We stand there in a tight embrace, silently absorbing the dizzying array of emotions. Then he entwines his fingers with mine and without a word, we walk out of the cemetery and toward our new life together.
Epilogue
Trey
I clap my hands as Jessa and Grant make their way into the room. As he leads her into the small banquet room filled with a small group of close friends and family, you can see the change in both of them. They appear madly in love, and who can blame them? No one would expect I’d be a sappy shit, but I’m not going to deny that a tear rolled down my cheek when they said ‘I do’.
Jessa and I connected like a brother and sister when she started dating Rob. Hell, we’re probably closer than most siblings. I felt bad that I never told her that he was cheating on her. To be honest, I never really knew, only suspected it. The first time I saw her with Grant, I could just feel that they were supposed to be together. And the long road they took to find their happily ever after was well worth it.
Walking over to the bar, I ask the bartender for two shots of Jack Daniels. Jessa joins me and I give her a kiss on the cheek. “Here you go. Let’s change the Jack to be a good thing,” I tell her, holding the shot glass up for her. I’m surprised when she shakes her head, a secretive smile spread across her lips. “What the fuck? How on Earth did Mr. Planner let that happen?” I joke.
She laughs, holding her stomach. “Only abstinence is 100% effective, and God knows we weren’t practicing that.”
“What does he think about the surprise?” I’d never ask anyone else besides her this question.
She stares over at her new husband, whose eyes instantly find hers. “Astonishingly, he’s thrilled.” Grant approaches and wraps his arm around her waist, kissing her on the head. I pass him the shot glass and he looks remorsefully down at Jessa. “Go ahead, you can take my place for the next eight months,” she says, elbowing him in the stomach in good humor.
Grant stares at the dark liquid and then back at her before he shakes his head, setting it down on the bar. “Nah, I’ll wait the eight months with you,” he tells her, and she grabs his face, pulling it down to hers.
I excuse myself, giving each of them my congratulations. Not that they heard a word I said. Those two are so wrapped up in one another that I’m not sure they’ll ever disentangle themselves.
Walking back over to Kailey, who’s talking with Sam about some class she’s taking, I wonder what’ll happen with us. We seemed to be on the right track for a while, but lately she’s been distracted. I know she has a lot of shit to deal with, but she’s starting to shut me out. If things continue like this, I’ll have to decide whether to walk or stay. And I’ve always been better at walking.
Taking the seat next to her, I grab her hand in mine and she squeezes it. The ease of our relationship is what I love the most. It’s been like that from the beginning. We’ve never had those awkward moments or game playing. In this moment, we’re back to where we were before the shit storm happened. Then her cell phone rings and a deep sigh escapes my lips. She looks at me, rolling her eyes at my reaction, before excusing herself from the table to take the call. At this point, I figure I need to either get my keys out so I can drive her there, or hell, maybe I should just stay and send her in a cab.
Luckily, I get distracted from my aggravated thoughts when they announce the cutting of the cake. I watch as Sadie hands Jessa the knife, smiling devilishly to Grant while he cocks his eyebrows. Handing it nicely to him, Jessa places her hand over Grant’s, and they slice into the chocolate cake, decorated with a scripted letter ‘B’ on top of it. Grant takes the slice that they’ve cut, holding it up for Jessa to take a bite. Even though I wish he would smash it in her face so I could get a good laugh, he places it in front of her mouth and she nibbles a small taste.
When it’s her turn, she takes off some of the frosting with her finger, positioning it in front of Grant and he opens his mouth, sucking it off her finger. To say it was inappropriate is a severe understatement, even for me. But that’s them, and I love seeing the ‘I don’t give a shit’ Jessa back.
Brady and Sadie laugh on either side of them, until Brady moves toward his girl and puts a dot of frosting on her nose. She playfully smacks him away when he bends down to lick it off, and her ring sparkles from the lights shining down on top of it. He opts to remove the frosting with his pointer finger and then licks it clean.
They’re wedding is planned for next year. I’m still in shock that one of my friends is already married and the other engaged. Even more surprising is that Grant and Jessa beat Brady and Sadie down the aisle.
At least I have Dex. Then again, watching him cozy up to Sam all day, I’m thinking he might be gone soon as well. Doesn’t change anything for me though; I’ll never get married. A lot of people think I don’t want to marry anyone because I had a fucked-up childhood, or my parents divorced and I was a pawn in some nasty custody battle. But truth be told, my parents have been happily married for thirty years and I come from a loving home. I’m just the black sheep of my family. I don’t think people need a certificate to prove they love each other. After all, I did that once and look where it got me.
Kailey comes up, tapping me on the shoulder, and since she isn’t sitting back down in the chair next to me, I already know she has to leave. Turning around, I see the agony in her eyes and I know I’m probably not making it any easier for her. I nod in silent acknowledgement, and she makes her way over to Jessa and Grant. I watch her hug them and see their sorrowful eyes as they tell her they understand. When she comes back, I walk her out to my car and hand her the keys. I kiss her goodbye, saying I’ll hitch a ride with Dex. She holds me a little longer and tighter than usual, obviously feeling this boulder that seems to be wedged between us lately.
I wait while she climbs in the car and starts it up before rolling down the window. Giving her one last kiss, I back up and watch her drive away. Walking back into the reception, I notice all eyes are on me, so I grab the bottle of Jack and a shot glass. I can’t do anything to help her, so I might as well numb the pain.
Trey’s story LET ME LOVE (The Invisibles #3) Coming Next
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18685581-let-me-love
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Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18374952-let-me-in
A cknowledgements
As always, thank you to my husband and children for being understanding to my long hours on my computer. I do this not only for myself but for you as well, but the sacrifices you make do not go unnoticed.
Thank you to Liz Aguilar from Book Peddler’s Editing for all your storyline and character insight with Grant and Jessa. Those late night chats through Facebook, helped me make their characters who they are.
Special thanks to S.G. Thomas. You have a wonderful knack on how to make my sentences flow and correcting my horrible use of commas. As every time, it’s a wonderful pleasure to work with you.
Heather Davenport and the Naughty and Nice Book Blog team. I appreciate you organizing my cover reveal, blitz and tour. You girls are AWESOME and I’m thankful every day that I met you. You answer my countless questions and encourage me when I’m having self-doubt.