by Tijan
“It makes me the worst person in the world.”
He pulled me to his chest and whispered, cradling my head to his shoulder, “It makes you a person who loved. That’s all it does.”
And the tears had started, but he was right. I didn’t love Bryce the way I loved Corrigan, but releasing him took a while . . . The more girls he brought around us, the more territorial I grew, but I was to the point where I only wanted the right girl for him. If she wasn’t worthy of him, she wasn’t going to get him. I wouldn’t let him have anyone less the best.
Hearing that he had another girl coming, I only gave Corrigan a smile. “We’ll see how she handles me.”
He shook his head, rolling his eyes, but he couldn’t stop a grin. “You need to let him find the girl, not you.”
“I just want to make sure she’s good enough for him.” My throat swelled. “He deserves the best.”
Corrigan pulled me back to him, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He held me and whispered, “He’ll find her.”
Just like we have.
He didn’t say the words, but I closed my eyes and thought them. My hand lifted to his arm and I held him back. He was right. Bryce would find his happily ever after, just like I had with Corrigan.
Then I snorted to myself.
Corrigan asked, “What?”
I pulled back, grinning at him. “You’re my happily ever after.” I snorted again. “Why does that make me want to curse?”
Corrigan rolled his eyes. “Because it’s sappy and cheesy. It’s all those mushy feelings you hate to acknowledge.” His hand lifted and pressed against my chest, resting over my heart. “Because you’re happy and you’re scared to death to admit it?”
“Yeah.” Those damn tears were coming back. I covered his hand with both of mine, my eyes holding his. “Goddamn, I love you.”
His lip lifted in a tender smile. “I love you, too.”
Always. Forever. Screw it—Corrigan was my fucking fairytale come true. Grabbing his shirt collar, I pressed my lips to his.
We were going to be late for Denton’s restaurant opening.
THE END
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A LETTER TO THE READER
To the reader,
This is such a hard letter for me to write, but I felt it was necessary and also because Jaded was so near and dear to my heart. One of the reasons this is so difficult is because this is my own goodbye to this series and the other is because I want you, the readers, to know that I feel for those who wanted Sheldon with Bryce. When I write my books, I usually send it off sporadically to get an idea of what people’s reactions will be, but I didn’t with this one. I had to keep it quiet because of the love triangle and who Sheldon chose so to be honest, I’m not sure how this book will really be received, but I knew that no matter the outcome, I had to write it from my heart.
I never wanted to write this love triangle. I really didn’t. In my heart, Sheldon was with Bryce and that was who she would always end up with, but in the middle of Still Jaded, I realized there was a love triangle there whether I wanted it there or not. I remember the night I realized this. I got up and walked away from my computer. I was upset. I didn’t want to do this to readers, but the connection Sheldon had with Corrigan couldn’t be denied. I couldn’t suppress it or write around it. I felt this would be a huge injustice to the characters in this series and a huge injustice to Corrigan, who I respect so much as a character so…I wrote it. I wrote what was in my heart.
When I finished Still Jaded, Bryce was still Sheldon’s first choice. I think this love triangle was a big reason why I kept putting off finishing Jaden. I wrote Jadeite and abandoned it. I didn’t like what I was writing and then the first two chapters of Jaden were produced. I loved it. It was strong. It was Sheldon to the core, but again, I put it off. I think a part of this was because I had no idea who she would choose. I still thought she would be with her first love, Bryce, but I was so conflicted. I really had no idea and then my writing career took off and I was writing other books, but Jaden was always in the back of my mind (like how Davina Comes is too).
So I scheduled a pre-order for a year in advance and I knew I would have time to really mull over how this book was going to go. Well….I was an idiot. I have outlined this book eight different times and with eight different endings. Every time I tried to write Jaden and follow the outline, it wouldn’t. Those characters had a mind of themselves so all those outlines were thrown into the trashcan.
The only thing I knew from the beginning was that Mena was the real stalker. That’s it. It wasn’t until I was half way done with Jaden that I knew who she had to choose. And I couldn’t bring her to choose Bryce because I wasn’t feeling it. In my heart, her love for Corrigan is a different type of love than what she had with Bryce. Corrigan makes Sheldon a better person. Bryce was her first love and a part of Sheldon will always love him in that way, but it wasn’t the deep love she has for Corrigan. Corrigan is her future while Bryce was her past.
The other reason for this letter is because I love the Jaded series so much. This book was a big factor that gave me hope for a writing future. It kept me going. I wrote Jaded, Home Torn, and Sentiment Lost all at the same time in my life. It was when I had to decide if I was going to sacrifice a job with a stable income for a possible future in writing. To me, I felt like a coward. I felt that I was choosing to hide in my stories instead of being the ‘adult’ and stepping down a career path that would take me away from writing. When I commit, I give my whole heart and if I had chosen the other path, I would’ve given my whole heart and focus to it, and during that time when I had to make this decision, I remember writing a chapter of Jaded. I posted it to Fictionpress and I drove up to see some friends that evening. I checked my email that evening and saw a flood of comments. That was when I realized people were actually reading and they were invested in this story. I don’t know if Jaded was the ultimate reason I chose to purse writing, but seeing that response was a factor that helped.
So with this letter, I just wanted to express that I really do feel for the Bryce shippers. I don’t want you to feel that I wrote this and published, not giving a care. I do. I really do and all I can say is that I hope you still loved the story. I wrote this book for you guys and I hope you loved the journey as much as I did. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart!
Love, Tijan
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have to thank my editor, The Word Maid, my proofreaders, Chris and Paige, and the few who read Jaden before I published it. Oh—thank you, Ami, for formatting Jaden for me!!! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement and also helping me so much! I already dedicated this book to Kerri and Lisa (I’ll notify them that this is them since I’m only using first names), you two breathed new life into the Jaded Series and helped get my butt rolling on finishing the series. Then to all the Tijanettes in the fan group!!!! You guys have your own community in there. You’re there for each other and also gush about all the books you guys read to each other. Thank you for all the support and encouragement everyone in that fan group has given me!
A special thank-you to all the readers who have followed me and loved Jaded from the Fictionpress days! Anyone who messages me and shares that they started following me from then always gives me such a great feeling. Just such a heartfelt thank you for sticking with me and also for loving these guys, even when I know there’s a lot who don’t understand Sheldon.
Like always, thanks to Jason and my puppy Bailey! Both are so cute and have no idea I thank them in my books!!
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