Page 122 of Addicted to Love

“Oh my god, Mom, gross.” Blake cringed. “That’s soFifty Shades.”

“What’s fifty shades?” Tabby asked.

“Nothing,” Blake, Jenna, and Deacon all responded in unison.

“How do you know what Fifty Shades is?” Jenna challenged Blake.

“I’m sixteen,” Blake said as if that were obvious. “And the cover of the book is agray tie.”

Deacon started to place the handkerchief around Jenna’s eyes, but Blake stopped him. “You know what, no, stop! You guys ruined it.”

“Guys?” Deacon didn’t know why he was getting blamed. All he’d done was follow instructions. But that was his life now that he lived with three women, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

Blake waved her hand towards him. “Just…cover her eyes and make sure she can’t see.”

Deacon did what he was told. He placed his hand over Jenna’s eyes and guided her down the hall following their daughters. As he did. He whispered in Jenna’s her ear, “You got me in trouble.”

He felt a shiver run down her body.

She turned her head towards him and whispered back, “I’ll make it up to you.”

“Oh my god, we are two steps in front of you! We can hear you!” Blake complained.

“Sorry,” Deacon and Jenna apologized in chorus.

They found themselves apologizing for PDAinfractions often. Blake wanted to implement a PDA jar in addition to the swear jar, but for the money to go into her college fund.

Jenna said that was ridiculous. Deacon had already done it.

A few steps later, they had arrived. When Deacon saw the room, he was so blown away, he almost dropped his hand. There were dresses hung up on all the walls, displayed like a showroom. Not only that, but there were black and white photos of him and Jenna, the girls and Jenna, them all as a family, everywhere. Pop music was playing, his mom was there with Sadie, his sisters, their kids, Tiana was there of course, a lot of women from Hope Falls, but they were all being totally silent, including Yaya, who was basically Jenna’s surrogate grandmother and apparently had predicted their union and brainwashed her into saying yes right before he’d popped the question, which he’d be forever grateful for.

“Okay, bring her here.” Blake guided him like he was a plane and she was an aircraft marshaller, all she needed was a neon vest and two wands in her hands.

Deacon got her into position, and Blake gave the signal. He dropped his hand and he heard Jenna take in a sharp intake of breath as everyone yelled, “Surprise!”

She clasped her hands over her mouth and spun around three hundred and sixty degrees. He saw she was shaking, taking it all in, the dresses, of course, but he knew what meant more to her was the people.

When she saw that the wedding was going to be at the ranch in Valentine Bay, she was, of course, excited and happy, but he was sure there was a little part of her that was sad because her people wouldn’t be there. He saw the moment she saw Yaya, and she exhaled.

That’s when she looked up at him, tears brimming andthen falling down her cheeks. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this, to deserve you.”

“Just exist,” he answered honestly, brushing a hair behind her ear.

She smiled as she took in a shaky breath.

“You go now! You ruin makeup! Go, go, go! Bad luck!” He found himself being hit with Yaya’s rolled-up newspaper and being shooed out the door by several women.

As he left his wife surrounded by their daughters and more love than she knew what to do with, she mouthed, “I love you.”

He smiled and before the doors shut, mouthed, “I love you more.”

THE END

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