Page 45 of Paradox
“I’ll check on him in a bit, but I want to run something by you.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
He grabs his phone, scrolling through it as he approaches me.
“I know you’ll handle all the wedding plans, but I have a request.”
“Oh?” I smile, raising a brow.
“I want this to be the song we have our first dance to.”
I listen closely as the song starts playing. It’s not just a song forawedding, it’s a wedding song, complete with “I dos.”
“It’s beautiful,” I tell him.
“It is, and it says everything I want you to know.” He takes my hands, eyes locked on mine. “There’s a verse where she says something about him choosing us, and when I heard it, I thought… I would choose us… me and you… but…” He takes a deep breath. “If I look at it from your point of view, I’d choose you and Mikey. The two of you, our baby… that’s the ‘us’ I’d choose every time.”
“Oh, Jon….”
Tears cloud my eyes, stinging them as a million emotions fight for dominance. My heart constricts, unable to handle the war. I didn’t realize it before, but there was still a part of me holding on to Eddie and thoughts of the life we never had the chance to live. It’s probably why I haven’t sold the house; it’s a physical representation of that. Well, no more. Jon’s words have chipped away at the final remnants of that “what could have been,” and I feel freer than I ever have. First thing tomorrow, I’m finding a real estate agent and closing that chapter in my life.
“That’s why I want all of us to have that first dance together,” he continues. “All four of us.”
“You mean…?”
He pulls me close, arm sliding to my back. “Yes. I’m not just marrying you. I want to adopt Mikey, give him my last name. Alongside Eddie’s, of course. I’m not trying to erase him.”
“He’d love that,” I whisper through my sobs, wrapping my arms around the man I’ll spend the rest of my life with. “So would I.”
“Thank you.” He rests his forehead on mine. My lids flutter closed.
“I was right,” I choke out.
“About what?”
“My mom would have loved you. You’re everything she wanted for me, and more than I could ever need.”
Pulling back, I meet his hazel eyes once more. The love in his gaze is something I’ll never get tired of seeing. God, I’m lucky he saw more than a one-night stand in me.
“Jon… I’m glad you chose me.”
***Einstein***
“Hey, brother,” I answer the phone, careful not to wake Ellen.
“Did I wake you?” Gage asks.
I slide out of bed, heading to the living room so we can talk. “Like you care.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” He chuckles.
“What’s up?”
“Krueger. He took the bait but he’s not happy.”
“So he’s gonna back Mission?”
“Yeah. On the condition that I’m up after Mission.”
