Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Sucking in a deep breath, I let his scent surround me, let him engulf me and care for me.
I give him part of my heart, hoping he will handle it with care this time. Because I don’t know if I can survive another heartbreak.
Epilogue
One Year Later
“Isn’t it weird being with two guys?” I ask Stella as we sit down with our trays.
“I mean, at first it was a little difficult. Easton and Cam are intense even on their best days. I knew I was meant to be with both of them, but finding an ease into how, and which ways, was tough. We’ve managed though.” Stella beams over her shoulder at Easton.
Just as I pop a grape into my mouth, Jackson swoops in, taking the seat on the other side of me. He places his hand on my thigh, and I welcome his touch, the warmth it brings, the pleasure. Twisting to face him, I smile at him, leaning in to kiss his full lips.
I almost choke on my grape, but it pops back into my mouth a second before I start to panic.
“I guess you know all about rough starts. I’m glad you two were able to figure things out.”
“We’re complicated,” Jackson tells her, grabbing a piece of food off my tray while his green eyes find mine.
“Yeah, love is complicated,” Stella says with a smirk. “You belong together just like I belong with Easton and Cam.”
Agreeing with her, I nod. I’m so glad that I’ve found happiness. Jackson didn’t lie to me when he said no matter what he was staying. His dedication made it painfully obvious that getting rid of him wasn’t going to be easy.
I couldn’t forgive him so easily, not until I was ready, and one year later, I think I’m finally there. We’ve lived together for a year, sleeping in the same bed, having sex, and healing each other, but we never put a label on anything.
“I want to meet up and do a double date or something. With half days for classes, I’m so bored,” Stella groans.
“Well, not everyone is a genius like you and gets to take half days for classes,” I tease. My friendship with Stella is one of my favorite things. Having a near-death experience lets you think about things differently. So, when she approached me to see how I was after my cutting incident, I took her up on her offer of coffee. We’ve been friends ever since.
“See, babe, we aren’t the only ones who think you’re beyond smart,” Easton says, tugging her into his side. I can see how much he loves her, how he would go to the ends of the earth to protect her, and back again. It’s a lot like how Jackson looks at me.
“Shut up and stop trying to get into my panties,” she says, laughing, and Easton’s gaze turns possessive.
“We both know I wouldn’t have to try, baby.” The drop in his voice even makes me shiver. Jackson notices and grips my thigh a little tighter, drawing my attention back to him.
“All right, let’s go… I’ll talk to you soon. We all definitely need to hang out more,” Stella says as she gets up from the table. Easton follows behind her like a puppy, giving me a wink.
Not sure what that was about.
“Hey, you okay?” Jackson pulls me into his side, and I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck. He still smells like citrus and lemongrass.
“Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” The concern in his voice proves to me that it’s time. Jackson has spent the last year busting his ass to prove to me that he loves me and that he wants me and only me, and it’s time for me to show him that I accept his apology.
“Kennedy, babe, are you still with me?” Jackson asks.
I blink and shake my head, forcing myself to pay attention to the present. Turning to face him, I grab him by the cheeks and pull him to my face. “I want to go somewhere.”
“Anywhere you want, I’ll go.”
“I have to tell you something.”
“If you’re asking me to leave, it’s not—”
“Shh, it’s not that. I’m not going to tell you to leave ever again.”
One second passes, and then another, and then he’s getting up and grabbing my tray from the table. “Let’s go.”
“I haven’t even finished lunch,” I squeak.
“I’ll get you something in the drive-through on the way to wherever we’re going.”
“Okay, let’s go,” I say, jumping up from my seat.
We stop at McDonald’s on the way out of town since I’m the one doing the driving. I’m sure Jackson knows where we’re going, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, we argue over the radio stations and talk about school. It takes us an hour and a half on the interstate to get to North Woods, and when we pull into the cemetery, neither of us says anything. Jackson gets out first and comes over to the driver’s side of the car, opening the door and offering me a hand.