UNEDITED
*You have to read The Truth About Faking before reading this novella!*
This is a novella about Jake and Gemma's wedding and the events leading up to it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
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.
