Page 12 of Jessa & Jaxon (What Happens In Vegas #1)

The hotel’s banquet hall buzzes with conversation and laughter as I step inside, gift tucked under my arm. My eyes scan the room and inevitably find Jaxon.

He stands near the windows, impossibly handsome in a tailored charcoal suit. Beside him stands a woman in a sleek black dress, her hand resting casually on his arm.

Something twists in my chest, but I force my expression to remain neutral. My parents approach me before I could make my way to him.

“There’s my baby girl!” Dad’s voice booms as he sweeps me into a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. “Where you been hiding? We ain’t seen you in a minute!”

“Jamar, let the girl breathe,” Mom says, her calm voice a perfect counterbalance to his enthusiasm. She waits for Dad to release me before embracing me with her characteristic warmth. “You looking good, Jessa. That green is really your color.”

“Thanks, Mama.” I smooth my dress, grateful for the momentary distraction from Jaxon and his companion. “How have you both been?”

“Worried ’bout you working yourself to the bone, as usual,” Dad says. “Any word from that interview?”

I hesitate to share the news of my promotion. For some inexplicable reason, I want Jaxon to be the first to know.

“Still waiting,” I lie, feeling a twinge of guilt. “I’ll let you know soon as I hear something.”

Thankfully, Kamal joins us, grinning. He’s dressed in a perfectly fitted navy suit.

“Birthday boy!” I hand him the wrapped package.

“Look at you, all fancy with your gift-wrapping skills,” Kamal says, weighing the package. “Heavy. Perfect corners. You ain’t never gonna change, sis.”

“Some habits are worth keeping.”

Before Kamal can respond, movement in my peripheral vision draws my attention. Jaxon and the woman are approaching our group. My heart performs an inconvenient gymnastics routine.

“Jessa,” Jaxon says with a nod, his deep voice sending a ripple of awareness through me. His eyes drag over my form appreciatively. “Good to see you.”

“Likewise.”

Antonio materializes beside the couple, champagne glass in hand. “Ah! I see you’ve all met Alyxandra!” Antonio’s voice carries more enthusiasm than necessary. “Jaxon’s been absolutely smitten with her since they met!”

“Has he?” Mama asks.

I glance at Antonio, whose smirk is so self-satisfied I’m tempted to step on his Italian leather loafers. Hard.

“Oh yes,” Alyxandra continues, her crimson lips curving into a smile as she adjusts the thin strap of her dress. “He’s a keeper.”

My fingers clench around my purse as possessive thoughts blazes through my mind. He’s my husband. Mine!

Jaxon clears his throat. “If you’ll excuse us,” he says, a muscle tightening in his jaw.

“Jaxon, can I speak to you privately for a moment?” I interject, seizing the opportunity before it slips away.

His eyes meet mine, but before he can respond, Alyxandra suddenly stumbles forward with a small cry.

“Oh!” she gasps, gripping Jaxon’s arm. “I’m so sorry. These heels are treacherous on this floor.”

“Are you alright?” Jaxon asks, his attention immediately diverted as he steadies her.

“I need to sit down for a minute,” she says, leaning against him with unnecessary emphasis.

Jaxon guides her to a nearby table draped in midnight blue linen and my internal temperature rises several degrees.

An hour later, I spot Jaxon standing alone at the bar. This is the first time all evening I’ve seen him without his shadow. It’s my chance. My pulse kicks up as I step forward.

“Jaxon—”

“There you are!” the party planner interrupts, her clipboard clutched to her chest. “The photographer needs shots of Kamal with his closest friends. Right now.”

I suppress a sigh as I watch them disappear into the crowd gathered around my brother. Another moment lost.

“Girl, you need better timing,” Meesha says, appearing at my elbow with a fresh glass of wine, her plum dress making her skin glow under the ambient lighting.

Near the dessert table, with its elaborate tower of Kamal’s favorite cookies, I spot Jaxon alone at last, adjusting his cufflinks. I navigate between clusters of laughing guests with determined strides, only to have my cousin Gina intercept me three steps away from my target.

“Girl, how have you been?” she exclaims, pulling me toward a quieter corner of the room where the music is less insistent.

Over Gina’s shoulder, I catch sight of Alyxandra returning to Jaxon’s side, laughing at something he’s said and touching his arm. I really wanted to break it. It would show her to keep her hands off what’s not hers.

While Gina enthusiastically describes her upcoming baby shower, my attention splinters between politely nodding and watching Jaxon. I’m happy for Gina and Maverick. Their love story still amazes me.

Who would have thought a disastrous family vacation with her ex-husband Chris would lead her to find love with Maverick, of all people?

Maverik was the ex-husband of Chris’s girlfriend at the time.

Looking at her radiant face now, you’d never guess the drama they weathered to create their blended family.

As she speaks, I find myself wondering if relationships that begin in messiness can find their way to solid ground. If the most complicated beginnings sometimes yield the strongest foundations.

The realization unfolds within me, reshaping everything I thought I knew. Could Jaxon and I navigate our own complicated path? Or am I clinging to fantasy, pretending our situation is something it’s not?

I grab a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and down it in one desperate swallow. The bubbles burn my throat, but the alcohol does nothing to quiet the turbulence inside me.

I’ve spent weeks convincing myself I made the right choice in walking away. That what happened in Vegas should stay there. That marriage to a man like Jaxon could only end in heartbreak.

But watching him across the room, I recognize something I’ve been denying. The man I thought I knew is only part of who he is. The version of Jaxon I met in my apartment showed me how genuine and loving he can be.

Jaxon leans in to hear Alyxandra’s whispered words, and it feels like a knife twisting in my heart. Not just jealousy, but the pain of possibly losing something precious before I’ve truly allowed myself to have it.

No. No more running. No more hiding behind excuses and fears.

“Gina, I’ll catch up with you later,” I say, squeezing her hand.

Before doubt and fear paralyze me, I cross the ballroom floor to the stage with trembling knees. My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I wrap my fingers around the cool metal of the microphone. The room blurs at the edges, faces becoming indistinct save Jaxon’s.

Without pausing to consider the consequences, I let the opening notes of Dawn Sears’ “Don’t Take Your Hands Off My Heart” flow from somewhere deep inside me. If words have failed us, perhaps music can bridge the gap between what I’ve been saying and what I truly feel.

The room falls into a startled silence. I don’t care. My gaze focuses on Jaxon across the crowded room, his expression shifting from confusion to recognition as our song fills the space.

My voice is off-key and breaking with emotion, but it holds everyone captive. The DJ catches on quickly, filling in the melody behind me as I step down from the podium, never breaking eye contact with Jaxon.

“What is she doing?” I hear my mother ask loudly.

“Singing, Dianne. The girl is singing,” Dad responds with characteristic bluntness.

I move slowly through the crowd, each step bringing me closer to Jaxon, each note more vulnerable than the last. From my peripheral vision, I spot Aunt Ruby clutching Uncle Jerome’s arm.

“Is she drunk?” Aunt Malina stage-whispers. “I’ve never heard Jessa sing in public. Not even in church.”

I push their voices away, forcing myself to focus solely on Jaxon. Nothing else matters right now.

Finally, I stand before him, inches away, close enough to smell his cologne. My pride was gone, stripped away by the realization nothing was worth losing him.

“I lied,” I say, standing before him and completely ignoring the woman beside him. “Forgive me.”

His expression offers me nothing to hold on to. But I press on anyway, my heart too full to contain another moment of pretense.

“I love you, Jaxon,” I say, my voice low but somehow filling the hushed room. “I want—”

“Say it again.”

The command is quiet, but it does something to my core.

“I love you.”

“Louder.”

His eyes darken. He’s not making this easy. But neither did I.

“I love you, Jaxon! I want to be your wife forever. I don’t care that we got married in Vegas while we were drunk. I’m glad I married you. The thought of not spending the rest of my life with you fills me with dread.”

“Married?” My mother’s voice cuts through the room.

I wince, but keep my eyes locked on Jaxon’s. Stay focused, Jessa.

“Did she just say they’re married?” Jasmine asks nobody in particular.

“In Vegas!” Meesha adds, clutching her chest dramatically. “Lord have mercy!”

“When did this happen?” Dad demands, looking between Jaxon and me with wide eyes.

I take a deep breath, mentally filing away their questions for later as I maintain my focus on Jaxon. One task at a time. Right now, that task is convincing my husband I love him.

“Are you sure, JJ?” Jaxon asks, seemingly unperturbed by the family chaos erupting around us.

“I love our bickering. I love how safe you make me feel.” My words gather momentum, tumbling out faster.

“I love how your eyes twinkle when you’re excited.

I love waking up to your tender kisses and your.

..” I trail off when I see my stunned parents across the room, my mother’s hand pressed to her mouth. “You know what.”

Jaxon’s lips twitches, the first crack in his composure, and I press on before my courage falters.

“Oh, we know what,” Aunt Ruby mutters, fanning herself vigorously with a cocktail napkin. “Sweet baby Jesus, give me strength.”