“No, I’m sorry.” Holding up the letter I left him, he waved it in the air a couple times. “If you have any doubts about the way I feel about you, that’s on me. See, I wasn’t completely upfront with you about my feelings.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come here,” he requested and my feet obeyed, closing the distance between us. He held out his fists with a smirk. “You know what to do.”
I tapped his right hand and his smile grew. “Good choice.”
When he opened it, another guitar pick sat in his palm. I unfolded the strip of paper on the back.
Rule #3- Fuck rule number three. I love you.
I stared at it for several long seconds, trying to catch up with the emotional whiplash overloading my system.
Jimmy loved me.
He wasn’t leaving.
He freaking moved in with me.
“Mack, I’ve loved you for a while now,” he said. “I don’t even care if you don’t say it back. All I can do is hope that someday you’ll love me as much as I love you.”
Climbing onto his lap, I placed both hands on his face. I rubbed my thumb over his bottom lip before confessing my feelings.
“Knock-knock.”
A slow grin appeared on Jimmy’s lips. “Who’s there?”
“I love you, too, Jimmy.”
“That’s not even a joke,” he responded quietly.
My face serious, I slowly shook my head. “No. It’s not.”
His eyes got watery, and he blinked a few times before looking down. Seeing this big strong guy brought to tears was nearly my undoing.
“So you didn’t leave because you thought I’d be a bad dad?” he whispered, his voice shaking a little.
The blood drained from my face. “What?”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of the pregnancy tests I’d thrown away. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
I gasped. “How did you find that?”
Looking sheepish, Jimmy shrugged. “I might’ve gotten into it with your trash can after I got your letter. I was pretty pissed.” He glanced down at the stick. “Then I found this.”
I connected the dots in my mind. Jimmy thought I left because I didn’t think he’d be a good father to our child.
“No, babe. No.” I kissed him and wiped away the tear that spilled down his right cheek. “I think you’re going to be a great dad.” I kissed him again. “The best.” Touching my forehead to his, I breathed in his comforting scent. “I was planning to tell you. I just didn’t want that to be the only reason you stayed.”
“I’m staying for you, Mack. The baby? He’s just a bonus.”
The smile I gave him was wide and goofy. “He?”
“I’ve just got a feeling,” Jimmy said before placing his hand over my stomach. “I’m so fucking happy.”
“Me too,” I returned. Then I frowned. “I wish you hadn’t found out about it this way. I wish I could’ve made it better. Like one of those awesome Pinterest pregnancy announcements.”
He smirked. “What is that exactly?”
“You know, where they do something creative with baking or balloons. Or they spell it out in pepperoni on a pizza.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “There’s always next time.”
Grinning, I raised my eyebrows. “We haven’t even had this one yet, and you’re already planning for more?”
“Hell yeah. Remember rule #4?” Bringing his left fist out, he opened his hand. A simple white gold band sat in the middle of his palm. “You’re mine for as long as I’m here. And I plan to be here for as long as you’ll allow it. Marry me?”
“Jimmy,” I gasped. He slid it onto my ring finger, and I started crying all over again. “Yes.”
“I’ll get you a better one when I can afford it,” he added. “With a big diamond.”
“You most certainly will not.” Holding my hand in front of me, I admired the simplicity of it. I’d never been a fan of gaudy jewelry, and the symbolism of the band was enough for me. “I can’t imagine anything more perfect than this.”
Pressing my lips to his, we kissed slow and deep until we couldn’t hold back our smiles anymore.
“I love you,” I told him again, because it felt so good to finally say it.
“I love you, too, baby.” His face got serious again and he paused before adding, “And I’m not like your ex. If you didn’t want to be with me, I wouldn’t force it.”
“You moved yourself into my house,” I pointed out with a laugh. “But I’m not unhappy about it. I know you’re nothing like him. Why would you even think that?”
“The day I found out you were pregnant…” he went on, gently trailing a fingertip over my ring, “all I kept thinking was that it meant we were tied together for the rest of our lives. That we would always be connected. And I was glad. I want that.”
“That’s not a bad thing, Jimmy. Do you have any idea how happy I am that I get to keep this piece of you forever?”
“Baby.” He put my hand over his heart. “You get to keep all of me forever.”
EPILOGUE
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
JIMMY
Over the past year, I’d had a lot of proud moments.
I was proud of myself when I became a certified mechanic and got my CDL, securing my career at Hank’s Auto Shop.
I was even more proud when Mackenna became my wife on a sunny September day, in front of a small gathering of family and close friends. She’d insisted on a no-fuss courthouse union. She wore a purple dress and requested an ice cream cake. Instead of a reception, we had a cookout in Grandma’s backyard. Nothing about it was traditional, but I didn’t care about the details as long as she let me be her husband.
But I’d never been more proud than I was right now, holding my newborn son while his worn-out mother slept in the hospital bed. The nurses couldn’t stop talking about his hair—thick and dark—just like mine. With big stormy eyes, he was extremely alert for an infant. Mackenna said he had my lips.
He was perfect.
William—named after my grandpa—let out a small cry as he looked for a place to latch on to my bare chest.
“Sorry, dude. I don’t think I have what you’re looking for,” I told him with a chuckle.
“You’re making ovaries explode all around this place.” Mackenna’s tired voice caused me to look up. “I’m starting to think that whole skin to skin thing is just a ploy to get hot, shirtless men to hold babies.”
I snickered as I stood up and wrapped William in the blanket Mackenna had knitted, swaddling him just like the nurses taught me. Then I placed the blue bundle in her arms.
Mackenna’s hair was a mess, the unwashed strands piled up in a loose bun on top of her head. There were dark circles under her eyes. The hospital gown she wore was horribly unattractive.
As always, she was so gorgeous she took my breath away.
Pulling the top of her shirt down, she offered William her breast. He rooted around for a few seconds before getting a good latch. His hand found the starfish necklace and he gripped it in his tiny fingers while he fed.
I sat on the edge of the bed with them, and Mackenna scooted over to make room for me.
“I’ve lost all sense of time.” She yawned. “I don’t even know what day it is.”
Out of habit, I looked down at my watch, then remembered it gave out on me again last week. I decided not to have Hank fix it. Two days ago, right after William screamed his way into this world, I set it to the time he was born.
11:11am.
And that’s where it would stay until I gave it to him someday.
I couldn’t wait to get to know him. To hear his laugh. To watch him grow. I couldn’t wait to teach him new things, like how to box and how to change a tire. I’d tell him that it’s okay
to have Twinkies for breakfast every now and then. And when Grandma slipped him twenty-dollar bills, I’d pretend to look the other way.
And when he grew up, I’d tell him not to be afraid of failure. I’d tell him that sometimes our biggest mistakes are really just blessings in disguise.
Then I’d tell him the story about how I fell in love with the moody girl next door.
“What are you thinking about?” Mackenna asked quietly, and I glanced down to find our son passed out with milk dribbling down his chin.
I brushed a piece of hair away from her face. “Just thinking about the time you walked in on me when I was wearing nothing but an apron.”
She laughed lightly. “And those hot as fuck undies.”
I hummed in agreement before placing a kiss over her scar. “Knock-knock.”
Her lips tilted up. “Who’s there?”
“Dropping out of college was the best thing that ever happened to me,” I said softly. “Because it brought me to you. And to him.” I gently held my son’s hand, observing the massive size difference before locking eyes with my wife. “You’re the love of my life, Mack. And he’s my greatest accomplishment.”
Her eyes glistened with happy tears. “That’s not even a joke.”
“No.” I smiled as kissed her lips. “It’s not.”
THE END
DROPOUT PLAYLIST
“Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffet
“Burning House” by Cam
“If Only” by Dallas Schlosser
“Dream On” by Aerosmith
“Barbie Girl” by Aqua
“It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson featuring Jimmy Buffet
“John Deere Green” by Joe Diffie
“Crash” by Dave Matthews Band
“Weak” by Dallas Schlosser
“To Make You Feel my Love” by Garth Brooks
“Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter
MACKENNA’S HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN
2 lbs. chicken breasts
¾ cup yellow mustard
¾ cup honey
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Behind every writer, there’s a huge support system. I wouldn’t be able to do this without my family, friends, acquaintances, complete strangers, beta readers, editors, cover artists, formatters, my personal assistant, promotion companies, bloggers, and readers!
To my husband and kids- Thank you for your support and your patience. You see everything that comes along with this journey: the triumph, the excitement, the success, the self-doubt, the frustration, the tears, and the occasional mental breakdown. When I started writing, I didn’t realize I could experience every single one of those within an hour. Ha! Thanks for all the hugs and words of encouragement.
Kate Squires- You were my first mentor and now you’re “my person.” Thanks for laughing at me when I talk about quitting. And thank you for giving me a judgement-free zone where I can be the hot mess that I am. #YetiLove
Alexa Riley- You’re like a wizard. An awesome, perverted wizard. You know how to get stuff done. Your guidance and friendship has been amazing, and no amount of panda flasks can repay you for your generosity. P.S. there’s a little something extra in that shower scene just for you.
Jen Frederick- Thanks for being the best table assistant ever, and for teaching me the art of pushing a free book on someone. You’ve got skills.
To my betas- Kim Harbaugh, Brittaney Campbell, Liz Castillo, Melissa King, Miranda Arnold, and Amie Knight. Thank you for being the first to read Dropout! Your input helped to make this story better.
Kim Huther, my editor- My first manuscript could have been a total train wreck, but you were eager to work with me from the very beginning. I’m very thankful for that.
Hang Le, my cover artist- You are a genius. Really. I have no idea how you took an idea from my mind and made my cover exactly how I pictured it. You nailed it!
Susan Garwood, my logo designer- When I messaged you in a panic because I procrastinated (big surprise there), you whipped up the whole package for me in less than 24 hours. Because of you, I didn’t look unprepared and unprofessional at my first signing. You’re awesome!
Rebecca Poole, my formatter- You’re so easy to work with and you save me the giant headache that can come along with all things formatting.
Amber Goodwin, my personal assistant- What would I do without you? You’re the best book pimper ever!
I have to give a big thank-you to the promotion companies that make my book releases so awesome. Colleen Noyes at Itsy Bitsy Book Bits, Neda Amini at Ardent Prose, and Lydia Harbaugh at HEA Book Tours- thank you so much for your hard work!
To ALL the bloggers out there- your passion for books is what fuels this industry. You spend countless hours reading books, talking about those books, and promoting books. All for the love of books! I’m so thankful for all of you.
And, of course, my readers. Thanks for loving the good guys just as much as I do!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Schlosser grew up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by cornfields. Although she no longer lives in the country, her dream is to return to rural living someday. As a stay-at-home mom, she spends most of her days running back and forth between her two wonderful kids and her laptop. She loves her family, iced coffee, and happily-ever-afters. You can find out more about Jamie and upcoming books by visiting these links:
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ALSO BY JAMIE SCHLOSSER
TRUCKER (The Good Guys Book 1)
A Trucker Christmas
DANCER (The Good Guys Book 2)
Dropout (The Good Guys Book 3) Page 28