Epilogue
Two Years Later
“Oh, honey! You look gorgeous in this one!” Mary, Colin’s mother, says.
I twirl and then look back down at the long train. I think it’s my favorite part of the dress, but I love the rest of it almost as much. It’s definitely my favorite so far.
Butterfly sensations start low in my belly the longer I look at myself in the stunning white wedding dress. It’s everything I’ve imagined walking down the aisle in plus more.
“Bridge, what do you think?” I want to hear her thoughts before I fall in love with this one, even though I’m already halfway to paying for it and running out of the store with it in my hands.
I turn back to look at her sitting on the long, black leather couch because she hasn’t said anything yet. I’m surprised to find tears gathering in her eyes as she quickly dabs them away.
“I think you look like a blushing bride, finally,” she says.
I nibble on the edge of my lips. I’m not at all offended by her words, though some people might be if they were in my shoes. Bridge knows how my first experience at dress shopping went almost two years ago. In comparison, this experience has been a night and day difference.
This one has been filled with laughter, joy, excitement, and anticipation. The dread I felt that first time walking into the dress shop is nowhere to be found today.
I woke up this morning cuddled in Colin’s warm embrace, and a joyous anticipation filled my chest knowing that I would be picking out a dress I loved to wear on the most special day of my life. I get to marry my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and the man who owns my heart and soul in just a few short months.
The approaching date can’t get here fast enough, which is a stark contrast to how I felt the last time I was doing this exact thing.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Positive. This is the one, Jade. You are practically glowing,” Bridge answers.
“I agree, sweetheart. You look stunning in it. It’s perfect,” my father chimes in.
That’s another thing that’s different. After everything that happened, my father and I are even closer. We vowed to have better and more open communication after the fallout from Elliott, and we have.
We’ve done so much better at telling each other how we feel about certain things. We stopped worrying about each other’s feelings to the point of detriment and instead respect each other enough to be honest.
I know he can handle it, and he knows I can, too. It’s been a world of difference, not only for our father-daughter relationship, but also for the company.
We’re now doing better than ever because we’re working better as a team. We don’t tiptoe around each other anymore. I knew I was doing it to him where Elliott was concerned, but I had no idea he was doing the exact same thing.
He started to have doubts about me marrying Elliott when he noticed we didn’t seem to interact like he thought a couple about to get married should. He told me that I didn’t smile freely around Elliott, I didn’t seem to want to hold his hand, and I looked uncomfortable at times.
I was floored that he noticed, and then I felt even more shameful that I tried to hide my feelings from my father. The whole situation has taught both of us that nothing is worth sacrificing our happiness.
No amount of money in the world can make up for the misery I put myself through, not to mention almost losing Colin.
I still shiver when I think about how wrong it all could have gone, and I still struggle with the feeling that it was all my fault. It’s been the biggest point of contention between Colin and me. He insists that it wasn’t my fault, that I trusted a man who I practically grew up with. But if I’d just followed my gut and not talked myself into settling for anything less than what I found with Colin, we wouldn’t have had to go through what we did.
It wasn’t just the day of my wedding. My decisions and regret played out in harsh detail in front of me for months as we went through Elliott’s trial and the news coverage of Vinny’s organization being dismantled. Once the police started really looking into Elliott they found a host of other charges to file, most of them involving scamming clients out of money with his Broker’s license. All of it right there for the press, my colleagues, and most importantly, for all the people I care about most to see.
It was a hard pill to swallow, but I slowly unpacked all those pent-up feelings I haven’t dealt with since I was a child. I finally started seeing a therapist to work through all those heavy feelings from my mother passing, to my father’s grief, and finally, to my own grief.
It’s been a healing journey, one I should’ve taken years ago, but it’s never too late.
Mary smiles. “What do you think, honey?”
I look at myself in the mirror, those butterflies I feel only growing stronger the longer I stay in the dress. I look back at the train once more, and I just know.
“This is the one,” I say almost in a whisper because I can’t believe I’m finally here.
I’m happy and so damn content that it makes me want to cry with joy. What’s even more important than the dress is that I found the man of my dreams. For so many years, I’ve struggled with the idea that I wasn’t loveable, that I didn’t deserve a man who could give me the things people read about in romance novels.
I didn’t think I wanted that, but it was a lie I told myself so I’d be content with where I was in life. I’d have my career, and that would be enough. That was, until that cocky, smart-mouthed private investigator waltzed into my life and turned every one of those misguided beliefs on their heads. That man infuriates me as much as he makes me weak in the knees.
He keeps me grounded and at the same time encourages me to chase every dream and goal I come up with. He’s my biggest supporter and my biggest sounding board. He’s everything I could ever want in a partner.
“Do you think Colin will like it?” I ask Mary. She’s one of the sweetest, kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She accepted me as part of her family before Colin even asked me to marry him.
She’s supportive without being pushy, and that’s exactly what I needed in my life. She’s filled that missing piece of my heart that I’ve protected so fiercely from anyone that tried to replace my mother.
She told me not long after Colin and I started dating that she would never replace my mother because that would be an impossible task. However, she wanted me to know that if I ever needed a listening ear or someone who would give me advice on what to do with that infuriating boy in my life, she was there.
Her patience won me over every day along with her earnest heart and her unwavering loyalty. Her son is a lot like her, and maybe that’s why I’ve always felt so comfortable around her.
“I think he’ll absolutely die when he sees you, Jade,” she answers.
“Well, do we have a winner, Ms. Foster?” the sales attendant asks.
I take one more long moment before turning around to face the three people who have my back no matter what. The only person missing is my fiancé, but I wanted the dress to be a surprise, and he reluctantly agreed.
I actually squeal as I clap my hands together. “Yes!”
My ecstatic yes is met with cheers and claps from my entourage. My father stands from the couch and comes over to give me a hug. He pulls me against his chest, and a small hiccup escapes him. I pull back to make sure he’s okay, and I find tears gathering in his eyes.
He runs his hands up my arms to my shoulders. “I’m so damn proud of you, honey, and I know your mother would be, too. You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”
A watery smile overtakes my face as I lean in to hug him again. “Thanks, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too, honey. Colin is one lucky man.”
I laugh. “He says the same thing all the time.”
It’s his turn to chuckle. “I knew I liked him.”
My heart fills with an overwhelming warmth as I think about walking down the aisle to marry the man of my dreams. The man who has stolen my heart.
Colin Fucking Brooks.