by Kyra Lennon
Closing my eyes as his words warmed every part of me, I raised my head slightly and my lips found his. “I love you,” I breathed.
“More than you can say?” he asked, and I felt his lips curve into a gentle smile against mine.
Without breaking contact, I whispered. “Always.”
The End
Author’s Note
Writing Leah and Radleigh’s wedding provided me with a bit of a challenge. You see, weddings are designed to be sappy and romantic. However, I believe you can have too much of a good thing, and I was concerned that, seeing as the story is from Leah’s point of view, if I kept writing everything I wanted/needed to write, it would get too “samey.”
There are a lot of characters in the Game On series. If you’ve read from the beginning, you’ll have followed their journeys and you’ll know how much each character has changed from the start. It felt like a disservice not to give you a roundup of where everyone is in their lives, and how they’re feeling at this point in the story, so I wanted to give you some bonus scenes to finish up the wedding, each one from a different POV, so you can see where they are right now, and where they’re going. However, it’s not absolutely imperative to read on. Personally, I prefer some things to be left to the imagination, so if you would prefer that too, it’s okay to stop here.
So… enough of my chat… let’s get back to the party (if you want to)!
Freya
It was real hard to take my eyes off Leah and Radleigh as they danced their first dance as a married couple. The entire room watched in silent awe as they stared into each other’s eyes, laughing gently and sharing the occasional lingering kiss, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, but I wasn’t sure what they were for. Partly, of course, they were joyful tears at seeing my best friend so happy. Impossible not to feel warm and fuzzy witnessing so much love between them. They’d had the roughest year ever, but they’d been strong enough to survive the storms – they deserved this day.
But that wasn’t all.
Since Radleigh mentioned Will in his speech, I’d felt… different. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was going to happen. Leah asked me well in advance if it was okay because she didn’t want to blindside me on the day. And I was more than happy to give my blessing, because everything Radleigh said was true. Will was a big part of Leah’s life – of all our lives. It was fitting to pay tribute to him.
I just hadn’t expected to feel this huge wave of depression crash down on me at the mention of his name.
All of my hopes and dreams had once centred around him. We were supposed to have a wedding day. A family. We were supposed to have everything.
“Come with me.”
Bree’s whisper in my ear made me jump, and I turned to see her holding her hand out to me. Her eyes told me she knew where my mind was taking me, and I turned to Miguel, who sat beside me, lost in his own thoughts.
“I’ll be right back.”
He nodded and smiled, his chocolate brown eyes soft on me.
Turning back to Bree, I took her hand and let her lead me through the mesmerised crowd and outside. The evening air caused goose bumps to pop up on my skin, and I rubbed my arms as I waited for her to speak.
“Talk to me,” she said gently.
I shook my head, biting my lip to hold back the emotion. I didn’t want to do this. Not here. I didn’t want to be selfish. This was Leah and Radleigh’s day and I couldn’t let my emotions become a big deal. If Bree hadn’t seen me, I’d have ridden it out quietly. Smiled my way through the evening, and then maybe when I got home, I’d have had a little cry.
This didn’t happen often anymore. It wasn’t that I didn’t miss Will anymore – obviously – but I didn’t wake up crying now. Didn’t get overwhelmed by it as much. But sometimes, at the weirdest times, I got flashes of the way I’d planned my life, and the reminder that things were so different shook me for a moment.
I didn’t just lose the man I loved, I lost my best friend. And that was what caused my heart to ache the most. I had incredible friends, but there was a bond I’d shared with Will that couldn’t be replicated. Probably never would be.
“Come on,” Bree pressed, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Please, Freya. Just let it go, because if you don’t, it’s going to ruin the rest of your night. Don’t let it eat at you. Tell me.”
Squeezing my eyes closed, I shivered as I felt a tear drip down my cheek. “I miss him, Bree. I miss him so damn much.”
Bree enveloped me in a hug, holding me tight. “I know you do, babe. I know.”
“Why does this still hurt so much? Why isn’t it over yet?”
“Because you loved him. Because you’ll always love him. And no matter what else happens in your life, he’ll always be the one.”
“We had so many plans. And I hate that I’m out here crying on Leah’s wedding day, because I have so much to be happy about! God, I’m so happy for her, Bree. And I’m happy with my life, but right now…” I trailed off, trying to straighten up, but Bree wouldn’t release her grip.
“Don’t beat yourself up for being human. Anyone would feel the same in your position. Days like this are hard. It’s okay.”
“Oh yeah? You think Miguel is going to be okay with me falling apart out here? You think he doesn’t know what this is all about right now?”
Bree slowly eased me away from her so she could look at me. “Miguel understands.”
“Well he shouldn’t.” I shook my head again. “This isn’t fair to him. Maybe I should just…”
Break up with him? I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
“See?” I said, with a bitter laugh. “I’m selfish. I should let him go. Let him find someone who isn’t messed up.”
The thing was, I couldn’t imagine it. Being without him. My heart was already heavy because I was thinking about Will, but it sank into my gut when I considered breaking up with Miguel. He’d been more than just someone to cover my heart with a temporary band-aid. Piece by piece, he’d carefully glued it back together with his kindness, his patience, and his ridiculous sense of humour. I never expected it, never saw it coming, but he meant everything to me now.
That was what made this breakdown worse. I had a man I adored, and who adored me, but this deep-engrained feeling of loss still washed over me sometimes and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“You’re not messed up,” Bree said. “And you don’t need to let Miguel go. He wouldn’t go, anyway.”
I chuckled through my tears. She was right about that. I’d tried hard to push him away at the start. He would have gone if he thought I really wanted that. But he stayed. He fought for us.
“Babe, listen to me.” Bree moved her hands from my shoulders and held onto my hands. “Losing someone isn’t something you just get over and never look back on. You can be the happiest you’ve ever been, and you’ll still have days when you’ll wonder what would be different if he was still here. But you. You are still here. And you deserve to live. You deserve to feel, even if sometimes those feelings hurt like a bitch. It makes you real.” She sighed and lowered her head. “Do you think I don’t still have hard days? I should be waddling around this place with a glass of orange juice in my hand, complaining about my aching back and asking Jude to rub my feet.” She gave me a small smile and a shrug. “But I’m not. I wish I was. But you know what I do have? A husband, a glass of champagne, and endless opportunities to try for another baby. Sure, I miss the one I should still be carrying right now, but that’s not the end of my story. And this isn’t the end of yours.”
Taking a deep breath, I pulled her to me. “When did you get so wise, huh?”
She laughed. “Me? I’m still the ditzy idiot you all know and love. Just a little older.”
“You’ve never been an idiot, Bree. Thank you. Thank you for kicking my ass back onto the right track.”
“Anytime, babe. Now.” She let go of me and smiled brightly. “Let’s get
you back inside to that man of yours!”
Smiling back, I said, “I’ll be in in a sec. I just need a minute.”
She nodded in understanding. “Okay. But don’t be too long or I’ll be coming to find you!”
Miguel
A slow, steady pounding beat inside my chest as I walked towards the exit of the party tent, where Freya had been dragged out by Bree.
I’m no idiot. I saw the look on Freya’s face when Will was mentioned during the speeches, and I knew she was still thinking of him as she watched Leah and Radleigh dance together.
How did I know? Because I knew her. Freya and I had been friends for a long time. Long before it even occurred to me that I might have feelings for her. Being with her had just allowed me to know her more. Know her better. Sometimes better than she knew herself. Plus, she couldn’t help wearing her enormous heart on her sleeve. It was part of who she was. Part of why I fell in love with her.
I never meant to fall in love with her. In truth, I fought hard not to. The first night she kissed me, it felt… alien at first. I wanted to kiss her. But I didn’t want to take advantage of her either. She was broken and tired, and I was just the same. Even though it was wrong, something about it felt so, so right. Somehow, we’d untangled the complicated feelings, and I thought we were in a good place.
Bree passed me on my way out, and she offered me a reassuring smile, but it was hard to accept it just yet. I needed to see Freya for myself.
As I exited the tent, I found her, standing right by the door, her arms wrapped around herself to keep warm and her feet shuffling in another attempt to fend off the cold. Right away, I took off my jacket, and she smiled at me as I wrapped it around her shoulders.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded, perhaps a little too emphatically. I could see she’d been crying from the tear tracks that had marred her cheeks. She still looked beautiful though, with her hair curled and cascading around her shoulders. Her tear-stained face made her look vulnerable, made me want to protect her from the pain she still felt.
“You wanna talk to me?”
She didn’t say anything for a second. Longer than a second, and that thud in my chest beat harder.
This is it. This is the moment when she tells me she can’t do this anymore.
“Miguel.” Freya turned to face me and her eyes met mine. “There’s something I need to tell you, but you can’t interrupt me until I’m done, okay?”
All I could do was nod as I prepared myself for the inevitable let down. This was how it went for me. I’d had a real good run with Freya. Almost a year. But ultimately, I’m always the friend. Maybe I should try being an asshole to women. That had always worked out well for McCoy. Although, after his breakdown during his speech, it was clear he wasn’t as much of an asshole as he pretended to be. But women, as a rule, seem to prefer the guy who gives them a hard time.
That just wasn’t my style.
“I need to apologise,” Freya began, and she let out a huge sigh, pushing a hand through her hair. “I should have warned you today would be rough for me, I just didn’t know how hard it was going to be. I should never have put you through this. Like always, I knew you’d know how I feel, but I still should have talked to you about it instead of pretending I was fine.”
“Freya-”
She held up her hand. “Miguel, please. I need to say this.”
Again, I just nodded. What else could I do? I’d have much preferred she got to the point right away instead of giving me the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech, but this wouldn’t be easy on her. Like I said, heart on her sleeve.
“When we got together,” she went on, “I didn’t know where we were going. If we were going anywhere, or if we were just holding on to each other out of fear, and grief, and desperation. It’s taken me a long time to figure out what you mean to me, and whether being with you is the right thing for both of us. Sometimes I get scared, Miguel. Really, really scared that I’ve been stringing you along when I don’t really love you the way I’m supposed to. I get scared about that when I think about Will, because you should never, ever be second best. You should be with someone who puts you first. Who thinks the stars shine in your eyes, and who would be completely lost without you.”
I looked away from her as my hands started to shake. This isn’t happening. This is not happening.
“But see,” she said, “it’s never been that black and white with us. There have always been a lot of shades of grey because of the way we got together. But over time… the grey has faded. For me, it’s becoming clear what the answer is. Days like today make me question myself, but, Miguel…” When she trailed off, I looked up at her, and she rested her hands on my cheeks and looked deep into my eyes. “I do think the stars shine in your eyes. I would be lost without you. And I do love you. In every way a woman is supposed to love a man. And when you asked me about marriage before… I didn’t hesitate because I don’t want that. It’s just fear, you know? Of falling even more in love with you. Of letting myself completely trust that you’re not going to hurt me.”
Relief rushed through my veins, and I pulled her close to me, my beautiful, sweet girl, and hugged her. “I thought you were going to…” I stopped and let out a breath. “I thought this was over.”
Freya shook her head. “No way. I’m not letting you go. Not ever.”
Bree
I sat down beside Jude just as Leah and Radleigh’s first dance was ending. I wished I hadn’t missed it, but Freya needed a friend, and I couldn’t let her sit there suffering in silence. My heart hurt for her. I’d suffered plenty of loss in my life, but I couldn’t begin to imagine how I’d cope if I lost the love of my life. I doubted I would cope at all.
“Is everything okay?” Jude asked, slipping his hand into mine.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Freya just had a moment, but Miguel’s with her now.”
My eyes fell back on Leah and Radleigh. Deanna had just handed Jessica over to Leah, and Jayden had his little arms around Leah and Radleigh’s legs. I guessed Deanna was going to take the kids and put them to bed. They looked beat. Deanna had offered to babysit the children and miss the end of the party so Leah and Radleigh wouldn’t have to worry about them. Most of Leah’s family were spending the night in their house, while Leah and Radleigh were going to spend their wedding night in a very exclusive hotel.
They really were the cutest little family; happiness seemed to radiate from them all, as it should on their wedding day.
“We’ll have that one day, you know?” Jude said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
I looked over at him and smiled. “I know.”
Jude pressed his lips to my forehead. “I’m proud of you, Bree.”
“Oh yeah?” I looked into his eyes, my heart melting. “How so?”
“You’ve been so strong this year. You’ve had a lot to cope with but you’ve still managed to put a smile on your face and keep working, and keep being there for your friends. We’ve been together a long time, but I’m still kinda in awe of you every single day.”
Jude knew better than anyone how hard things had been since we lost our baby. We held each other together, but the one thing I had always loved about him was that, although he was always desperate to protect me from any pain, he didn’t wrap me up in cotton wool and try to stop me feeling it. He knew when I needed him to talk to me, and when I needed him to let me keep going and just get through it. He was my hero. Had been since the day we met.
“I feel the same,” I told him. “I know I’m hard work some days, but you handle me pretty well.”
He laughed, and the sound of the deep, throaty chuckle made my stomach flip over. “You’re not hard work. You’re amazing. And,” he added, whispering in my ear, “you look absolutely stunning in that dress.”
The look of fond adoration in his eyes made me smile. Jude wasn’t arrogant sexy like Radleigh, he was sweet sexy, and every time he gave me that look, I wanted to take him home an
d jump his bones.
But we had a wedding party to get through first.
“Well,” I said, kissing him softly, “in a few hours, you’ll get to help me take it off.”
He grinned. “Looking forward to it.”
Jesse
Just when I thought the wedding couldn’t get any more romantic, the lead singer of the band told us to go outside as there was one more thing to see. It took a while to usher everyone from the party tent out into Leah and Radleigh’s huge yard. The evening had gotten cold and dark, and I wrapped my arms around Izzy to keep her warm, her back pressed to my front. She looked at me over her shoulder and smiled before facing front again, waiting to see what was about to happen.
All around us, many other couples were standing in a similar position to Izzy and me, the guys’ arms wound around their partners to block out the chill. Bree and Jude stood beside us, the two of them laughing about something, their eyes lit up with complete love for one another.
I hoped Izzy saw that in my eyes when I looked at her. As improbable as it was, we’d survived the distance. It hadn’t been easy, but it’s amazing how much easier it is to maintain a relationship with Facetime and Skype. At least we could see each other when we were talking. Not gonna lie, it sucked not to be with her all the time, but we were in a strange position. Since we’d only had a couple of weeks together when we first met, we were just used to the distance. We hadn’t been together then separated, we’d grown the relationship via insanely long calls and as many visits as we could fit in between my job and Izzy being at uni.
A loud bang startled me from my thoughts, accompanied by a bright flash of purple stars lighting up the sky.
“Oh!” Izzy gasped, again looking over her shoulder at me and smiling. “I love fireworks!”
Her sweet enthusiasm made me smile. “Me too.”
I hoped the kids hadn’t fallen asleep in the house yet, because the noise of the explosions would surely wake them. On the other hand, they’d looked pretty exhausted when Deanna and Mitch had led them out of the party. Maybe they were tired enough to sleep through it. I looked up to the house and laughed. Deanna, Jayden, Jamie and Grace were all watching through the window. I guessed Mitch was putting Jessica to bed.