“Together!” Jax and I shout as we touch glasses. He intertwines his arm through mine, and we each take a careful sip, our eyes never drifting from one another’s. Here it is, the culmination to all of this magic—our love expressed genuinely in front of both of our families.
“And I would like to say a few words, too.” Deb clears her throat as all eyes fall on her. “My dearest Poppy”—her eyes sparkle with tears—“my lovely son, Jaxson. Charlene and I would like you both to know that we agree—on occasion we have gone too far with our self-indulgent high jinks. And yet, on occasion we believe we have done things for the greater good of all involved.” She offers a peaceable nod. “Such as this.”
Mom and Deb exchange a brief glance before turning our way. “Gotcha!” they both shout in unison.
Jax and I startle, and nobody in the room moves as we try to piece this mystery together.
“What do you mean, gotcha?” Jax runs his hand over my back as if assuring me everything will be fine, but only because I’m betting he’s slightly panicked himself.
Deb gives a long blink. “We mean, this was all a well-orchestrated ploy to bring you two lovebirds together!”
“We weren’t even going to have a big birthday party.” Mom waves off the idea as if cake and candles were suddenly passé. “We were looking into cruises until your father had a conniption. He hates to ride the open seas.”
Deb nods. “So we put on our thinking caps. If we were going to be grounded, we might as well have a good time, right?” They share a quick cackle, and my blood begins to boil all over again.
“You did this?” The accusation comes out with venom as if it were some felony-worthy event they lured us into. And if I killed Conner like I had planned, it would have been.
“Of course, we did this. We simply asked Mackenzie to pretend as if she dreamed up the entire scheme.”
“Mack!” I shout so loud it sounds like a car horn.
My sister shrinks behind her husband. “Don’t hate the messenger! Besides, it all worked out magnificently in the end. Right?”
“Right,” I snip. It might have been touch-and-go for a minute, but why bring that up?
Conner frowns at our mother. “So, you two thought forcing Jax and Pops together would be the ultimate gag?” I can tell he’s still not sold on that whole Jax and Pops for life thing.
“And it was!” Mom spikes a finger his way. “But I’ll tell you”—she turns her attention over to Jax and me once again—“you really had us going with that breakup. I think that’s payback enough for a lifetime. You had us both sending a few knee-mails to the man upstairs. But we weren’t too worried. We saw enough physical evidence to assure us the two of you had a real bond.”
“Lots of sexual chemistry.” Deb stabs a fist through the air as if to exemplify the fact, and the room breaks out into a groan.
“Mom.” Jax shakes his head.
“Oh, hush!” Deb and Mom make their way over. “It’s true, and you both know it. Now, plant a wet one on each other. Char and I want to get in this picture.”
Jax and I laugh as we look into one another’s eyes.
They did it. They pulled the ultimate fast one on us, and we never saw it coming. I guess in a way wehadit coming.
Jax lands his lips over mine, and we share a rather chaste, lingering kiss that burns its beauty into the deepest chamber of my heart.
Here we are, together at last. Jaxson and me, just the way our mothers planned it.
They always seem to get their way in the end.
And this time—I don’t mind one bit.
