Page 45 of Rescued By My Best Friend's Brother

Hot tears are already burning my cheeks. I know I cried a lot earlier. I shed so many tears for a man that caused so much damage to me over the years, but no matter what, I still loved him, even if I didn’t near the end.

I wipe away the tears quickly, hopefully, erasing them will help me stop crying. Jasper coerces me to sit down on a nearby bench, one positioned to have a full view of the entire play area. Maybe I should swing, swing so high that it clears my thoughts away. My only thoughts focusing on how the breeze feels blowing through my hair as I reach toward the sky, pushing it back then as I descend backwards the breeze blowing my hair back into my face. I could close my eyes and wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Bradley’s face or the calm expression he’d had when he fell, only the brightness of the sun warming my face.

I lean against Jasper, his sturdy frame giving me some comfort. “Am I a bad person?” I ask him. I never thought I’d be capable of killing someone. I never thought I would pull the trigger, and yet I did. I pulled it. It was so much easier than I’d thought it would be.

Jasper shakes his head and pulls me even closer, if that is even possible. “Elena, don’t think that way. There was so much going on. You don’t know what Bradley was capable of. If you hadn’t done something, he could have hurt you or Lily.”

“I could have just given you the gun, or maybe I should have shot a warning shot, or…” My voice trails off, not knowing what else to say.

“No one can imagine being in the predicament that you were in until they experience it themselves. Our adrenaline was rushing. You were in flight or fight mode. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I cover my face with both hands. “What if the police try to arrest me?”

Jasper turns to face me. He pulls down my hands and peers into my eyes. He looks so serene, stoic, even as he does this. “Based on all the witness statements and the evidence Detective Pierce shared with them, they aren’t going to be doing that. Bradley wasn’t a good person. He had hurt other women too, and he would have continued doing so if it weren’t for you. You helped prevent that. You helped those other women who didn’t get closure.”

I gulp down my emotions. There are so many: sadness, fear, regret, and more. I can’t even begin to name every single thing I feel at this moment.

“Does this change anything between us?” I ask.

He moves closer to my face, still holding my hands. “Elena Pruitt, I have loved you since we were little kids in middle school, even before Josie introduced you as her new friend.”

My eyes widen as the words sink in. He had to be lying. Did he really notice me before Josie? That couldn’t be right. I thought the first time we met was when Josie brought me home one day, and he was playing video games in his living room.

He nods. “Yes. I noticed you when you first came to the lunchroom and sat down by yourself. I noticed how you didn’t care about what others were thinking, you just ate your lunch as if you didn’t have a care in the world.”

All those emotions from before start to mold into something new…what is it? What is this feeling?

“I love you, Elena Pruitt. Nothing has ever changed that, not the years apart, not any of those other relationships. Deep down, I have always loved you, and I don’t want to lose that now because of some idiot who couldn’t take the loss of letting you slip through his fingers.”

Tears begin to burn my cheeks again, but this time, they are happy tears. I never thought I would hear those words come from Jasper’s mouth. I never thought we would be here. I never thought I would get to be happy, especially with everything that has happened to me over the years. I never thought I deserved it.

“I love you too, Jasper.” My voice shakes as I speak.

His hand moves from mine to the back of my neck. He drags me into a kiss, one that I need, that I crave. I pour every emotion into the kiss and let all the regrets of today slip away, finally feeling some sort of tranquility during this turmoil.

“Ugh. Get a room, you two.” Josie’s voice causes us to pull apart. Jasper and I look at his sister and daughter.

Lily tugs at Josie’s shirt. “Let’s get a corn dog!” She takes off running to a food vendor not too far from here completely unaffected of what she just witnessed.

Josie continues to stare at us. “We will address this later,” she says, flicking a finger back and forth between Jasper and me.

We both nod in response. She starts to walk away but pauses. She turns back around and hurries to us. In a swift movement, she gives me a hug and says, “I love you guys, don’t forget that.” She kisses my cheek and then Jasper’s. “Now, big brother, you owe us a corn dog.” She releases us and takes off after Lily.

I turn to Jasper, both of us stifling a chuckle. Of course, Josie would blackmail us with a corn dog.

Jasper pats my knee and stands up. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starved. I feel like I could eat something from each one of these vendors.” He holds out his hand. I take it and stand up. He continues to hold my hand as we wait in line behind an impatient Lily and Josie. He isn’t afraid of Lily seeing us. He isn’t worried about Josie. He just stands there. With my hand in his as if it has always been like this.

Epilog

Elena

Istandbythedoorway as people enter the small restaurant. We greet family and friends who have come to the rehearsal dinner to celebrate our upcoming wedding. I glance over at Jasper, who is wearing one of his suits. I told him not to dress up for this, but he knows how much I love seeing him in one. He meets my gaze and flashes me a sideways smile. I walk over to him, his smile beckoning me to come in for a quick kiss before the dinner starts.

“Why don’t you go on in while I welcome everyone else?” I tell him. We had a room reserved for our party. Most of the family and friends are on Jasper’s side, since I’d lost contact with most of my friends, but I’ve made a few during this last year as my life changed in ways I never could imagine. If I went back in time to talk to my younger self and told her that I am marrying my best friend’s brother, she would laugh at me. I still laugh to myself in disbelief sometimes. Me, marrying Jasper. He has grown to be my best friend and such a rock during this time, especially since the horrific things that happened at the start of our relationship. I still think I am in a dream sometimes.

He looks through the window at the parking lot. “I think that is everyone, isn’t it?” He peers at the open doors to the room we have reserved. “Yeah. I think that’s everyone.”

“I have one more guest coming,” I inform him.

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