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I press my lips deeply into hers, a kiss so full of passion I don’t have to doubt if it’s genuine. I feel it. I feel her hands on my face, her body pressed close to mine. I feel my arms around her waist, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I feel… alive.
It’s all I need. I want to stay like this all day. But Brinn has other ideas.
She pulls away suddenly. “We gotta go.”
“Nope, I’m pretty happy right where we’re at.” I lean in again, but she stops me.
“Jackson.” She giggles. I love the sound of her laughter. “We need to go back to the party.”
“I don’t care about the party.” I try to sneak a path to her lips, but she continues dodging left and right until I give up.
She cups my cheeks firmly in her hands, making me focus. “I want you to have it all, and you can. We can still go celebrate our engagement so you can take over the company. I want to marry you, eventually, when we’re both ready. For now, there’s no rule that says we can’t have the world’s longest engagement. What matters is that we’re together, and it’s real. No one can take that away from us, even Trevor.”
My face lights up with the possibility of having everything I want at the same time. This is why I love her. “Ok, let’s do it!”
***
Kennedy pulls the car up to the front of the house, but there’s no one there.
We're too late. They’ve all gone home already.
We rush into the foyer and hear faint conversations coming from out back. Thank goodness. I take Brinn’s hand, and we walk out to the pool area where everyone’s gathered. I see my parents and grandparents sitting in the pergola, looking serious.
We head straight for them. Dad taps Mom on the shoulder when he sees us coming. Before we can say hello, she is squeezing us tightly.
She pulls away and takes Brinn’s hands in her. “Brinn. I’m so happy you’re here!”
“Me too, Mrs. Reed. Thank you so much for hosting the party. It’s amazing.”
“Please, call me Amanda.” She pinches Brinn on the cheek. Brinn beams back at her.
“Ok, Amanda.”
I motion to my dad and grandparents. “Come on out, please.” Brinn and I receive congratulatory hugs from each of them. They each fawn over Brinn. I love it.
When they’re finished, I turn to the guests. “Everyone, please come on over.” I wave my arms, encouraging them all to get closer. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, everyone is in one big circle around the pool, all eyes on us.
I lock my fingers with Brinn's. “Sorry for the delay everyone. I want to thank you all for coming. It means so much to be surrounded by all the people we care about.”
As I finish those words, Brinn’s brother Greyson and her parents make their way to the front of the crowd. Brinn gasps when she sees them then turns to me and mouths, “Thank you.” I sent a quick text to Greyson in the car on the way back telling him to hurry over with details of what was happening. I’m so thankful their parents came too. Brinn deserves to have family who support her.
I continue. “I know most of you haven’t met this lovely lady standing by my side, so let me tell you a little bit about her.” I squeeze her hand. “She is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She is the sunshine in my day. She brought me back from the depths of pain and helped me heal, both physically and mentally.” Audible “aws” waft through the crowd.
“This celebration marks the beginning of our lives together. I never want to be without out her.” I lean down to kiss Brinn on the cheek. Her smile shows me everything is just as it should be. The journey to get here was worth it.
I turn back to the crowd, unable to hold in my excitement a moment longer. “So, without further ado,” I raise our clasped hands in the air, “this is Brinn Parker. My fiancée.”
The End
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