Chapter 21: I have the best boyfriend ever!


I couldn't really form any words at that moment. I was riding a high like never before and my whole universe was reduced to Ariel's shrieks of misfortune and Jasper's beyond sexy smirk. He was looking at me with eyes that were like liquid fire and I was so fucking turned on.

Which was probably highly inappropriate since I was surrounded by my relatives and I was pretty sure my parents were somewhere nearby, probably taking in everyone's reaction before deciding if they were happy about Jasper proposing to me in the middle of a wedding celebration or if they would beat my ass as soon as Jasper wasn't around.

Hopefully it was the first option. But that was a thing to worry about later. Because hello, Jasper was looking so fucking deliciously smug and I really just wanted to have my wicked way with him.

Right now. Wedding guests be damned.

That fucking look should be illegal and it was so unfair for him to seduce me like this. I couldn't even think. My mind was so empty and I was so euphoric and Ariel was miserable.

God this was the greatest moment of my life.

I shakingly extended my hands. I had no brain power to figure out which hand was left and which one was right so I just stuck the both of them out for Jasper to grab. He flashed his perfectly white teeth as he grinned widely.

His eyes crinkled in the cutest way.

My heart was about to explode out of my chest as he took a hold of my hand and slipped a ring on it. It was so pretty. Simple, but so me and everyone with half a brain cell could tell that it was expensive. It was rose gold and had three small diamonds.

How did he know I loved rose gold? My boyfriend was a fucking wizard.

Jasper kissed the knuckles of my hand and then pressed another kiss to the palm, and another one on my wrist. I had no words.

I just smiled. I literally shuddered as Ariel's angry hiss pierced my consciousness. That felt so fucking good. Jasper got up and then I was pulled against his chest, a strong arm securely around my waist.

Huh. My knees were all wobbly. Weird.

One of Jasper's magic hands massaged my neck softly and it made goosebumps appear all over my skin. Everything was so perfect and wonderful in that moment.

But since we were surrounded by my horrible family, that moment passed waaaay too quickly.

"I object! You can't do this!" Ariel shrieked like a lunatic. Her heels made so much noise as she stomped her way towards us. Her nostrils were flared and her eyes had a gleam of insanity in them. I wrapped an arm around Jasper's waist and pressed my cheek against his chest.

This was so much fun. The Bitch-Monster from Hell was making an absolute fool out of herself and fuck if I wasn't having the time of my life. Normally I would be a little anxious if a clearly insane woman approached me with a murderous look on her face, but I was with Jasper. There was literally no chance in hell that he'd ever let Ariel touch a hair on my pretty head.

Yup. His hand tightened its hold of my waist and I was subtly pulled a little bit closer to him. I stole a quick glance at his face and my stomach flipped a little when his golden eyes darkened. Goddamn he was so hot when he went all grrr.

"I'm pretty sure you can't actually object to a proposal." I said, biting my cheek so I wouldn't sound too gleeful. It was a bad look to show just how much I enjoyed her misery. It wouldn't do any good if someone started to suspect that this was a planned thing. Mom would literally kill me.

"You're right, lil' darling. Your cousin needs to wait until our wedding if she wishes to object. But I am a little confused why she wants to object in the first place. Doesn't she want you to be happy?" Jasper practically purred, his voice low and a little dangerous.

"That's a good point. Why are you acting like this, dear cousin? I thought you'd be happy for me." I added in. I couldn't stop my lips from twitching into a slight smirk.

It made Ariel pause. Her bird-brain was trying to understand the situation. It gave Justin ample time to catch up to his new wife and holy shit he was looking pissed.

I wanted to see how she would try to squirm her way out of this one. It was so embarrassing. Like yeah, everyone and their mothers knew how much we hated each other but such things weren't supposed to be spoken out loud. It would ruin the absolutely fake illusion that we were all one big, happy family.

It didn't make any sense whatsoever, but it was what it was.

Justin grabbed Ariel's shoulder tightly and spun her bloated body around. Yikes, her dress fit even worse from the behind. Her back was covered with red blotches and her ass looked absolutely lumpy. I wondered if she was wearing a diaper in case of accidents.

That would be so hilarious. Yes, I was petty and evil. So what?

I made a mental note to start a betting pool with Brody about how soon Justin would file for a divorce. I figured I could make good money by betting less than a month. Like, would they even make it past their own wedding?

You do what your heart tells you, Justin. I will fully support your decision.

"You are making a scene." Justin hissed lowly. His jaw was practically shaking from the pressure of him clenching his teeth together. Oooh he was big angry. Would it be too inappropriate if I stole someone's camera and took some video evindence of this moment?

Not that I needed it. This moment would forever be seared into my memory. Thank you Jasper for being the best boyfriend ever!

I was kind of torn between wanting to witness my dear cousin's little spat with her brand new husband and wanting to drag Jasper into some dark corner and kiss him senseless. It was a difficult choice. Ah well. I was going to enjoy watching my nemesis ruin her life first.

Then I would get my Jasper smoochies and nobody was going to stop me.

My skin tingled deliciously as I just thought about what was to come.

"But Justin! She's ruining my wedding!" Ariel whined. Dear god she looked so ugly at this close of a range.

"Stop it, Ariel. This is going too far."

Well, I never knew that Justin had it in him to sound so absolutely furious. A better person would be lowkey worried that he'd attack Ariel at this rate... but I was not that kind of person. Justin could butcher her right there and then and I would just cheer him on. And I guess that technically made me a bad person.

Maybe I should just embrace my inner darkness. Hand Justin a knife and just enjoy the show.

"Darling, you are being a little scary again." Jasper murmured into my ear. I shuddered at the sensation and just like that, my mind was no more occupied with gruesome images of Ariel's bloodied corpse. Oh no. It was getting filled with absolutely sinful images of all the things I wanted Jasper to do to me.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm an innocent angel." I whispered back. I thought I was being very convincing, but Jasper just had to snort a little. Psh. So mean.

"It's all Ella's fault. She always does this, Justin! She always ruins everything for me!"

Okay her whining was really irritating to listen. This bitch had no right to say that about me. She always started it. I just simply gave as good as I got.

Yeah okay technically there could have maybe been a few times when I got to her first... possibly. But she had started this a long time ago! I had every right to hold a grudge against her stupid face!

I was all in favor of ignoring her for the rest of my life and just focus on trying to wiggle my way into Jasper's very finely fitting pants, but if this bitch wanted to fight then I was more than willing to have a go at her. Her blotchy face would only improve if I gouged her puggy eyes out.

"Enough! You always do this. Can't you just fucking leave it alone for once? It's our wedding and you are still making it all about her! You have been acting like a massive brat all weekend and harassed Ella constantly! I've had it with your behavior!"

Yeah! You tell her Justin. Tell her how you really feel and put that bitch in her place before I have to do it. I had so much better things to do, namely one very hot vampire, than get into a cat fight with a rabid dog.

Jasper squeezed my waist softly. He probably could tell that I was seconds away from making a snide comment or something... and that would probably be very inappropriate in this situation. I bit my lip and looked up at him.

Sigh... he was just so nice to look at. All chiselled and fierce and handsome and looking at me with such tenderness in his eyes. He really had to have some magic powers to distract me so easily. Because my nemesis, the person that I've hated since birth probably, was having a very public spat with her husband and right now I couldn't care less.

I just wanted to be alone with Jasper.

"But Justin..."

"Be quiet. We're done discussing this. You are going to leave Ella alone. If I see you anywhere near her again, we will have a serious discussion about the future of our relationship."

Oh snap. I hid my face into Jasper's chest so my blooming smile couldn't be seen. Justin really just implied a possible divorce on their wedding day. This was so fucking good!

Jasper certainly deserved a treat. He made all of this possible. There weren't enough words to describe just how grateful I was to him. This whole weekend turned out to be the best weekend of my life and I had seriously thought it would be the worst time ever.

I loved him. So fucking much.

And I needed to show him that. Like right now. I took a second to wipe away any evidence of my joy over Ariel's misery. She was so fucking irrelevant. Why would I give a damn about her anymore? I had Jasper, the best boyfriend anyone could ever dream, and she just ruined her marriage. Psh. Ariel could go fuck herself for all I cared. I was done with her and I had a bone to pick with my sexy boyfriend.

I looked at Jasper and tugged at his suit jacket slightly. His attention was on me to begin with, but he still gave me a sweet smile and rubbed my neck softly.

"Can we be alone now?" I murmured. I was feeling all sorts of needy and squishy. I just wanted him to whisk me away right now so I wouldn't have to worry about the eyes of my family. I just wanted to be alone with him.

"Of course, lil' darling. Let's get you out of here." He said in a voice just as quiet as mine. We made quick excuses to the nest of vipers and then Jasper started to lead me away from my now sobbing cousin.

My mom caught us right before the exit. Or more precisely, she stepped in front of me with the sickest fake smile on her face. Her eyes were scanning me up and down, observing the way Jasper was holding me close to him and how I more or less clung onto him. I felt an icy dread spread through my stomach and I probably would have shrunk into myself if Jasper wasn't there to support me.

Eventually my mom nodded like she had made a decision and then stepped closer to me. She embraced me gently. I hated that it made my heart flutter and a spark of hope lit up in my chest. The little girl who always tried to please her woke up and for a second I actually thought that she was finally happy with me.

"Don't you dare to fuck this up, Ella..." She whispered coldly in my ear.

And just like that, we were back to being the eternal disappointment and her unloving mother. Great. Thanks a lot, mom.

The message was clear though. She didn't know that Jasper was my real boyfriend now, so she was telling me to do whatever it takes to make Jasper mine. If I failed, she'd do something horrible to me.

Jasper growled softly and I patted his hand that was holding my waist to calm him down. My mom was a piece of work for sure, but we were not going to rip into her just because she made a comment.

"Let's go." He said instead, glaring at my mom before finally leading me away from the wedding and into our little cabin.

000

"Well that was fun. We should never do that again." I sighed and flopped into our bed face first. The end part of my sentence was muffled by the bedding. My sore feet dangled over the edge.

Jasper chuckled softly and I felt his warm fingers wrap around my left ankle. He opened the straps of my heels and placed them carefully on the ground. That felt so fucking good. I knew that I looked really good in heels and I liked the additional height they gave me, but they were so fucking uncomfortable to wear! I would murder for a comfortable pair of shoes that looked amazing on me and pushed me over that 5 feet line.

"Yeah. No offense, but I would rather be tortured for all eternity than spend another evening with your relatives. You really weren't kidding when you warned me about this weekend."

I groaned. Why was that so true? I was born into this family and I think even I would've chosen torture over one of these happy reunions. But then again these were literal torture for me to begin with so guess I got to have my cake and eat it too. Yay me. So lucky.

Jasper wrapped his hands around my waist and gently turned me around before lifting me up and scooting me up on the bed. He sat on the edge and took my sore feet into his lap. I blinked confusedly at him as he started kneading my aching soles.

How did I get so lucky?

I wanted to cry. Jasper really knew how to take care of me. He pressed and rubbed and smoothed out every little ache I had and I couldn't help but to roll my eyes to the back of my head and sigh in pleasure.

Fucking magic fingers.

"Why do you wear such uncomfortable shoes all the time?" He asked as he rubbed the red spots where my shoes had pinched and rubbed my skin raw.

"Uhh, because I'm a hair under 5 feet and I actually like to see over countertops. And they make my ass look amazing."

"It looks just as amazing when you are not wearing any shoes..."

Well, what do you know! It seemed like one Major Whitlock had been staring at my ass frequently. I did give him a permission to ogle it all he wanted and he clearly took my advice.

"Of course it does. I never skip a leg day." I joked, closing my eyes briefly as Jasper worked his magic on my feet. He should totally do this all the time in the future. Boyfriend duties.

"I've noticed."

Jasper was way too smooth for my good. I would say 'for his own good' but it worked seriously well for him and it was fucking devastating for me and my hormones.

"You can admire them up close if you'd like."

"Maybe later. For now, let me just take care of you."

"Angela is probably weeping for the death of my independence back home."

Jasper flashed a mischievious little grin at me.

"Well, I did just become your fiance. I think that warrants me a little right to pamper you."

Too fucking smooth. Yes, he did indeed now have the right and the obligation to pamper me. I expected nothing less than being spoiled rotten. I liked his attention and I didn't have any problems with receiving it by the boatloads.

"Oh? Are you trying to tell me that that was your real proposal? Because in that case I might have to return this gorgeous ring." I said playfully. Well, it kind of was true. Angela would probably lock me into a secret bunker for at least a decade if I told her I was engaged to be married to Jasper after like... a day of dating. But like, I was in no hurry to return the ring because it was so me and I kind of wanted to keep it as a vague promise of our future together.

I was sappy and foolishly romantic like that.

"Really? So just for reference, what kind of proposal do you want?"

"Well first of all, I want flowers. Like a fucking sea of roses. Cheesy to the max. I want romance and fairytales. And most importantly, I want it to happen far, far away from any of my shitty relatives!"

All true things. I may have exaggerated slightly. I liked the dramatics, after all. I liked big romantic gestures just like most girls probably would, but in the end I would be just as happy if it was just me and Jasper in a bed early in the morning while my hair was a mess and my breath stank. As long as it was about the two of us.

The thought of someone proposing to me in front of my family made me feel physically uncomfortable. Most of my interactions with them were fake on some level and sometimes my entire life was just one big act. I was pretty sure I'd be so devastated and forever insecure if I was proposed to like that. It would make me feel like that also was just an act and not because someone truly loved me.

What Jasper had done was so romantic on a different level. It was fake to begin with and the purpose of it was to get revenge on my behalf. It was real in its fakeness and that meant so much to me. It made me love Jasper even more.

But seriously, if his potential real proposal was in front of my parents or god forbid, the rest of my toxic relatives, I would probably punch him in the face. And break my hand in the process, but at that point it would've been worth it.

"Duly noted, my sweet girl. I think it'll take some time to plan the perfect proposal. Say... anything between 6 months and 2 years from now?"

Well shit. I could feel my entire face heat up and my heart started racing. Did he just...? Oh my fucking god!

Jasper looked at me with glittering eyes. It made me feel shy. I looked away and bit my lip.

Jasper Whitlock just told me that he was planning on sticking around for the long haul.

I didn't even know that I had a weight on my shoulders until I felt it being lifted. Because holy fuck. I was a proper mess on a good day and he was willing to put up with me!

Ugh! My stupidly wonderful boyfriend was so bad for my heart! It was not healthy for it to beat so fucking fast all the time. Was too much circulation a bad thing? I felt like it could be. I should probably ask Angela about that. She was all sorts of smart and she could probably tell me all about it...

...or maybe I should never mention my racing heart to her. She liked to get overly worried and that could push her into thinking that Jasper was bad for me. And yeah, maybe he was. There was a decent chance that being with Jasper would cut my life a little short. Super strong vampires and puny little mortals probably didn't mix well.

Well whatever. Because hello... being with Jasper? Fucking worth it.

"Yeah... that sounds perfect."


Author's Final Notes:

So I'm back. Yaay! How has 2021 treated all of you? I've been drowning in work. One pesky little pandemic is not enough to keep my work away from me. Things are easing up nowadays so my brain has regained its ability to focus on something other than consuming various forms of entertainment.

This is just a short-ish wrap-up of the wedding party. The next chapter (that I'm hoping to finish while it's still summer) is going to be another long one. It's in the works and I'm not quite as exhausted as I have been for the past... 6-7 months so I'm relatively confident that I'll be able to share it with you all in the near-ish future.

Yeah, so stay safe everyone, get vaccinated when it's made available for you, try to stay sane and enjoy your summer! Oh, and Happy Pride Month to all who celebrate it!