“Jemma?”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
He must have taken her silence to mean she was angry or reluctant to see him because he said, “I need you. I’ve been a huge idiot asshole about all of this.”
She pressed her palm against the door.
“I thought you’d be better off without me. But now I see that neither one of us is better off like that. Us being together is the most important thing. You were right about that.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Haven’t you figured it out yet? I’d do anything for you. I can’t even think of what life was before I knew you. Did any time before you came back into my life exist? It certainly didn’t matter. I don’t wanna think about what it’ll be like when you’re gone again. Because I don’t want you to be gone again. You are me. Without you, I’m just Davis. And that’s not enough.”
Jemma pressed her trembling fingers to her lips.
“Remember that day? You probably don’t remember. I bet you didn’t even see me, come to think of it. It was back in high school. You were spending the night with Emily Rose and I was there to pick Tara up for a date. You were so perfect to me. It almost broke my heart to look at you. I loved you so much in that moment. I knew that no matter what came between us, my heart would always be chained to you.”
She opened the door.
Davis stood before her, his blue eyes bright with unshed tears. “I wanted you. I wanted to run my fingers across the smooth, brown skin of your arms. To pull you close and bury my face in your hair. To tell you that no one and nothing could ever change how I felt about you. Twirling that lock of hair in your fingers, dancing around in that orange tank top, not knowing you were stealing my heart. Unconscious beauty. That’s part of what’s always made you so perfect to me.”
Finally, Jemma swallowed the lump down in her throat enough to speak. “I’m nowhere close to—”
“I said perfect to me. That’s all that matters.”
Those words nearly brought Jemma to her knees.
“You are the light inside of me where it’s dark and almost dead. Even when I don’t want to admit it. This love is oppressive. But in a good way.”
“So, you want me to believe that love is magic and that after all of this, we can be together? We can be happy?” Jemma wanted to believe even as she spoke the words. “Just yesterday, you didn’t seem to believe that yourself.”
“I know I hurt you. I know you’re sad. But if you don’t come back to me, I might be stuck inside this mean, small person I am forever. I’m asking you to save me this one last time. I’m hoping your heart’s big enough to fold me inside of it, flaws and ugliness and all. I can’t promise that I’ll never be a jerk again. But I can promise that I’ll never leave your side again.”
“You can really promise me that?”
“I want you to marry me, Jemma. I don’t know how I could make a more legit promise to be with you always than that.”
“You want me to what?”
He smiled. “Be my wife. Be with me always.”
“Like Tara was?”
Davis looked away and his smile faltered. “That was a mistake. I told you that. It’s always been you. I don’t know how I can make you see that, but I promise to spend the rest of my life finding a way. And making up for all the bad I’ve done to you.”
“I loved you with all of my heart, Davis, and it nearly killed me. Twice.”
“And now? Could you love me now?” Davis moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t fight it, but she didn’t hug back, either.
“I never stopped. But giving into it again . . . I need to be sure. Really, really sure.”
“I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go get our ring. Set a date. Please, tell me what I have to do to keep you. Don’t tell me there’s nothing I can do. Like last time. I won’t believe that.”
She put her arms around him and ran her hands up and down his back. “I don’t want a long engagement. We get married Labor Day weekend.”
“Done.”
“And you tell Mary.”
“I already have. I went to see her at the store because I knew I wasn’t going to lose you this time without a fight. The fight of my life for the love of my life.”
She pulled back a little and studied his face, trying to put words together in her head. His teeth closed over his lower lip and the corners of his mouth turned up in a grin. He took her hand. “Let’s go.”
She let him pull her along. “Where we going?”
“The jewelry store.”
“The jewelry store won’t be open for hours.”
He shrugged. His eyes shone in a way she hadn’t seen in ages. That light was her undoing. “We’ll be the first customers of the day.”
“You’re nuts,” she said. “Hold on, I have to get my stuff.” She ran into her room, grabbed her purse, and ran out of the house with him. She paused only to lock the front door. Even though Mary’s house was surrounded by the woods and her closest neighbor was a few miles away, Jemma felt better with the door locked.
They clambered down the steps, managing to not trip over each other most of the way to the car.
“It’s hard to believe yesterday happened right now,” she said as they got in the car.
His face grew serious and he took her hands, lacing their fingers together. “I wish it hadn’t.”
“What happened between then and now?”
“I’ve done a lot of talking with a lot of people in a short amount of time.” He kissed her fingers. “A long talk with Lydia. A little soul-searching. A talk with Mary, too. I called Cole and talked with him, and Codie, too. I realized how right everyone was but me.” He looked at her with soulful eyes. “And I thought a lot about how horrible life without you really is.”
She kissed his cheek.
He rested his forehead against hers. “You were right. I’ve been holding back.”
She squeezed his hands.
“Bill was never easy to live with, but I think I started to understand him by the end.” He told her about Pennsylvania, the party he’d gotten drunk at the night he screwed up his knee, living with Cole and getting kicked out of his house, and moving back in with Bill. He told her everything. About his drunken appearance at Bill’s funeral. All that’d happened after. Right up until the moment his brothers and mother had come into town and all that happened as a result of that. He ended by telling her that his brothers had gone back to Pennsylvania after promising to bring their families down for many visits in the future.
When he was done talking, she reached up and kissed him softly, linking her fingers behind his neck. And then they made love in the car because they knew they’d never make it back inside the house. They needed each other too much to allow that to happen.
They drove around for the rest of the night with the windows down, letting the heavy yet cool air into the car. They talked and laughed about everything and nothing, just wanting to hear the sound of each other’s voices. Their hands remained locked together over the console the entire time.
They were indeed the first customers at the jewelry store that morning. The owner was holding his morning coffee and yawning when they got out of the car and met him at the door, holding hands. He froze, holding the key in front of the lock to the door. His bulbous nose made the rest of his face look small in comparison.
“Hi, Mr. Ennes,” Jemma said. He was one of two jewelers in Derring, and he’d been there all of Jemma’s life.
“Morning.” He nodded at both of them, his expression remaining bemused and foggy with sleep. He’d never been a morning person.
“Can we come in?”
He unlocked the door and pushed it open. Then he made the wise move of stepping back so that he was not bowled over by the overenthusiastic couple.
“We need a ring,” Davis said to Mr. Ennes, but his eyes remained on her.
Mr. Ennes ran a hand over his graying hair. “Um, well, I, uh, I’m not really
open yet. Just got here. Store opens at nine . . .” He looked down at his watch.
Jemma looked at her cell phone screen. It was a little past eight thirty.
“I know it’s early, but we just got engaged and we have to have a ring.” Davis kissed Jemma’s bare hand and then held it up for emphasis.
Mr. Ennes gave a slight smile. He locked the door and headed over to the counter. “Congratulations, you two. Let’s see what I have here.”
Jemma and Davis picked the perfect ring together, thanked Mr. Ennes, and left.
“Let’s go show it to Mary. And then your mom,” Jemma said, staring down at the ring.
He kissed her cheek. “Whatever you want.”
She smiled. They put their arms around each other and walked to the car.
Chapter 32
Emily Rose shrieked into her ear for a good five minutes when Jemma called to tell her. She scolded Jemma for not calling her the minute it happened—even though she’d been the first person Jemma called—for all of five seconds before devolving into squeals about wedding plans.
“So have you guys set a date yet?” Emily Rose asked when she calmed down enough to use full sentences again.
“Yeah. We’re doing it Labor Day weekend.”
“This year?”
“Yeah, in less than two months.”
“Jemma, that is not enough time. Do you know nothing about weddings?”
“I know I don’t want a big one. I don’t want all the fancy stuff. That was never me. I just want Davis.”
“Well, you’re at least having a reception.”
“Who’s gonna plan it?”
“Who do you think?”
“You’re in New York. Don’t you have a job?”
“Not yet. I think I’m going to end up subbing this year after all. Anyway, what’s more important than you and Davis getting married? This is huge. I have to tell everyone I know.”
Jemma laughed. “With you on the case, I’ll save a lot of money on invitations.”
“Leave it to me and Mom. You won’t be sorry.”
“I believe it.”
“Great. I gotta go. I gotta tell Michael, I gotta tell Mom. Have you told Mom yet? Even if you have, I still have to call her. We have a reception to plan. You haven’t given us much time!”
Jemma held her phone to her chest after she ended the call and smiled.
***
Jemma and Davis had asked the Bradens if they could have their reception at the lake house, and they’d been overjoyed. Emily Rose said she’d almost died from how romantic it was for them to have it there. Their only request in return was that they have the wedding there, too, instead of at town hall. Eventually, Jemma agreed.
Jemma hadn’t wanted a big wedding, and, for the most part, she’d won on that. Lydia had insisted on redesigning her wedding dress and giving it to Jemma as something old. Lydia had her sister send the dress from her storage unit in Colorado to Lydia in Virginia. She’d shortened and updated it so that it was way better than anything Jemma could have gotten from a store. Lydia had done a great job, and Jemma thought she should go into business for herself as a seamstress. Lydia had been too modest to take her seriously.
The dress was simple, silk and form-fitting. It hit just below Jemma’s knees. It had spaghetti straps. The top was bodice-like, but not too constricting. Jemma cried the first time she tried it on.
The night before the wedding, Jemma, Emily Rose, and Mrs. Braden set up a few things on the beach so that they’d have less to do the next day. They were putting out the chairs, hanging a few decorations, and preparing some other things that wouldn’t get destroyed by being outside overnight.
Emily Rose said as she handed Jemma a chair, “Things really came together, huh?”
“Yeah.” Jemma took the chair, unfolded it, and set it in the sand. “Thanks. I don’t know that I’d be here without you. And I don’t even want to think about not being here.”
“No thanks needed. You’re happy and that’s all that matters.” She hugged Jemma. “After all the years of—well, the important thing is you’re really happy. And that means so much to me.”
“Ugh. I’m gonna cry again. Why can’t I stop?”
They laughed.
Things were so good. She’d decided to freelance for Dale Bigby until she could decide whether she wanted to look for a marketing job or start her own business as a consultant. She’d felt kind of horrible leaving them stranded like she had, and a lot of the things they needed help with could be done via telecommuting. Dana had been thrilled about the idea, and that was a huge relief. With everything falling into place, she finally felt peace. Happiness. She finally felt like she didn’t have to be on the defensive just to survive.
“Here they come,” Emily Rose said.
Jemma smiled at the loud group coming toward them, singing a song she didn’t recognize. Davis’s brothers, Michael, and Seth were stealing him for the night so that bride and groom could keep the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding. Davis was in the middle of the group, and he was the loudest and most obnoxious singer of the five.
“Yeah.” She couldn’t believe there’d been a time, and not so long ago, when she hadn’t realized he was everything she needed.
He pulled Jemma aside and into a long, wonderfully suffocating kiss.
“I’m gonna miss you so much,” he whispered into her hair.
“We’re gonna see each other in a few hours.” Jemma wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling.
“Yeah, but those are going to be really, really long hours.”
“You’re right.”
“Hours? I can’t do this.” He bent down and brushed his lips against hers.
She pulled him to her in a deep kiss.
“Okay, if I don’t leave right now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to.” He gave her a last quick kiss and then pulled away. “I can’t wait until tomorrow.”
“Me, either.”
“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” he said with a wink. They laughed. “But we won’t end up dead any time soon.”
“Thank you for making me happier than I’ve ever been, Romeo.”
“Thank you for giving me all the chances I needed to get it right, Juliet.”
“Okay. Now get going.” She blew him air kisses and waved him away.
He caught every single kiss, backing to the spot where his brothers and Seth stood, shouting for him to hurry up.
***
They went to a bar near the motel where they were going to spend the night. Davis hadn’t wanted a bachelor party, but they insisted on “at least one drink.” He knew what that meant. For them, anyway. He ordered a Coke.
Seth sat next to Davis at their table. “I guess I’m earning my keep, huh?” He laughed.
“If you say so,” Davis said, laughter rippling through his words. Seth was handling the sale of the house. Davis was keeping his house. Better than that, his brothers were signing it over completely to him. By the time he got back from his honeymoon, the papers would be ready and he’d sign, making him the sole owner. Lydia was going to stay there as long as she needed to. That was good since they were still trying to get to know each other. And they still had some rough spots to work through in their relationship.
He didn’t care too much where he was or what he was doing, though, as long as Jemma was with him. He’d really lucked out with her. After all he’d put her through, she still hadn’t given up on him. Thank goodness for that because she meant the world to him. She always had. He planned to make sure she knew that all day every day for the rest of their days.
“I say so. Now, we just have to get you a job,” Seth said.
“Yeah. Know any magic?” Davis had burned just about all his bridges in Derring County when it came to employment.
“No, but I know a guy. Friend of mine who works over at Parks and Rec. They’re thinking of starting up a lacrosse division. They could use a good coach.”
“Yeah, but that�
�s a part-time thing, right?”
“You didn’t let me finish. I think you should go back to school.”
“You do?” He’d never really thought about it before.
“Yeah. Why not? Coach high school lacrosse. We’ve needed a real coach at Derring High ever since your old coach retired. Ever think about that?”
“No,” Davis said slowly.
“Maybe you should.”
He turned his glass in circles on the table and watched the condensation pool on the table’s lacquered black surface. “Yeah. Maybe I should.” He sat back in the booth and looked around at the faces of his brothers, Michael, and Seth. “You have a card? For that Parks and Rec guy?”
“Not on me, but come by my office as soon as you get back from your trip.”
“Will do,” Davis said. He took a sip of his drink and sucked up an ice cube to chew on. “Definitely.”
“Good.”
“And thanks again. For the loan,” Davis said. He’d borrowed money from Seth to pay for his honeymoon trip.
“Yeah, you keep calling it a loan, but it’s a gift. A wedding gift. And if you ever try to pay me back, I’m not taking the money.”
Davis grinned. “I know you were joking earlier, but you’ve more than earned your keep.”
He shrugged. “I have three daughters. I love ’em to death, but it’s nice to have a son sometimes, too.”
He laughed, throwing an arm around Seth. “Works for me.”
Chapter 33
Jemma managed to smile at all the familiar faces smiling back at her. Her stomach churned with nerves, and walking down the aisle on sand was no easy task even in low-heeled sandals. Despite her nerves and the sand, seeing the faces of the people who meant most to her warmed her heart. Emily Rose, Wendell, Lydia, and even Davis’s brothers. And of course Mary. Mary was right next to her, as a matter of fact, giving her away.
Jemma looked next to Davis where Codie stood. She was Davis’s best man or woman or whatever. She wore a slinky silver dress that worked well on her small form. She smiled at Jemma and mouthed that she was so happy. Jemma smiled back.
After Mary gave her away, Jemma’s world became Davis. It was a good thing they were having a DVD made because she missed her entire wedding, lost in Davis’s eyes. Still not able to believe it was happening. She had to be prompted to say “I do” and she stumbled all over her vows. Davis thought it was adorable and said so in his vows, which were the only part of the ceremony she was able to concentrate on. Well, besides the kiss, of course.
The Davis Years (Indigo) Page 24