The wedding moved past me in a gentle blur.
Jayson held onto my hand as he gently led me onto a sparkling dance floor in the middle of the hotel atrium. Other couples quietly swayed around us to a violin-led slow song. The room had been dimmed for the father-daughter dance, during which Anthony Dunkin appeared unwell, and pale, and left the room as soon as it finished. Once the ceremony had completed, Jayson had taken my hand again and wouldn’t let it go.
Meanwhile, my brain operated with bright, flashing lights.
JAYSON HERNANDEZ LIKES YOU.
JAYSON HERNANDEZ LIKES YOU.
His many, stolen kisses lingered on my lips like a secret breath. Even the way he held me close, his arms wrapped around my body so possessively, sent my heart into another flutter. I could hardly comprehend what he had said to me. What I said back. The gumption it required of me to lay it all out there after yeras of adoration. To put my heart on the line and watch it chug away, into someone else's hands.
Jayson's hands.
Almost a decade existed between the awestruck freshman that fell hard for Jayson Hernandez and who I was now, but the giddy joy of young love had seized me all over again. Only this time, it was better. More complete and loaded with time and experience.
“Dag?” he murmured.
I tipped my head back to look at him. He studied me, as if trying to make sense of all this, and my lips split in a wide grin. The tip of his fingers touched my cheek, and a slow smile filled with adoration followed. He looked at me the way I’d always looked at him. My brain nearly split in half with the attempt to comprehend.
Jayson. Hernandez. Liked. Me.
He pushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“Th-thank you f-for inviting m-me.”
“You know it was my pleasure.”
We whirled in a dizzying circle, and I laughed as I clung to him. A shout across the room caught my attention. We glanced up to see a worker from the hotel escorting what appeared to be a bouncer across the room, toward a sloppy-drunk Victoria. She clung to her wine glass and growled as they approached. They spoke quietly and pointed toward the door, but she resisted with a firm shake of her head. Then reached back and grabbed the table to stabilize herself.
“B-b-bit too much to d-drink,” I murmured, although I couldn’t deny a thrill. Finally, I wasn’t the one wallowing in sadness over Jayson Hernandez. While I felt a pang of sadness for her—even commiseration, because I knew how it felt when Jayson didn’t know I existed—I couldn’t help my relief.
This time, I had the one I wanted.
“She has a lot to be sad about,” Jayson said, then whisked me away into the dance again.
When the dance ended, he cupped a hand around my cheek and pulled me into a sweet kiss, then let me go when a wolf whistle came from behind us. Bastian and Vik approached, their neckties loosened and shirts untucked. Jayson drew me into his side, an arm around my shoulders, as if the other two would start a tug-of-war.
Bastian winked at me.
“Finally!” Vikram rolled his eyes so hard his head tilted back. “Has he finally figured out how hot you are?”
Jayson growled. Vik laughed and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. My cheeks brightened in a blush as Vik laughed it off.
“Calm down, calm down. I'm not making any moves. It's just been obvious for a while that the two of you would be a great fit. Dagny was always checking you out.” He sent me a mischievous grin and Jayson muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
“You s-survived,” I said to Vikram.
He grimaced. “Just seeing the altar made me want to vomit. Standing next to it is a bit too close for comfort.”
Bastian whistled low. “Too close for comfort.”
“W-w-where’s your c-computer?” I asked, and realized this was one of only a few times that I saw him without it. An adorable little blush appeared on his cheeks.
“Excuse us,” Jayson said before he could reply. “But I have a sunset to watch with my girl. We’ll be back”
Jayson squeezed my shoulder, then led me out of the atrium and into the cool, fresh air outside. The sun had almost disappeared into a watery horizon, leaving ripples of color on a calm ocean. Wordless, he led me farther down the beach until we stood with our feet in the gentle surf. Water played at our ankles with a gentle hiss.
“P-p-perfect,” I whispered.
The shifting colors of the sunset, and the star-studded sky that followed, sent my heart into a little twist of disbelief. The gentle breeze cooled my skin as we stood there, close to each other in the quiet roar of the surf.
“Just like you,” he murmured.
He pressed a lingering kiss to my cheek. Behind us, the wedding party collectively laughed as the dancing shifted into a brighter song. Jayson had already finished a hilarious and historic Best Man speech. Most participants were warmed with champagne and wine. A buffet dinner would be served soon, and the night’s festivities would continue uninterrupted. Meanwhile, my pattering heart held onto every moment as the most cherished memory.
Goodbye, Anthony Dunkin, I thought. He didn't deserve my hope. Nor did he deserve Helene, Alison, or the accolades of his peers. But most importantly, he didn't deserve me—and he'd never have me. That honor was reserved for people like Jayson, who earned it through his compassion, care, and openness.
This was the perfect ending to the old Dagny. To my old hopes, dreams, and life. No more clinging to a man that didn’t want me in his life. Now I had Jayson Hernandez, and I had a wide open horizon at my feet.
The best new beginning.
The stars thickened overhead. A brisk wind shuffled by. Jayson held me closer, talking quietly about things that didn’t matter, but the rumble of his voice in my ear was like a song. I sank into him, grateful that the dream had come true. Even though I'd just closed a big door, a brighter future awaited.
And I couldn't wait to see what it would bring.