Page 6 of Surrender

“You’ve never seen a woman look this good in a suit, have you, Jake?”

Jess strutted around my dressing room, stopping to pose in the mirror. She was serving as my best man today, so she went out and bought a suit that was perfectly tailored to her. While it was cute, it was too tight for my liking, much like the rest of her clothing. That was just the older brother in me.

“You look nice, Jess,” I said, fumbling with my tie.

She looked back at me in the mirror and sighed. I’d been fumbling with this damn tie for ten minutes. She came over and slapped my hand away.

“Just let me do it,” she said.

There was silence between us for a moment. She looked up at me curiously.

“You nervous?”

“Ain’t it obvious?”

She chuckled. “Not Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected. You travel the world selling books. You meet people you don’t know every day, and you’re nervous about a little wedding between strangers?”

Her tone was laced with humor and sarcasm.

“Shut up, Jess.”

She laughed out loud as she finished up my tie and grabbed my suit jacket.

“I’m just saying. If you weren’t nervous, I’d be worried.”

“What if she doesn’t like me? The woman might think I’m ugly.”

“Boy, bye! You’re a Mitchell. Ugly ain’t in our genes… well, at least not on Daddy’s side of the family. You know Mama has some questionable creatures on her side.”

I couldn’t help but to laugh as I slipped on the jacket.

“Seriously though, Jake. My brother is handsome as hell. Anybody that doesn’t think so can go kiss the crack of my ass. She’s lucky to be marrying you.” She poked her finger in my chest. “You’re a prize. Don’t you forget that.”

I smiled. “When did you become the big sister?”

She giggled. “I’m growing.” She pulled me into a hug. “I love you, Jacob. I just want you to be happy. If this strange woman ends up making you happy… I’m all for it.”

She kissed my cheek as she pulled away.

“Thanks, Jess.”

She smirked. “Oh, don’t thank me yet. There is a vetting process. I’m on her ass. As soon as I get a name, I’m looking up social media, work history, and every public record I can find. I’m even looking up Only Fans. You need to know if your wife was out here doing something strange for a little piece of change. You know that’s how these hoes come up these days, right?”

I waved her off. “Bye, Jessa.”

She laughed, but I knew she was serious about doing her research. She was in school studying Criminal Justice, and she used every opportunity to use what she learned in a practical setting.

I busied myself with buttoning my jacket just as a knock came to the door.

“Come in!” I called.

The door opened, and Chance stepped in followed by another woman, both of them with a smile.

“Oooo, damn, he’s fine,” Jessa mumbled.

I shot a glare at her, causing her to grin.

“How are you feeling?” Chance asked, extending his hand.

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