Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Her lips quake before a sob escapes, and she promises, “I’ll love you forever, Jett Thomas Cook.”
I sigh deeply, my whole body making the motion before I bring my mouth to hers, kissing her deeply. No one has ever stood up for me like she has, and I know no one will ever evoke the feelings Fable inspires in me. I hate that they hurt her, that they hurt us, but no matter what, we’re partners in life.
When I pull away to make sure she’s still breathing correctly, I fall deep into her eyes. I know she’ll always catch me. I give her a light kiss before I whisper against her soft, trembling lips, “And I’ll love you even longer.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Fable
Being the man that Jett is, he drove me to Chicago to see my therapist in person when I had another panic attack a couple days after my argument with my parents. He sat beside me as I unloaded on Alissa all the trauma that the letter had brought up for me about my parents. Jett never let go of my hand, and I’ve never been more thankful for the strong man that he is. He suggested that we push back the party for Kitty, but I refused. My parents had already stolen so much from us. I wouldn’t let them have what we had worked so hard for.
They’ll never take anything from us again.
I still can’t comprehend their thinking about the whole thing. How did I not see what they were doing? I should have done more to protect Jett, and when I said that to him, he told me that I was too busy protecting myself. He’s right, yet the guilt sucks. I spent years without the man who completes my soul. I convinced myself that he didn’t want me because, like my parents said, I was too much. When really, that was the furthest thing from the truth. I have apologized over and over to Jett, but all he does is kiss and remind me, “You’re all I want, Fable.”
Just as I am.
I glance over at where Kitty is sitting in the raised booth that Jett and Dean made for her. It’s bright pink, with glittery white cushions, matching all the rest of the decor in Kitty’s Rink. She has had tears in her eyes since she saw the newly painted doors that proclaim the rink hers, but when she realized we were surprising her with a whole shindig, she started bawling. I know she still feels bad for how things went down with my parents. I get the feeling she has felt guilty for years. She’s not only apologized to me, but to Jett too. I can’t be mad at her because I know how much she loves me. If my dad had threatened to keep me away, Kitty would have agreed to anything he asked of her.
I just wish it hadn’t been separating Jett and me.
The sparkle in her eyes brings such joy to my soul as I stand with my fingers threaded with Jett’s. Kitty sits with a little birthday tiara on her head, and her face is full of excitement, while her eyes are a bit misty. The girls sit with her, all different degrees of happiness on their faces, but instead of tiaras, they have on hats that wish Kitty a happy birthday.
The whole rink is covered with a variety of balloon art, wishing her all the great things for her special day. We had figure skaters made out of balloons and a huge birthday cake with a eighty-two on it. Everything is so pink, so sparkly, and so totally her. The grin on her face tells me how much she loves it, and that makes all the things we went through to make this happen totally worth it.
The rink is slammed with people. The bleachers are full of parents of all my kids, who have put on such a sweet program. The regular Beer League folks showed up to support Kitty, mostly standing while they nurse their beers and cheer for the kids like they’re battling for the Beer League Cup instead of skating to different Disney classics.
It’s all so amazing but overwhelming too.
But then he squeezes my hand.
I glance up at Jett, and he’s looking down at me, his lips curved up in a smile just for me. “You did this, princess.”
I shake my head. “We did this.”
His eyes dance with mine, and I lean my shoulder into his bicep. He’s wearing black slacks and a sparkly bright-pink button-up made of nylon that is easy for him to move in. I’m wearing a crystal-studded long-sleeved pink leotard that hardly fits but I squeezed my ass into. I feel it crawling up my butt, but with the way Jett’s eyes heat every time he checks me out, I don’t mind. My skirt is a sheer black, matching my tights and skates. I don’t think anyone knows what is about to happen, but I’m ready to share what Jett and I worked so hard for.