Out of The Box Awakening

by Theriot, Jennifer

  “Folks, it’s about that time.” Tommy speaks into the microphone. “We’re gonna wrap it up with one last song. Sure hope you had fun, cuz we sure did. Remember to drive safe, and we hope to see you back rockin' with us real soon! Thank you all!”

  Everyone claps and then the lights go off, and come back on. Oh, my God! Ash Harper is up on the stage again. One single light comes on and is shining down on him. He’s sitting on a stool by the microphone. “This song is for a very special lady, who just happens to have a birthday today. It’s a song by Phillip Phillips and I think you all know it…it’s called Home. Olivia, I love you and I hope you’re having a Happy Happy Birthday!” He fists his heart, points out at me and starts singing.

  Immediately I get tears in my eyes. He’s singing about knowing you’re not alone and about making this place my home.

  “Mom! Are you crying?” Bradley asks.

  “Awww, Mom, don’t cry. You should be happy!” Dalton says.

  “I am happy—that’s why I’m crying silly!”

  As Ash is singing, Hayden and Wesley walk in. They hurry over to the table.

  “Damn! Sorry we’re late! Our flight was friggin’ delayed!” Wesley squats down beside me, puts his arm around me and whispers. “Happy Birthday. Olivia!”

  Lainey, trying to listen, isn’t going to let anyone talk while Ash is singing. “Guys…Shhhhh! Look—your dad’s up on stage singing! We’re trying to listen!”

  Wesley and Hayden sit next to me and listen to their dad sing. “Damn! He’s pretty good—who knew?” Hayden says.

  This has, without a doubt been the best birthday I’ve ever had. Ash gets a standing ovation after his song and he points at me as he’s getting off the stage. Tommy and the guys all point to me and blow me kisses. Okay—I’m embarrassed. Embarrassed but happy. Uber happy, as Tommy would say! After the show, we stay at the club, as we usually do. I’m blown away by the fact my kids are here. Ash’s kids are here. His sister is here. Girlfriends of boyfriends are here. The picture is complete. Ash, in his style, goes over to the jukebox after everyone but our group has gone, starts to drop his wad of money into it and Ross stops him.

  “Mr. Rock Star, put your money back. It’s no good tonight my friend. Tonight the tunes are on me. It’s open jukebox! My birthday present to Olivia!” He says.

  Ellen bends down and whispers to me “Come on Olivia, let’s go to the bathroom.”

  We head to the bathroom and she’s being very chatty, talking about the wedding. When we’ve been in the bathroom for a while, her phone dings and she gets a text. “Oh, that’s Melissa. She said to tell you Happy Birthday.”

  She takes my arm and we go back out to the table. Geez she’s acting weird! As we’re walking toward the table, everyone is sitting at the table staring at us.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Nothing. We’re all just looking at you two pretty ladies and we were saying how young you guys look.” Lainey laughs. Ash pulls my chair out and I sit down. In front of me is a turquoise square cake, done in fondant with a beautiful fondant white bow. It looks like a Tiffany’s box. I think how cute this is…what a cute idea for a birthday cake! Before I can read the writing on the cake Ash drops to his knees. He has tears in his eyes and he looks nervous, really nervous. He takes a deep breath.

  “Olivia, okay…here goes…Look, from the very first time I saw you, I knew you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. We’ve been through so much together. You’ve brought love and life into me and I love you more than life itself. I love you so bad, it hurts. Honey you complete me; you’re my everything, I Liv you and I want to spend every damn remaining minute of my life with you. So would you please, please, please do me the honor of being my wife, my soul mate, and my love for the rest of our lives? Please, honey, just answer yes.”

  I’m totally caught off-guard. He opens the black box. I look inside and gasp.

  “Would you accept this ring, Olivia, knowing that I love you unconditionally for the absolute amazing woman you are?”

  Everyone at the table is looking at me. I’m speechless and I feel huge tears building up in my eyes.

  Lainey takes my arm. “Mom! What say you? This is an over the top proposal and you’d better say yes!”

  Still unable to speak, I look at Ash. He looks worried.

  Tommy and Todd are looking worried as well.

  Todd breaks the ice. “Olivia? Come on! Fuckin say yes already! Geez! You’re killin’ us girl!”

  I look at Ash and we’re both crying. “Ash, Oh, my God! Yes, Yes! Of course I will!”

  “Really? Seriously? You’ll be my wife?”

  I nod my head. “Ash, yes! Yes, of course I will! I Love you so so much!”

  He fist pumps into the air “YEEEESSSSS!” Ash says.

  I look at the beautiful cake and read the writing. Scripted in the middle of the cake in white are the initials OH & AH, and then under that reads Marry Me?

  Wow! This truly is an over the top proposal. I’m shaking. I stare at the beautiful ring inside the little black box that simply says Tiffany & Co. inside the top. Dear God! This ring has to be over two carats. It is the timeless classic Tiffany engagement ring and is breathtakingly beautiful.

  Ash takes the ring out of the box. “May I?” he asks. He takes my shaky left hand and slips the ring on. Of course, it fits perfect.

  Everyone claps and Ross brings out the champagne. “Congrats lovebirds! Let’s get a little bubbly going here.” He pops the cork, pours our glasses and makes a toast.

  “Ash, Olivia, you are without a doubt two of the most in love people I’ve seen in a very long time. I’m honored Ash, that you chose to make this beautiful proposal here, in my little club. Olivia, I’ve known Ash a very long time and I don’t believe I’ve seen him this happy in so long! Here’s to many years of love, and happiness!” We all toast and empty our glasses. Even Lainey has a taste of champagne. Wesley gives me a hug and instead of shaking Ash’s hand as he usually does, he gives his father a very affectionate hug. Hayden follows and they motion for Tommy to come into their group hug.

  The boys all kneel down beside me. “Olivia, we couldn’t have picked a better woman for our dad! You’re awesome.” Ellen and David come for hugs as well. Ellen is smiling so big and she’s getting emotional. “Soooo, I just knew one day you’d be my sister-in-law Olivia. I just knew it! Big brother, you sure did good. Congrats honey! We love you both!” Ash hugs her and David. The guys all come up. Todd holds up my hand to show them my ring. “Damn! This sucker is friggin’ huge Mr. H.! Jesus!” Lainey and my boys kneel down by my chair. “Mom, we want you to know that Ash did ask for our permission before he did this.”

  “He did?” I say.

  “Yes Ma’am! We all met in Dallas last weekend. He wanted to make sure we were okay with this. He’s so old-fashioned, but of course that’s one of the things we love about him. Of course, once he asked us, we immediately said yes! He and Tommy even flew out to talk to the twins too.” I think to myself that’s why he didn’t come home as soon as he had planned. He took a detour to talk to my kids and his kids. What an amazing man! Tommy tells me that he met his dad and the twins last weekend in Billings, Montana, which they figured was half way to Seattle. “Dad wanted us to meet half way and talk to us all before he asked you. He wanted my brothers and me to be together and not do this over the phone or by Skype.”

  “Tommy, I didn’t even realize you went out of town. My gosh! Your dad never ceases to amaze me.”

  “Yeah, Dad’s definitely one of a kind.” Ross starts the music playing. “Green Eyes” comes on and Ash takes my hand

  “Dance with me?” He takes my hand, my beautifully adorned left hand, and leads me out to the dance floor. “So tell me Olivia, are you happy?”

  “Oh Ash, I’m happy beyond words! This has been the best birthday I’ve ever had! I love you so much!”

  “And I love you too honey. So what did you think about our initials on your cake? Tommy told me that we
are now officially Oh and Ah, and oh! I love it! And ah! I can’t wait until we’re married, until you’re legally mine, soon-to-be Mrs. Harper.”

  I look into his beautiful eyes with tears in mine “Ash, this day has been, without a doubt the best day in my life, with exception of the births of my children. There are no words to describe it and I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Please don’t let this day end!”

  When our song ends, Todd comes up and asks to talk to me. He takes me aside and we talk privately. He cups my face in his hands and looks me dead in the eye

  “See babe, I told you things would work out. I told you that when I first met you, remember? Remember that night in the kitchen at Thanksgiving?”

  I nod my head, indicating he’s right.

  “He’s friggin head over heels for you and has been for a long time. The Ashster! He proposed. Can you fuckin’believe it? And on your birthday! Fuckin awesome!” He gives me a hug. “Oh, and by the way, I still want to hear your story about losing it. I haven’t forgotten, you know and you said I’d be your first…remember?”

  I have to laugh at him as I put my arm around him. “Believe me, that story is another chapter in another book, but yes, of course I’ll tell you about it sometime—I haven’t forgotten and yes, you’ll be the first!” He smiles and gives me his thumbs up.

  Kyra comes looking for him. Seeing her walk up to us, he’s beaming. “Isn’t she fuckin’ beautiful Olivia?”

  Kyra rolls her eyes at him and I grab his arm. “Todd, I’d say she’s absolutely beautiful minus the f-bomb.” Kyra and I both laugh and she takes my left hand

  “Let me see this huge ring! Wow! Congrats Olivia, it’s beautiful. He did so good don’t you think?” I wink at Todd “Yeah, something like that.” He winks back at me then kisses Kyra and they start to dance.

  Lainey comes and pulls me out to dance with her. Someone has put on our favorite Judd’s song and I suspect that would have been Ellen. I, of course immediately start bawling. Lainey hugs me and wipes my tears. “Mom, I’m so happy for you. Stop crying already! Oh.My.God! Do you realize?”

  “Realize what?” I ask. “Mom! We’ve got a wedding to plan!” After Lainey and I dance ‘our song’, another song comes on and Wesley quickly cuts in taking my hand. “Come on Olivia, dance with me.” He smiles, gives me a hug and says “What a night huh? Olivia, look I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I hope that like me, you’ve moved past that and realize how happy I am for you and dad.”

  “Wesley, I moved past that as soon as I opened the door and we reintroduced ourselves. No worries!” He hugs me and gives me a kiss. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ash at the table smiling, so proud of his son and it makes me tear up. I realize that Wesley has taken a huge step out of his comfort zone and is making the commitment to what is about to be our blended family and I’m so touched by his gesture! The next thing I know, all of the men left in the club come out to the dance floor forming a circle around me and nudge me into the middle. Boy I’m in trouble now! “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys is playing, and Todd laughs. “Okay, Olivia gotta dance for us! Show us whatcha got!”

  All the band guys, Wesley, Hayden, Dalton, Bradley, Kellan, Ross and even David are dancing around me; which makes me laugh. Todd pushes Lainey and Ellen out into the circle and we all start acting goofy and dancing. Tommy lifts me on top of his shoulders dancing around the circle and I think to myself that I sure hope he doesn’t drop me! The fact that I’ve just consumed an absurd amount of champagne tonight makes me have the courage to sit still on his shoulders. Things are moving fast and before I know it Brian lifts me from Tommy’s shoulders without effort and puts me on his shoulders dancing in the circle. How they’ve made this transition without dropping me bewilders me! I lean down and tell him to be careful; Brian looks up at me and says, “Don’t worry! Just hang on Olivia! I’ve got you. I won’t drop you I promise!” Ash is now standing at the edge of the dance floor with his arms crossed watching in awe of this moment. To say the very least, it is priceless!

  Toward the end of the song, Ash invades the circle and takes me into his arms. He whispers in my ear. “Liv, this is the perfect song for you tonight….you are truly on fire. You’re the fire that fuels me and you never cease to amaze me! Let’s make a promise to keep the fire going forever!” I just melt into his arms and it is then that I realize my life has absolutely come full circle. If you would have told me last year on my birthday that today, exactly one year later I would move out of state, become a grandmother, have major surgery, get a divorce, fall in love with a beautiful man, and get proposed to by same beautiful man, I would swear you were on some sort of hallucinogenic drug. I am without a doubt blessed beyond words. I’m ready to go into this next phase of my life and I’ve finally come to realize that I’m a person who has needs and feelings. I’m now comfortable in my own skin and I’m no longer afraid to step out of the box, my box that for most of my life has been my comfort zone.

  Awakening is the word that immediately comes to mind. I looked it up in the dictionary and find it pretty much sums up the turn my life has taken. As a noun, it means to become aware of something. That something for me would be feelings. I do have them. Physical and emotional. As an adjective, it is a sense of coming into existence. Throughout this journey, I’ve come into those feelings. They are an awakening to me. I’ve woken up revived and determined to live my life from this point on with feeling and not just merely exist…I am, without a doubt the luckiest woman in the world!

  About the Author

  Jennifer Theriot hails from the Great State of Texas. She is a career woman, working as CFO of a Texas based real estate investment firm. Working in her capacity as CFO, she felt something was missing and discovered her passion for writing novels – mostly at night and on weekends.

  In her limited spare time Jennifer enjoys being outdoors; preferably somewhere on a beach curled up with a good book. Spending time with family and friends, watching a baseball game and enjoying a good bottle of wine are usually on her to-do lists. Jennifer is also ‘MiMi’ to two beautiful grandchildren and a mom to three grown children, all of whom she adores. Theriot is an admitted music junkie, loving every type of music, which takes up most of the memory on her iPhone. She listens to music from sun up to sun down and her love of music is reflected a great deal in her books.

  Jennifer took a chance that there could be an interest in romance with middle aged couples who are finding themselves at a crossroads and wrote her debut novel Out of the Box Awakening, which centers on the hope of finding happiness and passion through unexpected heartache. It emphasizes the need for family and friends as Jennifer has learned in her own life. The book has been described as "Mature Sexy" by one reviewer.

  She is currently working on her second book in the series, Out of the Box Regifted, and she has book 3 planned as well with a book 4 from another character’s POV. Jennifer also has plans to co-write a new series, with a good friend, who shares her same passion for a good romance novel in the near future.

  For more information or to contact Jennifer, please visit:

  www.jennifertheriot.com

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Wow! Where to start. How do I even begin to thank everyone?

  First off, having the love and support of family and friends has made this journey amazing! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I’d end up writing a book! I do accounting for God’s sake!

  To my teddy bear hearted husband—without sounding too corny and emotional…thanks for putting up with my neglect for these past few months. You were pretty much on your own every night, since I totally ignored you while doing my writing! I know that there were more than a few loads of laundry that didn’t get folded on the first (or second, or third for that matter) dryer run and I thank God you are the wonderful cook you are. Since I am not, nor do I profess to be a culinary diva, I salute you! I probably would have starved, as you would, had you not taken bull by the horns and made us dinner e
very night. And even though I did not take your suggestion on the book title, I do appreciate your throwing it my way. It just came a few days too late…sorry honey!

  Thanks for the wonderful anniversary gift—my MacBook Air, which made writing a breeze! And the romantically over the top way you gave it to me (private inside joke) is priceless.

  To my amazing kids. I couldn’t have done this without your constant support and encouragement. Lauren, thanks for your talents in document formatting and for letting me constantly bounce ideas off your head—you are a lifesaver—my Lainey!

  Ben, thanks for encouraging me to keep on writing—our late night texts I will treasure forever. Each night I gave you a word and page count, you encouraged me to keep at it.

  And Dale thanks so much for creating my phenomenal website and all of your help in formatting and uploading my book. Your patience with me is golden!

  You have all grown into the most wonderful adults and I love you oh oh too much!

  To my friend girls, Lorrie and Kelly—you are the BEST! From the very start, when I told you that I was thinking of writing a book, you didn’t laugh, but continually encouraged me to do it! You’ve been there for me every step of the way. Thanks for putting up with countless edits and re-reading for me in a word document on your IPhones….not the easiest, I realize now without page numbers…hehe! Our OOBA wine nights on the patio brainstorming and listening to music are the some of my best memories! I am so lucky to have your friendship and will never take it for granted I promise! For the record Lorrie, you and I are some pretty fantastic dancers!

  To Travis Drake Creative Design…..Travis—you are—without a doubt the BEST graphics design artist I could have asked for! I am partial, because I’ve known you since the day you were born, but the fact remains…you are so very talented! Your mom is up in heaven proud as hell of you, as we all are. Thanks for putting up with my constant changes and plethora of annoying emails requesting changes and edits. I appreciate it more than you know and you have given me just what I asked for….an amazing cover!