I glance up at Jonah’s face to see tears streaking down his face silently, and I wipe them away with my fingers. I’ve never seen him cry over my father’s death, and I have a feeling this moment makes it all too real for him. He smiles at me and brings my fingers to his lips as he kisses them, and we sit in silence for another hour before we make our way back home.
The nightmare is finally over, and we have the rest our lives ahead of us.
Epilogue
“Are you ready for this?” Chief Robertson holds out his arm to me behind the closed doors that lead to the interior of the church. I wrap my fingers around the inside crook of his elbow and try not to teeter in the tall heels.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I tell him in a quiet whisper as my knees begin to wobble. It’s the best and the worst kind of fear I’ve ever felt as the doors swing open. Then it’s quelled at the sight of Jonah standing in a suit at the end of the aisle. The entire town, except a few members, has been invited, and they all showed.
The pastor is standing directly in the center, and my three bride’s maids are lined up and ready for their chance at catching the bouquet later. One of them is Cassandra Hash, whom admitted to being abused by Henry after he was arrested. We struck up a friendship after we met in the grocery store, and she talked nonstop about her baby.
The first step into the room is the hardest, but after that I just want to run down the aisle and get the ‘I do’s’ over with so we can get to the after party. People all look at me with misty eyes as I walk in, and I try not to feel a wave of embarrassment wash over me. I’m wearing makeup over the scars, but they still show through in bright lighting.
Cassandra insisted that I wear the strapless wedding dress because she said it accentuated my perfect figure. I insisted it showed off my flaws, but she hushed me and told me that if Jonah doesn’t mind, then I shouldn’t care either. So I’m wearing a white wedding dress, carrying a red rose bouquet down the aisle, and all I can think about is pulling that suit jacket off Jonah’s shoulders later.
“Good luck up there,” Robertson whispers to me as he takes his place. I barely remember most of the vows. I just repeat what I’m told to say, and we exchange rings that are much simpler than the engagement ring I received six months ago.
Jonah pulls the veil with tiny fake diamonds all over it back and lets his hand rest on the nape of my neck. He pulls me up into the kiss that he always gives me each morning, and parts my mouth before all the bystanders. It’s not until I hear loud cheering and the clearing of the pastor’s throat that I realize we’ve gone on for well over a minute.
Our cheeks are flushed, and I’m having a hard time breathing while I try to control my heart rate. Then I look at the pastor and smile. “So we’re married?” I ask quietly, and he chuckles.
“Yes, you are legally married.” I grin as I look back at Jonah.
“I guess we’re not living in sin anymore.” I whisper to him, and he chuckles at me.
“I guess not, but I think it’ll still be just as fun.” The pastor’s face reddens as he realizes what I’m implying, and we make our exit through the crowd of well-wishers to a limousine hired from in the city. The poor man had to drive an hour and forty five minutes to get here.
As we slide into the back and Jonah pops a bottle of champagne, I lean over and wrap my arms around him as I nuzzle his neck.
“Jonah?” He makes an hmm noise as he pours us each a glass. “I love you.” I tell him quietly, and he looks down at me with a quirk of his lips.
“I love you, too.”
Thank you for reading!
Acknowledgments
I would first like to thank all the wonderful doctors who contribute to the WebMD website, which is where I found most of my information for this book. It’s where I find most of my information on medications, side effects, and symptoms of numerous diseases that interest me. It’s truly an abundance of information there!
I always end up typing this, but it’s the truth. An author is nothing without his or her readers, and every day I try to make my writing better for you. I sincerely hope that this story delivered as much as you hoped it would!
I listened to a variety of songs for this book from over twenty different artists, but the one song that I listened to over and over again while thinking about my characters was Fuckin’ Perfect by P!nk. Music is a doorway to the soul, and I believe that it can cure a bad day or set the mood for a good one. So turn it up!
This is more of a side note than an acknowledgement, but for all the people out there who suffer with some type of illness whether it’s physical or mental, don’t ever stop fighting. According to an article from medicine.net, twenty five percent of American adults suffer from mental illness. In fact, it’s more common than cancer, which means someone you know may be suffering with some form of mental illness.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for their undying support and love during my journey as a writer. You are my inspiration, my reason, and my perseverance. I love you all more than anyone will ever know.
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My Kind Of Crazy Page 19