4Ever & a Day : The Next Generation of R5

Marry Your Daughter

Disclaimer: Some of Dash's words aren't mine. They belong to the song Marry Your Daughter by Brian McKnight. The song is above.

Dash

I cursed the damn LA traffic for making me late. It had been a horrible morning already and I hoped it wasn't an indication of how this lunch was going to go. I had a difference of opinion with a music producer and had to fire him. So now I was in need of a new producer. I was on the phone with Riker as I pulled into the parking place trying to find someone. He said he would find someone and get back to me as soon as possible.

I got out of the car and locked it with my key as I headed in to the restaurant. I found Ellington sitting at a table near the door. I paused at the door trying to clear my thoughts and get on the task at hand. This needed my undivided attention. It had to do with my future and the future of his little girl, the woman I loved more than anything else in this world.

I sighed and walked towards him. He saw me and gave me a disapproving look because I was twenty minutes late. I sat down and he didn't take his eyes off me. It was making me extremely nervous. I had an idea he knew what this was all about the moment I had asked him to meet me today. There was a nervous silence between us as the waitress came to get our orders. This was a place I knew well so I didn't even need to look at the menu to tell her what I wanted. Once she left I looked back at Ellington.

"Sir," I started. "I am really nervous about this. I've been going over what I want to say in my mind for weeks now. It may not come out right so bear with me. I have already bought a ring for her and she's my everything and it would mean so much to me if I knew that we were on the same side," I paused as I tried to fight back the tears threatening to roll down my cheeks.

He didn't say anything and that made me even more nervous. He just sat there and watched me. He took a sip of his drink and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I continued.

"She's been here every step of the way, since the day that we met. I'm scared to death to think of what would happen if she ever left. So don't you ever worry about me ever treating her bad. I've got most of my vows done so far. So bring on the better or worse and till death do us part. There's no doubt in my mind it's time. I'm ready to start. I swear to you I love her with all of my heart."

I looked up at him and he was smiling. He knew what I was about to say. He looked lost in a memory for a second and I wondered if he was thinking about when he was my age and he sat with Rydel's dad asking his permission to marry her. He still didn't speak he just waited for me to continue and as soon as I started speaking again tears welled up in his eyes.

"Can I marry your daughter and make her my wife? I want her to be the only girl that I love for the rest of my life and give her the best of me until the day that I die. I'm want to marry your princess and make her my queen. She'll be the most beautiful bride that I've ever seen. I can't wait to smile when she walks down the aisle on your arm on the day that I marry your daughter."

He sighed and looked at me with a serious face. There were only a few times I had seen him serious in the three years I'd known him. He always had a joke about everything. It was one of the things I liked about him and one thing we had in common. I had the same dorky personality and we also shared the way we cared about others.

"I have known for a while this day was coming. I had no idea it would be so heartfelt. I can tell you really love Dacia and she is so in love with you. You have proven to me so many times how much you care about her and have taken care of her. So that being said you have my blessing. I can't wait to see what a beautiful bride she will make either," Ellington said.

I let out a sigh of relief. I had done it but now came the even harder part, the actual proposal. Even though I knew she wouldn't say no it was still in the back of my mind. I had already come up with a way to do it that she would love that was typical me.

The next day I went to the photo booth at mall. I sat in it and pulled the four handwritten index cards from my back pocket that said will you marry me? I took a picture of myself holding up each card one by one. Once that was done I got my pictures and slipped them into my back pocket as I went to meet Dacia for lunch. I took my phone from my pocket and glanced at the time. It was twelve thirty which meant I had an hour and a half before our friends were meeting me at the photo booth.

After lunch we walked by the photo booth and I suggested we take some pictures of us together. The ring box was in my jacket pocket and it suddenly felt really heavy. We sat down in the photo booth and I pulled out the other pictures I had taken earlier from my back pocket as Dacia put money in for the pictures.

I handed it to her and she looked down at it. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," I said as I pulled the ring from my pocket just as the first picture snapped.

I opened the box and she screamed yes as the second picture snapped. I took the ring from the box and put it on her finger as the third picture was taken. In the last picture she held up her hand and we both smiled as tears rolled down her face. We exited the photo booth and Savannah rushed up and hugged her sister. Everyone else congratulated us.