The Wager

Chapter Sixty

“Ready?” Jake slapped his brother on the back a few times as Travis looked in the mirror and cursed.

“Damn, I can’t stop shaking.” Travis closed his eyes and shook his arms, then jumped in place.

“Uh, first stop jumping.” Jake put his hands on Travis’s shoulders. “It’s not a basketball game. We aren’t in the state finals.”

“Right.” Travis stopped moving and nodded his head a few times.

“And stop nodding. You look insane.”

“Shit.” Travis sat down on the chair and hung his head in his hands. “I need to get out there before I lose it.”

“Agreed.” Jake reached into his front jacket. “But until then, take this.”

Travis didn’t look up. “Jake I hardly think this situation calls for Grandma’s infamous Benadryl remedy.”

“Not a pink pill.” Jake thrust the tiny bottle of liquor into Travis’s face. “Liquid courage, my friend. Drink up.”

Travis opened his eyes and took the plastic bottle. “Hmm, so it’s a Jake Titus remedy? I like.”

“Or just a Titus remedy, although mom usually goes for the wine.” Jake shrugged. “Either way, I don’t need all the credit.”

Travis twisted the cap and cringed as he drank the entire bottle of cheap vodka, all four ounces. “That tastes terrible.”

“Stole it from Grandma.” Jake nodded. “Figured it did, never seen a woman love cheap vodka like her.” He shrugged. “At any rate, it’s almost time to walk down that aisle. What do you say to growing a pair?”

After a few seconds Travis said, “Done.”

“Well, that was fast.” Jake smirked.

“Yeah, well, I just realized I get to seduce my wife in exactly forty-six minutes, possibly forty-four if I can say my vows fast enough.”

“There’s the spirit.” Jake patted him on the back. “Now, I’m off to find your future wife; seems I have a girl to help walk down the aisle.”

“She trips, you get a black eye.”

“Noted,” Jake called as he left the room and went in search of Kacey. He found her, standing all alone at the back door porch entrance, waiting while the music played softly in the background.

Char was standing next to her and they were murmuring in hushed tones; that is, until Jake made himself known by clearing his throat loudly.

Kacey turned first, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

“I’ll just, uh…” Char pointed behind Jake. “Go stand over there, until it’s time to walk down the aisle.”

Char’s perfume floated in the air as she tried to walk by Jake. Not happening. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her on the mouth. “You can’t just walk by me without saying hi.”

Char’s lips met his again. “Is this how we say hi now?”

“Yes.” Jake opened her lips with his tongue. “Hell yes.”

Pulling away, Char gave him a saucy wink and walked off.

He was still staring after her when Kacey said, “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What?” Jake scratched his head nervously and approached Kacey. “What day?”

“You know.” She crossed her arms and nodded toward the section of the room where Char and the rest of the bridesmaids were sitting. “The day.”

“Still not following.”

She shrugged. “Call it puberty. You actually grew up and fell in love.”

“So I’m a man now?” Jake squinted.

“Congratulations.” Kacey laughed. “Oh my gosh! I bet you even have chest hair!” Jake winced. He’d always been the type of guy to manscape, and perhaps he took things a little far, what with his monthly facials.

He slapped Kacey’s hand away when she went to touch his chest. The brat.

“You ready?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I think so.”

“Good.” Jake laughed. “Prepare to be awed. In fact, prepare to cry. I heard you and Grandma had a good chat.”

“That woman can’t keep a secret to save her life,” Kacey grumbled.

“Well, I have Char on alert just in case.” Jake reached out and grabbed Kacey’s’ hands in his. “Kacey, I’ve known you since you were a little girl with pigtails. You were obsessed with Barbie and told me I should be your Ken. In fact, I’m pretty sure I played Ken more times than I’d care to admit.”

Kacey giggled.

“We’ve laughed together, cried together, yelled at one another, fought, hated each other…” Jake tried to rein in his emotions. Damn it, forget Kacey crying, he felt like losing it. “I broke your heart and never fixed it.” He licked his lips and let out a breath. “He did.”

Kacey reached for Jake’s hand and squeezed it.

“He fixed it, my brother.” Jake closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Kace, I took your heart, in college. I took it and I wasn’t careful with it. I was careless, young, stupid, you name it.” He released her hand and reached into his pocket to pull out the gift. “So here’s to me, returning the broken pieces so that he can have it all. Travis deserves it all. I wanted to mend what I broke, I wanted to fix what went wrong, but you know it’s kind of hard to do that, so here…” He held out the pin for her hair. “It’s a blue heart, a sapphire. Your something blue is also your something new.” He shrugged. “I’ve always loved you, Kace.” He tucked the pin in her hair and kissed her forehead.

Kacey slapped him on the shoulder. “Stop making me cry!”

“Sorry!” He pulled back and lifted his hands.

“Oh, come here.” Kacey pulled him in for another tight hug. “Thank you, Jake. For everything.”

Music sounded from outside. “Well, I’m not done just yet.” He held out his arm just as his father came around the corner.

“You ready, dear?” Dad said as he wiped some tears from his eyes after he’d kissed Kacey on the cheek.

“Ready.” She swallowed and looped one hand through Jake’s arm, and the other through his dad’s. “Let’s do this.”

Char approached, holding Kacey’s flowers. Jake sent her a quick wink before turning back toward the door.

Jake felt Kacey shaking beside him.

“I love you, Mom and Dad,” Kacey whispered under her breath.

“I am so proud of you,” Dad said, and a tear fell down his cheek before he could walk away. “And I know they are, too.”

Jake squeezed her arm tighter and nodded at his dad, fighting with everything he had not to fall prey to his emotions.

But it was hard.

Especially when the music started.

And just like that, the memories came.

The wedding ceremony was near the tree house. Kacey was transported back in time, as she watched her five-year-old self run around the tree, Jake chasing her the entire way.

Her mom came around the corner yelling. “Kacey you put that down! Don’t you dare throw mud on him!”

Kacey didn’t listen.

And then the memories skipped ahead a few years, the same tree house, same boy. Jake was older then, he and Travis were arguing, and then Travis told her he’d found a snake and held it in front of her face.

Her mom came running out of the house with Bets, screaming at Travis to kill the snake.

And then it was high school. Travis was watching her from the house while she and Jake went out by the river. She looked back at him and rolled her eyes as he and her dad came out on the back porch to put the rest of the fishing gear in the truck.

“Be safe!” She’d yelled.

“Always!” Her father called back, and then, as if he’d just remembered something, ran toward her, arms open wide. “I almost forgot!”

“What?” She giggled as she ran toward him.

“A prince always deserves a kiss from his princess before he goes off to war!”

“You’re not going to war; you’re hunting fish.”

“And lions and tigers and bears!” Her father’s eyes widened as he kissed her cheek again and again.

“Stop!” She pushed him away and laughed. “Fine. Here is your kiss, good sir.” She did a curtsy as her father bowed. “Will you wear my colors, dear prince?”

“But of course!” Her father pulled a pink ribbon from her hair and held it in his hand. “I shall keep it forever and always, dear lady!”

As Kacey was brought back to the present, she realized all those memories, all that time spent here at Titus Abby—it was as if her parents were with her, pushing her toward her future.

Travis lifted his gaze.

And suddenly she couldn’t walk fast enough. Eyes locked on his, she made it all the way to the front of the gazebo. He was so handsome in his black suit. His hair was slightly mussed still and his tan just made his smile that much more devastating.

Travis took two steps toward her. Wescott released her arm, as did Jake, and then Travis reached for her hand.

As he took it, he flipped it over and opened her clenched fingers.

And into her palm he dropped a worn pink ribbon.

Travis’s eyes welled with tears as he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’ll keep it forever and always.”

Forgoing tradition not to touch her husband until the one giving her away was approached by the pastor, Kacey threw her arms around Travis’s neck and bawled.

It was a full five minutes before she could regain her composure. And even then she knew she probably looked a mess, but she didn’t care.

Travis took the ribbon from her hand and pinned it underneath the pin Jake had given her.

“So.” The pastor grinned. “Who gives this woman to this man?”

Wescott didn’t say anything and neither did Jake. She looked behind her, and then someone touched her arm.

Grandma. She beamed at Kacey and wrapped her soft hands around Travis’s and hers. “Her parents and I.”

“And I,” Jake said from her right.

“And my wife and I,” Wescott added.

Never had Kacey felt more loved or at home. And to think, she was in the same yard she’d played in all her life. With a watery smile she hugged them all and joined Travis at the front of the gazebo.

A warm breeze picked up. Kacey looked out to the water just as the pastor motioned for the guests to be seated.

And maybe she was imagining things, but she could have sworn she saw her parents on the dock, holding hands and watching her, smiling.