by Emery Jacobs
“Are you tired?” he asks, resting his chin on the top of my head.
“No, not at all. I just needed you to hold me. Is that okay?” I ask, nuzzling my face into his neck.
“Baby, it’s better than okay. Honestly, I needed to hold you too,” he whispers softly.
12
Jovie
Three days after Christmas
I awaken early with Piper weighing heavy on my mind. She hasn’t really left my thoughts since I woke up Christmas Eve night. The dream I had about her is stuck on repeat in my head. Talking about it would maybe help me to understand what it meant, but talking about it could also trigger my anxiety. I’m torn. The one thing I am sure of is that my parents are nowhere near ready to hear about all the crap going on inside my head.
“You feeling okay?” Jack asks as he walks inside my hospital room. He left for about an hour while my parents and I said our goodbyes. According to my nurse, I’m supposed to be discharged before noon today. As soon as she delivered the good news, I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and put on jeans and a sweater. Now I’m just waiting.
“Physically, I feel great.” I blow out a long, slow breath.
Jack quickly walks over to where I’m sitting on the couch. “But what? Is something wrong?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.
“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just….” I bite on my bottom lip as I decide how to tell him what’s going on in my mind.
“Just what, Jovie? Don’t do this to me.” He sits down next to me on the small sofa before adjusting his body until he’s facing me. Jack rests his hand on my leg and gently squeezes. “Talk to me, baby. Please.”
“Don’t be upset with me, but I probably shouldn’t have held it in for the last few days. It’s just that there’s been so much going on with my parents here and Christmas and me being so unsure of whether or not to say anything.” I maneuver my body slightly so I can see him better. His dark eyes watch me as I take in a deep breath and then release it.
“Tell me what’s going on.” His voice is a bit stern, but I know it’s only because he’s worried.
“When I was sleeping or whatever it was I was doing before I woke up on Christmas Eve, I had a dream about Piper.”
He drops his head downward for a beat before returning his gaze to me. “I’m listening.”
“The first part of it was an exact reenactment of the last Christmas Eve we spent together before she died.” Tears pool in my eyes, but I fight them because I don’t want to cry yet. Jack nods but doesn’t say anything. “Then I told her I loved her and missed her. She told me she missed me too but said everything was good.” I squeeze my eyes closed for a second or two, and when I open them again, a single tear rolls down my cheek. “Live your best life and love with your whole heart.” I’m sobbing by the time I get the last words out. “Those were her last words. Live your best life and love with your whole heart. Jack, she felt so real, like she was in the bed with me.” My words taper off into silence as he pulls me into his chest and squeezes me tight.
“It’s okay, baby. Just cry. I’ve got you, and I’m not going anywhere.” His words are muffled by the sounds of my own sobs.
Jack holds me until I’m pretty much all cried out. Then he cups my face, his gaze meeting mine. His eyes are full of worry and love and sorrow. “I love you, Jovie, and I swear we will get through this together.” He presses his warm lips to mine, and his kiss is a promise of forever.
Epilogue
Jack
New Year’s Eve
I’ll be the first to admit the past few months have been some of the most difficult for my relationship with Jovie, but when two people love each other as much as we do, nothing can break them apart. Houston is overflowing with New Year’s Eve parties tonight, and even though Jovie hasn’t been out of the hospital a full week, she’s determined for us to go out. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I’m gonna let her get dressed up, and then I’m taking her somewhere she’ll remember forever.
“Jack, are you ready? Layla said she and Sebastian are already at Stone’s house. You know I don’t like to be late!” Jovie yells from the living room.
“Hold on a sec. I’m almost ready.” I grab my keys from the bedside table and make my way down the short hallway into the living room.
“You look so handsome,” she says, meeting me in front of the door and pulling me in for a quick kiss.
I throw her a smirk before taking a step back. She’s wearing a long-sleeved, black dress that hits about midthigh. Her dark hair is long and curly. She’s beautiful. She blinks her blue eyes a couple of times and scrunches her nose. “You don’t like what I’m wearing?”
“You’re kidding, right?” I grab her wrist and pull her in close to me. “You are fucking beautiful.” I nibble at her neck, and she giggles.
“Jack, stop. We have to go.” Her tone is serious, but I know she could be easily persuaded.
We head out the door toward the rental, which we’re driving since my Jeep was totaled in the accident. Luckily the guy who hit us has great insurance, and fortunate for him, he wasn’t drunk, just an idiot who happened to exit onto the highway going in the wrong direction. It’s also fortunate for him that he wasn’t injured because it could have been so much worse for everyone involved.
We climb inside the small car and buckle up before I start the engine and back out of the driveway.
“Where are we going?” Jovie asks a few minutes later as she shifts in her seat, turning her body so she’s facing me. “You just missed the turn to go to Stone’s house.” She’s confused, and it’s so damn cute.
The small car rolls to a stop at a traffic light. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that I want to show you something first. Is that okay?” I glance over at her because I want to see the look on her face.
“Sure.” She gives me an unsure smile but doesn’t ask any questions.
About ten minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of the place I’d planned on bringing her to at midnight Christmas Eve/Christmas Day morning, but fate had different plans for us, so instead we were on lockdown in a hospital room and she was dreaming about Piper. It hurts me to even think about how she must have felt dreaming about her sister. Even though there was an eight-year age difference between them, they were very close.
“Where are we?” she asks as the car rolls to a stop. She immediately takes off her seat belt and opens the door. “And why are we at the back of the building? This is kind of creepy, Jack. There’s no one else around.” She looks over her shoulder at me before getting out of the car.
“Babe, so many questions. Just give me a second and you’ll understand everything.”
“If you say so.” She stands just inside the door of the car, giving me plenty of time to take in her beauty. My gaze travels down her petite frame and finally lands on her perfectly toned ass. She’s so fucking beautiful. “Jack, what’s taking you so long?”
Her question jars me out of my lustful gaze, and I hop out of the car, closing the door behind me. She meets me at the front of the vehicle, and I take her hand in mine. Without any lights on the backside of the building, it’s a lot darker than I expected, so I hand her my phone and we use the light to find our way to the door on the right end of the building. Once the door is open and we step inside, I flip the light on.
“What is this place?” she asks as she surveys the small room.
“Hang on a second and I’ll answer all of your questions,” I tell her as I guide her down a wide hallway, flipping a couple light switches until we reach our destination—the open room located in the front of the building. As soon as the last light comes on, her mouth falls open. She takes a step back away from me and gasps while her eyes travel quickly around the room, taking in every square inch. “Oh my God, Jack. Is this….” Her gaze lands back on mine.
“Yes, it is,” I answer as I reach for her hand. “This is what I’ve been doing. Every day when I got off work at Southern Stain, I came here
and worked my ass off. I did this for us—for our future.” I swore I wouldn’t let my damn nerves get the best of me, but I don’t think I’m going to have any control over it. My heart is racing, and I’m sweating. Just fucking great.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes are wide as she continues to look around the room.
I move my hands to her waist and turn her to face the counter that stretches across most of the lobby. “Mad Jack’s,” she says, reading the bright red cursive writing that graces the sign hanging above the entry to the hallway.
“So, what do you think?” I wrap my arms around her and pull her body into mine.
“I think you are going to do so good on your own. I’m so happy for you, Jack. You’ve worked so hard.” Her voice cracks before she lets out an audible sigh. “This place is amazing. Your own tattoo studio. I have so many questions, but right now I just want to stand here with you and take it all in,” she says proudly.
I turn her around to face me, and as I stare into those blue eyes, I remember the first time I met her. She was having a panic attack, and all I wanted to do was make it go away, but I was a dumbass guy who didn’t have a clue about a girl like Jovie. Now, I’m still a dumbass guy who doesn’t have a clue, but the difference between then and now is that I love this girl with every single inch of my heart.
“Jovie, Mad Jack’s is our future. I can’t do it without you.” I suck in a deep breath and blow it out slowly. Every muscle in my body is twitching as I shove my hand in the front pocket of my jeans and pull out the small velvet box that holds the ring I’ve had for months.
Jovie gasps as her hand covers her mouth. Her eyes are glassy, and her face is flushed. Come on, Jack, be a fucking man and do what you came here to do. I slowly lower myself to one knee, open the box, and look up into her beautiful blue eyes. “Jovie, baby, will you do this thing called life with me? Will you marry me and love me forever?” I wobble slightly as I try to keep my balance.
She nods as the word “Yes” falls from her mouth.
“Yes,” I repeat. She nods again as tears fall from her eyes. My gut is in knots, and I just want to put this ring on her finger, take her home, and spend the next week in bed making up for lost time.
I slide the one-carat, petite solitaire, platinum ring onto her finger, and luckily, it’s a perfect fit. She grabs my wrist and I stand, pulling her into my arms.
“Thank you for loving me, Jack, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you.” She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes me tightly.
“Jovie, look at me.” I tip her head back slightly until I can see her eyes. “I know why you doubted me, and it was my fault because I wanted this to be a surprise. I never told you where I was going or who I was with. Hell, I felt guilty as shit telling you Mr. Thomas was a client when he’s really my banker. I went about this all wrong, but I love you. Only you. Always you.”
The End
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
I’m so happy you took the time to read Twisted Fate and Twisted Surprise. I loved Jack and Jovie so much in Twisted Fate and loved them even more in Twisted Surprise. These two will always hold a special place in my heart. Luckily the words flowed easily and Jack and Jovie got an even happier ever after. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me back to where I started and thank you for loving Jack and Jovie.
Cheers,
Emery xoxo
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank for being a part of this book writing journey. It would’ve been impossible to do alone.
Taylor Roth: Thank you for being the BEST PA ever!! Without you none of the important stuff would ever get done. Many—Many—thanks for designing graphics (teasers, FB Banners, etc.), making sign up forms that somehow become organized spreadsheets, BETA reading and telling me the TRUTH, promoting everything I write, hanging out with me and the BABES, listening to me talk about absolutely nothing for longer than you probably want to, and for organizing EVERYTHING. I’m sure I left some stuff out, but I hope you know how much I appreciate you!!
Debra and Drue: You guys are absolutely incredible. I’m so impressed with the job you two do. Without you nothing would get done (including but not limited my newsletter, any and all social media posting, book formatting, organizing cover reveals and release day events). Thank you for your guidance through the PR part of this journey. Without the two of you I would have fallen on my face (many times). Thanks for your support—you two are great at what you do and I’m so happy to have y’all on my team. You two are the BEST!
Dawn Alexander: You are the best developmental editor. Seriously—you are. Your guidance while I was writing Twisted Surprise helped me to develop the very best story for Jack and Jovie. Thank you so much. I’m so happy to have you on my team.
C. Marie: Thank you for being so kind to always work me in at the last minute. Your editing skills are better than great. I truly appreciate you.
Julie Deaton: Thank you for always working with my crazy time schedule. I was early this time (something that NEVER happens). Yay! Thank you for being so amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better proofreader to have on my team. Couldn’t do it without you!
Virginia at Hot Tree Editing: Thank you for being the final set of eyes to read Jack and Jovie’s story. Your proofreading skills are excellent.
To my husband: you are wonderful, but I guess you already knew that, huh? Thanks for putting up with my many hours locked away in my office or talking about this book to the point of making you want to go anywhere just to get away from the sound of my voice.
To my son: Thank you for being you. My absolute greatest accomplishment. I’m thankful every day that I’m your mom.
To my mom: Thank you for always believing in me and giving me the freedom to make my own decisions. Sometimes it took me the long way around to get to where I was supposed to be, but I always made it.
To my Dad: I miss you every day. You always supported me and believed in me. Thank you for being the best Dad ever!
Amy Queau: Thank you for designing the perfect cover for Twisted Surprise. You somehow can read my mind (every time). You are the BEST!
Max Ellis: Thank you for the perfect image of Drew for Twisted Surprise’s cover. If I hadn’t seen this cover image—there wouldn’t have been a Twisted Surprise Christmas novella.
Drew Truckle: Thank you for being so kind and supportive—for promoting and sharing my books and for always being my Jack.
To every blogger, reader, author and friend who has shared my teasers and cover, or who has promoted my book—thank you—because without your support no one would know my books existed.
Emery Jacobs’ Book Babes—Thank you for supporting me and waiting patiently for me to release books. You guys are the VERY BEST!!
To the readers—thank you for taking a chance on a new author. You guys are truly AMAZING! I really hope you loved Jack and Jovie’s story as much as I loved writing it.
About the Author
Emery grew up in Southern Arkansas and has lived most of her adult life in Northern Louisiana. She spends her days working as a Nurse Practitioner in rural health and her nights reading, writing, and occasionally sleeping.
She loves real life romance…lots of angst and heartbreak, but always a happy ending.
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Also by Emery Jacobs
Twisted Fate Series:
Twisted Fate
Beautiful Tomorrow
Chasing Fire (Coming Soon)
Standalones:
Undeniably His
My Blue
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