Page 107 of Forever and Other Lies

Tommy squeezed his shoulder. “The puppy’s name is Bella, and that is a wedding altar which you will be marrying that girl under. Just give in. It’s much simpler.”

He could only nod. The arch was definitely a wedding altar, and he was definitely going to marry Jayna under it.

Epilogue

Derek was marrying Jayna under the ‘wedding’ arch at the edge of his property. It had been beautifully decorated for the occasion. Twining vines and white tulle cascaded down the sides, gently billowing in the soft breeze. White roses, peonies, and eucalyptus leaves had artfully been arranged and crowned the top of the arch.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,” said the minister.

“Admit this was your plan all along?” Derek whispered.

“I’ll admit no such thing!” Jayna whispered back. “Now shut up and kiss me so we can seal the deal and get the party started.”

“Stop being so bossy,” he retorted, pulling her close.

“Stop being an ape.” She stepped closer.

“I’m not an ape.” His head lowered.

“That’s debatable.” She stood on tiptoe, wrapping her hands around his neck. “Just kiss me already.”

And he did. He kissed her senseless, kissed the legs right out from under her. He set the Bunsen burner to full blast and stirred up all the tingles. Wow, the man could seriously kiss.

The minister loudly cleared his throat. Guess this wasn’t a church-appropriate kiss. Good thing they weren’t in a church. Reluctantly, she pulled back. “To be continued later,” she whispered.

Derek nodded enthusiastically.

“I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Brennan,” the minister announced.

“Sutton-Brennan!” Jayna corrected.

“I’m not a hyphenate kind of guy,” Derek grumbled. They turned and smiled at their guests, who burst into loud cheers.

“Why not? It’s such a double standard,” she muttered out the side of her mouth. “Lucky for you, I’m not big on my family name.”

“It is lucky for me! Jayna Brennan. I love how it sounds.” He shot her that lopsided grin that popped the lone dimple.

“Lucky for me,” she tried to sound sarcastic, but it fell short with such a huge smile on her face.

They walked between the white chairs set up for their guests, smiling and accepting all the well wishes. It was a small affair, with just close family and friends in attendance. Derek’s parents and grandparents beamed, as did her parents on the other side of the makeshift aisle. There were even two movie stars in attendance. Nash Logan and his wife, Calla, sat beside Kylie and Jovanny Grotta.

Derek had set up a large wedding tent in case of rain, but the weather was absolutely perfect. The cloudless blue sky transitioned to a clear evening sky filled with a thousand twinkling stars. Along with the music of the live country band, crickets added their own serenade.

Jayna smiled as she stared around at their close-knit group of friends. Jessica had made it back from Sierra Leone just in time. Her friend sat at the table, her eyes trained on the billionaire cameraman, Sam Marek. There was an intense frown tugging down the corners of Jessica’s pretty mouth, and Sam kept stealing glances her way. Something was going on between those two.

Jamie pulled out a chair beside Jessica, setting down two glasses of white wine. Jamie’s neck twisted, and she shot a disparaging look at Burke, who was leaning against the bar. He glowered back at her. Intriguing and even more intriguing.

What exactly was going on with her two best friends and these men? Something was definitely brewing. Maybe it wasn’t quite time to take down her matchmaking shingle. Now that she was a believer in true love and forever, her matchmaking skills had surely evolved as well.

It wasn’t fair that she was the only J to be blissfully happy.

Derek wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head. She sighed.

“Hey Bella, girl,” Derek said, as he leaned down and patted the 70-pound German Shepherd who squatted at their feet. She had been making rounds, shamelessly begging for ear rubs from all their guests.

“Great wedding,” Burke said as he walked toward them.

“Thanks.” Derek stepped beside her, keeping his left arm around her waist.

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