Chapter Two

This isn"t how I envisioned getting married, ever. I sure as hell didn"t think I would be getting married to Jasper either. Yet here am I. At the local Broken Falls courthouse, wearing a white dress, and holding a bouquet I grabbed at Kroger.

My parents aren"t even here. Not that my mom would be either way. She and I have no relationship to speak of. My dad, on the other hand, wanted to be here, but couldn"t because of work obligations and the fact I sprung this on him less than eighteen hours ago.

God, less than eighteen hours ago my life looked much different than it does right now. What is this timeline I"m in? Definitely not the one I imagined when Jasper broke my heart in college.

I"m standing at the back of the room next to Jasper, waiting for our names to be called. It looks like there are a few couples in front of us. Each of them look in love. One is sitting close to each other with their heads tilted together, sharing a laugh and a smile. Jasper and I have barely looked at the other since we got here.

I sigh heavily, more out of nerves than anything.

"Thank you," he whispers. It"s so soft I almost convince myself I"ve imagined it. "You didn"t have to do this. If I were you, and you were me, I wouldn"t have. You know I don"t believe in second chances."

He told me that so often when we were together. He was of the thought that we"d have one chance to get things right. Little did I know he"d be the one to mess it up. But this? This is my revenge. I swore to myself when he broke my heart that I"d find my happiness with him one day. Not because I"m a martyr, but because I"ve never loved anyone as much as I loved him. Still love him. If this is how I can have him, then so be it. "I shouldn"t even be entertaining the idea." I clear my throat. "Shouldn"t have said yes to you, but the truth is you"ve always been the one who got away for me. In the back of my mind, I"ve wondered what could have been had we gotten the chance to grow up. Now I can see."

His dark eyes roam my face. "I worry I"m going to disappoint you the way I did before. I sabotaged us, and I"m scared to death I"m going to do it again."

If there"s one thing about this man, I know he doesn"t say anything he doesn"t mean. I must believe these words are true. "I won"t let you." I reach out and grab his hand. "We"ll be happy, Jasper. It might take us a while to get there, but we"ll be happy."

"I wish I could believe you." He gives me a sad smile.

Leaning in, I press my forehead to his just like I saw the couple in front of us do. "I believe enough for the both of us." I always have.

"You told me to step on a Lego," he jokes, with a crooked grin, voice low and full of gravel.

I shrug, closing my eyes on a scoff. "Character flaw. You hurt me, I have to hurt you, too."

"I deserved it."

"Daisy and Jasper Hamilton."

It jars me, to hear our first names together with his last name. It"s a reminder of what we"re about to do. That this will irrevocably change our lives. That we will be forever linked because of the child we"re supposed to have. This is everything I"ve ever wanted, and at the same time, not at all the way I wanted it. "Let"s go." I give him a reassuring smile.

He takes my shaking hand and together we approach the Justice of the Peace. Turning to face each other, I for one second allow myself to believe this is the fairytale. To believe I can make it one, and we can both have the kind of life we deserve.

"Do you Daisy take Jasper to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The rest of it blurs into a bunch of words I don"t hear, the only thing I can do is watch his face as the man standing before us speaks.

Jasper"s face softens, his eyes warm in a way I haven"t seen since the two of us were together in college. We ended right there in the courtyard of Middle West Virginia University. We begin again right here, in a courthouse in Broken Falls.

"I do," I answer, and I mean with every fiber of my being. What happened between us previously is at zero. I can"t promise I won"t ever bring it up again, but I won"t allow it to affect our day-to-day lives.

"You may now kiss your bride."

My heart thumps against my chest as we step toward each other. I haven"t kissed him in years, but I can still remember how it felt. It was breathless, wild, and out of control. Is it still the same? God, I hope so. Reaching forward, I grasp him around the biceps, digging my fingers into his button-down shirt. His hands cup my cheeks, and I close my eyes, wanting to enjoy this with every sense I can.

I inhale deeply, the scent of his cologne invades every pour of my skin. When he leans in, his lips covering mine, I"m back where I"m supposed to be.

I"m home.