walked in.