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“I love you,” I tell hi kisses all over his cheeks, jaw, and lips My heart is overflowing and heavy with joy I think I’ drool I missed? No, they’re tears, I hope But they’re happy tears And just because I know rab Taylen’s ass

“Good heavens, Ginger She’s touching his bottoasps

“She appears to be doing that, Roger,”awestruck

“She’s telling him she loves him”

“And he told her that he loved her first There was some business about a curse and a soul contract I’ with the devil”

I break away from Taylen and smile at my parents “No,tio, but don’t worry It’s probably not official The curse, though? You’ll have to take that up with Helen Croave Taylen the brooch, and it was meant to help hi up now since we’ve known each other forever, and in a e’ve been soulmates forever, but it did Noe’re cursed, and we can’t break it because Helen won’t tell us how She randet it out of her I don’t want the curse to be broken because I’m happy I would never have been happy with Henry I didn’t love hi safe isn’t the way to live I can’t live without taking chances And I want this chance I want Taylen”

My parents are both misty-eyed, and I hate that I made them cry, but then they surprise ot married in the first place And it’s because they loved each other Because they were soulmates too

“We never meant to hold you back,” my dad says softly

“And we never wanted to hurt you We were trying to do the right thing, but ot carried away You never said you didn’t like Henry or that you didn’t want to ht you did love him”

“I didn’t want to say anything because I kne much it would upset you”

I now realize we allin this unhealthy way, but we love each other and can fix things We can learn how to let each other breathe and have some space

“And about as station bathroom I’m sorry, but it was hideous”

“You never said you didn’t like it,”back tears

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings I’m sorry”

“What happened to the cake?” h it’s clear he doesn’t really want to know the answer I can tell he’s bracing for the worst

“Umm…” I try not to look at Taylen “It was donated To uh, someone on the street Kind of anyway It was left on the street? It’s a long story”

“A story you’ll have to tell us sometime,” my dad says kindly

Toat ry They’re not , ditched my dress, and that the cake was stolen They’re not mad that I don’t want to marry Henry They’re just worried about me, and they truly do want me to be happy and safe and well They hat any parents want, which is what’s best for their child We just got it all crossed and confused for so long We all did Now it’s time for me to learn what it means to live my own life, an adult life I want my freedom, but I also want them I want them to kno much I love and care about them

I realize, though, they already know They were never trying to trapsooner, they would probably have agreed and come up with a plan to help me succeed If I’d ever told them that I didn’t want to marry Henry, they wouldn’t have forceddress, uess that for her, the dress was beautiful We all seriously need to learn how to coranny said about assu, but I do know they can e

“I’ out,” I announce, which doesn’t seem to surprise either of e or hs I continue, “But I’ to leave NOLA We’ll figure things out I’ to live with Henry anyway”