by Savana Jade
“Which leads us to the biggest rumor of all. One that I plan on putting to rest now, I hope.” She picks up the laptop and extends it in her hands. The screen shows her in the bed, under the covers. Then suddenly she shifts the screen over so the camera shows me sitting beside her. Shirt off, hair messed up, but under the covers as well as I lean against the headboard. There I am right next to Jenna. She lowers the laptop again to her lap, but also rests half of it on mine keeping me in the shot.
“I hope you got the picture.” She smiles and leans in next to me. “Let me make it official. On our way to Kansas, Gabe and I decided to make our relationship a go. Meanwhile,” She leans in and whispers into the camera. “This is where those nosy pictures come in.” Leaning back, I take my arm and drape it around her shoulder. “Since then, on the night those pictures were taken, Gabe and I decided to make it official.” She holds her hand up to the camera, showing her ring. “No, we are not married. Yes we were in Vegas, and yes we were planning on doing it. But we realized that we wanted to do it in the presence of our entire family and friends.”
“So to answer your questions.” She rests her head on my shoulder. “Yes, Gabe and I are officially engaged. No we haven’t set a date yet, and we probably won’t anytime soon.” I decide to smile at the camera and kiss the top of her head. “Please be happy for us. Gabe and I couldn’t be more happier than we are right now.” She turns to look at me with love in her eyes. God, I still can’t believe this woman is mine. I kiss the tip of her nose, not just for the camera, but she is just so damn adorable. I can’t help myself.
I turn to the camera and interrupt her message. “Sorry guys, I love each of you to pieces, but you’re kind of taking some of my Jenna time away from me.” I smile into the camera before turning to Jenna. “Say good night Jenna.” I demand.
Jenna waves at the camera and giggles. “You heard the man. Bye guys! Love you!” She continues to wave while I shut off the camera.
“Next time you do that, let me know I’m going to be in it please.” She giggles as she uploads the video.
“Oh, you looked just fine.”
“It would have been nice to have a shirt on at least.”
“Are you pouting?” She teases.
“No.” I begin to pout dramatically. She sets the laptop on the side table before shifting so she’s sitting astride me. “I just don’t want anyone seeing my chest.” She giggles when I cover my nipples with my hands. She places her hands on mine and moves our hands to her hips.
“No, we don’t want anyone seeing your chest.” She leans down and kisses the top of my peck. “I’m sorry, forgive me?” She asks softly. My fingers trail along the rim of her panties.
“Well, I am glad they didn’t see your chest.” She kisses the peck on the other side. “I think I can forgive you.” I smirk.
“Oh, you’re so kind.” She shifts closer to me and presses her lips to mine. I pull her close to me so our bodies are flush.
“Well, you know.” I murmur. “I do my best.” I take her face between my hands and bring her lips back to mine.
~~~
Waking up with an arm over my stomach and a slender leg resting against mine is definitely one of the best feelings in the world. Jenna’s head rests peacefully under my arm. She didn’t stir one bit last night. I have peace of mind knowing that she’s finally found some form of peace with either her mom or dad, or both. Slowly and gently I slide out from under her, trying not to wake her. Silently I make my way to the living room.
“Morning.” I pat Ashley on the shoulder making my way to the coffee pot. She has always been an early riser.
“Good morning little brother.” She says. “Sleep well?”
“Actually yeah, I did. Jenna didn’t move one bit. She slept solid.” I rub my neck. Actually I think we stayed in the same position all night. “How ‘bout you?”
“The same. Once his head hit the pillow, he was out.” She smiles. I sit beside her and she lays her legs over me. “Yesterday was pretty emotional, huh?”
I take a deep breath before answering. “Yeah, it was. Honestly, I was surprised that Jenna held it together as much as she did. You should have seen her Ash, she was dead set against any form of reuniting with her father.”
“I gathered that from the conversations we had on our way here. She’s such a strong woman. I know there’s no way I can be that strong.” She shakes her head.
“She didn’t have much of a choice.” I take a sip. “Being strong is all they know. It was either that, or lose what little that they had left of their family. I joined them not long after their dad left. She was past the hardest part I think, but there were still rough patches. Will helped her out a lot. Then when I came along, we just clicked. We spent every minute we could with each other. We shared our deepest secrets and then some.”
“I wish I could have met Will.”
“Ashley, you would have loved him. He was so funny. But in a cool way, you know? He’s a lot like Brennan, but different. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
She smiles softly. “I get it. Sounds like he was a little bit of everything.”
“Yeah, he was.” Matt and Drew come walking in from the main hall. “You two are up bright and early.” My eyes meet Matts. “Did you get today squared away?” He nods.
“Yup. Sure did. Mind if Willow tags along too? She’s in the shower now.”
“The more the merrier.” I say before taking another sip. Drew comes and sits next to me.
“Mornin’ man.” He nods his good morning toward Ashley. We both say good morning in unison.
“Uh, what’s going on today?” Ashley asks.
“Well, yesterday I asked Matt to schedule a fun day with the family.” I answer.
“And I did just that. I figured since Jenna loves the water so much, we would go to Sea World.”
“That’s perfect man.” Drew says.
“I hope it is. We only have a few more days here I think. When’s the service?” I ask Drew.
“I think tomorrow. Dad spent most of yesterday getting everything finalized. I’m not sure though. I can ask later. You sure you want the family to go? I mean, what if Paisley and her group want to go too.”
“Go where?” Jenna rubs her eyes as she makes her way to the coffee pot. We all stay quiet looking at each other. Just when I was about to answer her, she turns and makes her way to my lap. She snuggles up close and drinks her coffee. “Gabe. What about Paisley? And go where?”
“What do you think about going to Sea World?” I ask wrapping my arm around her waist, kissing her cheek. “Mornin’ Angel.” She leans into my kiss and smiles.
“I love Sea World.” She responds excitedly. “But what about Paisley? Were you wanting her to go too?”
“Not intentionally. I had Matt plan a day of fun for you and Bren with the parents.” I make eye contact with Matt as I continue. “Willow of course is coming too. It’s completely up to you if you want your sister to come.”
“That sounds weird doesn’t it? Having a sister?” She rests her head in the crook of my neck. “I guess it’s up to Brennan. I really don’t care if she goes. Just as long as she stays away from me. Justin too.” Her voice is agitated.
“Don’t put the pressure on me.” Brennan walks in, leans down and kisses my sister on the cheek, before turning to kiss his own sister. “Good Morning my gorgeous girls.” I cough dramatically and tap my cheek. Ashley giggles when he leans down and kisses my cheek as well. “Good morning my beautiful Gabe.” He teases.
“Good morning Brennan baby. Sleep well?” I bat my eyes at him just before he shove’s my head to the side. Ashley looks at us in both shock and amusement.
“Oh my God, are you guys always like this?” She asks laughing.
“Worse.” We all say simultaneously and end up laughing our asses off.
~~~
We spend the morning running around getting ready. Thankfully, Jenna is a no fuss kind of girl. All she needs is her black Conv
erse Chucks and her hoodie and she’s all set to go. I usually hold anything important of hers if she doesn’t keep it in one of those little shoulder bags girls use. Today, she’s given me her ID and of course, I hold the money. We’re sitting in the main room waiting for everyone to come down.
“What’s going on?” Paisley asks noticing the commotion. I look into Jenna’s eyes as she stares directly at me. With a heavy sigh, she turns to her sister.
“We are all going to Sea World today for some relaxation.”
“Oh.” She replies, looking anywhere but at us. Knowing Jenna, and the fact that she hates to let anyone down, no matter who it is, I know she will crack and end up inviting the whole God damned group of them. I raise my brow at her, suddenly she narrows her eyes.
“Do you have plans for today?” Bingo. I can’t help but hide the smirk that’s forming on my face. Since she’s sitting next to me and my leg is draped over hers, she reaches down and pinches the inside of my thigh.
“Careful Angel, it’s not too late to take you in to the bedroom for some punishment.” I whisper grabbing her hand and forcing her fingers off of my thigh. She’s the one smirking now.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Gabriel.”
“I was actually thinking of going through some of mom’s things for dad. I know he won’t have the courage to do it.” Paisley answers oblivious to what Jenna and I are doing. Jenna stops immediately, turning her full attention to her.
“Well, if you wanted to join us today, I wouldn’t mind going over it with you after the service.”
Paisley shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t think you or Brennan really want me to go.”
“Paisley, if I didn’t want you to go, I wouldn’t have mentioned it to you.” Jenna counters. She can be such a great liar to those who don’t know her that well. When her eyes meet mine, I roll mine. She reaches for my inner thigh, again, but I stop her.
“Stop.” I squeeze her hand. “I will punish you.” I threaten. She smiles and turns back to Paisley.
“You can bring your friends too if you think you’ll be more comfortable.”
“Well, Stephen and Alex have plans on seeing some old friends. Justin was just going to hang with me. Would you mind if he came along?” Jenna is squeezing my hand so tight, I think I’m losing circulation.
“Not at all. Justin is more than welcome to join us.” She tries to say without the strain in her voice. “Will it take you long to get ready? Everyone else should be filtering in any minute now.” I glance at Paisley, and her face lightens up.
“No time at all. We can be ready in five to ten minutes.” She says before walking toward us. She leans down and hugs Jenna. Both of us are in shock. “Thanks Jenna. I know you didn’t have to do this, and I know you don’t really want us to go. I promise, we will behave.”
Jenna returns the hug, but still in utter shock. “Uh. Sure, of course I want you to go.” She lies again.
Paisley laughs. “You do know us Munson’s do this funny thing with our noses when we lie. It’s one of mom’s traits.” She replies pulling away. Jenna begins to smile. “If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t ever know you’re lying.”
“I… Uh, I’m sorry. But really, it’s okay. We were truly talking this morning about you guys going with us. Plus, I’m sure dad will appreciate it.”
“Well, thank you.” Paisley makes her way toward her wing. “I’ll go tell Justin. Be back in a flash.” She leaves.
“That was interesting.” I chuckle. “You’ve known her for a few days, and she knows when you’re lying or not.”
“Oh, shut up. How was I to know that it was something mom did? I mean, I know Brennan and I twitch a nostril when we lie, but shit.” She sighs heavily.
“It’s okay Jenna. Your secret is safe with me.”
~~~
“You are seriously not going to eat that are you?” Justin asks Jenna as she inhales another hot dog. “Holy shit. I didn’t think girls could take down that much food in one sitting.” He laughs. She fills her mouth and shrugs.
“Jenna’s not your normal chick.” Drew chimes in. “Dude, you should seriously hear her burps. They are way beyond normal.”
Robert and the other set of parents are sitting at their own table laughing at us. Jenna has managed to consume three hot dogs, a large serving of fries and ordered herself some nachos as an appetizer while she waited for our food to come.
“One day we can’t get you to take one bite, and then the next, you’re eating everything in front of you.” I laugh at her while she reaches over and takes the rest of my pretzel.
“I’m hungry. Let me eat dammit.” She growls.
“Slow down sis, you’re gonna get sick.” Brennan argues. Ashley just stares at Jenna as if she’s grown an extra head or something.
“I’ve never seen you eat like this.” I rest my hand on her thigh. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I reach in and grab a fry, but she slaps it away. “Jenna, seriously? Did you just smack my fry from me?” Matt and Willow are laughing.
“Dude, remember that one time we had that barbeque at the beach? She ate like a man in an all you can eat buffet then too.”
“The time she took my plate of ribs?” Willow asks, scooting Danika’s plate away from Jenna, making sure she doesn’t touch the baby’s food.
“That wasn’t my fault. Brennan starved me.” She defends herself.
“No I didn’t, Will and Gabe ate everything in the fridge and were too lazy to go to the store.” Brennan responds, throwing a fry at me.
“God they were such good times.” I snag the fry before Jenna gets it.
“You guys really are a family aren’t you?” Paisley asks a little more serious, but with a smile on her face.
“Of course we are.” Jenna looks at her and wipes her mouth. “When you live in the dark, and someone comes into your life with a light shining so bright that you can’t push it away no matter how hard you try, they become family. We have learned to love one another, trust one another and lean on one another for support. It started with Brennan and me.” Suddenly, both groups get extremely quiet. But she continues.
“Then when dad left, my light went completely dark. Pitch black. Will came in and pulled me out of the darkness. He moved in with us. Matt was with me all the time at school, when he wasn’t with Willow of course. Actually, the three of us hung out all the time. But I still don’t think I was out of the darkness for a while. Then, one day, Brennan brought Gabe home. Things didn’t change immediately, but eventually, we spent every waking moment together. My brick wall was so high in my life, and my light was still dark. But eventually, for some strange odd reason, Gabe was able to chisel away at my wall and he brought the light back into my life. Even though it made Brennan furious that we were so connected, he has to admit that between all of them, Gabe was the one that really brought me out of it.”
Immediately, I lean in and kiss her just below the ear. “I love you so much Angel.” She smiles and leans into my kiss.
“Those two were like gravity, still are. It didn’t matter how much I tried keeping them away from each other, they still ended up together. It got so bad, they ended up finishing each other’s sentences.” Brennan says annoyed.
“God, I hated being around them. They made me want to puke half the time.” Matt teases.
“But you let Drew in?” Paisley asks.
“Well, that’s different.” Jenna answers looking at Drew and smiling. “Drew kind of let me in.” He laughs.
“Jenna and I met in rehab. She saved me.” Jenna was going to argue but he continues. “Actually, we saved each other.” His face turns red. Drew was never one to be in the spotlight. “I knew who she was, but when we met, we both had a love for music. We sang, wrote and played every day. When we got out, she introduced me to the band, and that’s all she wrote. Been with them ever since.”
“And I couldn’t be happier. Of course it probably wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the accident, but we had
to learn that everything happens for a reason. Drew came into my life at the right time. He’s been my best friend ever since.” Jenna winks at him. “Besides Gabe of course.” Her hand rests on my leg. I take it and squeeze it gently.
“I envy your family.” Paisley says softly.
“Don’t.” Brennan says. “We aren’t perfect. We’re far from it to be honest. We fight like you wouldn’t believe, but the thing about us is that there are no lies between us. We trust each other, and will always have each other’s backs. No matter what.”
“No matter what.” The rest of us repeat as if it was a command. She smiles.
“Maybe someday, I will know how that feels.”
Jenna nods and smiles. “Maybe.”
Goodbye
Jenna
We’ve spent the entire day walking around the park and spending quality time with my family. Gabe and I decided to sit and hold a spot for the late Shamu show since my feet are killing me. Dad and Drew’s parents decided to hang with us while the rest of the gang grab some food to bring back. Gabe and I also agreed to watch a very sleepy Danika while Matty and Willow went to the store to buy some souvenirs for her. After about ten or so minutes of humming to her, she’s finally sleeping soundly on my shoulder.
“You’re really good with her.” Dad says sitting beside me. “I’m still having a hard time believing Matt has a child.”
“It was kind of a shock to all of us when we found out Willow was pregnant. We helped them both take care of her. The adjustment was hard, but well worth it. They make cute babies.” I smile down at Danika. Gabe leans and kisses her on the forehead gently, careful not to wake her. “She’s so loveable.”
“What’s not to love?” He whispers. “She’s the prettiest baby I’ve seen so far.”
“I bet they aren’t the only ones that will make cute babies.” Dad says, I turn to glare at him. “What? I’m not saying I’m ready to be a grandfather. I’m just saying, if, or when you and Gabe have babies, they would be the best looking grandkids ever.” He smiles.
