by M. A. Lee
Clapping erupted around me as Laney and Rain ran up to us. I was startled by their sudden noise and a tiny part of me was disappointed that my night with Jax would have to wait a little while longer.
“You all made up?” Laney asked, her face full of a bright smile.
“Yes,” I said, through happy tears. “Everything was one big misunderstanding, but we are perfect now,” I mused.
Rolling her eyes and trying to hide a smirk, Rain looked at us. “Well, look. Our star runners are back to their happily ever after,” she teased.
“You are one to talk,” I giggled. “Rain you are head over heels for your little boy toy,” I laughed.
Shaking her head, Rain just smiled. There was no denying or arguing that she loved her boyfriend and knew exactly what it felt like to think you lost the love of your life. “Fine, whatever. I’m happy for you.”
Throwing his arm around my shoulder, Jax kissed my cheek as he began to walk us back inside the event.
“Uh, hold on for a second,” Laney said, as she nervously glanced back toward the doors. “We all need to wait here for a minute.”
“Why?” I asked. “What is going on?”
“Elliott just needs us to wait here one more minute,” she began.
“Why?” Molly asked as she stepped in front of us. She was wearing a skin-tight red sequin dress that made her look like a million bucks.
“Wow,” we all gushed as we took her in. She looked radiant.
Laney’s phone buzzed and she checked a message. Nodding her head, Laney sighed with relief before looking back up at us. “Ok, we can go in now,” Laney said as she headed back toward the doors.
We all followed, glancing at one another as we were all unsure about what had just happened. I mean, Laney can be weird sometimes, but that was just strange even for her.
As we all made our way back through the door, we all stopped dead in our tracks. Gasping, I threw my hands over my mouth and stared in utter disbelief. “Wow,” I gushed.
The room had been transformed from a date auction at the student into a beautiful glowing winter wonderland scene. White lights hung from the ceiling and down the walls, the light looking like crystal icecaps dangling throughout the room. The tables were removed and pushed into the far corner of the large space. Gold and Silver glitter specks scattered the floor along with dozens of red rose petals. However, what caused my heart to jump and my eyes to focus on Molly was the image of Elliott standing at the edge of the long stage in a black tux. He held a blue box in his hands and a wide smile spread over his face.
Pushing her forward, Laney nudged for her friend to walk further into the space. The rest of us stood off to the back as we awaited what was about to be the biggest day in Molly’s life. And possibly, ours too.
As Molly began to soak in the moment, her eyes filled with tears and she walked toward the stage and her boyfriend. We all watched from afar, all of our hearts beating in unison as Elliott bent down on one knee and held out the box too Molly. As she accepted the ring, we all listened in.
“Molly, I have been in love with you since the first day I met you. I know it is crazy to do this, but I can’t spend another day without knowing you will be mine forever. Will you please make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”
Elliott’s words rang through all of our hearts as we all stopped breathing in anticipation of Molly’s answer. When she finally screamed yes and jumped into his arms, we all exhaled and began clapping and hollering as the two embraced with a passionate kiss.
After being released from his grasp, Molly ran over to us and began displaying her sparkling ring. The huge diamond fit perfectly on her finger as she thrust it in our faces. All of us were so proud of her and I as Jax leaned in, I couldn’t help but let myself fall back into him.
“That will be us one day, too,” Jax whispered into my ear.
Smiling, I kissed his cheek. “Yes, it will.”
Chapter 13
Mallory
After two more years at Falls Creek, I discovered that Molly and Elliott became the mold of our small group of friends. They had promised to wait until after graduation to get married, but of course, none of us believed them. And we were right not to. Two weeks after getting engaged, Molly and Elliott held a small ceremony at Molly’s childhood home. It was a beautiful ceremony and Rain, Lydia, Laney, and myself, all served as bridesmaids.
Obviously, Laney and Mark were next. He had proposed on the beach and they had held a beautiful ceremony on the sand, with the waves and beautiful orange and red sunset setting as the perfect backdrop to their wedding. We had all been a little surprised after learning that they wanted to rush off and get married so soon, but once we all learned that Laney was pregnant, everyone was on board to help out with anything and everything they would need. Mark had been drafted to the NFL so Laney could finish school and take care of the baby without any financial worries. I was happy for her, she deserved the best and was certainly living the life she deserved.
Rain, who was opposed to any form of marriage, had allowed Tanner to give her a promise ring to solidify their relationship. They were now living together above an art studio where Rain was working. She was saving up her money at the tattoo parlor while Tanner was playing professional basketball in Europe to help save money for Rain’s art studio she wanted to open.
Lydia, as big as of a surprise as it was to all of us, had moved into a house in the suburbs with her professor boyfriend, Landon. She was finishing her classes at Falls Creek and commuting to school from their house with a white picket fence. Landon had surprised her with the house after he proposed to her last summer. He had whisked her away to Europe so they could visit Rain and Europe for a couple of weeks while Tanner played and Rain toured the art museums. They were planning to get married two weeks after we all graduated and I was excited to be her maid of honor. Together we would all stand with our friends and watch them say their vows to marry and live together forever.
As for me and Jax, we were happily finishing up our degrees and planning our future after graduation. Jax had learned from his almost disastrous fail with cheating and had stayed on the right track at school. He had gone weekly to his tutoring sessions, kept his grades up, and remained on the track team. We had even won the state title and became state champions. Something we were all very excited about. Now, as we sit together on the track, watching the stars twinkle and shine above us, it is hard to believe how much I have accomplished in my years at Falls Creek.
“What are you thinking about?” Jax asked, as he leaned in to face me.
Sitting side by side, we were relaxing after walking the track. Instead of running, we had opted to just walk, something we were both excited about. With the help of my friends, I had dressed in a super short jean skirt and a soft pink tank top that revealed my perky breasts; or so that is what Lydia told me they were.
Jax looked delicious in a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt that was tight around his large biceps. No matter what he wore, he always looked stunning. I was excited to just enjoy each other’s company and our last night as students at Falls Creek. With our caps and gowns hanging in our closets, we were all prepared to walk across the stage tomorrow morning in front of our family and friends and receive our diplomas. So much had transpired between us here and this track had been an important symbol in both of our lives. It was what had brought us together. It was what saved Jax. It was what was now giving us our futures.
“I am just thinking about our time here at Falls Creek,” I began. “I can’t believe tomorrow morning we will walk across the stage, receive our diplomas, and then be forced to be adults in the real world.”
Nodding his head, Jax stood and reached down for my hand. Pulling my up, Jax embraced me in a tight hug before kissing my forehead. “I know what you mean. Sometimes, I wish I could just pause time and not have to leave. Falls Creek is the most incredible place on earth. It is where I found you and myself,” he beamed.
Sigh
ing, I allowed my heart to skip a beat with his sweet words. This man had become the love of my life and I thanked Falls Creek every day for bringing him to me. “Our friends are practically adults now, all we need tomorrow is that last push and then we are forced to leave. I am excited to begin work at the University Medical center and I know you will do great as one of the track team’s trainers, but it is sad to think we won’t be students anymore.”
“Maybe we won’t be students anymore, but we will always have our time here at Falls Creek and we will always have each other.”
“I agree,” I said, as I gave him a kiss.
Without warning, Jax dropped down to one knee and stared up at me with a nervous smile. My hands began to shake and my heart raced so fast my breath couldn’t keep up with the rapid pace. A knowing smile appeared on Jax’s face as he knew I was quickly catching on to what he was about to do.
Opening a small black box, Jax showed me a small diamond ring on a silver band. Small black diamonds outlined the one white diamond placed in the center of the band. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my entire life and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it, which was until I looked at Jax.
“I love you more than I ever could have ever imagined. You made me a better man. You taught me how to love myself and what was really important in life. Please do me the honor of being my wife and spending the rest of your life with me. I want you to be my running partner and teammate forever.”
A small cry left my lips as I struggled to think. ‘Yes,” I cried out, as I allowed him to slip the ring on my finger. Jumping up, Jax picked me up and swung me around until I was dizzy.
Suddenly, I heard my friends running to us from somewhere in the darkness. They were laughing, crying, and cheering as they ran across the track to where we were.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked, as they stopped in front of us.
“Jax called and told us to be here at this time. We all knew he was going to propose so we had to be here to support you all,” Laney said as she held her new son, Ryder, in her arms.
“Yes, you didn’t think you two could do this alone?” Molly asked with a slight laugh.
The guys all slapped Jax’s back and congratulated him while the girls rushed me and sighed over my breathtaking ring. We all cried and laughed as we thought about our lives together at Falls Creek and what our futures would now hold. Tomorrow we would graduate and be thrust into the real world, but for tonight and tonight only, we were all still students. Enjoying being young. Enjoying being in love. Somehow through all of our trials and tribulations, through our good times and our bad, we had all found a way to accomplish our biggest test in life; finding happiness and ourselves. We had Aced this test and we were all excited about what our futures would hold once we left Falls Creek University.
The End
Extras
Want more from this author? Check out this sneak peek into Twin Flames: Book One in the Raven Boys Series.
Ivy Allan left home and never looked back. Ivy believes she has enough distance between her dark past to be able to live as the new Ivy- the girl no one knows. However, when she arrives at college and befriends wild-child Lacy, her journey to a new life is distracted by a Raven Boy.
Jameson Raven only loved one thing; his motorcycle. Being every girls wet dream, Jameson is a legend in the motorcycle club world. Never taking life too seriously, this cocky bad boy didn't care about anything or anyone other than his clubhouse. But, that all changed the day he met Ivy.
After a chance encounter with Ivy, Jameson finds himself intrigued by the mysterious girl who seems unaffected by his appeal. Only, Jameson won't take no for an answer when it comes to Ivy.
What begins as a troubled friendship quickly evolves into a wild and steamy romance. With an enemy of the Raven Boys set out to destroy the Raven Clubhouse Jameson and his brothers will stop at nothing to save their clubhouse and their family name. With Ivy's help, Jameson discovers what is really worth fighting for. And both Jameson and Ivy are willing to get burned in the process of finding love.
About the Author
M. A. Lee resides in a small Kentucky town and enjoys writing tales of romance that includes the bitter and sometimes ugly truth of love, angst, heartache, and desire that all come with falling in love.
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Also Written by M. A. Lee
Breaking Boundaries
Breaking Through
Breaking Promises
Breaking Trust
Faded
Heart to Heart
Twin Flames
Burning Hearts
Moonstruck
A Shot at Love
Chasing Us
New Jersey Boy
Schooled
Breaking the Rules
Dismissed
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Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Extras
About the Author
Also Written by M. A. Lee
About the Publisher