Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
I laugh and feel hot tears spill down my cheeks.
“I want to take you to Paris and hold you during thunderstorms. I want to read your books and wake up to the smell of you on my sheets. And maybe it’s not fair of me to say so, but I want to do all that with you here. In Jackson Harbor, home. Because your family is awesome and I know your mom doesn’t want to miss watching her grandchild grow. But if what you need is in L.A., I’ll move back there. I’ll find a way to protect Abi from the press. I’ll figure it out. But when I say I love you, I need you to understand that I mean everything I just said, because I can’t live thinking you don’t really know how I feel and I’m shit with the romantic words.”
“I think you’re pretty good,” I say, then I hiccup. Because tears.
“I had a lot of notes and time to prepare. I was really nervous.”
“I liked it,” I whisper.
“Once I sat down and got going it was easy, but not at first. To me, it’s so obvious and it never occurred to me that you needed to hear it. I should’ve realized a long time ago that it isn’t so clear from where you stand. You’re the woman I love. The one I want. The future I want. If you want me.”
“Of course I want you.” I loop my arms behind his neck.
“Why?” he whispers, and there’s a smile in his eyes.
“Because of who you are. Because you’re the man I love and the one I want.”
He wraps his arms behind my back and pulls me close. “That’s more than enough.”
Shay
Brayden has never smiled as much as he has since he started dating Molly, and never smiled as big as he did standing on the sand behind our family cabin and saying his vows.
The service was beautiful. The pastor gave a speech about how a marriage ceremony isn’t about two people making vows and committing to each other—as that’s already happened one way or another before the ceremony—but about the community accepting them as a couple. When the pastor spoke about love withstanding even the toughest trials, I found myself turning to Easton, only to find he was already watching me. Our eyes locked as the pastor spoke about the patience of the heart and reward of love, and Easton smiled. A private smile just for me that made my heart race and my knees go weak.
The reception is a small gathering—or as small as anything with my family can be—but everyone is seated at tables on the back patio that overlooks the lake. Molly hired her chef from the banquet center to do the cooking and brought some of her waitstaff out to serve us. There’s no microphone when I stand to give my speech, and I’m grateful for that. The worst thing about having an English degree is that when people ask you to give a speech or write a letter, they have really high expectations. At least if I screw this up, my voice won’t be amplified.
I smile at my new sister-in-law. She’s flushed and glowing, holding Brayden’s hand and her son Noah on her lap. She truly looks like this is the happiest day of her life.
I lift my glass. “Molly, I always wanted a sister. You probably don’t know this, but it wasn’t until the little hellion that is my brother Levi turned three that Mom announced she wasn’t going to have any more children. Before him, she’d intended to continue popping out babies until her body wouldn’t cooperate anymore. While I understood why Levi would make even my most-patient mother tap out of the child-raising business, I was crushed.”
Everyone laughs, and I wink at my mom, who shrugs like Can you blame me? Levi doesn’t look too offended. He knows the story.
“All of my brothers were relieved at the news because, let’s face it, things were getting kind of crowded. But not me. I’d been wishing for a sister, and it looked like my chance was gone. What I didn’t realize when I was a kid was that I’d be lucky enough to get five sisters. Molly, you’re perfect for my big brother. You make him smile and laugh and somehow even get him to stop working from time to time.” Everyone laughs softly, and I take a breath before continuing. “And you’re good for me too,” I say, the words breaking a little. I glance around the patio. Teagan’s wearing a shiny new engagement band, and I choke up a little at the reminder. Ava’s holding her one-year-old daughter, Lauren, while Jake keeps an arm around her shoulders. Ellie’s leaning on Levi, and Nic has her fingers intertwined with Ethan’s. By the time I look back to Molly, I think everyone understands why I feel so damn grateful. “You’re all better than sisters. I’m a pretty private person and I never wanted to burden anyone else with my troubles, but in you, Molly, and in Ava, Ellie, Nic, and Teagan, I don’t just have sisters. I have friends I can go to any time life is rough. Thank you for being brave enough to come back to Jackson Harbor. You’re a piece of this family as essential as one of my brothers.” I throw Levi a look and grunt. “Except maybe him. We’d be all right without him.”