Unexpectedly, Mutually Yours

Chapter 5

Mollie stood up with the rest of her classmates for graduation. Of course, it was merely undergrad, but she had finished early, with a triple major: chemistry, biology, sociology.

She'd also been in the honor's society. Made the Dean's List every semester.

And Jackson was right there in the audience. Afterward, he took her to dinner. Madison had come of course, but she and Jackson kept a wide berth from each other. He tried to at least be civil to his girlfriend's sister, but Madison drove him nuts and never repaid him the same courtesy as he showed her.

He did his best to avoid her. He remembered the days when he thought Madison was the one he wanted. Sure, it wouldn't have had the initial problems as his relationship with Mollie had. But the problems were not with Mollie... it was with the circumstances they found themselves in. Even though in the grand scheme of things, seven years as an age gap wasn't that big a deal, it really was when you were in your twenties and the girl you liked just happened to be fifteen.

Perhaps the fact that Mollie had always been mature for her age, despite her body's lack of compliance... making her look gawky at first glance.

Once outside of the college's event center where the graduation was held, and a few pictures were snapped of her with her friends... one of her with Maddy and another with Jackson, a few by herself- Mollie shed the uncomfortable cap and gown revealing another beautiful sundress- yet another dress Jackson had purchased for her. This one was white with blueberries on it. It was fresh, young, and whimsical, but the way it cinched at the waist made it look put-together and grown-up.

It was amazing how something like that could be accomplished.

Madison gave Mollie a sugary sweet smile which Jackson knew was fake. He suspected that Mollie was pretending she didn't notice, and Madison cooed that she was proud of her baby sister... and that she'd see her later that night. Of course, the older sister had a date.

None of her boyfriends had lasted more than six months...

But Mollie had been friends, then more-than-friends... and finally girlfriend to Jackson for years.

And even though Mollie didn't realize it yet, she was about to be upgraded... at least Jackson prayed she was still wanting what they'd discussed Christmas Eve a few years ago. He had a ring in his pocket. And the dinner he was taking her to was not only a graduation dinner; but a proposal dinner.

-

Mollie was stunned when she saw the kind of place Jackson had brought her to for dinner. Although, admittedly, she shouldn't be. Since he made obscene amounts of money as a quarterback, and she'd talked him out of buying a mansion his first year when he didn't technically have the money- he'd been able to make some sound investments... and lived rather modestly, despite splurges on a nice car, nice food, and the generous and thoughtful gifts he gave to her and his parents for holidays and birthdays.

But this place was far more bourgeois than anywhere he'd ever taken her before.

And his hand on her back felt differently tonight.

Now, many of her college gal pals had recently gone through breakups because their boys either were going to another school... or because of some drama... or because they agreed that it was over at graduation prior to the ceremony...

But one of the worst offenders on the list was the people who said they were trying to get into one school- where they would be with the person they were dating only to yank the person's heart out by dropping the bomb that they were going to a different school on the other side of the country...