BXBX NOVEL Chapter 92 - Like A Princess
Megan\'s POV
"Wow, that was fantastic, children. Thank you, and Megan, you are incredible. You are such a talented young woman." Ashton\'s mom said after our performance, and we all returned to our seats. The program continued, and the guests waved their hands to me. And I could tell they were now looking at me with different light, and I couldn\'t be happier. I saw how Sherry\'s scowl turned into a smile the moment Lennon sat beside her.
"I never realized you are that good, Megan. My brother wasn\'t lying at all." Isabelle declared, and I could feel my face blushed right away, and I didn\'t expect that Ashton had already told them about me that I could play the guitar and I could sing. It made me feel so happy that my boyfriend was proud of me.
"Thank you, Isabelle," I replied as I drank water from my goblet, and I felt glad my nervousness subsided, and it felt like I was still dreaming. Still, when I felt Ashton\'s arm around my waist after he moved his chair so he could be closer with me, I realized I wasn\'t dreaming at all, and everything that was happening before my eyes was real.
"That was an excellent performance, guys; you were amazing out there," Zach said, and the boys laughed.
"Well, I am just glad Megan was there, or else I don\'t know what will happen to us; she was the one who brought the song to life. And you are amazing, Meg." Lennon said as he looked at me, and I saw Sherry\'s face turned so red, and I wondered what her deal was; I know Lennon is extra friendly with me, I can feel it, but it was more on brotherly affection, nothing more.
"I agree with you, Len, and thank you, Ashton, for choosing that song even if it was more like a son song to his mother; I like the lyrics, and I love it, and I hope we can jam again." She said, and we all laughed except Sherry. She was looking at her phone the entire time, and I wondered if she was texting Lauren, and I could tell she was thinking something again. My foot still hurts, but it was nothing compared to the anxiousness that I felt as I met their parents on the stage that I temporarily forgot the physical pain caused by Lauren.
Dinner is served, and I know it based on the setup in the table. It was formal dining. I may not belong to a wealthy family, but I am top of our class, so in terms of home economics, I can still remember the utensils that I should use in eating formal dining. And I can smell the aroma of food wafted in the air that made my mouth water, and even if I still feel nervous, I eat my food heartily, and I love all the menu, and I realized wealthy people have great food.
There are intermission numbers, but I am too busy talking with Ashton and his siblings that I didn\'t have enough time to watch them perform. I could tell this was the best night ever.
"Are you having fun?" My boyfriend asked me after I finished eating my meal, and I smiled at him.
"Yeah, thank you, Babe," I said, and he blushed.
"You didn\'t tell me you want to call me, Babe, and you took me off guard by your endearment," I added.
"I am sorry, I should have asked you first if it would be alright with you." He said while I could hear the band singing mellow music in the background.
"No, it was okay. I just wasn\'t prepared that I almost choked when I heard you calling me, Babe." I said, and he laughed, and he took my hand over the table, and he intertwined his fingers with mine, and I could stop myself from having the knots on my stomach. I love the feeling of being close to Ashton physically. I am drawn to his masculine scent.
"Why did you introduce me to your parents in front of everyone?" I whispered, and he looked at me, and he caressed my face before he answered me.
"Because my mom asked me to do so." He said, and it made me open my mouth.
"Really?" I asked in disbelief after a moment
"Did you already tell her about me before tonight?" I asked, and he nodded his head.
"Yes, I told her last night that I am going to invite you, and she was ecstatic about it, and can you see the happiness on my mom\'s face? She likes you, Meg. I can see it by the way she looked at you. And when she heard your voice, I am sure she became your greatest fan." Ashton said that it made me laugh.
"I am glad she likes me," I said, and his face fell.
"Why do you suddenly look sad, Ashton?" I asked, and he looked at me.
"Before I went to pick you up, my mom asked me to have a word with her, and she told me I should introduce you in front of everyone." He said as he looked at me.
"Is that bad news?" I asked because I wondered why he looked so sad and bothered about it, and I could tell something was going on.
"Well, I don\'t know how to tell you this without alarming you, Meg." He said as he let out a sigh. We kept our voices low, but I could tell Isabelle was listening to us because I was seated so close to her since she moved to my side when she took a selfie. But Ashton and I don\'t have a secret that Isabelle doesn\'t know, so it doesn\'t matter if she will hear us.
"Tell me, Ashton. I will listen, and I promise I will not react violently." I replied, and he chuckled.
"Dad told mom this morning he will announce my engagement with Lauren without consulting me about it. It was crazy; how could he decide for me? I am just glad mom was with me." He said.
It made me upset that I needed to touch my chest since I found it hard to breathe. It was surprising, and I wonder how Gregory felt when Ashton announced in front of everyone I was his girlfriend, and I couldn\'t stop myself from laughing. He outsmarted his father, but my laughter died down immediately after I realized something terrible was about to happen between us.
I know how much Ashton hurt his father\'s ego, and I could tell we both need to brace ourselves because something will hit us behind our back. I know Gregory will take his wrath on us because I could say Lauren\'s father knew about the plan. Ashton humiliated his dad by introducing me to his parents in front of all the guests, and his father could no longer announce the engagement.
It was a lot to process, but I wanted to laugh because it was a slap on Gregory\'s face, and I felt so glad Ashton did it, and it would never be enough for making my brother suffer. He is a known philanthropist. Gregory could have donated the money to my mom or asked my brother and parents to pay his money through monthly amortization, or he could tell Dexter to work on his company and make our house as collateral. He should never ask my brother to forget about Isabelle.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, and I nodded my head.
"Yeah, thank you for doing it, " I replied, and he beamed at me.
It was time for dancing, and I saw Sherry get up and drag Lennon to the dance floor, Cole asked his sister to dance with him, while a beautiful woman came and took Zachary\'s hand, and I smiled as I realized some girls wanted to have their chance with Zach.
"Can I have this dance with you, Meg?" Ashton whispered in my ear that made me have goosebumps on my skin.
"Yes! I\'d love to." I replied, and we walked to the dance floor holding hands. And I put my hands around Ashton\'s neck, I couldn\'t stop having butterflies on my chest the moment he curled his arms around my waist, and we started dancing together, and I could tell it was a dream come true for me.
"Allow me to say this again, Megan, you looked so beautiful tonight, and I think I am falling in love with you over and over again." He said, and his words made me feel so special, and l felt like I was floating in the air as I gazed into his compelling eyes, and I felt so lucky to be dancing with him.
"I love you, Ashton. Thank you for making me feel like a princess tonight, and I know I am not Cinderella, but I felt like one tonight." I said, and he smiled at me, and he looked at me with full of tenderness.
"You will be more than my Cinderella because I will never allow you to run with one shoe or let you run away from me when the clock strikes at midnight. I want to spend the entire night with you, Megan, and I wish we could have star gazing before I will take you home." He said, and I couldn\'t stop feeling so happy, and his words made me speechless.
Dancing with Ashton as I lay my head on his chest made me feel so calm and happy. I closed my eyes as we danced together, and my entire body stiffened when I felt Ashton\'s body tense, and he stopped dancing, and when I opened my eyes, I saw his dad and mom in front of us.
"Can we switch partners, son? Can I dance with your beautiful girlfriend?" Gregory Priztgold asked Ashton with a broad smile on his face, and after knowing his actual plan for the night. I can tell behind his smile was his anger.. And I couldn\'t stop my hands from trembling as I turned to face my boyfriend\'s domineering father.