by TJ Thomas
Rhonda warmly returned the embrace and quietly replied, “It’s my pleasure. She makes me happy too.”
Once everyone had a chance to chat with them, people started leaving the room. Soon, the only ones left were Rhonda and Jo. Jo wrapped her arms around Rhonda’s waist and Rhonda reached up and wound her hands around Jo’s neck. “How are you doing?”
“Honestly, I think I’m still in a state of shock, but I’m also blissfully happy. What made you think of this and how did you pull it all off?”
“When I realized I was in love with you and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, I couldn’t think of any reason to wait. So, I started thinking and planning. As for how it all came together, that was a combination of incredible luck, timing, and fantastic friends. Christie, Julie, Mike, Barbara, Amy, and Randi all pitched in to make today happen. I couldn’t have done it without them. Are you disappointed you weren’t involved in the planning?’
“No.” Rhonda laid her head on Jo’s shoulder as emotions overwhelmed her. “There is nothing about this that is disappointing. You make me so happy just being you. I do hope you know I don’t need bold gestures like this, as long as I have you, but I am very touched this was something you wanted to do. I still can’t believe this is happening.”
“Believe it. I love you.”
“I love you.”
Rhonda pulled Jo down for a long, sweet kiss.
Then Jo walked to the door and let Julie, Christie, and Barbara back into the room. Jo turned to Rhonda. “Sweetheart, these lovely ladies are going to help you get ready. Since I hijacked brunch, I’m having food sent to the room for all of you to enjoy.” Jo went to Rhonda once more. “I will see you at two o’clock.” Jo bent down for the last kiss before she and Rhonda were married. Then she left without another word.
Rhonda turned to them. “What just happened?”
Barbara was the first to respond. “Well, my friend, I would say Jo took matters into her own hands. Are you ready for this?”
“I’m ready for anything if it means I get to be with Jo.”
Just then, Julie managed to uncork the champagne bottle Jo had left behind. She poured it into the plastic flutes stashed nearby. “Let’s drink to that.”
Christie looked at Rhonda. “Let’s get you ready for your wedding.”
Rhonda looked at her daughters again. “Oh my God. I don’t have a dress.”
Christie said, “Of course you do, Mom. Do you have any doubt Jo would think of everything when she decided to throw you a surprise wedding?”
“No, Christie, no doubt at all. Where is it?”
Barbara pulled it from the closet and took off the protective bag.
“Oh,” Rhonda whispered softly, “It’s incredible.”
Julie hugged her. “Of course it is. Christie and I helped pick it out.”
*
In a suite down the hall, Amy punched Jo lightly on the arm. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you left no time for me to throw you a send-off party. Pretty smooth how you managed to get around epic send-off payback.”
Jo smiled broadly. “I’m a genius.”
Amy echoed Jo’s question from her own wedding day. “Nervous?”
“Not even a little. The scary part was whether she would agree to do it today. Once she said yes to that, I knew it would all be okay.”
“I’m pretty sure Rhonda would do anything you asked of her. She loves you deeply.”
“I know. I’m very lucky. I love her so much and I’m so excited to start the rest of our lives together.”
“Well then, let’s get you ready.”
*
Rhonda watched through the crack of the open doors at the back of the room. She scanned the room filled with family and friends. Like almost two months earlier, Jo and Amy stood at the front of the room dressed in tuxes, their roles reversed. This time, Randi and Mike stood with them. When the music started, Jo blew out a long breath and looked to the back of the aisle. She smiled as Jamie and Mary sprinkled flower petals. She chuckled when Cody and Dylan raced rather than walked down to Amy with the rings. Jo made eye contact and smiled at Christie, Julie, and Barbara as each one walked down the aisle and took their places across from Jo’s attendants. Then the music changed and she walked through the doors. She met Jo’s eyes and held them as she walked toward her future. In a light-hearted and beautiful ceremony, Rhonda and Jo promised one another forever.
After pictures and toasts, Jo and Rhonda made their way onto the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. When the music started, Rhonda smiled. “It’s our song.”
The tune was the only one she and Jo had slow danced to at Amy’s wedding, the one that had started it all for them. Jo gazed down at her. “You’re a very beautiful woman.”
“Is that a problem?”
Jo pulled her closer. “Definitely not.”
About the Author
TJ Thomas lives in western Massachusetts where she enjoys a quiet life with her college professor wyf, Elle, and their animals. An IT manager by profession, TJ’s passion is writing, and she spends much of her free time in that pursuit. TJ and Elle are equidistant from their two adult children who live in London and San Diego and they enjoy traveling to all points in between and beyond. A Reunion to Remember is her first novel.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
A Reunion to Remember by TJ Thomas. Reunited after a decade, Jo Adams and Rhonda Black must navigate a significant age difference, family dynamics, and their own desires and fears to explore an opportunity for love. (978-1-62639-534-3)
Built to Last by Aurora Rey. When Professor Olivia Bennett hires contractor Joss Bauer to restore her dilapidated farmhouse, she learns her heart, as much as her house, is in need of a renovation. (978-1-62639-552-7)
Capsized by Julie Cannon.What happens when a woman turns your life completely upside down? (978-1-62639-479-7)
Girls With Guns by Ali Vali, Carsen Taite, and Michelle Grubb. Three stories by three talented crime writers—Carsen Taite, Ali Vali, and Michelle Grubb—each packing her own special brand of heat. (978-1-62639-585-5)
Heartscapes by MJ Williamz. Will Odette ever recover her memory or is Jesse condemned to remember their love alone? (978-1-62639-532-9)
Murder on the Rocks by Clara Nipper. Detective Jill Rogers lives with two things on her mind: sex and murder. While an ice storm cripples Tulsa, two things stand in Jill’s way: her lover and the DA. (978-1-62639-600-5)
Necromantia by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When seeing dead people is more than a movie tagline. (978-1-62639-611-1)
Salvation by I. Beacham. Claire’s long-term partner now hates her, for all the wrong reasons, and she sees no future until she meets Regan, who challenges her to face the truth and find love. (978-1-62639-548-0)
Trigger by Jessica Webb. Dr. Kate Morrison races to discover how to defuse human bombs while learning to trust her increasingly strong feelings for the lead investigator, Sergeant Andy Wyles. (978-1-62639-669-2)
24/7 by Yolanda Wallace. When the trip of a lifetime becomes a pitched battle between life and death, will anyone survive? (978-1-62639-6-197)
A Return to Arms by Sheree Greer. When a police shooting makes national headlines, activists Folami and Toya struggle to balance their relationship and political allegiances, a struggle intensified after a fiery young artist enters their lives. (978-1-62639-6-814)
After the Fire by Emily Smith. Paramedic Connor Haus is convinced her time for love has come and gone, but when firefighter Logan Curtis comes into town, she learns it may not be too late after all. (978-1-62639-6-524)
Dian’s Ghost by Justine Saracen. The road to genocide is paved with good intentions. (978-1-62639-5-947)
Fortunate Sum by M. Ullrich. Financial advisor Catherine Carter lives a calculated life, but after a collision with spunky Imogene Harris (her latest client) and unsolicited predictions, Catherine finds herself facing an unexpected variable: Love. (978-1-62639-5-305)
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o Keep by Rebekah Weatherspoon. What won’t a vampire do for love… (978-1-62639-6-166)
When I Knew You by KE Payne. Eight letters, three friends, two lovers, one secret. Can the past ever be forgiven? (978-1-62639-5-626)
Wild Shores by Radclyffe. Can two women on opposite sides of an oil spill find a way to save both a wildlife sanctuary and their hearts? (978-1-62639-6-456)
Love on Tap by Karis Walsh. Beer and romance are brewing for Tace Lomond when archaeologist Berit Katsaros comes into her life. (987-1-162639-564-0)
Love on the Red Rocks by Lisa Moreau. An unexpected romance at a lesbian resort forces Malley to face her greatest fears where she must choose between playing it safe or taking a chance at true happiness. (987-1-162639-660-9)
Tracker and the Spy by D. Jackson Leigh. There are lessons for all when Captain Tanisha is assigned untried pyro Kyle and a lovesick dragon horse for a mission to track the leader of a dangerous cult. (987-1-162639-448-3)
Whirlwind Romance by Kris Bryant. Will chasing the girl break Tristan’s heart or give her something she’s never had before? (987-1-162639-581-7)
Whiskey Sunrise by Missouri Vaun. Culture and religion collide when Lovey Porter, daughter of a local Baptist minister, falls for the handsome thrill-seeking moonshine runner, Royal Duval. (987-1-162639-519-0)
Dyre: By Moon’s Light by Rachel E. Bailey. A young werewolf, Des, guards the aging leader of all the Packs: the Dyre. Stable employment—nice work, if you can get it…at least until silver bullets start to fly. (978-1-62639-6-623)
Fragile Wings by Rebecca S. Buck. In Roaring Twenties London, can Evelyn Hopkins find love with Jos Singleton or will the scars of the Great War crush her dreams? (978-1-62639-5-466)
Live and Love Again by Jan Gayle. Jessica Whitney could be Sarah Jarret’s second chance at love, but their differences and Sarah’s grief continue to come between their budding relationship. (978-1-62639-5-176)
Starstruck by Lesley Davis. Actress Cassidy Hayes and writer Aiden Darrow find out the hard way not all life-threatening drama is confined to the TV screen or the pages of a manuscript. (978-1-62639-5-237)
Stealing Sunshine by Tina Michele. Under the Central Florida sun, two women struggle between fear and love as a dangerous plot of deception and revenge threatens to steal priceless art and lives. (978-1-62639-4-452)
The Fifth Gospel by Michelle Grubb. Hiding a Vatican secret is dangerous—sharing the secret suicidal—can Felicity survive a perilous book tour, and will her PR specialist, Anna, be there when it’s all over? (978-1-62639-4-476)
Cold to the Touch by Cari Hunter. A drug addict’s murder is the start of a dangerous investigation for Detective Sanne Jensen and Dr. Meg Fielding, as they try to stop a killer with no conscience. (978-1-62639-526-8)
Forsaken by Laydin Michaels. The hunt for a killer teaches one woman that she must overcome her fear in order to love, and another that success is meaningless without happiness. (978-1-62639-481-0)
Infiltration by Jackie D. When a CIA breach is imminent, a Marine instructor must stop the attack while protecting her heart from being disarmed by a recruit. (978-1-62639-521-3)
Midnight at the Orpheus by Alyssa Linn Palmer. Two women desperate to make their way in the world, a man hell-bent on revenge, and a cop risking his career: all in a day’s work in Capone’s Chicago. (978-1-62639-607-4)
Spirit of the Dance by Mardi Alexander. Major Sorla Reardon’s return to her family farm to heal threatens Riley Johnson’s safe life when small-town secrets are revealed, and love may not conquer all. (978-1-62639-583-1)
Sweet Hearts by Melissa Brayden, Rachel Spangler, and Karis Walsh. Do you ever wonder Whatever happened to…? Find out when you reconnect with your favorite characters from Melissa Brayden’s Heart Block, Rachel Spangler’s LoveLife, and Karis Walsh’s Worth the Risk. (978-1-62639-475-9)
Totally Worth It by Maggie Cummings. Who knew there’s an all-lesbian condo community in the NYC suburbs? Join twentysomething BFFs Meg and Lexi at Bay West as they navigate friendships, love, and everything in between. (978-1-62639-512-1)
Illicit Artifacts by Stevie Mikayne. Her foster mother’s death cracked open a secret world Jil never wanted to see…and now she has to pick up the stolen pieces. (978-1-62639-472-8)
Pathfinder by Gun Brooke. Heading for their new homeworld, Exodus’s chief engineer Adina Vantressa and nurse Briar Lindemay carry game-changing secrets that may well cause them to lose everything when disaster strikes. (978-1-62639-444-5)
Prescription for Love by Radclyffe. Dr. Flannery Rivers finds herself attracted to the new ER chief, city girl Abigail Remy, and the incendiary mix of city and country, fire and ice, tradition and change is combustible. (978-1-62639-570-1)
Ready or Not by Melissa Brayden. Uptight Mallory Spencer finds relinquishing control to bartender Hope Sanders too tall an order in fast-paced New York City. (978-1-62639-443-8)
Summer Passion by MJ Williamz. Women loving women is forbidden in 1946 Hollywood, yet Jean and Maggie strive to keep their love alive and away from prying eyes. (978-1-62639-540-4)
The Princess and the Prix by Nell Stark. “Ugly duckling” Princess Alix of Monaco was resigned to loneliness until she met racecar driver Thalia d’Angelis. (978-1-62639-474-2)
Winter’s Harbor by Aurora Rey. Lia Brooks isn’t looking for love in Provincetown, but when she discovers chocolate croissants and pastry chef Alex McKinnon, her winter retreat quickly starts heating up. (978-1-62639-498-8)
The Time Before Now by Missouri Vaun. Vivian flees a disastrous affair, embarking on an epic, transformative journey to escape her past, until destiny introduces her to Ida, who helps her rediscover trust, love, and hope. (978-1-62639-446-9)