A Beautiful Mess (25 page)

Once we received our diplomas and threw our caps in the air I ran over to Ashlynn. Wrapping her arms around me as I picked her up by the waist our lips met. I could never get enough of having her lips on mine. She started to swipe along my bottom lip and I could not help growling.

Smiling against my mouth she said, “I love you Jason.”

Placing her back down on the ground I said, “I love you Ashlynn.”

Releasing her arms from around my neck she took my hand in hers and we started to search out Garrett and Janie because we just could not wait to see Jaylin and Bennett. That last two months of school were pretty difficult on the both of us. We barely got any sleep as we took care of our children yet somehow we graduated with High Honors.

How we did that I will never know.

We spotted Garrett and Janie and were on our way over when I saw Jade wrap her arms around Neil and he kissed her on the neck. I instantly fumed and started walk over in that direction but Ashlynn pulled me along with her and said, “Leave them be Jason. Your sister looks happy.” I was glad my sister was happy but Neil made me a promise and he broke it. Big fucking mistake on his part because I would be watching him.

Reaching Garrett and Janie I grabbed Jay while Ash grabbed Bennett. Kissing each of our kids on the foreheads Garrett and Janie then gave us a hug and kiss each and said, “Congratulations you guys.”

Ash then handed Bennett over to me and wrapped her arms around her dad. He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her while he said, “I’m so proud of you baby.”

Through tears she said, “I love you so much dad.” Letting go of Ash he then walked up to me.

I handed Jay and Ben to Ash and then Garrett hugged me and said, “I’m so proud of you son.”

Through tears I wrapped my arms around his middle and said, “Thanks so much, for everything.”

Leaning away from me he smiled and patted me on the back. Taking Bennett I handed him to Janie and said, “Ash, do you mind giving Jay to your dad?”

With this weird look on her face she nodded and said, “Okay.” Handing Jay to her dad she then turned around to see me on my knee in front of her holding out a ring.

Opening the ring I said, “I told you someday that I would tell you the conversation your dad and I had the first time we talked on the phone the night before Sarah and Gabe’s wedding.”

Looking at Garrett who had tears in his eyes I smiled and then looked back at Ashlynn. “Well, I asked him for his permission to marry you. I fought my feelings for you so much over the years because I didn’t want to drag you into my mess. I didn’t want to damage your beauty, but I broke the rules and I fell in love with you Ashlynn Miller.”

Opening the ring box I said, “Will you marry me?”

Falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around me she said, “Yes Jason! Yes!”

I wrapped my arms around her and just held on for dear life. I was never going to let this girl go. Standing up I placed the ring on her finger and kissed her. I heard cheers from our friends and even people we didn’t know.

Looking down at the ring she said, “I cannot believe this.”

Rubbing my thumb across her cheek I said, “Believe it.”

After getting congratulations from everybody Garrett and Janie handed us back our kids. I had an arm wrapped around Ash as I looked down at her and she looked up at me and then we saw a flash go off. We looked over and saw Jade had taken a picture of us. Wiping her eyes she said, “You guys just looked so beautiful.”

Smiling I looked back at Ashlynn, Jaylin, and Bennett. For the life of me I couldn’t get the huge smile off my face because I never thought I would be here. I never thought on the drive up to school my freshman year of college that my life would change so drastically. I never thought I would meet a girl who would completely change my world and make me question everything. I never thought in a million years I would ever find it in my heart to forgive my dad or fall in love with my best friend. I never thought I could have what I have right now: my soon to be wife, our son Bennett and our daughter Jaylin … a family.

Ashlynn once told me that she was the beautiful to my mess and even to this day that still stands. Through the hardships and the struggles, through the love and the laughter together Ashlynn and I made a beautiful mess.

The End

Look for
A Beautiful Mistake
with Jade and Neil coming Winter 2013

Jade Williams has been a walking mistake since the day she was born. Picking the wrong friends. Picking the wrong boyfriend. She also thought it was a mistake when she allowed her brother’s sexy old roommate, Neil, to move in with her.

Neil James is a walking contradiction. He has piercings and looks like a bad-boy rebel, but he also stutters through his words and blushes whenever he talks to Jade.

His whole life Neil has seen the effects of what can happen if you make a mistake. He’s seen the damage it has caused and the outcomes because of those mistakes. Learning from others’ actions he decided to make a promise to himself and has kept that promise. Up until, he met Jade and moved in with her.

When a secret unravels Jade questions what exactly is going on in their relationship. Will this be yet another terrible mistake made on Jade’s part or can Neil repair the pieces to Jade’s past and give her a beautiful future?

I have to first start off by saying thank you to all of the readers. I am truly humbled and grateful by this rollercoaster of a life I now have. I feel like I’m on Cloud 9 or that I’m asleep and having the best dream ever. If so, I never want to wake up. I never thought a year ago I would be writing books, finishing those books and publishing those books. And I wonder what I’ll be doing next year? I guess only time will tell.

Christina, Sandra and Jess: Thank you for reading
A Beautiful
Mess before I sent it into editing and giving me critiques and words of wisdom. I’m so thankful to have made three new friends through this process. ☺

Alessandra Torre: My life is truly indebted to you. I’m so thankful you answered my email the first time around. You are no longer my mentor in a sense, but now a friend I can ask questions to and rely on for help. You made this process so much easier for me and I’m so grateful for you to have entered my life.

Stephanie T. Lott: Thank you for editing my second book! I know the first was hard to edit and I can only imagine all of the grammatical errors in this one.

Claudia McKinney of
Phatpuppy Art
and Ashley
The Bookish Brunette:
Once again thank you for making such a beautiful book cover for me!

Deena Rae: Thank you for formatting my book and making it all come together in the end.

Mom and Jared: Thank you for dealing with me talking about my books and characters all of the time. Thanks for letting me talk to you about my ideas and for only sometimes saying, “Oh my god I don’t care.” I love you two so much.

Josh: Words can’t describe just how grateful I am to have you in my life. Thank you for not getting mad when I forget to answer your texts because I’m lost in the books I’m writing or when my phone is going off constantly from text messages or emails when I’m snuggling up on the couch with you. You truly have changed my life for the better and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. I love you goober, mmmwah!

And last but certainly not least, to everyone who has read either or both of my books. Thank you for taking precious time from your daily lives of school, work, kids, to escape for just a few hours to read my books. I never thought my life would consist of writing books and people actually reading them! I’m truly astonished by this writing process and I am at a loss for words to describe just how grateful I am for all of you, which is funny because I write books now!

XoXo, Emily!

When I’m not writing Happily Ever After’s I’m reading about them and living one. I think this world is filled with too much sadness already that we don’t need to read about it as well. I write because I love it and I’ve allowed my imagination to run wild and be crazy and free. 

1) I love roller coasters.

2) I have twelve piercings, but I really want a tattoo.

3) I’m terrified of clowns.

4) I have a huge obsession with purses.

5) I’m addicted to Swedish Fish.

Goodreads: 
goodreads.com/author/show/7079840.Emily_McKee

Twitter: 
@EmilyMcKee1206

Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emily-McKee/1411551212390451

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