Page 36 of Jace

“Thank you so much for today.” She shakes his extended hand. “I’m being overly paranoid.”

“No you are being a bride,” he corrects her. “And in this field, I’ve dealt with all kinds. You dear, are a breeze.”

His silver hair glistens in the sunlight. He has a very kind smile.

After a few more minutes of conversation we say our goodbyes and take one final walk through the grounds.

“It’s going to be perfect,” I assure her. “You need to relax. Daxton won’t allow anything to go wrong. You know him, he will be running around here like groomzilla barking commands and ensuring everyone and everything is falling into place. Stop worrying and just be happy that you are about to marry a good man.”

“He is, isn’t he?” She smiles. “Took him a bit to come around. Remember that when you are questioning what you and Jace are building. No path is completely smooth. We all have complicated obstacles, it’s what makes us stronger.”

“Oh I love this song.” I reach forward turning the dial, and the upbeat rhythm of the song floods the car. Singing along with the words, I glance over to Bree and find her bobbing her head with a smile on her face.

It’s a common thing for the two of us, singing loud, traveling side by side, not caring who may see us acting like fools.

If I’m being honest, I miss her. I miss the crazy trips and the last minute sporadic adventures we’d go on. I know she has responsibilities now and I love that for her. She is happy. She has a man that adores her and a gorgeous baby girl to love.

But it doesn’t make it easier to accept that she and I see each other a little less than we used to.

But this, these moments, I treasure. I feel like I have my sister at my side and the comfort that gives me is so freeing.

“Do you remember the dance you and I used to do to this song?” she asks, still bobbing her head and puckering her lips like a duck.

“How could I forget?” Immediately the two of us bark out, shifting our shoulders, making weird hand gestures, the whole works. Laughter, a little chaos and a whole lot of crazy follows.

"Jace texted me," she finally says, after the song ends and a slow more relaxed tune starts to play.

I pick up my phone from my lap, awakening it and then glancing over at her after I find I have had nothing from him since about eleven this morning.

"He asked if you were enjoying yourselfand made me promise to not let you get too deep in your head." She grins, and glances over at me with a roll of her eyes. "I told him that you will always do that. That you've alwaysdone that and it would never change. But I assured him I would do my best to remind you that you deserve to be happy."

"What did he say?"

"Thanked me and also made me promise to bring you home safe and sound to his doorstep."

This time I smiled.

"I've spent so long convincing myself that he and I will never be anything more than flirty friends, it's hard to reprogrammy brain to feel differently. But I'm working on it." And I am.

The sound of a phone ringing interruptsour conversation and I look up to the dash panel display to see Dax is calling. Quickly she taps the screen and her face lights up with pure joy. "Hello."

"Hey baby." I look out the passenger window and watch the scenery. "You on the way back?"

"We are," Bree replies.

"You're dad called, wants us to come over for dinner. I figured it saves us from cooking or ordering in. Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds good to me," she adds, and I can tell by her tone she is smiling.

Daxton speaks again, but this time his voice is muffled, so I assume he is talking to someone else. "Seriously dude, go." It's all I hear as his voice becomes clear again.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Jace," he huffs, and at the sound of his name I turn my attention back to Bree. She is smiling, side eyeing me. "He is driving me nuts, pacing the fucking shop, checking his watch every ten minutes. You'd think you guys were going on a month’s long vacation."

"It's cute," Bree says.

"It's annoying," he mumbles.

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