“Pack a bag?” my boy asks in a panic.
“Yes, I’ve got to pack a bag,” I say, jumping up off his lap. He grabs me and pulls me back down.
“What do you mean pack a bag?”
“I’m staying the night at my parents’ house.”
“Why?” he asks with squinty eyes.
“It’s tradition. You aren’t supposed to see me the day before the wedding.”
“We aren’t traditional. Nothing about us has ever been like anybody else. We’re special, baby.”
“We are the most special, but Jules insists, and my mom would like to have a night with me at the house.”
“But, we spent our whole relationship as kids seeing each other once a week, then I was—”
“Don’t say it,” I cut him off.
“I was locked away from you for over a year. Don’t make me spend a day away from you.”
“You know I don’t like to talk about that. Are you trying to break me?”
“Is it working?” He smiles my favorite grin.
“Well, we can’t miss our nail appointment, or you will marry me with chipped nails.”
“I wouldn’t care.”
“I want to look pretty for you,” I tell him. He groans and nuzzles my ear.
“Will you come back for a while and snuggle with me?” he asks, pressing those luscious, sexy lips to my skin.
“I might let you spoon me for a few minutes.”
“Spoon, like in spoon? Or spoon like in the entwine-our-fingers-and-you-hold-them-to-your-chest-as-I-love-you-from-behind kind of spooning?”
My mouth hangs open, and I smack his arm, tucking my face in his neck from embarrassment. “You said that too loud,” I say, probably with the pinkest cheeks ever, causing Jace to chuckle. “Your parents are totally staring at us.”
“They didn’t hear me.”
“They did.” I take my face off his neck.
“No, they didn’t.” He looks over at his parents. “Yeah, maybe they did.” He chuckles. “I don’t care. Tell me what I want to hear.”
“I might even suck on your fingers while I let you love me,” I whisper back to him. He stands up with me in his arms.
“We’ll be right back,” he says to Grace and Jason.
MORE THAN ONE FINGER
I SHUT THE DOOR, lock it, and with baby blue cotton spilling around her thighs, I waste no time gathering it in my hands and leaning her over the end of the bed.
“You’re going to need more than one finger in your mouth to contain this recklessness that’s about to slide into you,” I say, pulling down my pants. She looks back over her shoulder, and I pat her sexy butt as I lean over her and kiss her back. “Only ever love, baby. Now, hold on to those soft sheets while I pour all my love into you before you become my wife.”
YOU’RE ABOUT TO FREE-FALL
“DO WE ALL HAVE to get pink nails?” Tatum asks while looking at the nail wall.
“No, get what you want,” I reply, focusing on all the pink polishes.
“I want a French manicure, Mom,” she says, going to sit down.
“Just tell your girl, Tatum.” Mom looks over at Grace who is still picking out colors.
“So many to choose from,” Grace says, looking a little overwhelmed.
“I’m just going to get a French manicure like Tatum,” Mom tells her sweetly. I bring my eyes to Grace again as she looks at my mom.
“I used to love painting my nails before I got pregnant with Jace. But after I got pregnant and left home on my own, I never painted them again.”
“Jace is almost twenty-one, Grace. You haven’t painted your nails in twenty-one years?” Mom says with a surprised tone in her voice. Grace shakes her head no, and my heart breaks a little for her. I’m so proud of the person she has become.
“What color did you like to paint your nails before you had Jace?” I ask, walking up to her.
“I always loved pink, but I don’t want to choose the same color as you. That’s special to Jace.”
“You’ve always been important to Jace, too. He would love if you painted your nails your favorite color. Let’s both do pink with gel,” I decide, grabbing the light pink off the shelf.
“What’s gel?”
“It makes the color stay on longer so you can enjoy it more.”
She smiles, and it’s such a pretty smile. Even though Jace is the spitting image of his dad, you can see him in Grace’s smile. It’s just like my boy’s.
WE ALL GET OUR NAILS done, minus Jules because she will only go to her nail lady and plans to meet up with us later. We eat a late lunch at The Ivy, and then Grace and I head back to the condo. We walk inside and see Jace and Jason sitting out on the patio.
“Is my girl home?” Jace asks. I peek out the door.
“Yup, and I’m going to be leaving now if you want to say goodbye to me properly,” I answer, licking my lips. He gets up from his chair and comes into the house and picks me up.
“Jace, be careful with her,” Grace says, pouring herself a glass of water in the kitchen.
“She won’t break, Mom. She’s been telling me that for years, right, baby?”
Laughing, we walk into our room, and he sets me down, lifting my hand and looking at my nails.
“So pretty,” he says, kissing my ring finger.
“Make sure you tell Grace her nails look pretty, too.”
“I will.” He pauses. “Is there a reason for that?”
“It’s just been a long time since she had them done. That’s all you need to know.” Then I get a little sassy with him, giving him a reminder. “Some things are between the ladies, baby.”
“Do the ladies know that you need to relax your boy before his big day?” he asks, putting his warm hands to my cheeks and kissing my lips.
“Shh, don’t talk. I want my boy to relax before I leave him to go have a slumber party.”
He sits down and frowns.
“Now I really need to be relaxed, thinking about my girl going to a certain slumber party.”
“That wasn’t a slumber party, and you know very well that was nothing at all. Tonight is all about eating junk and gossiping about you. That’s a slumber party, jealous boy.”
“Relax me. Make it all fall away like only you can do, my future wife.”
“Close your eyes and lie back, Jace. You’re about to free-fall.” I push him down onto the bed. He chuckles, and I pull down his athletic shorts and run my freshly painted fingers up his thighs. He looks at me. “Close your eyes,” I repeat, kissing each toned thigh.
“No way. I want to watch you love me.”
And he does until he can’t take it anymore, then his eyes close as he softly groans my name.
ARE YOU HAPPY?
“I DON’T KNOW HOW slumber parties work, but I’ll probably call you and text you twenty times before I can fall asleep,” I say, reaching up and pulling Shay down on top of me. “God, you’re amazing.” I kiss her swollen lips.
“You should be totally relaxed, lucky boy.”
“Oh, I am, but as soon as you walk out that door, I’m going to miss you.”
“Go visit your parents who are probably wondering what the heck we’re doing in here.”
“Trust me, pretty girl. They know what we’re doing.” I kiss her forehead and pull her up off the bed with me, grabbing her overnight bag. She clutches her whiny boy’s hand and walks out of our bedroom. Grace and Jason are lying down on the couch together.
“Are you happy, Jace?” she asks me, staring at my parents.
“I’m the happiest boy in the world. I’m marrying the love of my life tomorrow.”
“I’m talking about your parents over there, swoony boy.”
I look over at them and rub the scruff on my jaw that I will be getting rid of so Shay has her fresh-faced boy at the altar.
“Yeah, it makes me happy that my parents found each other again.” I glance over at Shay and plead again, “Don’t leave me. I don’t ever want to be apar
t again.”
“It’s only one night, and for a very good reason. Then you have me forever,” she says. I smile down into her eyes. “Please don’t forget to tell Grace how pretty her fingernails look.”
“I won’t.”
After she tells Grace and Jason goodbye, I walk her out, begging like a two-year-old, but she doesn’t budge. She drives away, blowing me a kiss. I watch until I can’t see her anymore, then head back into the condo.
I actually have a lot to do while we’re apart. I picked up a bunch of pink paper, and I’m going to have Grace help me cut them into hearts. I did make our wedding invitations like I told Shay I would, just a handful—all we needed, and I put smack dab in the middle of the big pink heart in bold black with my best handwriting, Come watch Jace and Shay write their names forever in the sand and finally become one on October 14th.
Shay cried when I made them, and everyone else either cried or “swooned” as my girl says, but nothing mattered to me but the look on her face when I handed her the homemade invitation with our signature childhood heart-shaped love. No matter what I give Shay, it’s like the whole world sits in her pretty hands.
Jules and our moms are decorating the white tent beachside for our little reception, and I told Jules I would take care of the decorations for our wedding. There is only one thing I want to see around my girl when she walks toward me, and I’m going to be busy for a while making them. I need tons of pretty pink hearts that signify our journey of love as her path to get to me.
“SO, SHE’S GOING TO walk over these in the sand?” Grace asks, cutting another heart out.
“Hearts have always been our thing. I used to make her cards at the community center, and a lot of times I would send them to her house for her to open.” I shrug my shoulders when Grace sets the paper down.
“When did you ever get stamps?”
“I used to find money lying around the apartment, and I would buy them at the store.”
“You would do that, Jace?”
“Yeah, I would.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears form in her eyes. “I was never present in your life.”
“It’s okay,” I say, trying to comfort her.
“It’s not okay, and if I could turn back time, I would. I would do it all over again.”
I start cutting another heart and say, “I wouldn’t change it, Mom. If things would have been different, I might not have gone to the community center as a kid and might never have met Shay. I can’t even stand the thought of not having her in my life. She’s my everything. The only thing I wish is that you and I were like this right now.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, eyes full of regret.
“I wish we would have made things together and talked like we are right now.”
“I wish that, too. I kind of like to cut out hearts,” she says, a smile forming on her lips.
“By the way, your nails look really pretty.”
She looks down at them as my dad comes over and sits at the end of the couch. “Yeah, Gracie, your nails look really pretty.” He lifts her hand and kisses it. “You always did paint your nails pink.”
“I like pink.”
Life sure did change, but one thing has always been constant—my love for Shay. “Hey, Jace, I found some nice places, so after your mom and I go back to Oregon, we’ll make some decisions.”
“Cool,” I tell him.
“I want to move back to California so badly, and when you and Shay have children, I don’t want to be far away,” Grace says. I smile because deep down I know she’s going to be the best grandma. It might be because she screwed up so bad with me, but I don’t care. I know my kids are going to be loved by everyone in our lives.
“What are the hearts for?” my dad asks.
“I’m surprising Shay with a little pathway to me through the sand.”
“Cute,” he says, lying back and closing his eyes.
After about a hundred hearts perfectly cut out, I walk into our room, lie down, and call Shay.
I WANT THE REAL DEAL
“DON’T ANSWER THAT CALL,” Jules says as we dance around the room. I reach to grab my phone and hit her hand hard. “My nails, Shay!”
“I didn’t chip any,” I say, grabbing my phone off the bed.
“Hello?”
“Why are you out of breath?” Jace asks.
Jules throws a pillow at me, and Tatum throws one hard at Jules, making her fall to the floor. I start laughing.
“We’re just dancing around.”
“I can’t wait to push my hips against you for our first dance,” he says in his sexy tone. I walk out of my old room and down to the guest room.
“Are you getting ready to go to sleep?”
“I’m trying to. This blanket of us is not doing its thing.”
“It’s not keeping you warm?”
“I want the real deal keeping me warm,” he says, making me bite my lip.
“This time tomorrow night, you’ll be all snugly warm wrapped around your wife.” Silence fills the phone. “Jace?”
WE’RE LEGIT
“I’M HERE, BABY.”
“I can’t wait to become your wife.”
I look over at the wall of pictures of us. Every moment we spent together as kids is perfectly placed on the wall above the dresser. I stare at all the love Shay created in this space while we were apart. It was only weeks ago that I was behind bars and so fucking miserable without her.
“After we spend tonight apart, I’m putting in my vows that we can’t ever be separated again.”
“What’s wrong, Jace?”
“I just miss you. Being in our room filled with all our pictures and hearing your voice but separated from you bothers me. I don’t like to be away from you. I hated it as a kid when you drove away, and I knew I had to wait until the following Wednesday to see you again.”
“Guess what?” she says in her quiet tone that I fucking love, changing the subject.
“What, pretty girl?”
“Tomorrow is Wednesday.”
“You know why it’s even more special than all the other Wednesdays we’ve shared?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I know.” She giggles.
“Good, because after tomorrow, we aren’t just going to be Jace James and Shay Stark. We are going to be Mr. and Mrs. Jace James, and then, I’m forever going to be wrapped up tightly with you. And you can put that in our vows. No days apart ever.”
“I love you, Jace,” she says softly.
“Tomorrow you are mine forever.”
“I’ve been yours since I was twelve, forgetful boy.”
“Yeah, you have, but tomorrow we’re legit.” I chuckle.
“Shay, tell him he can live without you for one night!” I hear Jules scream into the phone.
“Did you hear Jules?”
“Doesn’t she remember how many nights I lived without you?”
“Remember, my sweet boy, you can put that in your vows.”
“Now I really am. Goodnight, Shay Stark.”
“You never say my last name,” she says with a surprised tone.
“Yeah, I know, but I thought I would once, seeing as after tomorrow you will forever be Shay James.”
“I can’t wait!” she yells into the phone, enthusiastic.
“Bye, baby.” I laugh as she giggles and hangs up. I stare at the pile of hearts Grace and I cut out and smile. I can’t believe I’m marrying my girl tomorrow. Getting up out of our bed, I walk over to the dresser and grab a piece of paper and cut out the biggest pink heart I can make. I grab a pad of paper to rest the heart on and a pen. This is the last love note I will write Shay as my girl. Every one I write after today will be written to my wife. Always and forever my girl. She needs to know how I feel on the day we become husband and wife.
PINK TOES SINK INTO WARM SAND
“OH MY GOD…oh my God… You seriously look like a goddess, Shay.”
“Why are you yelling? I’m right next to you.” I turn my hea
d over my shoulder with a smile as the photographer snaps a bunch of pictures. Jules stares at me, and then at the same time, we both yell, “I’m marrying my boy right now!”
“You are marrying your sexy boy, Starkie…your one and only.” I just know it, Jules… He’s the one. Her voice softens, and she stares at me with tears in her eyes. “You really knew the moment you met him.” I nod, trying to hold back tears.
“Don’t make my makeup run, Jules.”
“Are you even wearing any?”
“Yes, I’m wearing makeup.”
“Barely.”
“I want to look natural for Jace.”
“Well, you do. Naturally beautiful and fresh-faced—just like the day you met. I can still remember how your eyes lit up when I came to your house after you got back from the community center.”
I look back into the floor-length mirror, pull up my strapless white dress, and smile.
“We’re getting married on a Wednesday. Eight years ago today, we first met each other.”
“It’s like an anniversary on an anniversary. Just so calendar-worthy.” We both sigh. “It’s really perfect, Shay.”
I turn back around and face my very best friend who has always loved and supported me through every moment.
“I love you, Jules.”
“I love you, too, Starkie.” She leans over the bed, tucking her hand underneath the plush pillows and pulls out a folded pink heart. My heart starts to flutter when she places it in my hand with a smile.
“Someone wanted to make sure you got this before you left this room,” Jules says, holding back tears. I smile and look down, unfolding a love note from my boy. Jules walks away and lets me have a moment to myself. Bold black words greet me in his best handwriting. Happy Wedding Day, baby.
I trace his words with my light pink fingernail, taking in everything about his childhood sweetness. The sweetness he has always given me from the very first day we met.
Questionable Love (A Love Beyond Labels #2) Page 47