I followed him as he began to pull out . . . pamphlets?
“What is that?”
Jason held up a handful and handed them to me. “They are destinations. Wedding destinations. We need to decide so I can use my brother’s fame and power to get the date and location you want.”
I reached for the pamphlets he was handing me, but my mind was not processing this fast enough.
“I’ve been busy with school,” Jason continued. “You’ve been busy with school and f**king my brains out. And while I’ve enjoyed that part very much, I need a date set. I’m ready to make you Jess Stone. I am done being patient and giving you time. You’re deciding this weekend.”
“Anywhere,” I said honestly. I would not cry because he had two bags full of locations for weddings. I would not cry because this was so incredibly sweet.
He glanced back at me as he pulled out his own handful to go through. “I want to marry you. I’ll marry you anywhere you want. Hell, Jess, I’ll go to Vegas and let Elvis do it. But you deserve the dream wedding. The one you’ve thought about since you were a little girl, and by God, I’m giving that to you. Having a brother the world worships is handy for some things. This is one of them. Now, come sit with me and let’s figure this out.”
He sat down and held his arm out for me to join him.
I sniffled and smiled. “Okay.”
I sat close to him and put my pile in his lap. “Let’s look at each one together until I see one I like.”
“Nope. You gotta love it. I won’t stop until this is everything you ever wanted.”
I laid my head on his chest. “You’re everything I ever wanted.”
He kissed my head. “Good. So do you want Elvis to do this, then?”
Laughing, I shook my head.
“Didn’t think so. Let’s start with the East Coast locations. We can move west from there.” Jason
***
The sun had decided to shine today. It was early spring in south Alabama, and the breeze could be chilly if the sun wasn’t out. But today it had shown up. The colorful peonies (yes, I know what those are now) decorated the ends of the rows of white chairs and were woven into the wooden arbor I stood under right beside my brother.
“When we used to play out here in the summers, you ever imagine this?” I asked, grinning, already knowing the answer.
“Hell no,” he said with a chuckle.
I nodded to the glass balls with candles lit in them hanging from the trees. “I hope we don’t set the place on fire.”
Jax grinned. “I think we’re safe.”
Glancing around, I saw several pairs of eyes watching us with big, cheesy grins. Trisha Taylor, Amanda Drake, and Willow Hardy all held bouquets of peonies and wore dresses similar in style but not identical. And each one was a different color, matching one of the peonies all over this place.
“Y’all are supposed to be quiet at this point,” Marcus said from the other side of Jax, a smirk on his face.
Daisy May Taylor and Larissa Hardy came walking down the aisle, tossing petals to the ground as they smiled at the friends and family watching them.
“This is it,” Jax whispered when the music, which had been chosen after lots of debate and changing of minds, started up.
My chest tightened and then my heart started pounding as I waited for Jess to turn that corner of trees. White satin appeared first, and then came my girl. Her eyes found me immediately, and all the things that were ever wrong with the world were right now. I had never thought I would settle down. Then a wild, gorgeous blonde with a baseball bat waved down my car and climbed inside. My world had never been the same since.
I heard Jax’s sharp intake of breath, and I knew the cause. But right now all I saw was Jess. I couldn’t look at anything or anyone else.
She’d spent the past month making her dress. She had worked late into the nights and put so much love into it. It was perfect. She was perfect. When she reached me, I stepped down, took her hand, and pulled her to my side. My brother stepped down and took Sadie’s hand, and they stood to the left of us.
When they were planning this, Jess and Sadie both considered letting their mothers walk them down the aisle. They’d both been raised by just their moms. But in the end they had decided to walk down side by side to meet us.
“You’re breathtaking,” I whispered as I stared down at Jess in awe.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling so brightly it put the sun to shame. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” I said as I tucked her hand in my arm and held her beside me.
I glanced over at my brother, who held his bride on his arm, looking as completely consumed as I felt. Sharing this day with each other wasn’t our idea. The girls had come up with the idea of a dual wedding at Jax’s Sea Breeze home. They had wanted to get married where we all had good memories. Near the family and friends who had watched us fall in love. Who had been there through the ups and downs.
And it was perfect.
“We are gathered here today,” the minister began, and Jess squeezed my arm.
This was it.
It seemed, in my attempt to give Jess her fairy tale, she’d given me mine. And I hadn’t even known I’d had one. Until now. This was it.
The vows were said, and although my brother was famous for his lyrics, my vows were exactly how I felt. I didn’t try to make them as pretty as Jax’s would be. But mine were ours. Mine and Jess’s. Our story. Our beginning and our forever.
“You both may now kiss your brides.”
My favorite part of the ceremony. I cupped Jess’s face in my hands and stared down at the beautiful woman who was now my wife. “Hello, Mrs. Stone,” I whispered before taking her mouth and kissing her.
The cheers faded away as I held my wife in my arms.
My wife.
Damn, I was a lucky son of a bitch.
Blythe and Krit from Bad for You
Blythe
So many numbers . . . So many people . . . Oh my God.
I sat at my desk, staring at the screen of my MacBook. I hadn’t been able to do much else for the past hour. There were just too many freaking numbers. I hadn’t expected this. Never in a million years had I expected this.
But it was there. Was it wrong?
Gripping the edge of my desk, I blinked several times and took a deep breath. When the numbers remained the same, I pinched myself. Ouch. Yeah, I was awake. This wasn’t a dream.
I heard my phone ringing, but I couldn’t answer it. My eyes were completely glued to those numbers. Talking right now wouldn’t be possible. I was speechless.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there when the door of our apartment flew open and Krit stalked in, frantically calling my name.
Hearing his voice snapped me out of my state of shock, and I lifted my gaze to see my beautiful boyfriend with his pale blond hair and striking blue eyes looking at me like he was terrified.
“You’re okay,” he gasped. “Fuck . . . Goddamn, love, you scared the shit out of me. I’ve been calling for the past hour. I even had Green come up and knock on your door.”
I hadn’t heard Green knocking, but, then again, I’d only noticed my phone ringing once. “Come here. Come see,” I managed to say.
“What is it?”
He came behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders as he pressed a kiss to my head. “Wait . . . are those your book sales?” he asked, awe in his voice.
“Yeah . . .” I nodded, then let out a laugh. “I’m just . . . Can you believe this?” I asked, turning to gaze up at him.
Krit’s smile was so full of pride my heart felt full. “Hell yeah, I believe it. Those stupid shits who sent you rejection letters didn’t know what they were doing. This proves it. You’re brilliant, baby. I never doubted that.”
I had spent seven months trying to get a literary agent for my finished novel. It hadn’t happened for me. After ten rejections, I did some research online and found out about self-publishing.
It took three more months of getting an editor and having the manuscript cleaned up, finding a cover artist to do my cover, and building an online presence. Two weeks ago I had clicked publish on the three top ebook retailers.
I hadn’t even let Krit tell our friends. Knowing my words were out there for people to read was terrifying. Within days bloggers had started reviewing it. I wouldn’t look at the sales numbers all week because I was afraid to.
“Can you believe that in two weeks’ time eight thousand people have bought my book? They’ve read it!” I was amazed.
“Babe, it’s about us. That’s some good shit,” he teased.
I shook my head and stood up, putting my hands on my hips. “Krit, that’s . . . that’s twenty-four thousand dollars in just two weeks.” Even saying it out loud sounded insane. Crazy! People did not make that kind of money in two weeks. Especially not college students.
“What?” Krit asked slowly.
I hadn’t discussed pricing with him, or how much profit I received per book. This was where he got the shock. “Twenty-four thousand. I make three dollars a book,” I explained.
Krit’s eyes went wide, and then something happened. The excitement and pride that had been there faded. Something else took its place before he turned his head away from me. “That’s amazing, love. Really amazing. I knew you’d do it. You deserve it,” he said, finally glancing back at me. “I gotta get back to class. I’ll see you tonight,” he said, then kissed me hard on the mouth before walking out of the apartment we shared.
What the heck had just happened?
Krit
Going back to class was pointless. My head was f**ked up. Everything was f**ked up. This was just the beginning for her. Two weeks and she’d made what it took me about six months to make. Holy shit.
I needed to talk to my sister. No, not her. She’s a woman. I needed to talk to Rock. He’d understand before Trisha would. The diamond ring I’d been making payments on for the past six months didn’t seem so damn impressive anymore. Eight thousand dollars had kicked my ass, but I was making the final payment on it this Friday.
Planning how to propose to Blythe had been an even longer ordeal. I had changed my mind ten times already. I was sure I had decided what I wanted to do now, but after this . . . could I?
FUCKED! This was so f**ked.
Twenty-four thousand goddamn dollars. Motherfucker, that was insane. And it was going to get worse. She was going to be making millions at this rate. She was almost finished writing her second novel. So then she’d have two books out there making this kind of money.
I pulled my bike over and called Rock.
“What’s up?” he said by way of greeting.
“Where are you? I need to talk.”
“I’m over at the condos Dewayne has going up. I was going with him and Preston to get some lunch. Want to come with us?”
Telling Rock this was one thing. He was family. This wasn’t shit you shared with other people. “No, just need to talk to you. When will you be done with lunch?”
“Wait a sec,” Rock said. “D, I gotta go meet up with Krit. I’ll catch up with y’all later.” Then he said to me, “I’m headed to my house. Meet me there in five.”
I slipped my phone into my pocket and turned my Harley back to the road before heading to my sister’s house.
By the time I arrived, Rock’s truck was parked outside and he was leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me. I didn’t normally come to him with stuff. He usually gave me advice I didn’t want. The truth was, Rock might be just a couple of years older than me, but he had become a safe place for me when I was a scared kid. When he had walked into our lives, I was fourteen and trying to keep my sister alive. Then Rock Taylor had stepped in and saved us both.
He was my family.
I parked my bike by his truck, then walked over to him.
“Sounds serious,” he said, studying me closely.
“It is. I think. Fuck, I don’t know.” This was so damn confusing.
“Let’s hear it.”
I had come here to tell him my problem and get advice. Backing out now was a pu**y move. With a frustrated sigh, I looked at the man I considered a brother. “I can’t propose to Blythe. Not anymore. It won’t look right,” I blurted out. That hadn’t been exactly the way I wanted to say it, but that was what came out.
My biggest fear. The one thing that was haunting me and driving me mad.
Rock frowned. “You mean after spending all that money on a ring and working shifts for Dewayne to make extra cash, you aren’t gonna propose? What the f**k happened?”
“She . . . she published her book. She didn’t want me to tell anyone. She did it two weeks ago,” I explained.
Rock grinned. “That’s awesome. Why didn’t she want you telling people?”
“Because she was nervous. Scared. Hell, I don’t know. I just didn’t say anything. But it’s doing better than she expected. Much better. Like five figures better in two damn weeks.”
Rock let out a loud laugh. “No f**king way! That’s great, man. What’s the problem? I bet she’s thrilled.”
He wasn’t getting it. Frustrated, I shoved my hand through my hair and groaned. “Yeah, it’s great. She is thrilled, and I’m happy for her. Don’t get me wrong. I’m so damn proud of her. But . . . but now that she’s making this kind of money, I can’t go and propose. That’s like me saying that now that she’s big money, I want to get hitched.”
Rock frowned. “That’s not the truth. You’ve been working your ass off to get her a ring that was bigger than anything Blythe expects.”