Page 70 of Love on the Brain
Her mouth hung open. “What do you mean?”
“I put my job first once before, and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I put an offer in on Dr. Keppler’s space. Just say the word and it’s ours. We can build a family practice, if you’d like to work with me, and I can moonlight as a neurosurgeon on an as-needed basis at the hospital. And I’d like to help you build that dream home that you painted in our sophomore art class.”
“You remember that?” Her voice carried a wispy note of surprise.
“I remember everything, Jane. Looking back, college was the happiest time of life. I had the best friend in the world, and we had the best of times. And now I’ve found her again and her little boy, who is my childhood best friend reincarnated.” He smiled, picturing Noah growing up to look like Casey. “And I want them in my life, every day, for the rest of my days. If they’ll have me.”
“You already have us.” Jane lifted on her tiptoes, and he met her lips with his for a kiss that sealed their unspoken plans and promises.
CHAPTER20
Shelby looked on disapprovingly as Molly filled Jane’s, Caroline’s, and Rachel’s Daisy Mae’s shot glasses with fire whiskey. Her sister didn’t drink, and Kat had just taken a handful of pills to help her get through the day. After her brain injury several years ago, she still struggled with long days, loud noise, and crowds.
Jane smiled as she scanned the women in the circle. Dressed in sleeveless ivory tops and long flowing skirts in mint green, pale blue, and baby pink, Shelby’s bridesmaids were picture-perfect. The bride herself had gone all-out, choosing a very un-Shelby-like gown with a corseted bodice and bell-shaped skirt over a hooped crinoline that she had to squeeze to her body to get through the doorways. Her long, espresso-colored hair was styled in loose waves and topped with a sparkling headband that complemented their mother’s cross, sitting just above the heart-shaped neckline, which Shelby never took off.
“Hold ’em up, girls!” Molly instructed. “It’s my bad all the champagne is next door in the ballroom, so I had to improvise. Turns out Meemaw is a big fan of Jane’s favorite cinnamon whiskey.”
“Don’t forget me!” The octogenarian bustled into the bridal suite with a shot glass of her own, followed by a yipping Fenway. “Fill ’er up!”
Molly obliged and filled her own. “To my little sister from another mister, may you have all the happiness you deserve, and I pray with all my heart you don’t pull a muscle rolling your eyes living with Damon twenty-four seven!”
“Hear, hear!’ Meemaw raised her glass. “Bottoms up!”
Shelby snorted as they shot back the whiskey. As it burned down Jane’s throat, the memory of her and Ryan’s first kiss pushed its way to the front of her mind. In a few short months, Jane’s life had changed drastically. Hope had replaced despair, happiness had overcome grief, and love had grown anew in her heart.
Jane felt like she was glowing as she strolled through the gate to the Harbor Lights’ newest song, smiling at the videographer who was casting the event to the community at Crane’s Cove Congregational Church. The midmorning sun shone bright between the buildings, casting the bricked courtyard in the perfect combination of light and shade.
Her mouth spread into a wide smile as she passed Ryan, who sat in the aisle seat in the last row on the bride’s side. At the same time, they mouthedI love you,and her heart swelled to a higher level of joy, a joy she wouldn’t have thought was ever possible again.
Ahead of her, Noah scattered rose petals on the white runner, followed by Meemaw and an excited Fenway, who strained at his short leash, barking with excitement and accepting pets from the aisle-sitters on the groom’s side.
Jane reached her hand out to Damon and gave his a squeeze as she took her place on the other side of the altar. She’d grown to love him like a brother; their whole family had. His family had to miss him like crazy, but after meeting Shelby when he visited for Matt’s wedding, he’d never doubted his future was in Crane’s Cove, even when she’d been certain that hers wasn’t. He’d been patient while Shelby worked out her pain and learned to accept help and love. And if not for him, Noah might never have been rescued from the kidnapping attempt by his new friend’s “parents” at the playground.
“Damon, do you take Shelby—”
“Hold up just a sec, Pastor.” Damon grinned and pulled a sheet of paper from behind the silver pocket square in his jacket. “I know we said we’d stick to traditional vows, and we will, but the writing bug bit me last night. Fiercer than horsefly bitin’ where the sun don’t shine.” He turned to Shelby and grinned. Jane’s lips twitched as she wished she could see her sister’s expression.
Damon reached under Shelby’s bouquet of daffodils with his left hand to cover hers and spoke only to her as a tear escaped from his eye. A slight bobble of the bouquet was the only sign of Shelby trying to hold her composure.
“Shelby Elisabeth Porter, I need the world to know how much I love you. I’m sure they think they know how much that is, but you know me. I like to be thorough. I will always give a hundred and ten percent, and if I’m ever not able to, I know there’s no stopping you to make up the deficit. Honey bee, when I first laid eyes on you, I knew that I had to have you in my life. I didn’t know how, but I listened to my gut and God and both proved true. That first time we met, I felt a connection with you that I had never felt before. You’ve shown me what no one else could—what it means to love unconditionally and to be truly loved in return. I will always cherish and honor you. I will be your faithful partner, your confidant, and your best friend, because you’re mine. Not mine in the way it means you belong to me—though I hope you do—but because you fill those roles in my life. I promise to stand by your side through thick and thin, through good times and bad, and to always be there for you when you need me, if such an occasion should arise,” he teased, inciting a soft laugh from the guests.
“I vow to listen to you, to support you, and to respect your opinions and beliefs. I will always make time for you and prioritize us over everything else. I will be your shelter in the storm, your rock in times of trouble, your love on the beach, and your source of joy, laughter, and eye-rolling. I promise to be yours and only yours, forever and always.”
Without changing her stance, Shelby passed her bouquet over her shoulder for Jane to grab. “I knew you couldn’t stick to the plan,” she said with a humph. “It’s a good thing Ialsowas struck with the writing bug last night.”
Jane chuckled along with the guests as her sister pulled a slip of paper from the pocket in the folds of her dress and outlined all the reasons she loved Damon. As Shelby spoke, Damon’s face became streaked with his tears. Jane loved how much he loved her sister.
“I’d stopped believing love was in the cards for me. And then I met you, and you were determined to prove me wrong. You showed me how true love is genuine and pure. You challenged me, inspired me, and made me believe in the power of love. I’ve already promised—over and over again, because you like to hear it on repeat—that I will love you with all of my heart, every day that we’re together. I’ll be your wife, your friend, your cheerleader, and your confidant. Your dreams and aspirations will become mine, too, because dreaming alone is sad. I will celebrate your successes as my own and respect your opinions, even when—and especially when—we disagree. It’ll be my honor to be your shoulder to cry on, your sounding board, and your rock in times of trouble. I will always be honest, even when the truth is hard to hear, even when it hurts. I promise to be your equal and your ally, your partner in life and in love. I will cherish and love you forever.”
Jane sighed with happiness for her sister and Damon and snuck a glance to the back row. Catching Ryan’s gaze was easy, as he was looking at her every time she averted her eyes from the bride and groom.
Her dad walked them through the traditional vows, and Matt handed over the rings. In minutes, they were husband and wife, and Jane was on Matt’s arm, following them out of the courtyard and into the square for pictures.
As the photographer posed the wedding party, Jane looked around for Ryan and found him standing by what she’d come to think of as their tree with Matt’s wife, Lanie; Jack; Beverly; and Jamie. He blew her a kiss, and she giggled just as the flash went off.
The heat of the day was growing thicker, and they finished just as droplets of sweat began to run down Jane’s spine. But the warmth on the outside didn’t even register when she compared it to the fire that burned inside her heart for the tall blond man waiting for her to be his.
Hollie began shooing the guests back across the street, and the bridal party lined up for the final time to make its entrance into the reception. Across the street, the brilliant yellow of Daisy Mae’s and its coordinating ballroom, trimmed like a gingerbread house with its steamboat details, made Jane feel like she was walking into a fairy tale, a waking dream where she knew her prince would be waiting for her.
