The Wager
Jasper moved to a fallen log and gestured for her to join him. She hesitated only briefly before sitting, leaving space between them. Not because she feared him—but because she knew he respected her boundaries. To her surprise, he slid marginally closer.
“You know,” he said softly, “in my time, weddings were small affairs. Family, a few close friends. The ceremony itself lasted ten minutes.”
“That sounds perfect,” Bella sighed, hugging her knees.
“I take it that’s not what Edward and Alice have planned.”
She huffed a laugh. “Five hundred guests. A cathedral. A dress with a ten-foot train.”
Jasper was quiet for a beat. “And how does that make you feel?”
“Like I’m a prop in my own wedding,” she said before she could stop herself.
He looked at her, gaze intense. “Then maybe it’s time someone reminded you that you have a voice.”