by Nicky Shanks
I run down the driveway and slide my hand over the new hunter green paint. “It looks just like the original one! How is this even possible?”
Harley shrugs his shoulders. “You’re one of my best friends; I had to try. I’m glad you like it and it doesn’t bring back fucked-up memories for you.”
I shake my head. “No fucking way. Thanks man, I love this. Can you call Julie and tell her to look out the window?”
He does what I ask and I try my hardest not to turn around. I hear her squealing on the phone and after a few minutes of his eardrums being blown out, Harley says goodbye quickly and hangs up. He’s probably waiting for me to be pissed at him for hanging up on her, but I understand completely and feel bad that I made him do that.
“She likes it.” He chuckles and shoves his phone into his pocket. “She already knew I was doing this, honestly, and it’s even registered in her name.”
I start to turn around and look up at her, but I dig my heels into the ground. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten. Thanks, Harley.” I slap him on the back and grin. “You’re a real friend and a really good guy.”
He blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, I was just being nice. Look, I owed you one anyway for not warning you about Casey. There was something about him that put me off and I should’ve acted on that. I just wanted to make it up to you.”
“None of this was your fault.” I laugh and shift my weight from my injured knee. It’s not fully healed yet and all the stress I’ve been putting it through isn’t making that problem any better. “All of this is on Casey. He’s fucked up in the head and he’s getting the help he needs.”
Harley nods. “Yeah, I heard you suggested he get admitted to a psych place instead of prison. That was awfully big of you considering everything he’s done.”
I take a deep breath and remind myself that I have to start trusting people again. “That was all Julie, honestly. I wanted him to go to Brownsville and be someone’s little bitch.” Harley laughs and shoves his hands into his pockets; the mood has lightened now that I’m openly speaking the truth about how I feel. “She attended his hearing and suggested that, but I fucking said nothing. I can’t see his face ever again or I won’t be able to stop myself, ya know?”
“Yeah, I feel ya, man. You’ve been pretty calm through it all, I’m impressed.”
I clap my hands together. “Okay, enough of this. Let’s get the fuck back inside and get that drink.”
He laughs but follows me back into the house. “I thought you weren’t getting pissed before your own wedding?”
I open two beers from the fridge and hand one to him. “A few beers aren’t going to get me pissed drunk, I can handle my shit.”
As we clink the bottles together, someone scoffs behind us. Staci shakes her head and frowns. “Hours before your wedding and you’re drinking.” Making sure we’re alone, she steps farther into the kitchen and holds out her hand toward me. “The least you can do is share.”
Harley and I look at each other and laugh. I hand her my beer and take another from the fridge. Staci compliments Harley on the Jeep and they engage in a conversation, but all I can think about is slipping away and seeing Julie. Staci watches me like a hawk so I know that’s impossible and I’m going to have to wait until later.
“Julie told me to tell you she loved your note.” Staci rolls her eyes. “Something about fucking and rules or something, I don’t know.”
I smile. “Don’t worry about it, I know what she means.”
“Gross.” Staci sticks out her tongue. “Okay, I’m headed back up. Can you send your mom up when she gets in here?”
Downing the rest of the beer, I nod and say nothing. I don’t want to talk about Veronica and I really don’t even want her here. What kind of person would I be if I just forgave her for everything she’s done to me and Julie?
Harley sees a few women outside he wants to chat with, so he excuses himself and I’m left alone in the kitchen. I don’t have to do anything for a few hours, so I decide to test my strength and work out in the makeshift gym I created in the basement. Julie wanted a treadmill so I put that in the corner and the rest of my equipment on the other side of the room. I carried a mini fridge down here too and stocked it with small water bottles next to a pile of white towels.
Two hours into my workout, I have to stop. Not only am I spent, I need to shower before the salt from the sweat burns my eyeballs. I grab a bottle of water and a towel to wipe my eyes before heading back upstairs. Veronica is in the kitchen as I go in to throw the bottle in the recycle bin; she’s still learning how to work her new phone and sits at the kitchen table with her eyebrows furrowed.
“What’s the matter?” I breathe heavily when I walk into the room. “Can’t find the kind of porn you want to watch?”
She shakes her head. “Oh, I was checking an email. My mother died, it seems.”
I look at her with pity and she knows it. “And you found that out through an email?”
“Looks like it.”
“When is the funeral?”
She checks the email again and puts the phone down. “Next Saturday in Alabama.”
“Alabama?” I snort. “You’re from Alabama?”
“No, I’m from Lake Reed; that’s where I was born. I guess she ended up in Alabama.”
I throw a piece of a pancake into my mouth. “Do you want to go to the funeral?”
She thinks for a few minutes and then puts her phone down on the table. “No, I don’t. She left me to raise myself, and if it weren’t for Madrie and Paul, I never would’ve made it. I have no desire to waste my time traveling down there for a woman who never wanted me.”
Funny, I could say almost the same thing…
“Madrie and Paul from Lake Reed? They raised you?”
She nods. “They raised me. They wouldn’t recognize me now and they didn’t the last time I was up there. I’d like to spend some time with them if I could, but I have no desire to go to my mother’s funeral.”
“Well, if you want to go, I can arrange that. If you change your mind, that is.”
Veronica smiles and stands up from the table. “We have much bigger and better things to worry about today. Like how my oldest son is getting married and how grateful I am to be here to see it.”
I snort. “Consider yourself lucky.”
“I do.” She pats my shoulder and leaves me alone in the kitchen. Veronica has completely changed these past few weeks, and it’s hard to believe it’s all real. She’s trying so hard to be the mother she thinks I want her to be, but honestly, I just want her to be a decent human being. She’s kept away from Mac and the drugs and I don’t know how well she’s doing, but she’s even attending NA meetings and talks nonstop about her pending job at the bar when it opens.
For the first time, Veronica Bennett has hope.
And I gave some of that to her.
After fucking around for an hour in the kitchen on my laptop, I put the finishing touches on the surprise I have for Julie and some other things. Paul and Madrie are fixing up the lake house for a romantic honeymoon week because I thought taking her there would be a spectacular end to a fucking amazing beginning. I can take her anywhere, but that’s the only place that holds true meaning for us. People run in and out of the kitchen, but it’s not until Harley finds me with his face red and out of breath that anyone bothers talking to me.
“Those caterers are horny as fuck.” He laughs and smooths out his hair. “Whatcha doing in here all alone? Having second thoughts?”
I know he’s joking, but I don’t find it funny at all. “Of course not. I was about to head up and shower to start getting ready. Don’t you and Victor have tuxes to get into? Where the fuck is he?”
Harley chuckles. “Balls deep in his new girlfriend, I guess. I saw them pull up an hour ago, but I think he’s been fucking her in the backseat of her car.”
I close my eyes and shake my head.
I can’t fucking wait to get out of
these high school games.
Harley looks awkward. “I’ll go get him.”
Not bothering to follow him, I head upstairs to take a shower in the second bathroom because I know Julie won’t let me into the master bathroom even if I begged. They’ve probably got hair products and makeup strung around the room anyway.
This is fucking killing me.
I want to see her.
My body strays from the closed master bedroom door, and I force myself to turn on the shower of the other bathroom and lock the door behind me. There’s too many fucking people in this house to keep that door unlocked. I think about texting Julie and casually letting her know I’m in the shower, but if she’s already got her hair and makeup done…there’s no fucking chance she cares.
Once I’m showered and clean enough to meet Julie’s standards, I groom every inch of my body because I plan on being naked ninety percent of the time that we’re at the cabin. There’s so much of Julie I haven’t explored and this week is all about exploration.
And love.
And trust.
And no fucking rules.
The next few hours fly by so fast that once Harley and Victor come into the guest bedroom we’re sharing to get ready, we fuck around and laugh as we dress each other. Once Harley ties my tie, he hands me a small black box.
“Your mom said these were your dad’s; she said don’t ask her how she got them. But she wanted you to have them for your wedding.”
I open the box and find a set of gold cufflinks with a J engraved on each of them. Harley helps me put them on my cuffs and pats me on the back. “Well, it’s damn near time…are you ready?”
The smile that appears on my lips hurts because it’s so big. “I’ve been ready since the day I met her.”
“Good answer.” He laughs and the three of us look once more in the mirror before heading downstairs. People have started to arrive and the backyard is full of family and friends and whoever Staci has taken it upon herself to invite. When we walk up the aisle and I shake the hands of the people who have them out for me, I notice that it seems like half of Rockford is here. Even Brandon and Heather wave at me, excited and ready.
Except Casey.
He’s exactly where he belongs.
And I’m exactly where I belong.
The air is perfect and Staci and Veronica did a fantastic job planning everything and getting it all sorted out. Randy and Clyde sit in the front row, and Randy waits to be called on to give Julie away to me. Mrs. Atchley sits across from them with an empty seat for Veronica next to her, and each person I glance over has the same look of amazement on their face. Randy takes his leave and my heart skips a few beats because it’s finally time.
The pianist starts playing and everyone looks down the aisle where the doors to the house open. When I see her, I nearly fucking faint.
She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.
Her eyes cut into mine as Randy leads her down the aisle and her long, white, and silky wedding gown trails behind her as she floats toward me. The smile that spreads across her lips shakes me to my core and I just want to reach out and make sure she’s real.
Veronica takes her seat next to Mrs. Atchley and hands the old woman a tissue. I hardly notice them out of the corner of my eye because every ounce of focus I have is on the woman floating down the aisle to become one with me.
Randy guides her to the end of the aisle and he sheepishly looks at me. Once he places her hand in mine, he steps to the side and up to where the officiant should be. “Surprise. I’m the one marrying you two today.” He winks at his sister and smiles. “I got ordained last week.”
Julie laughs and shakes her head. “Let’s do this.”
I clutch onto her hands and focus on her lips.
Fuck the hundreds of people staring at us.
Fuck listening to Randy drone on.
Fuck the rules.
I turn to him and frown. “Can we just skip to the ‘I do’ part?”
He laughs and pats me on the shoulder. “Don’t you want to say your vows?”
Shit, I forgot about the damn vows.
The piece of paper is shoved into my pocket, so I take it out and start reading from it. “Julie, from the moment I met you, I was mesmerized by everything good that you radiated into the world. No one could compare to you, and no one has ever loved me like you do. You completely get me in every single way, and I can’t ask for anyone better to share the rest of my life with. I would give you the last breath in my lungs and the last penny in my pocket if it meant that you were happy and content. I promise to do everything in my power to help make the rest of your life amazing because every minute I know you’re standing next to me…that’s what my life is: amazing.”
A tear rolls down her cheek and I wipe it away. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t dream about you even though you’re right next to me. I dream of what our future can be and what it’s going to be. I dream about the life we’re going to have and how we’ll add to it as time goes on. I’m the luckiest person in existence because you chose me, because you said yes to me. I owe you so much, Julie, and I’m going to spend every day of the rest of my life repaying you for it. I love you.”
She wants to kiss me—I can see it when she licks her lips.
“And Jules?” Randy looks over at her, and a wicked smile paints her face.
Her eyes burn into mine.
“Fuck the rules,” she whispers so only Randy and I can hear her.
That’s all it takes for me to scoop her up and devour her lips with mine.
Randy throws his hands into the air and laughs. “By the power vested in me by this great state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife! You can kiss—ah, hell! Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Jackson everyone!” He laughs louder and the crowd stands up to cheer us on as we devour each other in front of them.
Once we make it back down the aisle fifteen minutes later, she turns to me and smiles.
“Are you ready for what’s to come, Mr. Jackson?”
I twirl her around and dip her low, grazing my lips against her neck.
I’m ready.
About the Author
I live in Kansas City with my husband and our son, Ryker. I have been writing for over a decade, I started out writing songs and music and then realized that those stories were too short for the tales I wanted to tell, so I switched to writing books and articles, which then blossomed into writing contemporary romance and fantasy novels. I am in indecisive person at heart, I love coffee more than a Gilmore girl and my most favorite time to write and create is during a rainstorm (with coffee!).
I love hearing from those who read my stories, I love to hear how much people relate to each character and how they are rooting for their favorites to succeed! I don’t only create stories, I create entirely new worlds and people that come to life!
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