Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-One
JESSA
E llie practically yanked my arm out of the socket as she dragged me into the kitchen, where the girls were helping Grandma June with brunch. I expected her reaction, but it surprised me that I kind of liked it this time.
“Guess who Jessa spent the night in the treehouse with!” Ellie announced to the entire household.
I dropped my head as everyone looked our way.
Penny dropped the spatula. “No! Really?”
“Way to go, Jessa,” Tally teased.
They surrounded me with a group hug, which I fought against.
“Oh, you girls.” Grandma June chuckled, and Ellie swiftly crossed the room and hugged her.
“It worked!” Ellie cried.
“I had a feeling it would,” Grandma June replied.
“What worked?” I asked.
They grinned at each other, then at me, and the looks on their faces told me they’d been up to something.
Ethan came into the kitchen with Cooper just then. I noticed how tousled his hair was from bedhead, and my stomach somersaulted as I remembered our night together.
“This calls for a toast,” Ellie proclaimed.
“No, that’s not necessary, Ell.” I knew my words would be ignored, but I had to say it.
“Nonsense.” Ellie took my hand and brought me over to stand next to Ethan, then went for the champagne flutes of orange juice on the countertop.
“Please don’t make a big deal about this,” I begged as Ethan slid his arm around behind my waist.
“Just us girls, okay?” Ellie handed me and Ethan a glass and then Penny, Tally, and Grandma June. She had such a big smile on her face that I relented.
She looked back and forth between me and Ethan and pressed her lips together as she waved a hand in front of her teary eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening. I’m so happy for you both. May your new relationship bring you all the happiness you deserve.” Ellie raised her glass. “To Jessa and Ethan.”
“It’s about time!” Penny exclaimed.
My face warmed from the attention as they held their glasses out and clinked them with mine and Ethan’s.
I looked over and caught Ethan’s eye, and we exchanged little smiles as we sipped our OJ.
The girls dispersed, and Ellie hugged me again. “You really do deserve the best,” she spoke quietly in my ear. “And my brother is it.”
“You might be biased.”
“True.” She squeezed and let go. “This is like the best wedding present I ever could’ve gotten.”
“I wish I’d known that ahead of time. It would’ve saved me a bunch of money.”
She smacked my arm playfully.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked her.
“Sure, you can.”
We went down the hallway into Ellie’s old bedroom, and I closed the door behind us and looked at her seriously.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“I’m scared, Ell.”
Her eyebrows raised.
“I know admitting that isn’t normal for me, but you know Ethan. He has a big personality, and he has big ideas when it comes to us. I’m afraid I won’t be able to live up to them.”
“You’re right. My brother loves with all his heart, and his heart is set on you. I think it has been for a long time.”
“What if I hurt him?”
“I know you’re skittish about relationships, but I also know you’re capable of great love, Jessa. Just be careful with him. I love my brother, and I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“I like him, Ell.”
She smiled.
“A lot.” Unexpected tears threatened, and I tried to blink them away. “I’m just so afraid I’ll end up bolting like my mother did. I’m worried I won’t be able to do the whole happily ever after thing, and he’ll end up heartbroken like my dad.”
Ellie came closer and took my hands in hers. “You won’t be like your mom if you don’t want to be. That was a choice she made, and you won’t do the same.”
I sniffled as a tear fell.
“And as much as I love romance movies and happily ever afters, I also know that they aren’t always realistic.”
My mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you’re saying that.”
She smiled. “I know. Everything isn’t always perfect for people who fall in love, but I just know you’ll be happy and in love and get married and be my sister for real.”
“And I thought Ethan would have big expectations about us.” I let go of her hands and batted away a tear.
She giggled as Grandma June stuck her head in the door. “Time to eat.”
“Gram, can you help us with something?” Ellie asked.
She came inside and closed the door. “What’s the matter, dear?”
“Jessa’s nervous about starting a relationship with Ethan.”
“I’m afraid I’ll hurt him,” I said.
Ellie and I repeated the rest of what I’d already told her, and Grandma sat down and patted the bed. We took a seat on either side of her, and she grabbed one of each of our hands.
“I’m going to tell you both this while I’ve got you here. Marriage is beautiful, especially with someone who is also your best friend, but it’s not easy. It’s hard work. It’s two imperfect people coming together, choosing to commit no matter what, deciding every single day that you will love them. But some days, you’re just trying to get through without killing each other.”
Ellie and I chuckled.
“Sometimes, you might feel like walking away, but you must decide to stay, to talk through the fights, to work through the problems, to learn how to compromise. And if you do, you will find the deepest love and admiration for another person. You will have a true partner for life.” Grandma June’s eyes filled with tears.
“Gram.” Ellie cupped her grandmother’s hand between both of hers.
“I had a very happy life with your grandfather, and I miss him every day. The hard times, the bad days, the seasons when we weren’t so sure we’d make it, were all worth it for the amazing life I had with him. We fought our fannies off to create a life of love and respect and passion.” She squeezed our hands. “That’s what I want for you girls. And you will have it if you remember these words I’m telling you right now.”
She looked in my direction, targeting her words to me. “I’m sorry your parents weren’t able to show you what a happy marriage should look like. But you don’t have to follow in their footsteps.”
“But I did have a good example,” I told them. “In Dwayne and Jody. I can remember them laughing together often, and I also remember hearing them bicker and fight sometimes. I never questioned their love for each other, though. To me, they had a solid, happy marriage that would last.”
Ellie wiped away tears. “They were happy, weren’t they?”
Grandma nodded. “Yes, I believe they were.”
We put our arms around Grandma June and shared a group hug.
“Thank you,” I said. “Both of you. I needed this.”
“You’re going to be okay, Jessalyn,” Grandma said. “No matter what happens with Ethan.”
I gave her a little smile as we all stood and headed to the kitchen.
“But you’re going to marry him, right?” The hope in Ellie’s voice was unmistakable.
I rolled my eyes at her. “Always a hopeless romantic.”
She giggled. “And proud of it.”
After a nice breakfast on the patio spent talking about how the wedding day went and joking around about the faux wedding we’d pulled off, Ellie and Cooper opened their wedding gifts. It was a whole lot of household goods from their registry and a few sentimental gifts—like a quilt passed down through the generations from Grandma June and a set of china that belonged to Cooper’s great-grandmother.
When they’d finished, Tally and Nora approached Ellie.
“Nora would like to show you the video she put together of all your wedding events,” Tally said.
“I edited it all by myself,” Nora proudly proclaimed.
“Oh my goodness, Nora. That’s amazing.” Ellie gave her a hug and took her hand. “Let’s go inside and watch it.”
Ellie corralled the rest of us, and Nora smiled from ear to ear as they walked into the house.
Everyone crowded into the living room and found a seat. Ellie took the couch, front and center, along with Tally and her stepdaughters, and I sat on the arm of the couch, watching Ethan get the television all set up for the video. When he was done, he sat on the floor in front of me, leaning against my legs.
The video began with footage of the day at Glass Lake, and everyone commented on the weather that day and the sight of the towering cumulonimbus clouds we had no idea would become something so serious. There was footage of people swimming and sitting around the lawn and beach, the Mills family’s dog, Rowdy, running around, and Nora’s two younger sisters playing in the water with Luke’s niece Sasha. Most of it looked like it was shot by a ten-year-old, but there were plenty of beautiful shots that exhibited the good eye Nora was developing for videography.
From behind the camera, Nora’s sweet voice asked people to say something to Ellie and Cooper for their wedding. I bumped Ethan with my foot when it got to his message to the couple, and he squeezed my calf when I showed up on screen to give my congratulations.
Several minutes later, the video turned to Ethan and the guys eating lunch. Nora zoomed in extremely close on Ethan’s face, and I glanced over at her, peeking out from behind Tally’s arm like she was embarrassed. She obviously had a little crush on him.
The camera turned to her dog for a few minutes before focusing on the guys again. She had moved close enough now to pick up their conversation.
“I dare you to tell Jessa you have feelings for her this weekend,” Video Luke said.
My heart skipped a beat at the mention of my name, and Ethan tensed up next to me.
“And if you can get her to admit she has feelings for you too, I’ll pay to get your car fixed.”
I watched dumbfounded as Ethan laughed on screen. “Funny.”
“I’m dead serious. This dance between you two has been going on for long enough. We’re making this happen.”
“Anyway, who wants to take the canoe out on the lake?” Video Ethan seemed to want to change the subject.
Real Ethan grabbed for the remote, and I snatched it out of his hand. His eyes were wild when he looked at me.
“I’ll give you until the end of the reception on Saturday. Plenty of time,” Video Luke told him.
“And what if I tell her and end up with a black eye?”
A few people watching laughed along with the guys on the video, and my heart beat rapidly in my chest.
“I’m serious,” Video Ethan said. “What if I tell her and she doesn’t feel the same? I think just risking my life to tell her I like her should earn me that car repair.”
The flames of anger rose within me, and Ethan looked at me again.
“Jessa. Please ignore this,” he pleaded. “It’s not what you think.”
“Nah, man,” Video Luke said, “you have to put in a little more work than that to get the reward.”
Nora’s camera then turned abruptly as Rowdy came running across their blanket, followed by a screech and little Piper crying, “Daddy! Nora pushed me, and I fell on Rowdy!”
The guys’ conversation was long gone after that as the next scene was of the dog running along the beach.
My stomach ached, and I pushed Ethan’s hand off of my calf then bolted for the door.
“Jessa, wait,” Ethan called after me, but I kept moving.
I walked straight toward my car with my hands tightened into fists, the adrenaline racing through my veins. I couldn’t believe it. This was all because of some stupid dare. If I wasn’t so angry, I might have let the tears burning behind my eyes fall, but I fought them back.
“Please let me explain,” Ethan cried.
I spun around until he caught up with me.
“Jessa, I—”
His words were cut off by my palms connecting with his chest as I shoved him back.
He stood silently, his head tilted down, eyes on the ground.
I spun on my heel and walked on.
“That wasn’t the whole story.” His footsteps were behind me again, but I was too angry to care what he had to say.
He followed me all the way to my car, and I realized my keys were still in the house in my bag in Ellie’s old bedroom, so I kept walking down the street.
“Where are you going?” he cried.
“Away from you,” I replied. “And you’d be smart not to follow.”