Forever - Book 3 in The Perfect Partner Trilogy

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next few weeks were more or less a blur to Jenna. Between work and wedding planning, she barely had time to sleep. Director Kang and Sara were helping her with everything they could, along with a professional wedding planner.

Her parents flew in two days before the wedding. That was as soon as they could come. Sara moved into Jenna's room, and that gave Jenna's parents a place to stay without adding to their expenses, even though they insisted that a hotel would be fine. Jenna wouldn't hear of it. So her apartment was it.

That night she was finally able to lay down around two o'clock in the morning. Sara was already sleeping next to her, and Jenna simply laid there in the silence, gazing at the wall at the foot of her bed where her and Tae's picture from a couple of years ago was hanging. She never had tired of gazing into his eyes in that photo. His eyes were one of her favorite features of his. She would stare into them all day and all night if she could.

Jenna sighed and then smiled. In two days, she would finally be a married woman. The idea gave her great joy but also scared her to death. True, she and Taehyung had remarkable parents with amazing marriages to look up to. However, neither she nor Taehyung was a quitter. They would have disagreements, sure. But the main thing was to never give up on each other.

Her heart was already completely overflowing with love for him, but even she had learned from her parents that a true kind of love would only come over time. The kind of love that could overlook how a person squeezed the toothpaste tube or whether the dishwasher was loaded a certain way. The kind of love that didn't stop over messy hair, bare faces, or morning breath. The kind of love that allowed the two people involved in it to simply be themselves with each other and know that the other person was always their safe place.

As these thoughts floated through her mind, she felt herself relaxing more and more, and soon she was asleep.

* * *

That same night all the BTS members had gone out for Korean bbq to celebrate their last few days as a group of bachelors. They ordered lots of meat, and Jin and Yoongi manned the grills and kept the food coming. The table was engulfed in laughter, stories of the past, and hopes for the future.

"Yah, Taehyungie, have you guys even discussed kids yet?" said Namjoon, shoving a few more chunks of meat into his mouth.

"I think so...maybe? I know she likes them a lot." Taehyung grinned and imagined a bunch of curly-haired daughters running around. The thought made him giggle. He didn't have a gender preference as long as they were healthy. He played around in his rice, smiling widely.

"Hyung, back to earth." Jungkook snapped his fingers under Taehyung's nose. He laughed as Taehyung startled a bit, casting a half-hearted glare in his direction.

"What were you just thinking about?" Jimin chuckled.

"None of your business," Taehyung replied, smiling his signature boxy smile. He took a drink of his water and stood up. Everyone's eyes snapped to him, giving him their full attention.

"You are all my dearest friends. You are my family. I can't imagine a life where I don't have the rest of BTS beside me. Frankly, I don't want to. But tonight, I just want to say that I appreciate everything you have taught me. Jin-hyung, you've taught me to look out for others, not just myself. Namjoon-hyung, you've taught me to be strong, stand up for myself, and be proud of who I am. Yoongi-hyung, you've taught me to keep fighting for my dreams, even when it seems impossible, and never give up. Hobi-hyung, you've taught me always to see the bright side of things and always to smile. Jiminie, you've been one of my closest friends ever. I'm glad that we have met and become almost like brothers. You've taught me how to be an encourager. To smile even when the world's weight is on my shoulders, to love people. But, Jungkookie, I can't think of a single thing you've taught me." He smirked, and the whole table laughed.