One Shot
I came inside after going out to lunch with the boys and the first thing I noticed was the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies followed by chatting, both coming from the living room. That could only mean one thing, the grandkids were here and, like always, they wanted to hear the story of me and grandma. I entered the living room and there she was, in her rocking chair surrounded by Billy, Sarah, Chris, and Ben, who were eagerly sitting on the floor waiting to hear the story. I quietly slipped into the room and took a seat next to her, just in time to hear the story begin. She looked over at me and smiled before beginning her story. “I remember it like it was yesterday.”
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I was seven years old and I was playing with my Barbie dolls in my all pink bedroom when there was a knock on my door. “Come in,” I yelled as I continued playing. The door slowly opened revealing my mother. “Hi mommy.” “Hi sweetie. Denise called and invited us over for a cookout later tonight. What do you say, should we go?” I debated in my head. “Will Joe be there?” My mom let out a small laugh and nodded her head. I threw my Barbies on the ground and sprung to my feet. “What are you waiting for mommy? We have a cookout to get ready for!” Okay so maybe I had a little crush on Joe but who could blame me. All the seven year olds were gross, the eight year olds thought they were cool, so that left the nine year olds. There were a lot of them but the best was Joe. He was so cute. His eyes were light brown and there was a special glow in them, a glow that made them seem like they shined brighter than the stars in the nighttime sky. Since I was going to Joe’s house, I had to make sure I looked extra nice. It was very obvious to both mine and Joe’s parents that I had a crush on him, so my mom helped me pick out the nicest outfit. It was now fall which meant the evenings would be rather chilly, this was something my mother and I took into consideration while planning my outfit. Finally, we decided on the winning one, a grey, long sleeve shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and my grey zip up boots. My mom also helped comb my hair and put them into two very nice pigtail braids. Once my outfit was complete, I couldn’t wait to see Joe.
My dad barely had a chance to park the car before I was running to the front door, eager to see Joe. From the distance, I could hear my mom yelling for me to slow down and wait up. I couldn’t though, I was too excited. I also heard the footsteps of my younger sister, Noah, following me closely behind. She was excited to be here too. The reason for her excitement though was because of Joe’s younger brother, Frankie. They were both four and it was more obvious than anything that they liked each other. I heard her small voice calling up to me. “Smiley?” I looked down at her and smiled “Yeah, Noie?” “Do you think you, me, Joey, and Frankie can all play truth or dare in their back yard like you guys used to do with Brandie and Kevin?” She had a look of hope in her eyes. I nodded my head and smiled. “Of course we can.” I reached my hand out towards her and she accepted it. Then we resumed walking the short remainder of a distance until we got to the front steps of their house.
When the mahogany colored door was in sight, Noah and I stopped walking for a brief second, looked at each other, and then dashed for the door. I was the winner of our little race which meant I got to ring the doorbell. I heard footsteps coming from inside the house. They were too big to be Frankie’s but not big enough to be an adults which only meant one thing… The door opened and standing in front of me was Joe. I felt the butterflies started swirling around in my tummy and a giant grin made its way on my face. I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things but it looked like Joe’s face light up when he saw me as well. He lead the way inside. Mr. Jonas was standing in the backyard, and seemed very busy as he grilled the hamburgers and hotdogs we would be having that evening. My dad joined him outside, along with two cold beers that came from the six pack he brought with us. Mrs. Jonas was in the kitchen preparing some odds and ends to make sure everything that was needed for a cookout was ready. My mom joined her and the kitchen and helped out by making a fruit salad.
30 minutes later, it was finally time for dinner. “Coincidently,” Joe and I were seated next to each other. When I say coincidently, I, of course, mean that it was Denise and my mother’s doing. It wasn’t 100% confirmed but I had a pretty strong assumption because Frankie and Noah were also sitting next to each other. Seeing as both of our families were very Christian, we had to say Grace before we were able to eat our food. When Joe reached out and grabbed my hand, I felt bolts of electricity run through my body. It was an indescribable feeling but I liked it… a lot. I also started smiling uncontrollably. Our dads must have noticed because they both looked at each other and then the comments began. “Look at that, Robbie, it seems like your little Miley can’t stop grinning.” This made me start blushing. Then my dad chimed in which didn’t help very much. “I see that, Paul. But I can’t help but notice your Joe was the one who took her hand first. Regardless, it looks like in twenty or so years, we’ll be watching these two as they head down the aisle.” My dad joked back. I wouldn’t call that a joke though. Jokes were supposed to be funny and that wasn’t. My face turned even more red. The moms looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and then chuckled. “Oh, my, my, my, you two are crazy,” Both Denise and Tish said at the same time, referring to the dads, of course. “What? You all know it’s true. They’re only seven and nine but look at the way they look at each other. When they grow up, they’re definitely going to fall in love.” My dad continued. I had had enough though. “That‘s enough!” I yelled before getting up from the table and running to the backyard. There was only one place I wanted to be right now and that’s exactly where I went.
I climbed the string ladder and let myself into the tree house. This was mine and Joe’s special place. When we were even younger, we would come up here with my older sister and Joe’s older brother. It was too bad they were off on their own now, I could have used Brandy’s advice in this situation. Yeah, I did like Joe but I was sure he didn’t like me back. We were just friends. Best friends, in fact, which is why our dads were so sure we were gonna get married. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice I had company until I felt a body sit next to me and wrap their arms around me. I looked to my left and saw Joe. He looked over at me and smiled. “I’m sorry our dads said that stuff and it upset you.” I smiled at him and rested my head in his neck. “Thanks, Joey. It means a lot to me.” He let go of me and then reached in for a hug, which I gladly accepted. When we pulled away from each other, we noticed we were no longer alone. Our two munchkin siblings had joined us.
The four of us were now sitting by the lake that was in the Jonas’ backyard. It was where Joe and I came when we wanted to escape from everyone and everything and we just didn’t feel like going to the tree house. Plus it was even farther away from the house so we could play truth or dare more easily without having to worry about getting caught by the parents. We had been playing for an hour and did all the typical dares, run around screaming, ding dong ditch, you know, the usual stuff. It was Noah’s turn. She spun the bottle and it landed on me. “Truth or dare, Smiley?” “Truth.” I answered back without giving my answer a second of thought. Noah looked at Frankie, who nodded his head, and then she looked back over at me. “Is it true you like someone older than you?” My eyes sprung wide open at that point. “M-m-maybe.” I stuttered, a sign that I was nervous. Joe looked at me, clearly not satisfied with the answer I had given. “Come on, Miley. It’s obvious you like someone from the answer you gave. So just tell us who he is... Or else.” He tried to sound tough. I looked him right in the eyes, those beautiful eyes, and, as hard as it was, I tried my best to sound just as tough. “Or else, what, Jonas? You don’t scare me!” Joe’s face turned bright red and he continued speaking. “Don’t make me beat you up, I am bigger than you!” He was lying though, he would never do such a cruel thing to me. Next, it was my turn. I spun the bottle and it landed on Joe, which meant I got to ask him. “Truth or dare, Joe?” The was a short period of silence which I took as Joe deciding what to pick. “Hmm, dare!” He said, with a devilish grin on his face. This was the last dare of the night so it had to be a good one. I thought long and hard about it. “I dare you to kiss me.” Frankie, Noah, and Joe’s faces all changed because they were shocked that I would dare someone to do something like that. I knew Joe wouldn’t back down though, he was a daredevil. No matter what dare he was given, he would always do it and not once, had he ever backed down. Joe got up from the log he was sitting on and walked over to me. Then he took my hand and dragged me away from Noah and Frankie. “Joe, what are you doing?” Ignoring my question, he kept walking a little further until Frankie and Noah were out of sight. Then, he slowly began leaning in. I realized what he was doing, or trying to, for that matter and got really nervous. So I did what came naturally to me, I put my hands on his chest and shoved him backwards. Then, I ran all the way back to the Jonas household, leaving Frankie, Noah, and Joe far, far behind.
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*Nine years later*
“Miley, you look great now stop freaking out and get out of the damn car already!” My best friend, Selena, tried to reassure me for what was probably the 900th time that morning. I knew I looked great, I just didn’t feel great. I understand Selena was trying to help me out and give me more confidence for the start of my Junior year by giving me a makeover but I felt like it was a bit too much to soon. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me. She was a totally different person. “Let’s just go.” I said, under my breath, before getting out of the car. From the second my feet hit the pavement, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who was shocked at how different I looked - apparently all the guys in my school were as well. When I walked past them, I noticed how they were checking me out and some of their jaws even hit the ground. It was insane what some makeup, curling your hair, short shorts, a tank top, and a pushup bra could do for a girl.
Selena walked right by my side and you could tell she was also impressed with the attention I was receiving. “They love you Miles, I told you I knew what I was doing.” She playfully nudged me. I pretended to agree with her and nodded my head. “You’re right, Sel. Thanks.” We continued walking into the school and I noticed that the group of people that was staring at me when I was outside had multiplied. I decided I was gonna have a little fun with this. I looked over to Selena and you could tell we were both on the same page. “Go get ‘em, girlie.” She encouraged me before walking over to her boyfriend, David. I strutted over to my blue locker and bent over in a way that I knew drove all the boys crazy as I dialed the combination. 0-8-15, Joe’s birthday. No one but me knew that was my combination. It definitely bothered Selena that I wouldn’t tell her the combo because we told each other EVERYTHING. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her, it was just that I couldn’t. If I told her that, she’d put the pieces together and then realize that I was head over heels in love with Joe. And until I was sure that he liked me back and this “crush” I had was going somewhere, it was a secret best kept to myself. That’s a big part of the reason I let her give me this makeover. I knew it could get me any guy I wanted but I wasn’t quite sure it could get me the guy I wanted.
Speaking of Joe… I felt a body standing next to me and knew from the sweet scent that was traveling towards my nose that it was Joe. “Hello, cutie, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Joe.” I poked my head out of my locker and slapped his arm. “I know who you are, you boob. Now quit hitting on me.” I said, playfully. Joe took a moment to process the voice that had just spoken as well as the fact that he was just hit by a girl, both were characteristics only I possessed. Joe’s eyes widened.. “MILEY?!” He practically yelled, causing all eyes to return back to me. I looked over at our audience and smiled sweetly. “Nothing to see here, folks, move along.” They all respected my orders and carried on doing whatever it was that they had been doing before. “Of course it’s me, you big idiot. Who else would it be?” I flipped my hair, as a joke, referring to how we made fun of the “popular” girls who thought they were all that. “Y-y-you l-l-look so d-d-d-ifferent.” He stuttered to get the words out. Clearly, I was no longer the little girl he used to see. Maybe this makeover was a good thing.
When the bell finally rang, at 2:00 pm, three Fridays later, I flew out of my seat and ran outside the school building. Ever since I‘d received my makeover from Selena, I was hit on by guys nonstop and the popular girls kept trying to recruit me to be one of them. It had been a long, few weeks and I was so glad to be going home for a long weekend. I waited by Selena’s car, she was my ride home because I was 16 and still license-less. When 10 minutes had gone by and there was no sign of her, I began to get worried. I walked away from the car and back into the school building. Again, there was no sign of her. I decided to check my phone and see if I had any calls or texts from her… I did. “Hey girl, can’t bring you home today. David’s parents aren’t home so I’m going to his house after school. Don’t hate me, I know you’d do the same if your boyfriend had the house to himself! Love ya! Xoxo” I wanted to strangle her. She was ditching me to go have sex with her boyfriend. How could she?!?! “UGGGGGGH!” I yelled. “What’s the problem, Yellie Mc Yells A Lot?” Joe asked. I spun on my heels and faced him. “It’s Friday afternoon and I’m stuck at school because my best friend ditched me to go have endless sex with her boyfriend.” Joe busted out laughing and I shot him a deadly glare. Then, he grabbed my hand, and led me back outside. Only this time, to his car.
It was now 2:00 in the morning and Joe and I were driving around in his car, singing some Taylor Swift songs at the top of our lungs. For the first time in a while, I felt happy again. I was with the guy I love and we were just having a good time. I noticed Joe had pulled the car to an unfamiliar location. Joe had gotten out of the driver’s side and was now walking over to my side. He opened the door for me and took my hand as I carefully stepped out of the car. “Where are we, Joe?” I asked, trying my best to sound calm. Joe intertwined my fingers with his and led me to a beachy area. I noticed there was a blanket laying on the ground right in the center of the small beach. He brought me over to it. Then he lied down on it and gently placed me next to him. When I saw that his idea was sweet and harmless, I was able to relax more.
We were lying there, just enjoying each other’s company, when my phone began ringing. It was 2:30 in the morning which meant it could be only one person. “Hi mommy.” I said into the phone, in my sweetest voice possible. “Don’t get sweet with me, Miley. It’s 2:30 in the morning and you’re not home. I taught you how to call home when you were six years old. So wherever the hell you are, there better be a damn good reason for why you’re still there and why you didn’t call either your father or myself to let us know what’s going on.” She practically yelled into the phone. While she was ranting at me about the importance of being responsible and some other boring stuff that I wasn’t really paying attention to, I covered the phone with my hand and whispered to Joe what was going on. His eyes immediately went wide because he knew how angry Mama Tish could get. In a matter of seconds, he was standing on his feet, blanket in hand, and helping me up off the ground and to the car. I told my mom that I’d be home in 20 minutes and hung up with her. Before opening the door for me, Joe wrapped his arms around my waist and looked me in the eyes. “Miley, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
The doorbell rang and I yelled down the stairs. “Can someone please get that?” My father, being the smart ass that he was, yelled up at me. “Why can’t you get it? The boy’s your date, not mine or your mother’s!” “Daaaaaad!” I whined. “I have to make an entrance.” I heard my father sigh and push himself out of his recliner. “The things I do for you.” He shouted. I smiled, I really was a daddy’s girl. I took one last look at myself. I was wearing a baby blue cocktail dress that had a flower on the right side of the waistband. I sat at the hair salon for two hours, as Sonja, my hairstylist, put my hair up in a very elegant bun and another hour as my makeup artist, Georgio, did my makeup. Since my eyes were very blue and normally stood out on their own, we went for a simple look but Georgio was still a perfectionist and insisted that I look perfect before leaving. I wanted to stand out but not too much. But I guess me, being a Junior, and going to Joe’s Senior prom with him, helped me to stand out. Still, I wanted to look good for Joe. I mean, I was his girlfriend.
We entered the club, which had been transformed to look like a beach to go with the theme “A Night in Paradise” for the evening, arm in arm. Joe was such a gentleman, he held doors for me, escorted to my seat, held my chair out for me, and even brought me a drink. You could tell every girl was jealous and wished their date was just like Joe.
After we ate, Joe and I were the first ones on the dance floor and were having a great time. It felt even greater when the DJ announced that they were going to be slowing things down. I didn’t have to scamper off the dance floor because, finally, I had that “special someone” he always told you to go find and dance with. Joe and I were dancing all over each other while everyone was watching but we didn’t care. As soon as the song that we were currently grinding to ended, Joe went to go get himself some punch. I stayed in the center of the dance floor and while I was standing there, the DJ cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. “Alright guys, we gonna slow things down one last time. But when I say one last time, I don’t mean for the rest of the night, I mean one last time until we take a break and announce prom king and queen. So grab that special someone and make the best of this song because after finding out who the king and queen are, it could change everything for the rest of the night.” What did he mean by that? I didn’t have any time to think about what he’d just said because a couple seconds after the song started, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. It freaked me out a little because there were so many people in this room that it could have been any of them. I should’ve known better though - it was Joe. He was such a dork sometimes, but I loved it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he rested his hands on my waist, gently squeezing me in so I was pressed closer to him.
“Are all the nominees on stage?” Mr. Roberts, our principal asked. Someone on the side of the stage must have given him a yes, because he continued speaking. I wasn’t really listening to what he said, I was just crossing my fingers that Joe would win. Even though it meant him dancing with some Senior girl who would be all over him when they shared the traditional “Prom King/Queen dance” but I didn’t mind that so much. I knew Joe didn’t feelings for anyone but me. Mr. Roberts cleared his throat and all the small talk that was going on, came to an end as some nerdy boy, clearly part of the Prom Committee, came running out, handed the principal an envelope, and ran back off the stage.
I stood on the side of the club, as all the students were asked to do, and watched Joe, the 2012 prom king, dance with the new prom queen, Maddie. Why was I not surprised that she won? She was the head cheerleader and most popular girl our entire town, as well as other surrounding towns. Some would argue she was even the most beautiful. She was about 5’4, quite shorter than Joe, she had blonde hair, clearly from a bottle, and a double D chest. Her dress this evening was a short, hot pink, gown that exposed her chest and legs very well. Everyone thought her and Joe were meant to be together but Joe always laughed whenever someone told him that. When I was at his house once, we were cuddling in his bed, watching a movie, and I asked him once if he thought she was pretty. He responded by saying, “I think she’s cute. But so what? There’s thousands of cute girls in the world. But I don’t want a cute girl. You know why? Because I’ve got the most b e a u t i f u l girl in the world, right here.” Then he kissed the top of my head and held me for the rest of the night. That’s why I wasn’t worried that they were dancing together. Especially not when Joe was twirling Maddie around and we made eye contact. He mouthed “I love you” to me and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
I stormed out of the club and ran as fast as I could down the street. “MILEY, SLOW DOWN!” Joe yelled at me for the tenth time in two minutes. “NO!” I yelled, refusing to turn around and look him in the eyes. “Please Miles, just stop running for two seconds please so I can talk to you.” I slowed myself down and allowed Joe time to catch up to me. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” He said, clearly out of breath. “I’m not giving you a chance. There’s no reason to give you one. It’s clear that you enjoy when other girls are all over you, even if your “girlfriend” is watching. So if that’s what you want, then fine.” “You have to understand. What happened back there, meant nothing.” Joe tried to reach out and hold me but I pushed him away. He wasn’t going to get off that easily. What we were referring to was the make out session that happened between him and Maddie during their slow dance. It wasn’t even that though, after they finished their dance/make out session, I made my way over to Joe so we could resume dancing together, and Maddie pressed herself up against Joe and started grinding against him. I literally felt my heart shatter when I saw that and I ran out of the club. To be honest, I was surprised Joe ran after me. I thought he would be too busy with his new girl to even pay attention to what I was doing. And even though I was glad he came after me, I refused to forgive him. “It sure as hell didn’t look like it didn’t mean anything. How is it okay for some girl to kiss you and then grind on you and you don’t say anything? If you can give me a perfectly good answer for that, then I’ll forgive you.” I felt my heart breaking as I talked with him. He was silent though. I took this as him trying to think of a good reason as to why he did what he did but nothing was coming to mind. He sighed and took a step back, running his fingers through his hard. “I understand that you’re upset and don’t want to be near me right now and I don’t want to force you to, but, please, let me give you a ride home. Just so I know you get home safely. If something bad happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. And after that, go home and get some rest. Sleep on it. When you wake up in the morning, if you decide you want us to be over, I can’t stop you and I’ll leave you alone. So, what do you say?”
The car ride home was completely silent. I didn’t say anything because I was too damaged and pissed at Joe. And Joe didn’t say anything because he knew if he did, it would risk setting me off even more than I already was. As soon as Joe’s car pulled up to my driveway, I flung the car door open and dashed towards my front door. I didn’t bother saying anything more to Joe, he didn’t deserve my words. Especially not when he couldn’t even give me a good enough reason for why he acted the way he did.
After listening to a bunch of depressing music and a lot of crying, I managed to fall asleep. When I last looked at the clock, it was 3:45 AM and I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up that same day, it was 1 in the afternoon. It felt good to sleep for a while, especially after what happened at prom. I decided that I was just gonna spend that day at home, getting over what happened. Without bothering to shower, I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, thank you LA weather, and tied my hair in a bun, before making my way outside to the balcony that was right outside my room.
To my surprise, as I slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony, I saw Joe, asleep in the corner of it. Even when I was pissed at him, he still looked adorable and I loved him. Quietly, I walked back into my room and got a small throw blanket out of my closet. Even though it was hot out, Joe was curled up in a ball and I took that to mean that he was cold. Blanket in hand, I went back outside only to find Joe had woken up and was now rubbing his eyes. He looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning.” I wasn’t sure if I should say anything to him or not. He may have looked adorable and I still loved him but I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him, just yet. “Still not talking to me, eh?” He asked, now standing right in front of me. I didn’t move or anything, I just stood there, looking off into the distance. Without saying a word, Joe reached his arms out and pulled me into him. That was all it took for me to break down crying, once again. But Joe, being the amazing “boyfriend” he is, brought me to my room, lied me down on my bed, and held me, until I was ready to talk.
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* A Few Years Later*
“Jooooeee! Where are we going and why do I have to wear I blindfold?” I giggled as Joe lead me to wherever we were going. “Don’t ask questions. It’ll all make sense once we get there.” I stopped walking, crossed my arms, and pouted my lips. Joe must have noticed my footsteps had stopped because I felt a body standing right next to me followed by a tugging at my hands. “Please Miley. Just trust me and let me take you where we’re going.” He whined. I thought it was so cute when he did that. I smiled and nodded my head. “Alright, lead on.” “YES!” Joe cheered before continuing to lead me to the mystery location.
“Alright, take off your blindfold.” Joe ordered. I did as he said and removed the bandana from my head. It felt great to be able to see again. “Ta da!” Joe seemed so pleased with himself. I looked off into the distance. “It’s a backyard…” I trailed off, not too sure how I should feel about where we were. Joe chuckled and shook his head. “No, silly, it’s my parent’s backyard. You know, where we used to hang out when we were younger.” It was all coming back to me now. A lot of the trees had been cut down and the grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in years but when I turned around, I saw that house, placed proudly in that tree. Joe grabbed my hand and lead me towards the water.
Joe was now sitting on top of a log and I was sitting in his lap. His arms were wrapped around me and my head was resting in his shoulders. If anyone happened to be looking out in their backyard, they would probably smile at how cute this moment was. “I haven’t been back here in years.” I admitted, out loud. “Neither have I. The last time I was back here was when…” Joe trailed off and I knew exactly what he was going to say. “When we were playing truth or dare and I dared you to kiss me.” I felt myself blushing. Joe turned me so I was facing him and gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “And when I actually tried, you ran.” We both laughed at the memory and how far we had come since then. “I didn’t think you would actually do it!” “You know how I am, Miles. I never back down from a dare, no matter how insane it is.” I smiled up at him. “I know. They don’t call you Danger for nothing.” I winked.
There was a couple moments of silence, which I enjoyed. It wasn’t that awkward silence you experience on a first day, it was more of a “let’s enjoy this beautiful moment” comfortable kind of silence. I looked off into the distance and noticed that the sun was starting to set. It was a beautiful sunset tonight, one that contained pinkish, purplish, and orangeish colors. “The sunset is so beautiful tonight.” I whispered. Joe nodded his head, before reaching in and gently kissing my cheek. The silence returned, but only for a few seconds, until Joe spoke up. “Miley, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you and I’m not sure how you’re gonna take it, but it couldn’t wait much longer.” Joe seemed really nervous. I took his hand in mine and rubbed it with my thumb. “You know you can tell or ask me anything and I’ll always do whatever I can to make the situation better. So whatever it is, just tell me.” I smiled at him and nodded my head, urging him to continue. He smiled and nodded back at me. Then, he gently picked me up off his lap, and placed me to the side. He was standing right in front of me and I noticed little beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and upper lip. Whatever it was, it must be pretty serious. In all the years that I’d known Joe, I’d never seen him this nervous before. I was about to comfort him once more but, before I had the chance, Joe was lowering himself to the ground and reaching into his pocket.
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*Two Years Later*
“I don’t think I can do this.” I felt my stomach turning as I spoke, in confidence, to my best friend, Selena. “Of course you can, Miles. This is the moment you’ve been looking forward to since you were a little girl. And you know your parents are proud too, just look at their faces.” Selena opened the door, just enough for me to be able to look out and see my mom and dad, standing in front of the Altar, talking to Joe’s mom and dad, as well as the minister. Seeing how happy they looked totally reassured me that was I was doing was the right thing. I looked over at Selena and smiled. “I’m ready.” I said, before taking a deep breath and walking out the door.
I walked over to my dad and he extended his hand towards me, I accepted it and waited. “I can’t believe it’s actually happening, my baby is getting married.” He said, getting a little teary eyed. “Are you really surprised? All those years, you and Mr. Jonas made jokes about how Joe and I would grow up, fall in love, get married, and start a family together. Did you not want us to?” I asked, a little worried that I wasn’t making my dad happy. “Of course I did, princess. But it’s not about what Mr. Jonas or I wanted, it’s about what you and Joseph want. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” I looked towards the Altar and saw Joe standing there, looking back at me, smiling. Then I looked up at my dad. “I love you, daddy.” I stood up on my toes, even in my 3 inch heels, making me now 5’8, I was still shorter than my dad, who proudly stood at 6’2, and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you too, baby girl.”
The music started and my dad looked down at me. I looked back up at him and nodded. “One, two…” My dad counted and then the organ got louder and everyone stood up as the procession of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen entered ahead of us. The order was Noah and Frankie, Selena and Nick, Brandie and Kevin, then a pause, followed by my father and me. As I was walking down the aisle, I knew what it felt like to have all eyes on me. Our whole town was there and everyone had their focus on one thing, me. I hadn’t had this feeling since the time Selena gave me that makeover. After that day, I went back to being my normal self, which is what Joe fell for. I made it a point to smile and make eye contact with as many of mine and Joe’s guests as possible.
When we got to the altar, my dad and I stopped walking at looked at each other. My father slowly removed my veil and looked into my eyes. “I love you so much baby girl and even though you’re gonna be a married woman, never forget that you’re still my little princess and I’m never more than a phone call away.” He was getting a little teary eyed as he spoke, a side I wasn’t used to but still loved. I nodded my head and whispered. “I know, I’ll always be your little girl and I love you too, daddy.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek and then the top of my head before turning around and taking his spot right next to my mother. I looked at my mom, who was sitting in between my dad and Joe’s mom and saw that both mothers were crying. My mom looked up at me and smiled. “Oh, my, my, my.” She whispered, but I was able to read her lips. I smiled at her and then turned my attention back to Joe. While Pastor Davis was talking, I looked directly in to Joe’s hypnotizing hazel eyes and mouthed “I love you” to him. He looked back at me and did the same, gently squeezing my butt while he did. Resisting the urge to yelp or release any awkward sounds, I tried to focus on what Pastor Davis was saying so I didn’t cause a scene. Oh Joseph, you’re gonna get it!
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Two years after we got married, Joe and I got the amazing news that we would be having our first child. Right away, we began searching for a home suitable for kids. It was difficult though because we wanted to be close to our homes but still be independent. But we ended up finding a place, a ranch style home, right in the center of Nashville. It was in that house that we rocked our two beautiful babies on the front porch and watched them grow. Then, when it came time, we watched them go off on their own and start their very own lives. Your granddad walked his daughter down the aisle and then we watched as our son’s beautiful bride was walked down the aisle by her lovely father. And after they were off and married, we watched them have their own children who are sitting here before us today. The most amazing grandchildren in the world.” I looked over and Joe and he smiled at me. “And I might be 87 and he’s 89 but I still look into his eyes and see that shine.” I kissed Joe on the cheek and cuddled into him. Billy, Sarah, Chris, and Ben started cheering and clapping. “I love you, Miley.” Joe said, with a big grin on his face. “I love you too, Joe.” I said back, earning more cheering from our grandkids. Then I slowly got up from the couch and looked down at the kids, who were sitting on the floor. “Who wants hot chocolate?” Without saying a word, the four of them got up and ran into the kitchen. I looked back at Joe and we both started laughing. “We have the craziest grand children in the world.” I said, shaking my head. “I know, but they’re also the best.” Joe answered. Then he got up from the couch and walked over to me. He placed a soft kiss on my lips and reached his hand out. “Let’s go, cupcake.” I gladly accepted his hand and together, we joined out grandchildren in the kitchen. Oh my, my, my, life was perfect.
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I was seven years old and I was playing with my Barbie dolls in my all pink bedroom when there was a knock on my door. “Come in,” I yelled as I continued playing. The door slowly opened revealing my mother. “Hi mommy.” “Hi sweetie. Denise called and invited us over for a cookout later tonight. What do you say, should we go?” I debated in my head. “Will Joe be there?” My mom let out a small laugh and nodded her head. I threw my Barbies on the ground and sprung to my feet. “What are you waiting for mommy? We have a cookout to get ready for!” Okay so maybe I had a little crush on Joe but who could blame me. All the seven year olds were gross, the eight year olds thought they were cool, so that left the nine year olds. There were a lot of them but the best was Joe. He was so cute. His eyes were light brown and there was a special glow in them, a glow that made them seem like they shined brighter than the stars in the nighttime sky. Since I was going to Joe’s house, I had to make sure I looked extra nice. It was very obvious to both mine and Joe’s parents that I had a crush on him, so my mom helped me pick out the nicest outfit. It was now fall which meant the evenings would be rather chilly, this was something my mother and I took into consideration while planning my outfit. Finally, we decided on the winning one, a grey, long sleeve shirt, a pair of dark jeans, and my grey zip up boots. My mom also helped comb my hair and put them into two very nice pigtail braids. Once my outfit was complete, I couldn’t wait to see Joe.
My dad barely had a chance to park the car before I was running to the front door, eager to see Joe. From the distance, I could hear my mom yelling for me to slow down and wait up. I couldn’t though, I was too excited. I also heard the footsteps of my younger sister, Noah, following me closely behind. She was excited to be here too. The reason for her excitement though was because of Joe’s younger brother, Frankie. They were both four and it was more obvious than anything that they liked each other. I heard her small voice calling up to me. “Smiley?” I looked down at her and smiled “Yeah, Noie?” “Do you think you, me, Joey, and Frankie can all play truth or dare in their back yard like you guys used to do with Brandie and Kevin?” She had a look of hope in her eyes. I nodded my head and smiled. “Of course we can.” I reached my hand out towards her and she accepted it. Then we resumed walking the short remainder of a distance until we got to the front steps of their house.
When the mahogany colored door was in sight, Noah and I stopped walking for a brief second, looked at each other, and then dashed for the door. I was the winner of our little race which meant I got to ring the doorbell. I heard footsteps coming from inside the house. They were too big to be Frankie’s but not big enough to be an adults which only meant one thing… The door opened and standing in front of me was Joe. I felt the butterflies started swirling around in my tummy and a giant grin made its way on my face. I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things but it looked like Joe’s face light up when he saw me as well. He lead the way inside. Mr. Jonas was standing in the backyard, and seemed very busy as he grilled the hamburgers and hotdogs we would be having that evening. My dad joined him outside, along with two cold beers that came from the six pack he brought with us. Mrs. Jonas was in the kitchen preparing some odds and ends to make sure everything that was needed for a cookout was ready. My mom joined her and the kitchen and helped out by making a fruit salad.
30 minutes later, it was finally time for dinner. “Coincidently,” Joe and I were seated next to each other. When I say coincidently, I, of course, mean that it was Denise and my mother’s doing. It wasn’t 100% confirmed but I had a pretty strong assumption because Frankie and Noah were also sitting next to each other. Seeing as both of our families were very Christian, we had to say Grace before we were able to eat our food. When Joe reached out and grabbed my hand, I felt bolts of electricity run through my body. It was an indescribable feeling but I liked it… a lot. I also started smiling uncontrollably. Our dads must have noticed because they both looked at each other and then the comments began. “Look at that, Robbie, it seems like your little Miley can’t stop grinning.” This made me start blushing. Then my dad chimed in which didn’t help very much. “I see that, Paul. But I can’t help but notice your Joe was the one who took her hand first. Regardless, it looks like in twenty or so years, we’ll be watching these two as they head down the aisle.” My dad joked back. I wouldn’t call that a joke though. Jokes were supposed to be funny and that wasn’t. My face turned even more red. The moms looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and then chuckled. “Oh, my, my, my, you two are crazy,” Both Denise and Tish said at the same time, referring to the dads, of course. “What? You all know it’s true. They’re only seven and nine but look at the way they look at each other. When they grow up, they’re definitely going to fall in love.” My dad continued. I had had enough though. “That‘s enough!” I yelled before getting up from the table and running to the backyard. There was only one place I wanted to be right now and that’s exactly where I went.
I climbed the string ladder and let myself into the tree house. This was mine and Joe’s special place. When we were even younger, we would come up here with my older sister and Joe’s older brother. It was too bad they were off on their own now, I could have used Brandy’s advice in this situation. Yeah, I did like Joe but I was sure he didn’t like me back. We were just friends. Best friends, in fact, which is why our dads were so sure we were gonna get married. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice I had company until I felt a body sit next to me and wrap their arms around me. I looked to my left and saw Joe. He looked over at me and smiled. “I’m sorry our dads said that stuff and it upset you.” I smiled at him and rested my head in his neck. “Thanks, Joey. It means a lot to me.” He let go of me and then reached in for a hug, which I gladly accepted. When we pulled away from each other, we noticed we were no longer alone. Our two munchkin siblings had joined us.
The four of us were now sitting by the lake that was in the Jonas’ backyard. It was where Joe and I came when we wanted to escape from everyone and everything and we just didn’t feel like going to the tree house. Plus it was even farther away from the house so we could play truth or dare more easily without having to worry about getting caught by the parents. We had been playing for an hour and did all the typical dares, run around screaming, ding dong ditch, you know, the usual stuff. It was Noah’s turn. She spun the bottle and it landed on me. “Truth or dare, Smiley?” “Truth.” I answered back without giving my answer a second of thought. Noah looked at Frankie, who nodded his head, and then she looked back over at me. “Is it true you like someone older than you?” My eyes sprung wide open at that point. “M-m-maybe.” I stuttered, a sign that I was nervous. Joe looked at me, clearly not satisfied with the answer I had given. “Come on, Miley. It’s obvious you like someone from the answer you gave. So just tell us who he is... Or else.” He tried to sound tough. I looked him right in the eyes, those beautiful eyes, and, as hard as it was, I tried my best to sound just as tough. “Or else, what, Jonas? You don’t scare me!” Joe’s face turned bright red and he continued speaking. “Don’t make me beat you up, I am bigger than you!” He was lying though, he would never do such a cruel thing to me. Next, it was my turn. I spun the bottle and it landed on Joe, which meant I got to ask him. “Truth or dare, Joe?” The was a short period of silence which I took as Joe deciding what to pick. “Hmm, dare!” He said, with a devilish grin on his face. This was the last dare of the night so it had to be a good one. I thought long and hard about it. “I dare you to kiss me.” Frankie, Noah, and Joe’s faces all changed because they were shocked that I would dare someone to do something like that. I knew Joe wouldn’t back down though, he was a daredevil. No matter what dare he was given, he would always do it and not once, had he ever backed down. Joe got up from the log he was sitting on and walked over to me. Then he took my hand and dragged me away from Noah and Frankie. “Joe, what are you doing?” Ignoring my question, he kept walking a little further until Frankie and Noah were out of sight. Then, he slowly began leaning in. I realized what he was doing, or trying to, for that matter and got really nervous. So I did what came naturally to me, I put my hands on his chest and shoved him backwards. Then, I ran all the way back to the Jonas household, leaving Frankie, Noah, and Joe far, far behind.
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*Nine years later*
“Miley, you look great now stop freaking out and get out of the damn car already!” My best friend, Selena, tried to reassure me for what was probably the 900th time that morning. I knew I looked great, I just didn’t feel great. I understand Selena was trying to help me out and give me more confidence for the start of my Junior year by giving me a makeover but I felt like it was a bit too much to soon. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me. She was a totally different person. “Let’s just go.” I said, under my breath, before getting out of the car. From the second my feet hit the pavement, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who was shocked at how different I looked - apparently all the guys in my school were as well. When I walked past them, I noticed how they were checking me out and some of their jaws even hit the ground. It was insane what some makeup, curling your hair, short shorts, a tank top, and a pushup bra could do for a girl.
Selena walked right by my side and you could tell she was also impressed with the attention I was receiving. “They love you Miles, I told you I knew what I was doing.” She playfully nudged me. I pretended to agree with her and nodded my head. “You’re right, Sel. Thanks.” We continued walking into the school and I noticed that the group of people that was staring at me when I was outside had multiplied. I decided I was gonna have a little fun with this. I looked over to Selena and you could tell we were both on the same page. “Go get ‘em, girlie.” She encouraged me before walking over to her boyfriend, David. I strutted over to my blue locker and bent over in a way that I knew drove all the boys crazy as I dialed the combination. 0-8-15, Joe’s birthday. No one but me knew that was my combination. It definitely bothered Selena that I wouldn’t tell her the combo because we told each other EVERYTHING. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her, it was just that I couldn’t. If I told her that, she’d put the pieces together and then realize that I was head over heels in love with Joe. And until I was sure that he liked me back and this “crush” I had was going somewhere, it was a secret best kept to myself. That’s a big part of the reason I let her give me this makeover. I knew it could get me any guy I wanted but I wasn’t quite sure it could get me the guy I wanted.
Speaking of Joe… I felt a body standing next to me and knew from the sweet scent that was traveling towards my nose that it was Joe. “Hello, cutie, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Joe.” I poked my head out of my locker and slapped his arm. “I know who you are, you boob. Now quit hitting on me.” I said, playfully. Joe took a moment to process the voice that had just spoken as well as the fact that he was just hit by a girl, both were characteristics only I possessed. Joe’s eyes widened.. “MILEY?!” He practically yelled, causing all eyes to return back to me. I looked over at our audience and smiled sweetly. “Nothing to see here, folks, move along.” They all respected my orders and carried on doing whatever it was that they had been doing before. “Of course it’s me, you big idiot. Who else would it be?” I flipped my hair, as a joke, referring to how we made fun of the “popular” girls who thought they were all that. “Y-y-you l-l-look so d-d-d-ifferent.” He stuttered to get the words out. Clearly, I was no longer the little girl he used to see. Maybe this makeover was a good thing.
When the bell finally rang, at 2:00 pm, three Fridays later, I flew out of my seat and ran outside the school building. Ever since I‘d received my makeover from Selena, I was hit on by guys nonstop and the popular girls kept trying to recruit me to be one of them. It had been a long, few weeks and I was so glad to be going home for a long weekend. I waited by Selena’s car, she was my ride home because I was 16 and still license-less. When 10 minutes had gone by and there was no sign of her, I began to get worried. I walked away from the car and back into the school building. Again, there was no sign of her. I decided to check my phone and see if I had any calls or texts from her… I did. “Hey girl, can’t bring you home today. David’s parents aren’t home so I’m going to his house after school. Don’t hate me, I know you’d do the same if your boyfriend had the house to himself! Love ya! Xoxo” I wanted to strangle her. She was ditching me to go have sex with her boyfriend. How could she?!?! “UGGGGGGH!” I yelled. “What’s the problem, Yellie Mc Yells A Lot?” Joe asked. I spun on my heels and faced him. “It’s Friday afternoon and I’m stuck at school because my best friend ditched me to go have endless sex with her boyfriend.” Joe busted out laughing and I shot him a deadly glare. Then, he grabbed my hand, and led me back outside. Only this time, to his car.
It was now 2:00 in the morning and Joe and I were driving around in his car, singing some Taylor Swift songs at the top of our lungs. For the first time in a while, I felt happy again. I was with the guy I love and we were just having a good time. I noticed Joe had pulled the car to an unfamiliar location. Joe had gotten out of the driver’s side and was now walking over to my side. He opened the door for me and took my hand as I carefully stepped out of the car. “Where are we, Joe?” I asked, trying my best to sound calm. Joe intertwined my fingers with his and led me to a beachy area. I noticed there was a blanket laying on the ground right in the center of the small beach. He brought me over to it. Then he lied down on it and gently placed me next to him. When I saw that his idea was sweet and harmless, I was able to relax more.
We were lying there, just enjoying each other’s company, when my phone began ringing. It was 2:30 in the morning which meant it could be only one person. “Hi mommy.” I said into the phone, in my sweetest voice possible. “Don’t get sweet with me, Miley. It’s 2:30 in the morning and you’re not home. I taught you how to call home when you were six years old. So wherever the hell you are, there better be a damn good reason for why you’re still there and why you didn’t call either your father or myself to let us know what’s going on.” She practically yelled into the phone. While she was ranting at me about the importance of being responsible and some other boring stuff that I wasn’t really paying attention to, I covered the phone with my hand and whispered to Joe what was going on. His eyes immediately went wide because he knew how angry Mama Tish could get. In a matter of seconds, he was standing on his feet, blanket in hand, and helping me up off the ground and to the car. I told my mom that I’d be home in 20 minutes and hung up with her. Before opening the door for me, Joe wrapped his arms around my waist and looked me in the eyes. “Miley, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
The doorbell rang and I yelled down the stairs. “Can someone please get that?” My father, being the smart ass that he was, yelled up at me. “Why can’t you get it? The boy’s your date, not mine or your mother’s!” “Daaaaaad!” I whined. “I have to make an entrance.” I heard my father sigh and push himself out of his recliner. “The things I do for you.” He shouted. I smiled, I really was a daddy’s girl. I took one last look at myself. I was wearing a baby blue cocktail dress that had a flower on the right side of the waistband. I sat at the hair salon for two hours, as Sonja, my hairstylist, put my hair up in a very elegant bun and another hour as my makeup artist, Georgio, did my makeup. Since my eyes were very blue and normally stood out on their own, we went for a simple look but Georgio was still a perfectionist and insisted that I look perfect before leaving. I wanted to stand out but not too much. But I guess me, being a Junior, and going to Joe’s Senior prom with him, helped me to stand out. Still, I wanted to look good for Joe. I mean, I was his girlfriend.
We entered the club, which had been transformed to look like a beach to go with the theme “A Night in Paradise” for the evening, arm in arm. Joe was such a gentleman, he held doors for me, escorted to my seat, held my chair out for me, and even brought me a drink. You could tell every girl was jealous and wished their date was just like Joe.
After we ate, Joe and I were the first ones on the dance floor and were having a great time. It felt even greater when the DJ announced that they were going to be slowing things down. I didn’t have to scamper off the dance floor because, finally, I had that “special someone” he always told you to go find and dance with. Joe and I were dancing all over each other while everyone was watching but we didn’t care. As soon as the song that we were currently grinding to ended, Joe went to go get himself some punch. I stayed in the center of the dance floor and while I was standing there, the DJ cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. “Alright guys, we gonna slow things down one last time. But when I say one last time, I don’t mean for the rest of the night, I mean one last time until we take a break and announce prom king and queen. So grab that special someone and make the best of this song because after finding out who the king and queen are, it could change everything for the rest of the night.” What did he mean by that? I didn’t have any time to think about what he’d just said because a couple seconds after the song started, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. It freaked me out a little because there were so many people in this room that it could have been any of them. I should’ve known better though - it was Joe. He was such a dork sometimes, but I loved it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he rested his hands on my waist, gently squeezing me in so I was pressed closer to him.
“Are all the nominees on stage?” Mr. Roberts, our principal asked. Someone on the side of the stage must have given him a yes, because he continued speaking. I wasn’t really listening to what he said, I was just crossing my fingers that Joe would win. Even though it meant him dancing with some Senior girl who would be all over him when they shared the traditional “Prom King/Queen dance” but I didn’t mind that so much. I knew Joe didn’t feelings for anyone but me. Mr. Roberts cleared his throat and all the small talk that was going on, came to an end as some nerdy boy, clearly part of the Prom Committee, came running out, handed the principal an envelope, and ran back off the stage.
I stood on the side of the club, as all the students were asked to do, and watched Joe, the 2012 prom king, dance with the new prom queen, Maddie. Why was I not surprised that she won? She was the head cheerleader and most popular girl our entire town, as well as other surrounding towns. Some would argue she was even the most beautiful. She was about 5’4, quite shorter than Joe, she had blonde hair, clearly from a bottle, and a double D chest. Her dress this evening was a short, hot pink, gown that exposed her chest and legs very well. Everyone thought her and Joe were meant to be together but Joe always laughed whenever someone told him that. When I was at his house once, we were cuddling in his bed, watching a movie, and I asked him once if he thought she was pretty. He responded by saying, “I think she’s cute. But so what? There’s thousands of cute girls in the world. But I don’t want a cute girl. You know why? Because I’ve got the most b e a u t i f u l girl in the world, right here.” Then he kissed the top of my head and held me for the rest of the night. That’s why I wasn’t worried that they were dancing together. Especially not when Joe was twirling Maddie around and we made eye contact. He mouthed “I love you” to me and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
I stormed out of the club and ran as fast as I could down the street. “MILEY, SLOW DOWN!” Joe yelled at me for the tenth time in two minutes. “NO!” I yelled, refusing to turn around and look him in the eyes. “Please Miles, just stop running for two seconds please so I can talk to you.” I slowed myself down and allowed Joe time to catch up to me. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” He said, clearly out of breath. “I’m not giving you a chance. There’s no reason to give you one. It’s clear that you enjoy when other girls are all over you, even if your “girlfriend” is watching. So if that’s what you want, then fine.” “You have to understand. What happened back there, meant nothing.” Joe tried to reach out and hold me but I pushed him away. He wasn’t going to get off that easily. What we were referring to was the make out session that happened between him and Maddie during their slow dance. It wasn’t even that though, after they finished their dance/make out session, I made my way over to Joe so we could resume dancing together, and Maddie pressed herself up against Joe and started grinding against him. I literally felt my heart shatter when I saw that and I ran out of the club. To be honest, I was surprised Joe ran after me. I thought he would be too busy with his new girl to even pay attention to what I was doing. And even though I was glad he came after me, I refused to forgive him. “It sure as hell didn’t look like it didn’t mean anything. How is it okay for some girl to kiss you and then grind on you and you don’t say anything? If you can give me a perfectly good answer for that, then I’ll forgive you.” I felt my heart breaking as I talked with him. He was silent though. I took this as him trying to think of a good reason as to why he did what he did but nothing was coming to mind. He sighed and took a step back, running his fingers through his hard. “I understand that you’re upset and don’t want to be near me right now and I don’t want to force you to, but, please, let me give you a ride home. Just so I know you get home safely. If something bad happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. And after that, go home and get some rest. Sleep on it. When you wake up in the morning, if you decide you want us to be over, I can’t stop you and I’ll leave you alone. So, what do you say?”
The car ride home was completely silent. I didn’t say anything because I was too damaged and pissed at Joe. And Joe didn’t say anything because he knew if he did, it would risk setting me off even more than I already was. As soon as Joe’s car pulled up to my driveway, I flung the car door open and dashed towards my front door. I didn’t bother saying anything more to Joe, he didn’t deserve my words. Especially not when he couldn’t even give me a good enough reason for why he acted the way he did.
After listening to a bunch of depressing music and a lot of crying, I managed to fall asleep. When I last looked at the clock, it was 3:45 AM and I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up that same day, it was 1 in the afternoon. It felt good to sleep for a while, especially after what happened at prom. I decided that I was just gonna spend that day at home, getting over what happened. Without bothering to shower, I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, thank you LA weather, and tied my hair in a bun, before making my way outside to the balcony that was right outside my room.
To my surprise, as I slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony, I saw Joe, asleep in the corner of it. Even when I was pissed at him, he still looked adorable and I loved him. Quietly, I walked back into my room and got a small throw blanket out of my closet. Even though it was hot out, Joe was curled up in a ball and I took that to mean that he was cold. Blanket in hand, I went back outside only to find Joe had woken up and was now rubbing his eyes. He looked up at me and smiled. “Good morning.” I wasn’t sure if I should say anything to him or not. He may have looked adorable and I still loved him but I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him, just yet. “Still not talking to me, eh?” He asked, now standing right in front of me. I didn’t move or anything, I just stood there, looking off into the distance. Without saying a word, Joe reached his arms out and pulled me into him. That was all it took for me to break down crying, once again. But Joe, being the amazing “boyfriend” he is, brought me to my room, lied me down on my bed, and held me, until I was ready to talk.
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* A Few Years Later*
“Jooooeee! Where are we going and why do I have to wear I blindfold?” I giggled as Joe lead me to wherever we were going. “Don’t ask questions. It’ll all make sense once we get there.” I stopped walking, crossed my arms, and pouted my lips. Joe must have noticed my footsteps had stopped because I felt a body standing right next to me followed by a tugging at my hands. “Please Miley. Just trust me and let me take you where we’re going.” He whined. I thought it was so cute when he did that. I smiled and nodded my head. “Alright, lead on.” “YES!” Joe cheered before continuing to lead me to the mystery location.
“Alright, take off your blindfold.” Joe ordered. I did as he said and removed the bandana from my head. It felt great to be able to see again. “Ta da!” Joe seemed so pleased with himself. I looked off into the distance. “It’s a backyard…” I trailed off, not too sure how I should feel about where we were. Joe chuckled and shook his head. “No, silly, it’s my parent’s backyard. You know, where we used to hang out when we were younger.” It was all coming back to me now. A lot of the trees had been cut down and the grass looked like it hadn’t been cut in years but when I turned around, I saw that house, placed proudly in that tree. Joe grabbed my hand and lead me towards the water.
Joe was now sitting on top of a log and I was sitting in his lap. His arms were wrapped around me and my head was resting in his shoulders. If anyone happened to be looking out in their backyard, they would probably smile at how cute this moment was. “I haven’t been back here in years.” I admitted, out loud. “Neither have I. The last time I was back here was when…” Joe trailed off and I knew exactly what he was going to say. “When we were playing truth or dare and I dared you to kiss me.” I felt myself blushing. Joe turned me so I was facing him and gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “And when I actually tried, you ran.” We both laughed at the memory and how far we had come since then. “I didn’t think you would actually do it!” “You know how I am, Miles. I never back down from a dare, no matter how insane it is.” I smiled up at him. “I know. They don’t call you Danger for nothing.” I winked.
There was a couple moments of silence, which I enjoyed. It wasn’t that awkward silence you experience on a first day, it was more of a “let’s enjoy this beautiful moment” comfortable kind of silence. I looked off into the distance and noticed that the sun was starting to set. It was a beautiful sunset tonight, one that contained pinkish, purplish, and orangeish colors. “The sunset is so beautiful tonight.” I whispered. Joe nodded his head, before reaching in and gently kissing my cheek. The silence returned, but only for a few seconds, until Joe spoke up. “Miley, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you and I’m not sure how you’re gonna take it, but it couldn’t wait much longer.” Joe seemed really nervous. I took his hand in mine and rubbed it with my thumb. “You know you can tell or ask me anything and I’ll always do whatever I can to make the situation better. So whatever it is, just tell me.” I smiled at him and nodded my head, urging him to continue. He smiled and nodded back at me. Then, he gently picked me up off his lap, and placed me to the side. He was standing right in front of me and I noticed little beads of sweat were forming on his forehead and upper lip. Whatever it was, it must be pretty serious. In all the years that I’d known Joe, I’d never seen him this nervous before. I was about to comfort him once more but, before I had the chance, Joe was lowering himself to the ground and reaching into his pocket.
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*Two Years Later*
“I don’t think I can do this.” I felt my stomach turning as I spoke, in confidence, to my best friend, Selena. “Of course you can, Miles. This is the moment you’ve been looking forward to since you were a little girl. And you know your parents are proud too, just look at their faces.” Selena opened the door, just enough for me to be able to look out and see my mom and dad, standing in front of the Altar, talking to Joe’s mom and dad, as well as the minister. Seeing how happy they looked totally reassured me that was I was doing was the right thing. I looked over at Selena and smiled. “I’m ready.” I said, before taking a deep breath and walking out the door.
I walked over to my dad and he extended his hand towards me, I accepted it and waited. “I can’t believe it’s actually happening, my baby is getting married.” He said, getting a little teary eyed. “Are you really surprised? All those years, you and Mr. Jonas made jokes about how Joe and I would grow up, fall in love, get married, and start a family together. Did you not want us to?” I asked, a little worried that I wasn’t making my dad happy. “Of course I did, princess. But it’s not about what Mr. Jonas or I wanted, it’s about what you and Joseph want. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” I looked towards the Altar and saw Joe standing there, looking back at me, smiling. Then I looked up at my dad. “I love you, daddy.” I stood up on my toes, even in my 3 inch heels, making me now 5’8, I was still shorter than my dad, who proudly stood at 6’2, and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you too, baby girl.”
The music started and my dad looked down at me. I looked back up at him and nodded. “One, two…” My dad counted and then the organ got louder and everyone stood up as the procession of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen entered ahead of us. The order was Noah and Frankie, Selena and Nick, Brandie and Kevin, then a pause, followed by my father and me. As I was walking down the aisle, I knew what it felt like to have all eyes on me. Our whole town was there and everyone had their focus on one thing, me. I hadn’t had this feeling since the time Selena gave me that makeover. After that day, I went back to being my normal self, which is what Joe fell for. I made it a point to smile and make eye contact with as many of mine and Joe’s guests as possible.
When we got to the altar, my dad and I stopped walking at looked at each other. My father slowly removed my veil and looked into my eyes. “I love you so much baby girl and even though you’re gonna be a married woman, never forget that you’re still my little princess and I’m never more than a phone call away.” He was getting a little teary eyed as he spoke, a side I wasn’t used to but still loved. I nodded my head and whispered. “I know, I’ll always be your little girl and I love you too, daddy.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek and then the top of my head before turning around and taking his spot right next to my mother. I looked at my mom, who was sitting in between my dad and Joe’s mom and saw that both mothers were crying. My mom looked up at me and smiled. “Oh, my, my, my.” She whispered, but I was able to read her lips. I smiled at her and then turned my attention back to Joe. While Pastor Davis was talking, I looked directly in to Joe’s hypnotizing hazel eyes and mouthed “I love you” to him. He looked back at me and did the same, gently squeezing my butt while he did. Resisting the urge to yelp or release any awkward sounds, I tried to focus on what Pastor Davis was saying so I didn’t cause a scene. Oh Joseph, you’re gonna get it!
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Two years after we got married, Joe and I got the amazing news that we would be having our first child. Right away, we began searching for a home suitable for kids. It was difficult though because we wanted to be close to our homes but still be independent. But we ended up finding a place, a ranch style home, right in the center of Nashville. It was in that house that we rocked our two beautiful babies on the front porch and watched them grow. Then, when it came time, we watched them go off on their own and start their very own lives. Your granddad walked his daughter down the aisle and then we watched as our son’s beautiful bride was walked down the aisle by her lovely father. And after they were off and married, we watched them have their own children who are sitting here before us today. The most amazing grandchildren in the world.” I looked over and Joe and he smiled at me. “And I might be 87 and he’s 89 but I still look into his eyes and see that shine.” I kissed Joe on the cheek and cuddled into him. Billy, Sarah, Chris, and Ben started cheering and clapping. “I love you, Miley.” Joe said, with a big grin on his face. “I love you too, Joe.” I said back, earning more cheering from our grandkids. Then I slowly got up from the couch and looked down at the kids, who were sitting on the floor. “Who wants hot chocolate?” Without saying a word, the four of them got up and ran into the kitchen. I looked back at Joe and we both started laughing. “We have the craziest grand children in the world.” I said, shaking my head. “I know, but they’re also the best.” Joe answered. Then he got up from the couch and walked over to me. He placed a soft kiss on my lips and reached his hand out. “Let’s go, cupcake.” I gladly accepted his hand and together, we joined out grandchildren in the kitchen. Oh my, my, my, life was perfect.