Jake

I wake from the best sleep I've had in a long time. I stare at the ceiling in the Lake House master bedroom, knowing exactly where I am and what Gemma and I did last night. A crooked grin spreads across my lips. Waking up beside Gemma will never get old. I gather her in my arms, the soft duvet cover sliding against our bare skin, and stare out the window. The early summer sun is filling the room with soft light. I smile and bury my face in Gemma's hair, breathing in her lemon-vanilla scent. I try to ignore the muffled voices of our friends coming from the other room as I snuggle closer to her. I want to keep this moment going for as long as I can. There's nothing better than having one-on-one time with Gemma. 

"Jake?" she murmurs, stirring in my arms. Her hand slides across my collarbone and up my neck, stopping when she comes to the neatly trimmed stubble of my jaw. She strokes it with her fingertips. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, enjoying her touch and the fiery path it leaves. "What time is it?"

My eyes open, watching as her lashes flutter against her delicate cheekbones, and I wait for the incredible sea-foam green of her eyes. When she opens them, they're filled with the same content that's residing in my heart. Finally, after everything that's happened, the pieces have fallen into place. I slide my arm around her shoulders and tangle our fingers, relishing in the chill of her rings against my skin. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that we're married. 

"Morning, Gem," I say, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She groans as she stretches out her arms and legs. Her warm skin rubbing against my body is almost enough to make me initiate a repeat of last night, but I restrain myself. After last night, I'll be surprised if Gemma's pregnancy test isn't positive—whenever she decides to do that. I'm still unfamiliar with all this stuff, but once we get back to Saanich, I'm going to study and absorb as much information as I can. Although Gemma will be doing the most work, she's not going to go through this alone. Even if all I can do is hold her hand, I'm going to be there. 

I run my fingers through her hair, amazed at how goals and dreams can change in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe it takes more than a blink. Whatever it takes for the impetus of change to begin, I'm glad it's happened. If Gemma and I hadn't of reconnected, I'd still be focused on being one of the CEOs of Elemental Coffee and more concerned about Hanna than my own well-being. There would be no balance in my life like there is now. I would feel accomplished and content in the same breath. 

"Mmm," Gemma sighs, snuggling closer to me. "Why does this never get old?"

"Beats me," I reply, "but we should probably get up. I can hear everyone bustling around the kitchen. Penelope and Morgane probably forced everyone up at the crack of dawn to make us breakfast."

Gemma props herself up on her elbows, the blankets falling from her upper body and revealing her bare shoulders, breasts and torso. Her lazy blonde curls fall just past her shoulders. I sit up and stare out the window, distracting myself from Gemma's curvy body. When the view doesn't do enough, I lean over the bed and grab my boxers, sliding them on underneath the covers.

"I suppose you're right," she sighs. "Will you grab me some clothes?"

I suppress a condescending snort. My arrogant side thinks she's too sore to get up and find her own clothes, but my modest side thinks she's afraid someone will come barreling into the room and tell us breakfast is ready. Although Gemma's proud of her body and loves the way she looks, she's very selective about who can see every part of her. And by selective, I mean she only lets me see it. It's a blessing I don't take for granted, and she damn well knows that. Especially after the way I worshipped her body last night. 

"For sure," I reply swinging my legs over the bed. I head for the master bathroom and rummage through the bag resting on the vanity. We packed lightly for this trip, despite staying here for two weeks. That's the good part about renting out a basement suite—you can do your own laundry. From the bag, I grab Gemma a pair of jean short-shorts and one of my T-shirts, as well as a pair of socks and her Converse shoes. It's one of her favourite styles, so she's happy with what I've picked out when I lay it on the bed.

"Thanks," she laughs, "but I'm also going to need a bra."

I press the heel of my hand against my forehead. "Right. Sorry, Gem." I head back to the bathroom and grab the first bra I can get my hands on. It's hot pink with lace trimming the edges. While it's probably not the most comfortable bra, it earns me a laugh from Gemma. I also know it looks sexy on her. 

"Remind me to teach you a lesson about bras," she smirks as she pulls it on. "If we have a daughter, you're going to need to know the basics. This bra is made for much, um, steamier situations. A pullover bra would have been better with a baggy T-shirt." 

I pull on a pair of jean shorts, shrugging at Gemma. While there were plenty of things I did learn when I was raising Hanna, bras are one thing I avoided. I could easily walk into a store and buy tampons or help her pluck her eyebrows when she was uneasy about their shape, but bras had a taboo around them. Lingerie stores like Victoria's Secret are overwhelming for the male mind. I know it makes me sound shallow, but the few times I went into that goddamned store, I couldn't stop myself from picturing what Gemma would look like in every article of lingerie. 

"Well, I'm looking forward to the lessons," I laugh. I pull on a shirt, and then help Gemma up from the bed. She cringes a little with the movement, but I keep my mouth shut. She hates it when I ask how she's doing after we've had sex. I get the same response: I'm a big girl, Jake. I can handle a little soreness between my legs. "Are you ready for an appearance?"

Gemma sighs, glancing at the bed. "I'd much rather stay in bed all day, but I think it's safe to say Cassian would come bounding into the room and demand we get our lazy asses out of bed. He'd probably jump on top of us, for God's sake. That man has no boundaries."

It's concerning how easily I can picture Cassian doing that. Which is why I take Gemma's hand and lead her out into the kitchen area. Sure enough, Cassian, Penelope, Reid, Morgane, Hanna, and Parker are bustling around the kitchen, throwing together a beautiful breakfast for the two of us. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wakes me up a little more. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Swift!" Parker exclaims, rushing over to hug us. He turns around to face the kitchen again. "Everyone, royalty has entered the room!"

Hanna snorts. "They're not royalty, Parker." She strides over ot hug Gemma and I. "They're just a couple of newlyweds. Although, Gemma did look like a princess yesterday."

"Right," Gemma replies, rolling her eyes as she hugs Hanna. "Because that's no big deal at all." She makes a point to flash her sparkly ring to the crowd. 

A rush of pride envelopes my chest. I couldn't be prouder of the ring I bought her. Everything, from the band to the diamonds, screams Gemma. The money I spent on it was well-worth it. "Morning, Han," I smile, giving her a quick hug.

"So," Cassian says, clapping me on the back. He's carrying a pan of pancakes. They're still sizzling, so just to be on the safe side, I inch away from him. I don't want any burn marks from a rogue pan. "When's the baby due?"

Gemma's face turns bright red. My mouth drops open. In sync, Penelope and I punch Cassian in the arm. "Would you shut the hell up?" Penelope gawks. "Their relationship is none of your business!"

"Why can't you keep your fucking mouth shut?" I groan, dropping my face in my hands. I rub some of the sleep from my eyes, hoping I'm dreaming. Why did he have to make a comment like that?

"Cassian," Gemma says. "You're such a dick."

"Ew," Reid says, wrinkling his nose. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Gemma is going to look so hot when she's pregnant," Parker says. "This babe can rock anything."

"Yeah," Cassian snorts. "Especially the bed. How was it, Jake? She must have rocked your world. It definitely sounded like it."

Morgane clamps a hand over Cassian's mouth, glaring him down. "That's enough from you," she scolds. "You can tease them all you want when we're back in Saanich. For now, turn around and finish making those goddamn pancakes before I kick your ass to the East Coast. And we all know you were passed out on the bathroom floor before they even got downstairs to their room. How's the migraine?"

If Cassian cringes, he doesn't show it. "Wow," Cassian drawls, a twisted smirk on his face. "I'm feeling verbally and physically attacked here." He glances down at the pan in his hand. "But I suppose I'll stick around. Your breakfast will be nothing without my pancakes." And because he's Cassian and he can't put his foot in his mouth, he turns to Gemma and waves the pan. "Any cravings yet?"

"Cassian!" we all yell.

He chuckles and starts whistling a happy tune as he turns back to the stove.

"Asshole," I mutter, shaking my head.

"I know you love me, Jake," he laughs. 

"That's enough," Penelope says, guiding Gemma and I to the dining room table. "Both of you sit down—you're not lifting a finger. I'll get your morning coffees. Your parents are going to be soon, by the way, Gemma. So I suppose it's a good thing Cassian is getting his usual inappropriate comments out of his system."

"Thanks, Penelope," Gemma smiles. "I hope Cassian hasn't been too much of a bother this morning."

"Eh," Penelope shrugs. "Same old, same old. He's nothing I can't handle."

Gemma and I exchange a glance. There's a knowing look in her eyes, one that strikes me right in the heart. Now that I know the motives behind Cassian's crush on Ophelia, I feel bad for Penelope. Cassian was stricken by Ophelia when we were kids. If he can still remember her today, then there's not a single doubt in my mind he won't try to win her back. I wish the oaf would wake up and see what's right in front of him. 

Penelope leaves without another word, heading straight for the kitchen where Cassian is trying to flip pancakes like a chef. One goes up in the air, but he fails to catch it—it lands flat on the floor. I direct my attention back to Gemma, suppressing an eye roll. She's moved from her seat and is standing at the window, staring out at the view of the mountains and lake. 

I smile as I stare at her, wondering how I got so lucky. Wondering what we're going to tell our kids when they ask us how we met. I suppose we could lie and tell them we met when we were kids, but where's the fun in that? When they're old enough, I'm going to tell them the whole story. I'm going to tell them about how their dad made some terrible mistakes and that their mom used her big heart to give him another chance after she put him through a well-deserved version of hell. I'll tell them about the laxatives and the waxing cream. I'll tell them how Uncle Cassian nearly shit himself. I'll tell them about Aunty Hanna and how she was scared of thunderstorms. I'll tell them about Gemma and her addictive sweet tooth. I'm going to tell them we fell in love all over again and that second chances are real.

That being said, who knows where life is going to take us? We don't know if Gemma's pregnant. We don't know how many kids we're going to have or where we're going to end up living. 

The unknown that's spread out before us scares me, but it also excites me.

I walk up behind Gemma and wrap my arms around her waist. "What happens next?" I murmur. "Where do we go from here?"

"For staters," Gemma smiles. "Our honeymoon begins at the end of August. After that? Well, it's still too early to tell." She turns around and wraps her arms around my neck. "And why should we care? This is our life, Jake. We can do whatever the hell we want. From now on, it's you and me and the family we create. We're in this for the long-run, and I plan to make the best out of it."

I dip my head down and kiss her because I have nothing else to say.

A new chapter of our lives is starting.

And I can't wait to see what happens.