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The best part is Jackson is holding my hand, and he kisses it as we stand there, looking at the crowd.
“I’ll let the piranhas get you,” Jackson says, leaning in to kiss my neck. Emily, Annie, and Whitney descend on me, their eyes curious.
“He bought you a house,” Emily says. “I assume you took him back.”
I nod. “Thank you for agreeing to the proceeds from the root beer.”
Emily flips her hand. “Don’t worry about it. We wouldn’t have the root beer without you, and obviously we love dogs here.”
They all hug me, and when Whitney pulls me in, she says, “I want to be your first donor. I have a check for you. To help you get started.”
“You don’t have to, Whitney, I have more than enough.”
“You’re helping me out. I’m gonna get murdered in taxes this year.” She hands me a check, and I put it in my crossbody Mandy Moore bag. Whitney plays off her generosity, but she is one of the most giving people I know.
Jackson returns to me with a smile and hands me a root beer, and we clink our glasses together.
“It’s weird seeing you happy, brother,” Emily says.
“She does it to me,” he says, kissing the top of my head. The women cooed, and Annie’s eyes leak as she rubs her swollen stomach.
“I can’t handle this,” Annie says.
The opening beat of “It’s Gonna Be Me” by NSYNC booms through the speakers and the sparse crowd takes notice.
It’s tough not to dance to this song.
Whitney turns to Emily. “Let’s go.”
“I’m going to sit down,” Annie says. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” we say in unison.
Thumper is the DJ tonight. He’s wearing a clean baseball cap, while his girlfriend, Izzie, stands by the stage. They’re laughing about something, and he grabs her by the waist, kissing her neck.
“What Mandy Moore song should I request?” Jackson asks, leaning in.
I shuffle through her catalog until I land on the right one.
“‘Cry’,” I say.
“‘Cry’.” He looks at me with a lifted eyebrow. “Why that one?”
“That’s when I knew I was falling for you. That night at the lake. You cried.”
He laughs as he takes me in his arms. “I did.”
He walks to the stage and talks to Thumper as the song winds down.
“This one goes out to the sweetest person we all know. Shiloh, here’s your Mandy Moore.”
“I’ll always remember...” starts playing over the speakers, and Jackson walks to me, offering his hand.
I take it and he pulls me onto the dance floor, wrapping an arm around my back, pulling me close. I rest my head on his chest as he holds me.
“This feels right,” I say. “I always knew it was.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”
