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I knew I loved you, Bri, but I kept it in,
Too scared of saying out loud, to claim that win,
But I want to be with you, my northern star,
Just come home to me and let me in,
Please say you'll let me in.
I want to be with you, til the end of time,
Tears flow freely down my cheeks and I don’t even care. Around me, people have realised what’s happening. The audience is impossibly quiet. Watching, listening, witnessing something that is far too personal to be happening in a room this full. But I can’t look away. Jax sings every word to me, as if nobody else exists. And maybe, for him right now, nobody else does.
I clutch the flowers tighter, my vision blurring. I’ve spent so many years believing I wasn’t worthy of this. Of being chosen. Of being loved. Of being seen. Yet this extraordinary man is standing on a stage in front of thousands of people, looking at me as though I’m the most important person in the universe. Beside me, Saint quietly hands me a tissue and as Jax sings the final line...
Just look me in the eye and say you'll be mine.
I know with complete certainty that I love this man. This man who quiets the noise in my head, who sees me exactly as I am and doesn’t ask me to change. Because that is what love really is. Quiet acceptance and understanding. You just have to be brave enough to let it in, and with Jax, I finally feel strong enough to do just that.
So, when he jumps down from the stage and lands in front of me, I rise to meet him, completely unafraid of what this means. His eyes never leave mine as he hands me what he’s been holding all along, my signed NDA, torn neatly in two.
A laugh escapes me as I take the pieces and tuck them into my pocket.
"I'm yours, Bri," he says, his voice low enough that it's just for me, even surrounded by thousands of people. "If you'll have me… It's always been you."
I’m so overwhelmed with emotion, I just nod, unable to form words. My smile says everything my tongue can’t. He closes the distance between us, thumb brushing gently against my mouth as he cups my cheek, and kisses me right there in front of everyone.
Chapter 49
Luna
It becomes apparent almost immediately after the panel that Bri isn’t going back to her stall. Not after that. Not after Jax serenaded her in front of a packed auditorium before jumping off the stage and kissing her in front of several thousand cheering fans. The poor woman wouldn’t make it ten feet.
Security usher her backstage with the cast while Lennie and I exchange an amused look. “We’ll sort it,” I tell her, as she’s swept away.
Truthfully, there isn’t much left to sort. The panel has finished off whatever Jax’s Instagram post started.
By the time Lennie returns to her stall, only twenty books remain. He sells every single one of them within minutes. When people are still queuing afterwards, he hands out her business cards instead. “You can order through her website,” I hear him telling them.
Every card disappears almost instantly and the stall is effectively empty. No books. No stock. No problems. Just one very smug husband. “I think she did alright.”
I laugh. “I think she might have.”
Together we pack everything away. The banner, the tablecloth, the chair and the empty boxes that had seemed impossible to shift only yesterday. Funny how quickly things can change.
An hour later, after packing up our own empty stall, we’re helping Saint and Ember pack down their stalls too. Everyone is exhausted yet smiling. I glance over at Ember, who’s staring at her phone like it’s personally offended her. “Are you alright?”
She looks up, chewing the inside of her cheek. “So, good news and bad news.” Every conversation around the group fizzles out. “The good news,” she says carefully, “is today is Bri’s birthday.” She pauses. “The bad news is…” She gestures helplessly around the convention hall. “None of us knew, and everyone’s packing up.”
Lennie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wait… What? How do you know?”
“Jax noticed she nearly let it slip the other night when she was talking to you,” Ember explains. “He had a feeling, so he tried looking online but couldn’t find anything.”
Saint grins. “So naturally you escalated.”
“I prefer the term investigated.” She smiles innocently. “I added Bri online, then messaged Ava and Lottie. They literally just replied.”
“Crap,” I mutter. “Does Jax know?”
