Page 92 of Big & Bossy

“If you didn’t want people to know, honey, then you should have listened in the first place,” Mom said, her giggle too much to hide.

“I would kill to see Mandy’s prom photos,” Jack laughed, his hand coming down gently on my thigh, squeezing just a touch. “And any other photos you have of her.”

“You should come to my house for dinner sometime.” Mom smirked as she met my gaze, a mirror of my own. “I’ve got so many childhood photos of her.”

I rolled my eyes as I shoveled another spoonful of gumbo into my mouth. “I feel like we skipped over Tiana’s far too quickly.”

Paul and Kate looked at each other, each of them snickering. “I think I’ve got them on my phone, actually,” Kate said. She reached behind her, fumbling for her purse, and within a second Tiana was on her feet snatching it before Kate could even make contact.

“Absolutely not,” Tiana deadpanned. “I will not be having my parents show me off like that. Gross. I’m married now, Mom. I’m not some kid that you can parade on Facebook.”

Jackson leaned over to me, his lips brushing against my ear. “I’ve got copies in my office,” he whispered. “I’ll show them to you later. Think Carrie, but worse.”

Despite the chaos of dinner, it was genuinely a nice time. Having the people we cared most about with us was something I didn’t think would happen, and yet Jackson had convinced his family and Wade to fly in. It was exactly like what I envisioned our wedding would be—intimate, cheerful, and full of mayhem.

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Mom stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window by the front, the vast expanse of Boulder and the surrounding woodlands glistening in the evening snowfall. She clutched a half-drank glass of wine in her hand, and gave me a little smile as I walked up to her.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” She asked, her voice low, hushed.

I took a deep breath, considering my options. I could lie, tell her things are okay, things are slow but building. Be my usual hum-drum, dramatic self. Or I could be honest. I went with honest. “I feel… incredible,” I chuckled. “I didn’t think I could feel like this. Everything has fallen into place, you know?”

“Like what?”

“Well, I’m the sole owner of the company now. I’m changing the name to Littleson’s Designs. And things with Jack are just so natural. So easy. I know it seems silly, but in a way it feels like when I’d look at you and Dad when I was a kid and things just felt right between all of us.”

She gave me a soft little smirk as she sipped her wine. “I thought that might be the case. It’s not silly at all.”

“You think?”

“I know, Miranda.” She was the only one I was ever happy to let call me that. She’d given me the name, and I’d own it with her. “I know exactly what that feels like.”

“It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest,” I chuckled. “I didn’t ever see this for myself. I didn’t know if I even wanted it.”

“I always knew you did,” she smirked.

“Yeah, yeah, moms know best, whatever.” I giggled as I bumped my shoulder against hers. “I think we might actually work out this time.”

“I know you will.” She took another sip of her wine before setting it on the table beside her, shoving her now-free hand into her purse instead. “I got you something.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I thought it was time.” Her eyes met mine, a little bit of sorrow, a little bit of happiness behind them. From her purse, she pulled the one thing I never thought I’d actually see again, the one thing she promised me when Dad died, the one thing she insisted she’d give to me when the time was right.

Dad’s wedding ring.

“I…” I blinked at it as it spun around her finger loosely. She placed it into my waiting hands. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s for Jack,” she whispered, her lips spreading into a wide grin.

“For Jack?”

Footsteps sounded behind me, thick and heavy on the polished hardwood. I turned, cheeks flushed, mind racing, and found two green eyes staring back at me. The smallest smile played at his lips, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

What is happening?

He pressed a little kiss against my lips, shaking fingers pushing my hair back from my face, and before I could even register the kiss he had placed on my lips, he dropped down to one knee.

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