EPILOGUE
JESS
I take Jagger’s arm as we head down the makeshift aisle in Sunflower Park. He looks so dapper in his navy-blue suit, fitted to perfection over his muscular frame.
Although I love his scruff, he’s clean shaven for the occasion. The skin on his face is still perfect, unlike his— well, let’s just say there is a scar after the mountain goat incident.
There are only about thirty chairs set up, most of them taken by the guys on the team and a few people from town, including April from Petal he can’t take it back now.
Dax was a little bummed that Jagger’s post went viral on TikTok, and he didn’t. But really, how could it not? You don’t see trios like that every day.
For now, I’m just happy he’s here. I still can’t believe he gave up going back to the NHL for me. I tried many times to tell him we can make it work no matter where he is, but he says he’ll never leave me again.
When Dax announces, “You may kiss the bride,” the guys from the team hoot and holler as Gus takes Mabel into his arms, then gently dips her for their first married kiss.
“Go Gussy! Go Gussy!” The Hawks start chanting.
He pulls her back up, grabs her hand and raises their arms to the sky. Mabel looks out at the wedding attendants and asks, “Who’s ready to party?”
She points at the DJ, who is set up in a nearby pergola, cords running to a generator we brought with us, and Justin Timberlake’s voice rings out through the night air.
Jagger takes my hand and pulls me behind a huge fir tree.
“You remember this tree?” He nuzzles in close, citrusy aftershave tickling my senses. I run my hand over his smooth skin.
“Of course. It’s where you first tried to bribe me with flowers to get to my secret spot behind my ear.”
He scoffs. “Bribe you? Clearly, you couldn’t get enough. Your arms were like clamps on my body.”
“Were not.”
“Were too.”
“Were not.”
“Backstreet Boys.”
I relent.
He thinks he can always get his way by dropping the band’s name during our playful bickering. Jagger’s grand gesture is my soft spot at the moment, but that’s not going to work forever—I’m far too strong-willed. Still, it’s a fun part of our lives right now.
“I’m sure you want to get out there and dance...”
I shake my head vigorously. I’m a huge 90s convert now. Give me all those beautiful boy banders. Their songs are amazing.
“I just wanted to show you something. Troy taught me a magic trick.”
I tilt my head. “That is adorable, but can we do this later? I think that’s LFO. ‘Summer Girls’ is my new jam!”
“It’ll be quick, I promise.”
I sigh. His face is so adorable, how can I resist? “Ok, but make it snappy.”
“Of course.” He looks closely at the side of my head. “I think you’ve got something behind your ear.”
Great. I’m missing “Summer Girls” for a quarter. He’s lucky he’s hot.
“Really? Whatever could it be?” I do my best to play along, the quicker I do, the quicker I can get out on the dance floor.
Jagger pulls out a small black box.
My jaw practically unhinges. “That’s not a quarter.”
He gets down on one knee. “Jess. I love you. I’ve always loved you. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove it to you again. I promise to always get you Pistachio Delight ice cream for the rest of our lives, even if it’s a few hours away, which I think it might be from here.”
My heart threatens to leap from my chest. This man is everything. “You can’t ever be serious, can you? What am I going to do with you?” I ask as I pull him off the ground with a grin.
“Marry me?”
“Yes!” I nod. “I think that’s the only solution.”
Jagger kisses me like it’s the last kiss he’ll ever get, so hungry it pushes me up against the tree. There are definitely pieces of trunk breaking off and falling into places they shouldn’t be.
But I’m getting engaged to the man I thought was gone from my life forever. I’ll worry about rogue bark later. I grab a fist full of his dress shirt, pulling him even closer. I need his body pressed against mine.
This is so much more than a kiss. This is a commitment sealed with passion that’s not ending anytime soon. His lips are fire against mine, the prolonged pressure making them ache, but in a good way, a very good way. It’s like that hot sauce you just can’t put down even though it burns. But bring me the third degree right now.
His touch is the only thing I’ll ever need. As much as I’d love to stay here all night, we need to go celebrate with the happy couple.
As Jagger pulls away, I realize he never gave me the ring. So, I hold out my hand. He slips the heart shaped diamond on my finger. “So you’ll know you always have my heart, JJ.”
“That’s pretty cheesy,” I joke.
He bats his eyelashes at me, his brown eyes captivating me like they always have. “I know. You kind of ruined me at this point. You might as well get us matching outfits now,” he laughs.
“Great idea!” I plant one last kiss on his lips. “I’ll get right on that.”
We join everyone else on the dance floor. Gus is spinning Mabel around. Troy is doing the robot, and Dax is swinging his tie in the air. He’s about thirty seconds from being shirtless.
Jagger puts his arms around me. “Should we have your best friend officiate our wedding, too?”
We both look over at Dax, who’s now transitioned to some sort of breakdancing that has everyone’s attention.
After less than five seconds, we snap our heads back to each other and simultaneously say, “Nah, let’s elope!”
THE END.
If you loved this book, dive into the Love in Cedar Creek Rom-Com series.
Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend