Wishing on the Water (Water Series Book 1) (25 page)

“
Alright, dad. I will go see him after we are done eating.”

“
I think you should go now. He is out at the river.” My dad stated with a wink and a nod.

“
But these are banana-split waffles.” I whimpered like a child and stuck out my bottom lip.

“
I think you will find that what is waiting for you is more important than your calorie splurge.” My dad stated and started to help me stand up. I turned to hug him and saw Michelle and Chelle coming to join him. That was the moment I realized my dad never wanted to have breakfast for dinner with me.

“
Hi Michelle,” I whispered over my dad’s shoulder and she grinned her biggest smile for me. Chelle reached her arms out for my dad as I let him go. She really was a doll-baby. I stood back and watched in awe as my dad took Chelle into his arms and he hugged Michelle. They had taken a broken situation and made a family from it. I needed to find a way to do the same.

The cab pulled up outside of the banquet hall where the toasting farewell had been held. There was a ton of cars in the parking lot. They had loud music playing, letting me know that I would have to sneak around back.

I walked around the building to the back of it and followed the path into the woods alongside the river. I could have taken the cab to the light house, but wanted a moment to prepare myself to seeing Jax. My nerves kicked in as I knew this would be the first time I would be seeing Jax since it all went down. The man had been my best friend for years, but he still made my stomach flutter as if I had butterflies inside.

Vanessa still came around and talked to him. I knew because Brooklyn and I had become really good friends and she was really nosey. She always wanted to know what was going on, but I didn’t have a clue why Vanessa was still around.

It still amazes me how life can throw a curve ball. I felt like it was throwing me one now. I could be getting told that he wanted to stay with Vanessa. That could be why he is out at our favorite place as kids. He wanted to soften the blow by taking me to the water’s edge where our names were carved in the tree where the old wishing well used to be.

As I approached the old trees I saw jars with lightning bugs inside leading the way. The sun had set just enough to see that something was lit off in the distance. My curiosity led me away from the water and toward the lights.

I edged forward and walked quietly as I investigated where the lights led. I looked left and right as I didn’t remember much of this area anymore. The rains had pushed the water up to the trees we played around as kids. As the sun finished setting I could see a brick and mortar wishing well was lit up behind the trees where we had carved our names.

I came upon it and saw the gray bricks were freshly laid in the dirt, but the mortar mix had dried already. The roof was angled and shingled with charcoal shingles. The posts holding up the roof had lighthouses carved into the wood and ivy wrapped around each side.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I walked in a circle around it until I heard my step get louder and firmer. I looked down to see stone steps. I followed them around the tree where three little kids had carved their names one night in a pact to always stay together.

On the western facing side of the tree was a metal and wood couple’s bench. When I got all the way around the tree I saw Jax. He was facing the water, deep in thought. I swallowed hard at the sweaty male in front of me.

“
Jax?” I whispered. He slowly turned around and smiled at me. He looked at me as if I was the only girl in the world. My stomach fluttered and my pulse raced.

“
Jax, did you build me that wishing well?” I asked in a whisper, as my mouth had grown dry as he stepped closer.

“
I did.” Jax spoke in a silvery tone that had me wanting to run to him, mount him, taste him, or even just be near him.

“
It’s beautiful.” I spoke softly, as he finally stood before me. I waited for him to kiss me, envelop me, or do something, but he merely stood there.

“
Turn around.”

I turned around to see street pole lights and I walked up the light incline to see that our park had been completely repaired. I walked up to the green sign. I nearly cried when I read it. “The Chase Matson Park, dedicated to all those whose lives are taken too soon.”

I placed my hands over my face as tears swelled in my eyes. I pulled it together and turned and walked back to Jax. He looked so handsome, and confident, but I hadn’t forgotten that Vanessa had been around.

As I came upon him I wanted to scream at him to wrap his muscular arms around me. I felt torn between acting on impulse and waiting to hear what he was going to say. My brain wanted to scream at him to do something, and at the same time my heart said wait and find out why he had done all this.

“
Why did you do this, Jax?” I whispered.

“
I wanted to save the park. You were worried that Chase would be forgotten, and that made me think about how his name could live on. This ensures that someone out there in the world will always know his name even if they didn’t know him. This will be a place that his daughter can come and play. This would be the park that was saved because her father died.”

“
Why did you build the well and the bench?” I asked as I swallowed hard. Seeing the park look like it was new was a walk down memory lane I hadn’t been prepared for. To see it look like it was healed when I still questioned when I would get my heart left me raw and open to whatever emotion crosses my mind.

Jax took my hand and led me in front of the bench. There he turned me to face the tree and placed my hand over the names carved into the bark of the old oak tree. His hand covered mine as his fingers slid in between mine.

“
We made a promise a long time ago to be together forever.” Jax whispered in my ear. “I want my
wife
to be happy and have wonderful memories. I also wanted her to have a place to be able to make her wishes whenever she wants.”

“
Your wife?” I swallowed hard. This was the part where he dumped me. He had never asked me to marry him, and it was known that Vanessa had been around a lot. He had been with her long enough to believe they had bonded. Maybe his time with me showed him what he would miss if she were gone.

“
Yes, my wife.” Jax replied as he pulled his hand down. I felt his body pull off of mine as he backed away. I held my breath as my fingers traced his name on the tree. I tried my best to guard my heart, but there was no protecting it from Jax because he owned it. I sucked up my pride and turned to him.

“
When are you getting married?” I asked in a quiet rush.

“
As soon as you say yes.” Jax then dropped to one knee. He held up a box which I assumed had another ring in it. I took the box and opened it. I gasped at the beautiful necklace inside.

It was a sterling silver lighthouse with a diamond in place of the light. My eyes filled with tears as I stood speechless. This was exactly what I wanted, and completely different compared to the hey-you-want-to-get-married speech, that Chase had given me.

“
Yes!” I screamed as Jax went to put the necklace on me. It was only a matter of seconds after the clasp had locked and his hands were on my waist, and his lips were on my neck. I no longer needed to wish in the wishing well. As he pulled my sweater off, I realized he was everything I needed. Everything I wanted. Everything I could ever hope for. Here and now in a near a vacant park and a light house that was showing ships the way home it was my turn to make him scream my name.

I stood in front of the closed doors of the church and took a deep breath. I was staring at a white dress. It was a long silk dress. It was more of a formal gown and less like a wedding dress. I held the tuxedo bouquet of white and black calla lilies in my hand. I placed them down and walked out of the church as I had unfinished business.

Over a year ago I walked this same path from the church to the cemetery. I had climbed the same hill and I stood before the same tree that I had buried Chase under and once more I came to say goodbye. Only a year ago I didn’t know how. I still didn’t think I knew how, but I knew I had to try so that Jax and I could live a happy life together.

I stood before Chase’s grave and took a shuttering breath as my eyes burned as I held back tears.

“
I don’t know why I am here. It is my wedding day and I am supposed to be the happiest woman in the world.”

I spoke quietly even though as I looked around and saw that I was in the cemetery alone. No one was around to cast judgment on me. No one to watch my insanity spill out while I pleaded with a dead man.

“
Chase I loved you. I will always love you, but since you are no longer here, I opened up what was left of my heart for Jax. I want to be with him. I want to love him, care for him, and be his wife. I came to ask you if I could have my heart back, so I can go into this marriage whole-heartedly.”

Tears filled my eyes against my will as I laid down beside Chase on the grass. I closed my eyes and waited for the storm on the edge of town to come in and drown my tears and set me free.

An hour passed and nothing had happened. No sign of Chase releasing me to Jax, no storm as it had dissipated and was not coming. My nerves set in and I took a deep breath as I sat up to see Brooklyn was at the bottom of the hill. She was waiting for me to get dressed and then she would take me to the water’s edge to get our photos taken.

I waved down the hill at her and held up a finger asking for one more minute. She nodded and rolled up the window.

“
Chase, you may not want to give me a sign that you approve of this marriage. You may not want to give me my heart back, but I am going to get it back. I am going to be happy and you are going to live on inside my heart with Jax.”

I put my fingers to my lips and kissed them. Then I moved my hand down to the tombstone and uttered those words once again, “goodbye Chase.”

I walked slowly down the hill when a rumble of thunder sounded behind me. I turned around to see a small storm cloud had survived and was back-building. It looked as though this one little cloud would set off a new enormous storm with tons of water drops to carry the wishes of others. As the storm strengthened I realized it would surely rain on my wedding day and I couldn’t be happier.

I finished descending the hill and headed to the church. I put on the dress I would only wear once, as Brooklyn put on a long black halter dress. We both grabbed our tuxedoed calla lily bouquets and we smiled at each other. It was time to go.

“
You have everything? Are you ready to go?” Brooklyn asked, as I started to open the door to the waiting car.

“
Yea, I think I am finally ready.” I whispered to myself, as the first rain drop dripped down on me. Then I got into the car and we headed off to have wedding photos taken before the ceremony began.