Mine Would Be You (103)
His grip tightens as we just lay there, Bane jumping excitedly behind us until I sit up and let Jackson breathe. Bane comes over and shoves his head in my hands and I laugh. I’m still only looking at Jackson when he slips the ring on my finger and sits up, cupping both my cheeks, which I’m sure are flushed and patchy and bright red, but he doesn’t care.
Both dimples shine through. “I love you so much.”
“Good, ‘cause you are stuck with me now,” I mumble before leaning forward and kissing him, letting all of this sink in. I’m engaged to Jackson Ross.
When I pull back, I look at the ring, the silver band studded with simple diamonds and a stunning six prong solitaire, and it glimmers in the cloudy sky, and my eyes start prickling again. Because it’s simple and perfect and beautiful even amidst the clouds, just like Jackson, just like the time we’ve spent together.
He pinches my butt, mumbling against my lips, “Say it back.”
Bane barks from where he lays right next to us, his head on his paws and his tail wagging over the pavement as he watches us. I laugh and brush my thumb over his cheek, over the freckles I have memorized and the little scar on his cheek and the way his breath hitches just slightly and the way I get to spend the rest of my life with him.
“I love you forever, Jackson.”
• • •
Dad snakes his arm through my own.
Looking up at him, my heart beats nervously in my chest as I squeeze his forearm. He smiles down, gray peppering his neatly trimmed scruff and his head, but he still looks young.
“You ready, kid?” he asks, clearing his throat as he pats my hand.
I look out the back window of the Hamptons house onto the beach, where everyone is seated in a neat semi-circle. Flowers are situated to form an aisle. Jackson waits at the end, with Roman, Mateo, and Myles standing next to him. The house doesn’t even look like the house anymore—it’s been transformed. A neat, modern bar is set up on the back porch that we extended a year ago and seating is arranged both on the deck and inside as well. The same flowers, down on the beach, line the deck stairs and are arranged beautifully around the décor.
I hear the music start, and the girls who are lined up on the porch turn around with smiles, Emma at the front, followed by Veah, and then Harper and Sloan. Harper sends me a wink as she and Sloan take the tail end of the walk since I made them both my maids of honor, and I grin back, watching them walk down the stairs and onto the sand in sage green.
I think back to the proposal, almost two years ago. My nerves are firing, but I’ve been ready since the day he asked me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I squeeze his arm. “Is it normal to be nervous?”
He reaches out and carefully adjusts the shoulder strap of my deep V, lace-covered dress. “Yes, it’s normal. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t.” He smiles and walks us forward to the door, and my heartbeat quickens. “But that boy out there loves you.” He reaches for my left hand, twisting the engagement ring. “Held on to this ring for two years, you know.”
My eyes widen, glancing down to the ring. “No, he didn’t.”
Dad grins. “He did. He would do anything for you, Nina. You are the best daughter, the best person I ever could’ve helped raise. Parental love and romantic love are different. Not really comparable. But if anyone could rival the love I have for you as my daughter and my friend, it’s him. I have no doubt that he’ll do everything he can to make you happy and you’ll do the same for him. And that’s all I care about.”
I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
He opens both of the French doors, and warmth surrounds us immediately. The smell of the sea and the salt permeates the air as we walk across the porch. We pause on the steps, and I finally look up to see Jackson’s eyes are locked on me. Suddenly, I feel like I can do anything. Bane sits next to him, all grown up and ears perked. Jackson keeps his eyes on me as I slowly step down the stairs with my dad next to me, holding me tightly, just in case I fall.
His mom is standing next to mine, both of them in tears, and I feel tears prick in my eyes when I see the empty seat we chose to leave for Jackson’s dad. I tried to drag Jenko out here, but Mr. People Hater refused. But I saw him sitting on the windowsill of the bedroom right before I walked out, so I know he’s watching too.
My feet hit the sand. It covers my skin, and I know this is the final stretch. I can see him clearer now, blue eyes shining, and the ocean dulls in comparison. Both dimples are on full display just before he dips his head with a shake and squeezes his hands tightly in front of him. Roman pats him on the back, and Bane nudges his hand as he looks back up.
I try to fight my own smile, but I can’t help it, because he’s looking at me like he always has. Like I’m the only thing that exists. Like I’m the only sun in the sky.
Before I know it, I’m standing before him and my dad is kissing me on the cheek and patting him on the back. But Dad pulls me in for a tight hug. “I love you, kid. You deserve the best.” He squeezes my arms before pulling away and going to his seat, leaving me with tears in my eyes.
I look up and see the wetness in Jackson’s eyes as he takes my hands, and my heart flutters, warmth spreading over my skin like the mist of the ocean when you get closer to the waves.
The justice of the peace, Uncle Mike, starts talking, but I’m barely listening. “You crying over me, Ross?” I whisper because we’re in our own little world. Squeezing his hand tightly in my own, thumbing over his ring finger that won’t be so bare in a few moments.