Kristen Ashley - The Will

A huge smile had spread on my face and I felt Jake’s body shaking with laughter.

Finally, Ethan, Jake’s youngest, well…what is there to say about that darling boy? Not much except he’s a darling boy who needs a mother.

My smile died and Jake stopped laughing.

See to that too, buttercup, Gran ordered. And in doing so, watch his diet. He’s a growing boy and it’s understandable that he’s hungry nearly constantly. But sometimes he overindulges. Put a stop to that, will you?

Warmth spread through me for a variety of reasons when Jake rested his jaw on the top of my head and gathered me ever closer.

I have many things to say about Jake, Gran remarked. But I have a feeling they won’t need to be said. This is because I’ve no doubt Jake will show you all that needs to be said. I just encourage you, my precious girl, to allow him to say them in his way. I promise you…promise you, Josie, you’ll wish to hear them.

I curled my fingers into Jake’s sweater.

My girl, know this and never forget. It’s never too late to reach for happiness and no matter what life has done to you, it’s never too late to find it. Please don’t be offended when I share with you that I know you’ve been hiding. I know why. I understand it, buttercup, but it’s time to come into the light. I’ve found someone special to help guide the way. Please, Josie, take Jake’s hand and let him guide you to happiness.

The tears slid down my cheek and Jake pressed his jaw into my hair.

And last, I love you, Josie. I know the things I just told you are true because I had many things happen in my life, things that would lead me to believe I’d never find anything but contentment at best. But when you entered my life, I found happiness.

My body bucked with my sob and Jake pulled me up so I could shove my face in his neck.

Thank you, buttercup, Gran said softly, for being the light of my life. I treasured you from the moment you were born, to the time I sit here saying these things to you, to the time I take my last breath and I’ll treasure you beyond it. This is because you’re a treasure, my Josie. You always have been and you always will.

My breath hitched with my sob as the tears flowed freely down my cheeks and into the skin of Jake’s neck.

Tell Jake, Conner, Amber and Ethan they held special places in my heart, will you, buttercup? I know it will be sad to know that when you weren’t with me, although I had a full life, I often felt empty. Until I met them and they filled my life with such beauty. Such great beauty.

“Jesus,” Jake murmured, his voice rough.

I knew what that meant and gave him a loving squeeze.

And I know they will do the same for you, Josie, if you let them. Please let them, buttercup.

I drew in a deep breath to control my tears.

It didn’t work.

Good-bye, my precious girl, Gran said and the tears slid faster down my cheeks. I’ll love you always. Forever and completely.

I heard the click, then silence which was broken by the sound of my sob as it filled the room.

I knew Jake put the recorder aside when his arms got even tighter and one hand slid up into my hair, his fingers gliding through it, holding me, stroking me, soothing me.

He held me close for some time. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours before my tears abated.

Then he held me for longer.

My eyes scratchy, my heart hurting, my lips moved.

“She gave me everything,” I told Jake.

“Yeah, baby,” he replied.

“And then she died and she gave it to me again.”

I felt his body give a slight jerk before it settled and he said, “Yeah, Slick, she gave me that too.”

Gran gave Jake that too.

I closed my eyes.

Then I opened them, pulled slightly away and lifted my head to catch my man’s gaze.

“I need to clean up and go pick up Ethan.”

Jake looked into my eyes for long moments.

Then finally, I watched fascinated as his eyes—an unusual stormy gray—changed colors to a beautiful light blue.

And this was when they smiled.

“It’s done?” Jake asked.

Arnie nodded, smiling, “It’s all there.”

Jake looked at him and then looked down to the envelope Arnie had just handed him wondering how something so huge could be contained in an envelope.

“Dad!”

He heard Ethan shout and moved his gaze in that direction.

Ethan, in his little man tuxedo, was racing toward him and doing it so fast he wasn’t able to control himself so when he arrived, he slammed into Jake.

Jake stood steady, steadying his son by doing it, and put a hand to his boy’s shoulder.

Ethan was staring up at him and his voice was excited when he asked, “Is that it?”

Jake looked down at his son, memorizing the expression on his face, hoping like fuck he never forgot it.

“Yeah, bud, that’s it,” he confirmed.

“Cool,” Ethan breathed, jumped away and declared, “I’m gonna go get Con and Amber. Can we do it now? Can we?”

They sure as fuck could.

“Absolutely,” he replied and he didn’t have the full word out before Ethan sprinted away.

“This is perhaps the most beautiful present there ever was,” Arnie stated and Jake turned his eyes to the man. “I’m honored to have played my part,” he finished.

Jake smiled at him and replied, “Still plannin’ on payin’ the bill.”

At that, Arnie shook his head, “Oh no, Jake. My present to you. And Josie. And your children on this joyous day.”

Before Jake could protest, Arnie clapped him on the arm and quickly walked away.

Jake watched him for a beat then he turned his head and took in the expanse.

There were white tents to either side of the back of Lavender House, these and the tables set out in the sun were decorated with bouquets of sprigs of lavender taken from the bushes around the house, white roses and lilies of the valley.

The sea glinted in the sun.

The garden had been planted but there wasn’t much there but rich dark dirt broken up by green shoots.

And the wisteria over the arbor was in full bloom, but many of its purple petals had detached in the slight breeze, drifting confetti across the space. In fact, forty minutes ago, when he kissed Josie there after she was declared his wife, a breeze blew up, scattering petals everywhere.

He hadn’t seen it. He was busy kissing his wife. But Alyssa told him about it, showing him and Josie a picture Junior had taken on his phone, declaring it, “Effing awesome.”

And from what he saw in the picture, Jake had to agree.

He turned his eyes back and saw that Ethan had found Amber and was pulling her away from Alexi, boy Taylor, girl Taylor and Kieran Wentworth. This meant Ethan had pulled Amber from Alexi’s arm, which was wrapped around her waist. He tore his eyes off that and saw Kieran’s arm the same around Taylor.

It was then he grinned.

Girl Taylor was a stunning, loyal, sweet young woman any guy would be lucky to have.

But still.

That was all Josie.

He watched his daughter in her lavender bridesmaid’s dress and his youngest son move across the grass and he looked in the direction they were going.

There he saw Conner in his tuxedo lounging in a white chair at one of the tables. Sofie was sitting close to him and Con had his arm slung along the back of her chair.

Sofie reminded Jake a lot of Josie so Jake was unsurprised when they finally got their shit together, got tight and kept tight. Conner was happy. Sofie was happy. Alyssa was ecstatic. And Junior had managed to hold his shit. Like Jake when it came to his daughter having a boyfriend, not enjoying it much, but he’d done it.

Conner would be going to Boston University in a few months, which would totally fucking suck.

Luckily, Jake knew without a doubt he’d be coming back a lot. To see his old man, his family and his girl.

Right then, he saw Conner had his arm on Sofie’s chair but his eyes were aimed at his brother and sister.

He knew it was time.

They’d planned this.

All of them.

Therefore, before Amber and Ethan made it to him, Jake watched as Conner turned his head to his girl and said something in her ear that made her smile.

Then he kissed her briefly, got up and looked to his dad.

Jake jerked up his chin.

Conner nodded and started to make his way to Jake.

That was when Jake again scanned the space but he knew where she was.

Still, in doing it, he saw Donna sitting with Alyssa. Alyssa, also in a bridesmaid dress, was talking. Donna was smiling.

She’d pulled her head out of her ass and it took her a while but she put in the effort and got results.

Conner and Amber didn’t stay at her house but they saw each other and often.

Not done, Josie had then instigated part two of her plan and got it to the point where Donna came over for dinner (rarely, but it happened, mostly on special occasions like birthdays and Easter).

Josie had given his boy and girl their mother. Donna did the work; he had to give her credit for that. She’d sucked it up and made it happen.

But Josie instigated it.

His eyes kept going through the guests talking, drinking and eating the fancy shit from silver trays that waiters were carrying around.

As they did, he saw Bert. Troy. Mickey. Coert. Pearl. Junior. Reverend Fletcher and his wife Ruth. Girl Taylor’s parents. Boy Taylor’s parents. Nearly every member of his gym. All his bouncers and their women. All his dancers and their men. A bunch of his kids from the junior boxing league and their parents.

He also saw, mingling with the townies, the makeup artist Jean-Michel DuChamp, the supermodel Acadie and the front man for Bounce, Lavon Burkett. Not to mention, some big name designers Amber had freaked when she found out they were coming and more recording artists that all his kids had freaked when they found out they were coming.

And last, he saw Josie standing close to the cliff, the sea her backdrop, her face bright with a huge smile as she stood listening to Amond.

Taking her in yet again, he noted her gown was un-fucking-believable. He thought it right then. And he thought it an hour ago when she walked out of the house on Tom’s arm, both of them moving to him, his boys standing at his side, Alyssa and Amber having just made the same journey.

The designer Josie worked for made the gown especially for her.

It was white and hugged her from shoulders to knees. Sleeveless, v-neck, a deep vee in the back exposing a lot of skin, the dress flared out in a wide but elegant puff of netting at her knees.

But the white body of the gown was covered in a deep lavender lace that bled into the netting that had some pieces of the lace stitched into it.

She looked what she was.

Pure class.

Pure style.

Total beauty.

Except her hair was up.

It looked fucking gorgeous but he’d be taking it down the first chance he got.

His attention was taken from his wife when his kids huddled close.

He looked to Conner. “Con, do me a favor, get a pen.”

Conner reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo and pulled one out. “Already got it.”

Jake smiled at his boy.

“Dad! Let’s do this!” Ethan demanded impatiently.

Jake looked down at his youngest.

Yes.

He was impatient.

And this was for him as well as Josie. It was for Jake, too. And it was for Conner and Amber.

But mostly, it was for Josie.

And Ethan.

And what his boy and his woman wanted, Jake wanted to give to them.

Therefore, Jake looked up and shouted, “Yo! Slick!”

Josie turned her head his way and even from the distance, he saw the fall of her grandmother’s diamonds and amethysts sparkle at her ears.

With the help of his daughter, it was his diamonds and amethysts that sparkled at her neck and wrist.

The huge ass diamond he’d planted on her finger Christmas day right in front of his kids was also his. As was the band set with diamonds he’d planted on it that day.

Josie had taken Amber on a girl’s trip to New York so Amber had seen her dress. She’d also gone with Jake to pick that shit out. Last, she’d given Jake’s necklace and bracelet to Josie during preparations because Amber, Alyssa nor Josie would allow Jake to see his woman prior to her walking down the aisle.