Page 156 of Cougar

“We had our day, Z. Let’s let them have theirs.”

“Are you two planning on taking a honeymoon?”

Zach looks over at Jay. “Are we?”

Jay shrugs. “Maybe a short one. We could go back to where it all started, Z.”

“Disney?”

She smiles. “Why not?”

* * *

Zach is stretched out on the sofa in the great room watching Sports Center.

“Where’s yourwife?” I drawl as I make my way to the refrigerator.

“She went to see Harper.” Harper moved in with the Averys after Jay’s attack, and then she and Cole moved into Max’s guest house.

I drop down onto the opposite sofa and prop my feet up on the table. “Whose idea was it to elope?”

“Both,” he answers. “I know you’re pissed, and I’m sorry we went behind your back. It wasn’t something we planned. We both knew it was going to happen eventually, so we figured why wait.”

“Why wait?” I scoff. “I’ll tell you why. You were both still in high school. You’re young and extremely immature. You can’t even handle tabloid rumors. What happens when she’s on tour and the tabloids plaster bullshit stories all over social media? Are you going to grab the closest sorority girl for a revenge screw? Do you even know how much money she has or how much she’s worth? I’m just naming a few reasons here why you should’ve waited. And when this doesn’t work out, there’s gonna be a hell of a mess for me to clean up.”

“You mean if?”

“What?”

“You said ‘when,’ not ‘if,’ which means you’re expecting us to fail.” He rolls to a sitting position and rests his forearms on his thighs. “Emerson, I’m sorry for disrespecting you. I’m being completely honest here when I tell you that I hadn’t taken your feelings or anyone else’s into consideration. All I could think was that the love of my life almost died. That feeling is something I can’t get over. Yes, we’re young. Yes, I screwed up. But I love her more than I love anything else in this world. And aside from the short stint of her tour, I want to go to bed every night with her next to me safe and sound. I want her to be happy. Whatever Jay wants, I’m going to give it to her. If she wants ten kids, then she’ll have them. I don’t care about her money. I have my own. I’m sure it’s pennies compared to what she has, but it’s not about the money and you know that. If you want me to sign something, I will, but I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

I fight the urge to leap over the coffee table and tackle hug Zach. Instead, I point at him. “You promise me right now, Zach Easton, that you will treat my daughter right, and you will stay faithful and loyal to her. Do not break her spirit.”

“What about her heart?”

“You’ll break it a hundred times. No relationship is perfect. My advice is to never go to bed or leave the house angry. Always say ‘I love you’ and mean it.”

“I promise.”

I smile. “Then welcome to the family.”

Emerson

When fashion designer Anna Sizemore heard about Jay’s wedding, she immediately contacted me, insisting she had the perfect dress and wanted to deliver it personally. Anna was just starting out in her career when she reached out to me a couple of years ago, claiming she’d met Jay through Evangeline and that Jay would be perfect for her upcoming clothing campaign. I was hesitant at the time, considering we were trying to keep Jay’s face out of the media, but she assured me that Jay would still keep her anonymity. Jay and Anna had grown close over the past year, collaborating on designs from T-shirts for the Mayhem Foundation to custom evening gowns.

Tears prick the corner of my eyes as Jay steps out from behind the makeshift partition. The room fills with gasps as Anna escorts Jay over to the three-way mirror and begins fluffing her dress.

It's a blush-colored strapless ball gown with layers of tattered material. It’s chic, yet it has an edge to it.

“Oh my God,” Grace whispers beside me while squeezing my hand, and Lisa bumps her shoulder against mine.

“It’s perfect,” Elizabeth adds from behind me.

“Agreed,” Evangeline chimes in, and the girls hum their agreement.

Jay spins around and pins her bright eyes on me. “Really?”

I nod, fighting back tears. “Really.” My teary eyes flick to Anna. “Thank you.”

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