Together

Chapter 26

"Jacob!?" Connie was sat in the living room looking at all the invitations for the wedding that they'd finished writing. His mother had just sent him a text message which she was trying to decipher. "Yeah sweet cheeks?" "Who's Brianna?" Connie received no answer as she walked out to the kitchen. "No-one..."

Connie noticed the change in his demeanor but pretended not to notice. "Okay. Have you finished with your invites now?" "Yeah, I think so." Jacob kept his gaze away from Connie's as she watched him move around the kitchen. "I'll get them sent then..."

She wandered out to the living room glancing through the names he'd written down. Neither had many family that they were inviting, but Connie couldn't help feel there was something about that name. When she didn't find a Brianna in his invites she scribbled it down on a bit of paper pushing it under her paperwork. She decided to put it to the back of her mind for now as Jacob returned.

"Sorry..." "Huh?" He sat down beside Connie passing her a glass of wine. "I shouldn't have been so off with you. It's just, I haven't heard her name in a long time." Connie took a sip of her wine watching as he stared into the distance. "If you don't want to tell me-" "She's just someone that was once a big part of my life, shall we say."

Connie didn't want to ask questions, partly in fear of finding out the answer but also because the last thing she needed was a pissed off fiance while trying to plan a wedding. "So, you've told your Mum and Dad about the wedding?" "Not exactly. I wanted us to tell them together." Connie smiled as he laced his fingers through hers.

"Okay... There's something else I want to run past you." Connie lifted her eyes back to his. "So I asked Charlie to give me away, and I know it's supposed to be just the bridesmaids walking the aisle... But I want your father to walk, well carry Mia. I know how important he is to you and I want him to be a big part of this. Not just for you but for him."

Jacob couldn't help but smile as tears built in his eyes looking down at their entwined hands. "If you don't want to then I under-" He stopped her talking as his lips pushed to hers gently. "I think he'd love to." Connie smiled as she cupped his cheek nodding. "Good... So all we have to do now is actually tell them you're getting married."

He chuckled sitting forwards as they carried on going through details. "You've sorted bridesmaids?" "Yup... Grace and Mia obviously, my cousin Hannah and Alicia. Tell me your best man isn't Cal, no offence." He shrugged looking away. "Ah you know, I thought I'd ask Sam."

Jacob caught wind of her glare as she stopped moving. "Not funny Jacob, in any way at all." He kissed her distracting her before parting with an arched eyebrow. "Idiot." "You love me so it doesn't matter. I've asked Iain to do it."

The evening drifted on and soon enough Jacob was heading upstairs. "I'll be up soon." Connie smiled as he left the room before pulling out the piece of paper once again. Brianna. Why did the name seem so familiar to her? Pulling out her phone she rang an old friend sitting back on the sofa. "Hello, its Connie... I need a favour."

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4 days had passed since Connie had asked about Brianna and still now she was left sitting without an idea of who she was. Jacob went quiet whenever she tried to speak about people from his past or when he was growing up. She couldn't help but find herself needing to know who she was.

It wasn't until Saturday morning that she received a phone call. "His what? Yes I heard you, I'm not deaf..." Connie stared out of the kitchen window watching as Jacob ran around the garden with Grace. He was so good with her, took care of her and treated her like a princess. Now it started to make sense... "Sorry, I'm still here. Okay, yeah thanks."

Putting the phone down Connie glanced to the text which showed her a mobile number and address. Just as she was reading through it Jacob came up behind her causing her to lock her phone slipping it into her jean pocket. "What was that?" "Just wedding stuff... Nothing for you to worry about."

Jacob smirked as he kissed her before parting from her lips. "I said I'd take Grace out for a few hours this afternoon, you don't mind having Mia do you?" Connie looked up shaking her head. "Uh, no I guess not." "Is everything okay? You seem... Weird."

She forced a smile walking towards him. "I'm okay, honestly... I just need to go make a call." Tiptoeing up she kissed his lips once before disappearing from the room. As she stood in the bay window of their bedroom she looked down at her phone. Instead of ringing the number she turned to the wardrobe moving towards it and taking a box down from the top shelf.

When Jacob had moved in he'd not had an awful lot of things. Most of it ended up being thrown out but there was a box full of photographs and things from his parents which he kept. Connie sat at the small table in her room with the box on her lap as she considered leaving it all and forgetting it completely.

"Con, we're off now! So I'll see you when we're home." "Okay! I'll see you later." Jacob frowned looking to Grace who shrugged before they both left the house headed for the park. Connie ran a hand across the top of the box before opening it and lifting the images.

Going through them she smiled softly as she looked at photos of Jacob with his parents. There was all sorts in this box, so much of it bringing a smile to Connie's face as she wished she'd had something like this. Her eyes moved across the photos before they caught sight of something at the bottom.

Connie lifted out a letter addressed to Jacob before a photo fell out from inside. Picking it up she looked down at a younger Jacob, couldn't have been more than 18 pictured with another girl. He had his arms wrapped around her hugging her as she smiled, both of them looking happier than she'd ever seen him.

Scanning the letter she sighed before putting everything back into the box. "Oh Jacob why couldn't you just tell me this?" Letting go of another breath she stood up pushing it to the back of the wardrobe again she grabbed her phone once again. Without thinking about it she rang the number she'd been sent. "Hello?" Connie tried talking before shaking herself. "Hi, is this Brianna?"