Page 89

I learned pretty quick to get my shit together if I wanted to keep her, though. And now here I am.
She’s going to be stationed across the country from me for a while, and I didn’t want to let her go. So I tied her to me forever.
Dick move, maybe, but I love her. And she loves me enough to marry me, so I guess I’m not looking too rough.
I can’t wait for you to meet her, kiddo.
Miss you and talk to you soon.
XO,
Jason
I cracked a smile. Don’t get me wrong, I was going to give him a world of shit for this just because I could, but my happiness for him outweighed all the craziness of the last half-hour.
Jason.Married.
It was pretty freaking awesome. I couldn’t wait to talk to him, to see him and hug the crap out of him and meet this girl who’d flipped his world upside down. Kind of like Neil had wrecked mine.
In the best way possible.
I shoved off the ground and made my way into the house and up the stairs, throwing myself down onto my bed in a heap of exhaustion.
From the exchange ofI love youfor the first time in my life, to Linda’s majorly screwed-up display of insanity, to Jason getting married,it was one hell of a day.
Emotional whiplashwas a phrase that easily came to mind.
The thought didn’t linger in there for long, though, as I drifted off to sleep.
(With a smile on my face, for the record.)
Chapter 25
Paper Butterflies
Sydney shoved the bathroom stall door open a few days later with a loudbang. “Not pregnant. Thank you, Jesus!” Her words bounced off the walls in an echo.
I tilted my head to the side. “I’m not sure Jesus has much to do with your sex life, but whatever.” I shrugged. “Thank you, Jesus!” I held my hands up toward the ceiling and then smacked her upside the head with my right one. “Condoms from now on, idiot.”
She looked at me with rounded eyes, her hair askew. A piece was stuck across her face, and it had me biting back a snort of laughter. “Okay.” She nodded. “I guess I deserved that. But if you try me like that again, Iwillbeat your ass. Got it?”
I scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”
She feinted toward me, but I didn’t so much as flinch. After a short, awkward standoff (on her end), I cocked a brow at her, my lips curving up into a smirk.
“Ugh, you’re so annoying!” She spun around on the balls of her feet and headed to the sink to wash her hands, chucking the pregnancy test in the trash on her way.
“But you love me.” I squeezed her from behind, my arms wrapped around her torso. “And yay for not being pregnant…dumbass.”
“We should celebrate.” She ran right over my comment.
“I am not celebrating your inability to take birth control correctly,” I deadpanned.
“Fine, whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “But I have something I want to show you. Come on.” She dragged me out of the bathroom by the sleeve of my shirt.
Campus was completely empty as we made our way down the stairs and into the square. When she didn’t lead us out to the parking lot like I’d expected, I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.
“What did you want to show me, exactly?” I asked.