Page 135 of Behind the Bars

True acceptance meant learning to liveagain.

I was so ready tolive.

“I better start cleaning up—it’s getting pretty late,” Mom announced, standing up from thetable.

“Wait, can I just say something really quick?” I asked. “While we’re allhere?”

“Yes, of course, Elliott,” she said, sitting backdown.

I stood up. “I just wanted you all to know that having you stand by me through the past several years is more than I deserved. You all mean the world to me, and I’m so thankful to have you in my life. You’ve stood by me through the darkest of times, so I was hoping to now finally have you stand by me during a moment of light.” I turned to Jasmine and reached out for her hand. As she placed hers in mine, I lowered myself down to one knee. “Jazz…”

Her eyes watered over. “Oh my God,” she muttered, her bodyshaking.

“When we were kids, you asked me what jazz meant to me, and my answer is still the same: jazz is the re-reminder that whenever I’m alone, I’m not really alone. It’s my best friend when the world is hard. Jazz is beauty. It’s unique. It’s powerful without even trying.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a smallbox.

“Eli,” she saidbreathlessly.

“You were, are, and will always be my Jazz. You are every beat, every note, every bar. You are the lyrics, the harmony, and the melody. You were, are, and always will be my favorite song.” I opened the box, revealing a key with an engagement ring tied to it. “So, I give you this. This is the key to my heart, and it’s yours for the keeping, but I just need you to know that my heart is rough sometimes. Sometimes it beats unevenly. Some days it’s battered and bruised, but I promise you, as long as my lungs rise and fall, as long as I am here, this heart of mine will beat for you. I will give my all to you, each and every day of my life. So please, Jazz…” I moved closer, placing my forehead against hers. “Marryme?”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Is that a question?” shewhispered.

“Yes”—I nodded my head—“and all you have to do is say yes. So please…sayyes?”

She placed her hands behind my neck, pulling me closer as her lips pressed against mine. “Yes.”

With one word spoken, the whole house celebrated. That celebration was the beginning of a new life, not only for Jasmine and me, but for all of us. We were crafting a new song, with new lyrics, leaving the albums of the past behindus.

But we were fully aware that if we ever needed a reminder of our past, those songs were always stored in our hearts and our minds, ready and available for areplay.

After dinner, I walked outside and sat on TJ’s porch, staring across the street at my childhood home. TJ’s front door creaked open behind me and Jasmine appeared. She walked my way and sat beside me. Her head fell on my shoulder, and she stared across the street withme.

“Happy?” sheasked.

“Happiest,” Ireplied.

“You’re my favorite sound,” she whispered. Her doe eyes looked up at me, and a small smile found her lips. “You’ve always been my favoritesound.”

For the first time in forever, I was finally able to step out from behind the bars of my past. I was learning how to stand on both feet, I was learning how to walk again. I could feel the light coming back to me, filling me up with hope, with love, with happyendings.

I’d spent six years locked in a cage, and Jasmine Greene was the key to myfreedom.

She was my music, my life, my everything. When our love blended together, it produced the most beautiful sounds. When our love blended together, two songs becameone.

I placed my lips against hers and gently whispered my greatest truth, “You arebeautiful.”

Epilogue

Jasmine

Two YearsLater

“And there we go,”Laura smiled as she finished tightening the corset on my wedding gown. She stepped backward and stared at me. “Wow.”

“Does it look okay?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed and excited all atonce.

“It looks more than okay. You’re so stunning, Jasmine.” She fanned her eyes, trying to stop fromcrying.

“Don’t cry! You’ll make me cry and we’ll both ruin our makeup,” Ijoked.

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