Caleb’s answering grin is huge.
I clap one hand on his shoulder. “Listen, buddy, as much as we’d love to stand out here all night and dole out relationship advice, we’ve kinda got a wedding night to look forward to.”
He nods solemnly. “I hear ya. You two kids go have fun. Go make Marley a baby brother or sister.”
Jessa laughs. “No way. Not yet anyhow. Work is crazy right now, and she’s still so young.”
I take her hand, nodding. “We have time.”
It’s one of the first conversations Jessa and I had when she moved in—about our future and what we both wanted. More kids was one of the things on both of our lists. But we both decided there was no rush, and we would take our time over the course of several years.
“So, should I go talk to her?” Caleb asks.
“Yes,” both Jessa and I say at the same time, laughing.
Caleb shakes his head and heads toward the ballroom. “Okay, but if this blows up in my face, I’m holding you two accountable,” he calls over one shoulder.
“It won’t,” Jessa calls back.
I pull her into my arms and sway with her as we watch him go, cautiously approaching Scarlett.
“You sure about that?” I tip my chin toward Caleb and Scarlett.
She shrugs. “Not entirely. But he won’t know until he tries.”
It makes me think about if I’d never told Jessa how I felt. My life would be sad and cold and empty. She brightens my days and my nights with her infectious laughter and tender love. I couldn’t be more grateful for this woman by my side.
“Should we get out of here?” I ask.
“Thought you’d never ask,” she murmurs, turning in my arms to give me a big hug.
I lean into Jessa’s embrace, so thankful for everything life has given me—great friendships, a successful business, a sweet daughter, and a beautiful wife who I vow silently in this moment to love forever and ever.
Amen.
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What to Read Next
EDEN
“Don’t look now,” my best friend, Gretchen, says with a knowing smirk. “Here comes trouble.”
Didn’t I know it?
Alex Braun was six feet of hockey god with a side of naughty trouble. Problem was, I liked being a little naughty. When it came to him, anyway. What good girl didn’t have a little streak of bad inside them?
But one stolen, perfect kiss aside, I still wasn’t sure Alex actually even knew who I was.
And who am I these days?
In high school, I was the governor’s daughter. The first daughter of a wealthy conservative family, I was smart and driven and unflinching in my beliefs.
Now, though? Three years in at Sutton, the small Boston university that has become my new home . . . I’m changing, and so is my family.
My dad is no longer governor. No, that ended horribly with a scandal involving his secretary, and my parents are no longer married. And me? Well, the itch to do something reckless is right there, clawing at me from just below the surface. I want to do something that’s for me and me alone.
And Alex Braun is at the very top of that to-do list.
Gretchen knows this, which is why she’s currently elbowing me in the ribs as Alex steps into the crowded living room.
The parties on frat row generally aren’t our thing, but the hockey team won their game tonight, which meant they’d be out celebrating. Which meant the chances of running into Alex again were excellent. So I dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a cute black top, curled my hair, and dragged Gretchen out with me.
Alex lifts the cup to his mouth again, taking a long drink. One of his teammates practically mauls him, and Alex’s perfect mouth breaks into a happy smile.
I’m transfixed by his chiseled jaw. Straight white teeth. Messy dark blond hair. Mischievous nature.
“Tonight’s the night,” Gretchen says, and I nod.
“Yeah,” I mumble, momentarily struck inarticulate. The nerves swimming inside my belly are part excitement and part fear. The fear of rejection is strong, rearing its ugly head whenever I imagine going up to Alex and telling him what I want.
And what I want is him.
Our kiss last weekend at a party similar to this one has replayed through my head all week. Alex is responsible for a lot of crushes all over campus, but I felt something that night, a spark between us. For one brief, shining moment, his eyes met mine, and I was no longer the boring coed with straight As and too many responsibilities. I was someone fun and daring and desirable.
For him, it was nothing more than some stupid dare, but for me, it was much, much more. Goose bumps raised along my skin, and my heart pounded out an uneven rhythm.
Alex’s mouth was shockingly erotic, hot and commanding, and my knees literally trembled. I reached out, pressing one hand into his firm shoulder for balance, needing the support if I had any hope of remaining upright. His tongue touched mine in confident, measured strokes, and I let out a little hum of satisfaction.
Which is really no surprise. Alex has a certain reputation on the hockey team. The guy can score. His room practically has a revolving door of gorgeous girls all looking for one thing—a hot night of fun. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m no different.
Over the past week, I’ve done some digging and learned that Alex is on a full athletic scholarship for hockey, that he’s a top recruit and is expected to go to the NHL draft next year instead of finishing his senior year at Sutton.
Which means I need to make my move quickly, before he moves on.
Plus, I’m not the type of girl to sit around and wait for things to happen. I’m more of a grab-life-by-the-balls type. At least, I am lately. After my dad’s fiasco, I learned that nothing lasts forever, and it’s best to take what you can, when you can.
But my window of opportunity is shrinking right before my eyes.
Gretchen and I watch as a perky blond member of Kappa Nu approaches Alex. He smiles at her as she speaks, his gaze lowering from her lips to her ample breasts. Her mouth twists into a smile, and then she takes one of his big calloused hands and tugs, leading him across the living room and right up the stairs. And Alex follows like a puppy.
My stomach drops to my knees.
Gretchen meets my eyes with a worried look. “Shit.”
I shrug, trying not to let her see my disappointment. “It’s fine,” I lie.
It’s irrational, but the flare of rejection stings. Coupled with my family’s fall from grace and the high expectations for me to succeed, it’s too much.
I’ve imagined Alex and me as a power couple. Him the athletic sports star with the big smile and fun-loving attitude, and me with the brains and drive and connections. He’d see what a perfect match we’d make and abandon his fuck-boy ways. Every guy’s gotta grow up sometime, right? And if Eden Wynn isn’t the kind of girl you settle down with, then who the hell is?
My mantra is in my last name—Wynn at all costs. It’s what I do.
Gretchen is still watching me with a worried look.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to find something different to drink.” My voice comes out steady, but inside, I feel anything but. I feel like I’m spinning out of control—like I’m on one of those tilt-a-wheel rides at the carnival.