Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
My heart races out of my chest, blood rushing through my ears and making everything around us echoey. “I just want you too.”
He pulls me into his arms, my face immediately buried in his neck. It’s not until I hear sniffles in the room that I remember we’re not alone.
We pull away at the same time, Mom and Maggie both wiping tears.
“This is good crying, right?” I ask.
“Yes. Good crying.” Mom shoves to her feet, and I do the same.
Donovan goes to his parents, while Mom and I linger close to each other. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “You never could.”
“The insurance thing…knowing how much Dad’s medical bills were and the things Donovan went through…”
“Yes. It wasn’t a great decision, and I wish you’d known you could always come to me, but I’m not disappointed in you. Eric… Donovan is right. You’re ruled by that big heart of yours, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re smart, kind, your own person, and everything I hoped you would be. I’m proud of you. Dad would be proud of you too.”
Now it’s my eyes filling with tears and me doing the sniffling. I squeeze Mom as tight as I can, trying to show her how much her words mean to me. I want to make her proud, even if I don’t always go about it the right way.
“You and Donovan,” she says softly. “I’ve been waiting for this. Both my boys are together, the way you’re supposed to be.”
I pull back to look at her. “You wanted this?”
“I knew it would happen. Maggie and Calvin did too. We were just waiting for the two of you to catch up.”
And all it took to get us here was a marriage policy.
“I really, really love him.”
She cups my face. “I know you do, sweet boy. And he really loves you too.”
I nod, knowing she’s right.
We swap parents, Maggie and Calvin hugging me and telling me they love me and how happy they are that Donovan and I are together.
When Donovan comes back over to me, I do what I’ve been thinking about for days: I get down on one knee.
“What are you doing?” Donovan asks.
“I don’t have a ring, but I want you to know I’m going to work hard to buy you one, and then, I want you to marry me again. I want our friends and our family there to see us become husbands. Donovan Carter, will you marry me again?”
I’ve never seen him smile so big. Eyes glassy, Donovan tugs me to my feet. “Yes. Always. I’ll marry you a hundred times if you ask.”
EPILOGUE
Donovan
“I’m glad we’re making Jilted Exes sleepovers a thing,” I say, cuddling up with Hayes and Anthony on the couch. Hayes is wearing matching PJ pants and shirt, one that buttons up and has a collar. I’m in one of Eric’s T-shirts and jammy pants, and Anthony is in short shorts and a matching crop. He has what I would call a twunk dancer’s body—Anthony liking to show it off more than Hayes or I would ever feel comfortable with.
We’re at Hayes and Rylan’s place this time. Rylan is away on a road trip. They’re playing in Seattle, and we just finished watching the game. We played drinking games every time Rylan’s line was on the ice, drinking extra every time he had the puck or knocked someone into the boards. We basically used any excuse we could find to consume more alcohol. My skin is warm and tingly, and I keep wanting to laugh for absolutely no reason.
“Me too,” Hayes says. “My first friend sleepover was with you guys.”
“Eric and I used to have them, but they were different from this. It was just the two of us, and we didn’t sit around and talk about guys and do facials.”
“You’re making our night together sound much kinkier than it is.” Ant pumps his brows playfully, making me realize what I just said. We in fact, are not giving each other that kind of facials.
“You know what I mean.” I nudge him. He hasn’t mentioned what Malcolm said to him that night—about Anthony’s own family not wanting him. I tried to bring it up once, but he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to push. I let him know I’m always here if he wants to chat, and I intend to prove that to him. I’m so lucky to have him and Hayes in my life. “I love you guys,” I find myself saying.
“Uh-oh. This is one of those times when a person gets emotional when they’re drunk, right?” Hayes says.
I chuckle. “Yes. But it’s also true.” I hook one arm through Anthony’s and the other through Hayes’s. They scoot closer, Ant’s head on one of my shoulders and Hayes’s on the other. “Young Donovan couldn’t have imagined ever having this.” Emotion clogs my chest, and yes, I’m definitely at emotional-drunk levels. “I never could have even dreamed that this would be my life…living in LA, married to Eric, planning our actual, real ceremony, and getting drunk while watching hockey with the best friends a guy could ask for.”