your life as long as you are always striving for success and always being the best possible version of yourself. What I will not tolerate is you letting an opportunity like this slip through your fingers because of your stubborn nature. If you apply and don’t get in, then at least you tried, but not trying at all? That is not acceptable. I will take care of the finances.”
“But—”
“No. Are you forgetting that Colton doubled my wages? Every week I’ll put some aside and by the time college rolls around, we’ll be alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been so sure, Honey,” she says, cupping my face in her warm hands. “Do you have any idea how proud I am of you for even considering this? I knew you were going to be amazing. You’ve always had the potential to be so much more. You’re going to fly, my sweet baby.”
A small smile pulls at my lips and I take Mom’s hands in mine. “We’re really going to do this?”
“We sure are,” she tells me, squeezing my hand before she starts to get all emotional. “You’re proof that I did something right.”
“Oh, stop,” I laugh, pulling her in for the millionth time. “You did right the second I was born. Dad would be proud of how you’re handling all of this without him.”
I hear her soft exhale at my ear and she holds me a little tighter before finally pulling back, only when she does, I see the tears welling in her eyes. “Don’t make me cry,” she tells me. “Today is already going to be hard enough without you dropping bombs like that.”
“Sorry,” I grumble. “I think I got carried away in the moment.”
“That’s for sure,” she murmurs, getting up and checking her reflection in the mirror. She runs her hands down her black dress, straightening it out the exact same way that I do. “Okay,” she says, turning back to me. “Now that’s settled, we should head in and find Colton.”
I nod and allow her to pull me up from the bed and twenty minutes later, we’re pulling up at the small church.
Colton takes my hand and helps me out of the car and I can’t help but go over the differences between the two funerals. I haven’t even stepped inside of the church yet and the contrasts are astounding.
This church is tiny and looks as though it could fit a maximum of thirty people inside but there’s something about it so much more personal than Charles’ church. This is perfect for her, it’s exactly what she would have wanted.
Mom steps into my side and the three of us walk towards the entrance. It’s beautiful. It’s been done up with breathtaking floral arrangements that have me looking up at Colton as there’s simply no way Maryne’s family would have been able to afford this. “Did you pay for Maryne’s funeral?”
He nods ever so slightly. “It’s the least I could do.”
My heart swells. I don’t know how he does it but every single day I discover something new about him that makes me unbelievably attached. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to make me fall for you, Colton Carrington.”
His thumb rubs back and forth over the top of my hand. “Right back at you, Jade.”
I have to tear my gaze away and stop myself from swooning as we step through the entrance of the church, but even had I not looked away, it wouldn't have mattered because the second we get inside and see the marble casket at the front of the church, heaviness settles into my heart.
Harrison stands at Maryne’s side, one hand resting over the casket and complete agony on his face as Maryne’s family slowly begins to trickle in. “Did you know they were together?” I ask Colton, keeping my voice low so no one assumes that I’m here to gossip.
He nods. “They were together for years.”
I gape up at him before looking back at Harrison as all the pieces of the puzzle finally come together. “How could I not know that?”
“They kept it strictly professional,” he tells me. “He asked Dad for an advance on his pay just last month. I think he was planning a proposal.”
My soul shatters and my steps begin to slow. How could I have not known that about the people I spend every single day with? Am I that shallow?
Colton’s arm falls over my shoulder and he pulls me along. “Come on,” he tells me, pressing a kiss to my temple and