Love by the Slice (Valentine’s Sweethearts)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

SHELLY PACED THE balcony, too nervous to enjoy the sea air. She turned away from the flower arch and went to stand at the railing, looking at the ocean view from the Cape Cod home.

The string quartet slowed and softened the music they were already playing, and Shelly returned to her seat along with the other guests. At the front, a tuxedoed Ezra took his place, and alongside him was Greg.

Greg caught her eye, and Shelly smiled. He looked so good in that tux. They’d have to get pictures together later.

While the quartet played the entrance song, Lacey walked to the front on the arm of her father. The moment Ezra saw her in her white dress, he beamed, and Shelly shivered.

The wedding was small, a destination affair rather than a blowout fantasy wedding with hundreds of guests. Ezra wasn’t sure what part of his family would even bother to show up, so they’d gone the small and intimate route. Lacey’s Uncle Barrett had offered the use of his summer house. Mom hadn’t come, but Shelly had brought two of their younger siblings. Greg was here, of course. Lacey’s parents and her own brother. Plus a few friends and an officiant.

The ceremony was sweet and touching. Shelly did one of the readings, as did Lacey’s younger brother. Lacey’s cousin was her maid of honor. Greg was the best man, and although he made the joke of “oops, I can’t find the ring,” he said it while he was producing the actual box and therefore didn’t earn himself a trip over the balcony railing into the sea.

(That had been Shelly’s stipulation. If you do that, do it after Ezra sees the box in your hand. Because for all that Greg encouraged her to be optimistic, she still could predict a negative outcome six weeks in advance.)

It was working, though. Greg listened to her. She wasn’t always right when she foresaw disaster, and he wasn’t always right when he predicted sunshine and easy sailing—but they listened to each other. They could prepare for the worst and then enjoy the best.

If you planned to be together for a lifetime, both were sure to happen.

It was like these vows said: in good times…and in bad. In health…and in sickness. Better. And worse.

Ezra vowed to do both. Lacey vowed to do both.

Greg…so far, was doing both.

After the ceremony, Shelly turned her phone back on to find a text from Rowan. “Are they married already?”

While she was sending back a photo of Ezra and Lacey, Greg approached holding a pair of champagne flutes. “They did it.”

“They did!” Taking the champagne flute, she looked him up and down. “You clean up nice.”

“I wasn’t sure how it would work, not being in jeans and an apron covered with flour, but it turns out, it’s good.” He walked with her along the balcony. “What do you think?”

Shelly said, “I think they had the perfect wedding, and now the best man needs to give the perfect speech.”

Suddenly, Greg looked a little worried. “About that…”

She said, “Wait, is it my turn to tell you it’ll be fine? Or are you trying to say you forgot your speech in Hartwell?”

“Very funny.” He pulled the index cards from his inner pocket. “Telling him I forgot that would be less upsetting than me forgetting the rings, but as it turns out, I didn’t forget either.” He shivered. “It’s a little unnerving, that’s all.”

Shelly said, “There’s only thirty people here. You talk to more customers on any given day.”

“One at a time,” Greg said, then squeezed her hand as Ezra signaled him to come forward. At the mic, he said, “Everyone this is your last chance to get your champagne, otherwise you’ll have to toast the bridal couple with a crostini.”

After a polite chuckle, and guests gathering closer, Greg began without looking at his index cards. “I met Ezra right when he came to Hartwell. I gave him advice, and he gave me a reality check. I pointed him toward an apartment, and he pointed me toward Loveless Pizza. It turns out,” Greg added, sounding more serious, “that the pizzeria wasn’t really loveless after all.” More polite chuckling. Greg still looked nervous, but he was warming up. “Ezra told me that pizza is life, and I guess that means life must be pizza, too. There’s a lot of prep. There’s waiting for the dough to rise. There’s assembly. There’s some skill involved, but you can fake that. It’s satisfying. It can be surprising. It’s warm, and then there’s also love, which gives you everything you need.” He looked into the crowd for Shelly. “Love helps us to be our best selves. It gives us a reason to work hard, beyond survival. It gives us a reason to see the possibilities, and then it gives us a reason to work hard to achieve them.”

This time, Greg looked right at Shelly, and she went warm all the way to her toes.

Greg turned back to the crowd. “For Ezra and Lacey, what started as a love for a pizzeria turned into love for one another. They worked hard on a joint business venture, and now they’re working on the joint adventure of a lifetime.” He raised his glass. “To the bride and groom!”

All the guests raised their glasses as well, and Ezra kissed Lacey.

Greg looked again at Shelly, and he grinned.

The adventure of a lifetime.

And it started with love by the slice.