“Wow, it’s great that you’re here. I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I wasn’t going to come. But I thought of all the times you visited me, despite everything. You’re someone I want in my life, Emma. I have years of making up to do.”
“Daniel, it’s all in the past. Let’s just forget about everything and move on. I don’t want to waste any more time focusing on all the bad things that have happened in my life. I am honestly so content right now. That’s all that matters to me.”
He smiled and it was genuine. I don’t think I could ever say I’ve seen him do that. This was apparently a day for shock, because what he did next was even more surprising than him showing up. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. My cheeks tinged pink and I stepped back awkwardly, not expecting that at all.
Smiling, he shrugged as if to say, “Just go with it.”
I swallowed, clearing my throat a little uneasily.
“Where’s Jason? I would like to see him.”
“He should be back any moment,” I replied, glancing over my shoulder. On cue, he began maneuvering his way through the bodies of people. His eyebrows shot up as his eyes landed on Daniel. His lips parted as if he was going to say something, but no words came out.
“Hey, Jason.” Daniel spoke quietly. “Long time no see, brother.”
At first, the visits between Jason and Daniel had been quite strained, as you would imagine, but we all focused on moving forward with our lives. Sure, they probably will never be able to go back to the way they once were, but this was good enough for me.
“Glad you could make it.” Jason nodded, passing me my drink and using his now empty hand to shake Daniel’s. “Wasn’t sure if we would see much of you again.”
While they exchanged small talk, I took a moment to stare at him. He looked a lot better, than when I visited him in jail. His scruffy beard was now lightly trimmed, still giving him a ‘bad boy’ edge. His eyes were bright and his hair neater than I have ever seen it. He was dressed in an all-black suit which looked quite nice on him.
I smiled, happy that he was here. I’m glad that we are able to be around each other and actually enjoy ourselves. I never thought I would consider Daniel a friend, and here he was, at my wedding. I stayed and chatted a little longer, but I had to go. I was dearly missing my boy. Not Jason, my other boy.
A massive grin broke out on my face as soon as I saw him. I had seen him most of the day, but I missed him as soon as I wasn’t in his vicinity. Nathan, my little angel. He had been clung to Dad’s side ever since the ceremony. I scooped him from Dad’s arm and hugged him tightly to my chest. Sloppily, I kissed his forehead. Jason came up behind me, resting a hand on my back. He leaned down and softly tickled his nose.
“Daniel, meet our little boy, Nathan James Ross.”
Dad stiffened at the sight of Daniel. He knew that I had regularly visited him, but had not seen him in the flesh for quite some time. I don’t think Dad will ever be able to forgive him for what he did to us. Dad nodded curtly, before turning and wandering toward Mum. I watched him embrace her, kissing her softly on the cheek. It was so bizarre still, seeing them together. I had emotionally accepted the fact that my mother had died. To see her here, remarried to my Father, holding my own child in her hands… amazing. Pivoting slightly, I turned back to stare at Daniel, who was gazing in shock at Nathan. I just smiled at his speechlessness.
“He is beautiful.” He whispered. “Wow.”
“He is.” I smiled back.
Jason took Nathan from my hands and I watched in awe as he cradled him. There was nothing more attractive than seeing him hold Nathan. It was an amazing sight to see. My cheeks were beginning to hurt with the amount of smiling I was undergoing.
I glanced over to where Mel and Luke were, with their own baby girl. Courtney was sitting on Luke’s lap, whilst Mel cradled Aleisha to her. Like we had planned, we went through our pregnancies together. As I had foreseen, Luke took Mel’s pregnancy pretty well and they happily went through the journey again. Everything really had fallen into place. I honestly could not be happier with my life.
Miracles really can happen.
In the end, everything really was The Best Thing for Me.
Watch out for The Best Thing for Me coming this October 18th!
Chapter One
When I say I am nobody, I mean it literally. It was as though I was completely invisible. People run into me or just don't acknowledge my presence. Or if they do, they just look down at me. It's pretty basic. I'm quiet; I do my work and try to stay out of trouble. But that doesn't mean that trouble doesn't try to find me.
I saw it flying toward me at high speed, but it was too fast for my mind to gather what was happening. It soared towards me, connecting with my head. I went flying backwards and landed on my butt painfully. I lay, sprawled on the hard gym floor, completely winded.
Laughter erupted around me, causing my cheeks to flood with heat. I just wanted to die from embarrassment. Finally, I think someone realized I was practically dead on the floor and came over. I heard the ascending footsteps come to a halt beside my head. Rotating my head around, I stared up at them, trying to not look as shocked as I felt.
"You all right, Emma?" The teacher asked whilst chewing gum loudly. I was afraid it was going to drop and land on my face.
"I'll live." I replied, smiling weakly.
I slowly scrambled to my feet. Black dots danced across my vision and my head was pounding painfully. Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let any shed. I plastered a false smile and continued to just stand there, avoiding everyone and flying balls. My goal: stay out of the way and pretend I don’t exist.
One of those girls, yeah you know the type - the ones who think they know everything and that they’re better than you in every way - snickered at my humiliation. She turned and began babbling to her group of followers, not being subtle at all that the topic of conversation revolved around me. They all glanced my way, laughing.
"Could you be any less obvious?" I snapped.
Realization dawned on me that I'd spoken like that to the 'It' girls and shut my mouth pretty quickly. I scuttled away into the change rooms, murmuring something about a drink, which was an excuse to save myself from getting another ball to the head.
I sank down onto the bench in misery, burying my head into my hands.
What a glorious life I had...
About the Author
Lauren Jackson is an Australian teenage author who began writing her first story, “The Best Thing For Me” on Wattpad, a free website which allows people to share and read stories.
Lauren enjoys horse riding, reading, writing and hanging with her friends. She hopes to further her studies to university where she plans to study Journalism.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurenjackson
Wattpad Account: http://www.wattpad.com/user/LaurenJ22
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenKJ22
Instagram: LaurenJ_22
Website: lauren_jackson.awesomeauthors.org
A Day To Remember: The Best Thing for Me Sequel Page 2