“I’m a fighter too,” I admit, and she smiles at me.
“The best women are,” she says, leaning into Shea.
Before either of us can say anything, Jude says, “Okay, so yeah, that wasn’t easy.”
Turning my attention to where he holds the mic, he’s breathing hard as Claire grins up at him, and everyone laughs while some dry their eyes. Mainly Mrs. Sinclair.
Clearing his throat, he says, “I didn’t want to do that. But because she wanted to do something to show how much she loves me, in the way that she does best, I did it. Because I love you.”
“I love you,” she says, and the crowd swoons as they press their lips to each other. I know this is my chance to go after Jayden, but then I want to watch. It’s beautiful and I’m astonished by them.
“Now, she did her thing, and now I’m gonna do mine,” he says as a chair is brought out, and Jayden is there, handing him a guitar. “Let me tell you guys a little story,” he starts before sitting down. Jayden takes the mic, putting it on a stand. “Way back in the day, I got into a heated karaoke battle with a certain fiery redhead. When I won—”
“You didn’t win, I did,” she calls out, and he smirks back at her.
“Minor details,” he continues with the laughter of everyone. Even I’m cracking up. “I looked at her and knew that this girl was it. Every song that played reminded me of her, and it’s only right that I sing the song that is the epitome of my wife,” he says, and when Elli awws beside me, I grin really big, my eyes welling up with tears. “This one is for you, baby,” he
says softly, and then he starts playing the guitar. My jaw drops at how good he is, but when he starts singing, even I’m swooning. I’ve always loved “All of Me” by John Legend, but hearing Jude sing it in his low, raspy voice, it does something to me.
It leaves me breathless, my heart is hammering in my chest, and it isn’t because he is so good. No, it’s because this song, it’s me and Jayden. He loves all of me. Even the fucked-up parts, and I’m out of my mind to not be screaming that I love this guy.
But that needs to change.
As Jude finishes up and wraps his arms around Claire, kissing her hard on the lips, I stand up and push myself to move to where he is. When I reach him, Jude looks over at me, surprised, and smiles.
“Um, Baylor?” he says, and I smile back.
“Can I borrow your mic?” I ask, and then I look at Claire. “You are unbelievably beautiful, and I’m sorry, but I need to say something.”
“No, go! Here!” she says, pushing the mic to me, and when it’s in my hands, I really don’t know what I’m about to say, but I know I have to say something. When I look up from the mic, Jayden’s eyes are wide. His brows are in his hairline and his eyes are asking what the hell I’m doing.
And there is only one answer.
I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago.
Better late than never, I guess.
“What in the Sam Hill is she doing?” I mutter as Baylor stands awkwardly by Jude and Claire, the mic in her hand and her eyes trained on mine.
“Oh God, please say she isn’t going to sing,” Jace says beside me, and while I agree, it is great to see her. She looks beautiful in a short little black dress, her hair down in curls the way I like, and her lips painted that trusty red color she loves so much. The red I love.
Drawing in a breath through her nose, she lets it out and then smiles shyly. “Hi,” she says before doing a really awkward wave. “I’m sorry to interrupt this gorgeous display of love between these two amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and calling my friends, but I need to address something.”
She bites into her lip, and I can’t help but smile. She’s freaking the hell out, and while I want to move to her and help her out, this is where I need to let her win. I need to see what her play is.
“Um. Well, you see. Oh, let me start with… Well, okay, like these two, I found the love of my life,” she finally says, and my heart just stops, restarts, and kicks into overdrive. “Um, but I have this really bad habit of not giving in to what I want, what I feel, and I’m kind of a…” She smiles. “He once called me a beautiful disaster, and that couldn’t be more true. The problem is, I kinda sorta hid him from the world and tried to keep our relationship a secret because I was scared that he would leave me. And if no one knew that he was the beginning to my end, then it wouldn’t hurt so bad. But then I watched him walk away from me because I lied and told my dad that he didn’t matter,” she explains, and I scoff as I look around. Everyone doesn’t know what the hell is going on. She’s rambling, and I find it very endearing. “I didn’t care about anyone else; I didn’t even care about me. All I cared about was the fact that I hurt him,” she says, her voice breaking. “I have to apologize for that,” she says, and then her eyes flood with tears before spilling over. Sucking in a breath, she admits, “I’m really bad at that, ask anyone. I don’t show emotion, I don’t say sorry, and I, for sure, don’t show weakness, but with him it’s easy. I’ll apologize over and over again, and I probably will have to because I’m stubborn and I think I need to be right all the time, but this made me realize I don’t. I just need to be with him,” she says, wiping her face as her eyes bore into mine. “Because like Jude sang, even when I lose, I’m winning because I’m loved by you,” she says, and tears well up in my own eyes.
Emotion chokes me as I watch her come undone before my eyes. This is my favorite part of her. The honest, emotional part. But then, that’s a lie because I love all of her. I do. The good and the bad, all of it. I love Baylor Irene Moore. The whole package.
Taking a step toward her, I say, “You’re killing me here.”
She smiles, wiping away at her face. “I’m pretty sure I made him feel like a doormat, and in the beginning I promised to never do that, and I still feel I didn’t. If anything, he’s the doormat to my home, and my home is his heart,” she cries, her tears streaming down her face before she holds her hand up. “Yes, I know that was corny. Shut up, Jace and Markus.”
People laugh, but all I can do is stare into her eyes because I really don’t think she realizes how much that means to me. Or maybe she does, because as her eyes burn into mine, her tears spilling over her cheeks, I feel nothing but love and understanding for the girl I fell head over heels for on the beach. The one who punched me square in the face, the one who has challenged me since day one, the one who has my heart.
My sure bet.
My Baylor.