Liam laughed, shaking his head. “Just in the moment, man.”
I rushed forward, hugging Axton as I took in his costume. “I never imagined Lion and Glinda the Good Witch as a couple before.”
“Glinda’s pretty hot, huh?” He hugged me back and kissed me, tickling my cheek with his furry face. The violin started up once more and Axton offered me his arm. “Shall we?”
I was going to giggle myself to death before the day was over, I realized as I took Axton’s arm and then my brother’s and we continued on our way toward the gates of Emerald City in the distance. The yellow brick road wound round and round, making the walk toward the city a long one as we passed actors on wires dressed up as flying monkeys.
As we rounded a corner that was full of tall, fake trees, a witch’s cackle had my head snapping up and the Wicked Witch stepped forward. Honestly I’d never seen a more beautiful Wicked Witch. Or a more pregnant one. With green makeup on and a black dress stretched tight over her pregnant belly, Lana was the perfect Wicked Witch.
“Give me your shoes, bitch,” she commanded as she stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “No, seriously. Those are to die for. Hand them over.”
“No way,” I said and laughed. “You’re such a shoe whore. These are mine.”
“Damn. Okay then. It’s not like I could wear them right now anyway. I’d fall and break my neck with this belly keeping me so off balance.” She glanced from Axton to Liam, grinning. “Nice.”
Liam gave her a once over, whistling his own appreciation. “Back at ya, gorgeous. But don’t tell Drake I said that.”
When the music started again, Lana clapped her hands together. “Okay, let’s go. It’s not much farther now.” She linked her arm through mine and we walked ahead of the men as we drew closer to the gates of Emerald City.
As we neared the gates, a Green Guard stepped forward and kissed the Wicked Witch. “I heard you cackling and it was the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard, Angel.”
Axton and Liam snickered behind me and I turned to shush them. “Stop it,” I hissed at them.
When Drake raised his head, he glared at his two friends before that blue-gray gaze landed on me and softened. “Someone’s been getting anxious, Rissa.” He stepped back and opened the latch on the gate. “Better go find him.”
I didn’t need to know who the ‘him’ was that Drake was talking about. No one but one man would have ever thought to give me this experience and I couldn’t wait to tell him how much I loved him. I rushed past Drake and into Emerald city and stopped in my tracks at the sight before me.
Oh, Wroth…
Wroth
At the sound of the door opening, everything inside of me tightened. This was it. There was no going back now. The next few minutes would be the defining moment in my life. Would I spend the rest of my life with the woman I needed more than I needed air to breathe… or would she walk away?
I didn’t know what her answer was going to be, and the not knowing was making me shake.
Nervously, I tugged at the collar of my flannel shirt. There were pieces of straw sticking out from all angles, making me itch, which didn’t make my anxiousness any easier to deal with. With a groan I glanced down at the getup I’d put on just a little while ago. I’d refused to put a sack on my head to make the Scarecrow costume more believable. Hell, Emmie was able to give Marissa the entire Oz experience. She knew how much I loved her, so she would understand if I didn’t try to smother myself with a damned potato sack.
Around me, the rest of our friends sat around the arbor that Emmie and the Oz Museum had set up, all of them dressed up as a character from the movie. The munchkins were all sitting up front with their drama teacher in her own costume seated beside Dallas in her bulky Glinda the Good Witch outfit. The Demon’s Wings guys were all Green Guards and everyone else was dressed as Emerald City citizens. Yeah, this was as close to perfect as Emmie had been able to get and it was pretty fucking awesome if you asked me.
And cheesy. So damned cheesy. But it was going to make my girl happy and I would do anything to make her smile. Even dress up like a fucking Scarecrow.
The door opened and in walked the most beautiful sight I’d ever laid eyes on. Marissa was breathtaking in the simple white sundress and those killer glittery ruby heels. Her makeup was smeared a little, telling me she had been crying but the look in those blue eyes told me that they had been happy tears. I breathed a small breath of relief when I saw the beaming smile on that face that I loved so much.
Behind her an alluring Wicked Witch followed by a Green Guard, Tin Man, and Lion stepped through the door and I couldn’t help but grin at my friends and bandmates as they nodded their heads in greeting before taking the empty seats behind me. That just left me standing there, staring down at the girl who had the power to destroy me with one word in the next few minutes.
Her arms wrapped around me as soon as she reached me and my own went around her as I held her against me. The scent of her hair invaded my senses and I let it calm me as I tried to find the words I’d silently been rehearsing for days now.
With a soft laugh, Marissa leaned back. “I don’t know how you did this, but thank you. I’d thought that we were just going to go see the museum. And you gave me this.” Tears sparkled in her eyes and she blinked to keep them from spilling. “Thank you so much, Wroth. This means the world to me.”
I swallowed hard, trying to get the words—any words—out through the lump in my throat. “You are my world, Marissa. I would give you this and anything else you want.” I stepped back and pulled out the box that had been practically burning a hole in my pocket for over a month. When I dropped to one knee, Marissa gasped, her hands covering her mouth as the tears she’d been trying to keep at bay just seconds ago spilled free.
“I love you, Marissa. Then. Now. Forever. I gave you Oz, but all I want in return is you. Will you marry me, sweetheart?”
A sob escaped her and she shook her head, tears spilling faster. “I… You…” She shook her head harder and my stomach churned as I feared she was going to turn me down. No, no. I couldn’t possibly survive if she said no.
“Wroth…” She cleared her throat, swallowed hard, and I tried to hold my own tears back as I prepared for her to turn me down. “Of course I’ll marry you. I love you. Then. Now. Forever.”
I closed my eyes as relief washed over me, but a tear escaped anyway and I buried my face in her dress as I wrapped my arms around her waist and thanked whoever had sent this precious girl to me so that I could love and cherish her for the rest of my life. Soft fingers combed through my hair, holding me against her as my shoulders shook and I let the tears continue to fall. She was mine. Thank God, she was mine.