Page 40 of What Happens In Vegas: Jessa & Jaxon
Over Gina’s shoulder, I catch sight of Alyxandra returning to Jaxon’s side, laughing at something he’s said and touching his arm. I really wanted to break it. It would show her to keep her hands off what’s not hers.
While Gina enthusiastically describes her upcoming baby shower, my attention splinters between politely nodding and watching Jaxon. I’m happy for Gina and Maverick. Their love story still amazes me.
Who would have thought a disastrous family vacation with her ex-husband Chris would lead her to find love with Maverick, of all people? Maverik was the ex-husband of Chris’s girlfriend at the time. Looking at her radiant face now, you’d never guess the drama they weathered to create their blended family.
As she speaks, I find myself wondering if relationships that begin in messiness can find their way to solid ground. If the most complicated beginnings sometimes yield the strongest foundations.
The realization unfolds within me, reshaping everything I thought I knew. Could Jaxon and I navigate our own complicated path? Or am I clinging to fantasy, pretending our situation is something it’s not?
I grab a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and down it in one desperate swallow. The bubbles burn my throat, but the alcohol does nothing to quiet the turbulence inside me.
I’ve spent weeks convincing myself I made the right choice in walking away. That what happened in Vegas should stay there. That marriage to a man like Jaxon could only end in heartbreak.
But watching him across the room, I recognize something I’ve been denying. The man I thought I knew is only part of who he is. The version of Jaxon I met in my apartment showed me how genuine and loving he can be.
Jaxon leans in to hear Alyxandra’s whispered words, and it feels like a knife twisting in my heart. Not just jealousy, but the pain of possibly losing something precious before I’ve truly allowed myself to have it.
No. No more running. No more hiding behind excuses and fears.
“Gina, I’ll catch up with you later,” I say, squeezing her hand.
Before doubt and fear paralyze me, I cross the ballroom floor to the stage with trembling knees. My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I wrap my fingers around the cool metal of the microphone. The room blurs at the edges, faces becoming indistinct save Jaxon’s.
Without pausing to consider the consequences, I let the opening notes of Dawn Sears’ “Don’t Take Your Hands Off My Heart” flow from somewhere deep inside me. If words have failed us, perhaps music can bridge the gap between what I’ve been saying and what I truly feel.
The room falls into a startled silence. I don’t care. My gaze focuses on Jaxon across the crowded room, his expression shifting from confusion to recognition as our song fills the space.
My voice is off-key and breaking with emotion, but it holds everyone captive. The DJ catches on quickly, filling in the melody behind me as I step down from the podium, never breaking eye contact with Jaxon.
“What is she doing?” I hear my mother ask loudly.
“Singing, Dianne. The girl is singing,” Dad responds with characteristic bluntness.
I move slowly through the crowd, each step bringing me closer to Jaxon, each note more vulnerable than the last. From my peripheral vision, I spot Aunt Ruby clutching Uncle Jerome’s arm.
“Is she drunk?” Aunt Malina stage-whispers. “I’ve never heard Jessa sing in public. Not even in church.”
I push their voices away, forcing myself to focus solely on Jaxon. Nothing else matters right now.
Finally, I stand before him, inches away, close enough to smell his cologne. My pride was gone, stripped away by the realization nothing was worth losing him.
“I lied,” I say, standing before him and completely ignoring the woman beside him. “Forgive me.”
His expression offers me nothing to hold on to. But I press on anyway, my heart too full to contain another moment of pretense.
“I love you, Jaxon,” I say, my voice low but somehow filling the hushed room. “I want—”
“Say it again.”
The command is quiet, but it does something to my core.
“I love you.”
“Louder.”
His eyes darken. He’s not making this easy. But neither did I.
“I love you, Jaxon! I want to be your wife forever. I don’t care that we got married in Vegas while we were drunk. I’m glad I married you. The thought of not spending the rest of my life with you fills me with dread.”
