The Closer You Come

Me. Miss Brook Lynn Elizabeth Dillon. To Mr. Jason...what was his middle name?...Hollister.

When she told Jessie Kay the next day, the two of them danced around their house. When she told Kenna while they lunched at Two Farms, they squealed so loudly, Mr. Calbert stomped from his office to shush them.

Through it all, Jase never left her side. And he’d smiled more than once.

Even Daphne seemed genuinely happy for her.

“Hope and I are going to have to move here, aren’t we?” she said and sighed. “I just can’t pull Jase away from all of this. He needs it. And I think...maybe we do, too.”

Life was better than ever. The only damper on her happiness came when Jase failed to learn anything new about Stan. He still didn’t know who the guy really was, or what his connection was to Jase, or why he wanted revenge on him so badly. But he did suspect the guy was responsible for the vandalism of his shed and his car, and had talked to Sheriff Lintz about a possible restraining order.

But Brook Lynn wasn’t going to think about Stan right now. If she did, she’d just sink into a pit of nervousness, wondering what would happen if—when—Jase confronted the guy. Nothing good, that much she could guess. He could be hurt. He could do some hurting of his own.

Worst-case scenario: he could be sent back to prison.

It was a fear he shared. Yesterday he’d said, “If this guy approaches you again, I don’t know what I’ll do, how I’ll react, but even the thought of it is enough to work me into a black, black rage. Does that scare you?”

She’d replied, “I love that you’re so protective of me. I just want to make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

She’d then done her best to talk Jase into canceling Tessa’s party, thinking it was too much of a risk, but again and again he’d assured her that he’d put a lot of money into security. There would be guards posted at every door. They knew who to look for, because she and the girls had given a description—though it hadn’t jogged Jase’s memory. Even still, Stan would never be able to get inside, and if he tried, he would finally be detained and hopefully arrested.

Put like that, she almost wished he’d try. She wanted this to be over so bad, she could taste it. Then she could start planning her wedding.

“Well, the day has finally come,” Daphne said. “Tessa would have loved this.”

Together, she and Brook Lynn double-checked every detail to ensure nothing was out of place. Jase had beautifully refurbished the old barn situated at the edge of his land, and the new wood planks on the walls and floor gleamed as sunlight streamed in through the stained-glass windows. Roses of every color hung from the ceiling and down the walls, small golden lights sprinkled throughout. A sweet perfume saturated the air, creating a heady paradise.

The buffet tables lined the back walls and were piled high with all different kinds of bite-size sandwiches and pinwheels. All thanks to You’ve Got It Coming.

“I also think there’s no way in hell you could have done this good a job without me,” Daphne said, bumping her shoulder good-naturedly. “I want you to know I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

“Oh, how sweet.” Brook Lynn bumped her shoulder right back. “Your compliment has brought a tear to my eye.”

“I do what I can.” Her head tilted to the side, and she frowned. “Guests must not know the meaning of fashionably late. Someone’s here already.”

Brook Lynn skipped toward Jase. He and Beck waited at the door, ready to greet the early arrivers as they made it past the guards. West was...well, no one knew where. He’d taken off yesterday and hadn’t come back, and it was a shame, considering this whole party was his idea—his way of seeking the closure he so desperately needed.

Jase smiled when he spotted her. An intimate smile filled with promise, causing her heart to skip a beat. She wondered if her reaction to him would always be this strong.

“I missed you,” he said.

“Because I’m the light of your life. Duh.”

“You certainly are.” He kissed the tip of her nose. He was in a good mood today, some of the tension he’d been carrying now gone. “Later, I’m going to make you beg for every kiss, every touch.”

She shivered. “I’m looking forward to your attempt. But this time I think I’m going to make you beg.”

He sucked in a breath, his muscles going rigid. “I’m looking forward to it.” He looked as though he wanted to say more, but a steady stream of guests began to pour inside the barn. Residents of Strawberry Valley, as well as people who’d driven in from the city. Kids—adults now—from Jase’s past.

He shook hands with some, bumped fists with others and always introduced her as his fiancée.

When finally there was a lag, she gave Jase a soft peck. “I’m going to check on the food. I won’t be gone long.”

“It’ll still feel like forever.”

She smiled dreamily as she moved through the crowd; guards dressed as guests followed behind her. There was Jessie Kay, Sunny and Charlene, surrounded by a group of men. All of them were smiling and talking, probably flirting. There was Kenna and Dane, cuddled close while Dane answered the questions of those surrounding him. Norrie played with Hope and some of the other children in attendance, and something lurched inside Brook Lynn’s chest. Hope would soon be her family. And then, one day, she and Jase would have children of their own, giving Hope little brothers and sisters.