Marrying the Guide (Forestville Silver Foxes)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

HOWELL

Six Months Later

A s it turned out, marrying right away was not the smartest course of action. A fiancé visa was easier and quicker to obtain than a spouse visa. That meant Onno had to return home since he couldn’t apply for one from within the US. Saying goodbye was still hard, but we had a goal now, something to look forward to, and that eased the pain. A little.

We filed the paperwork—endless forms of questions—and the waiting game began. I let my parents and sister know what was happening, and they were over the moon happy for me, not wasting a single word on the fact that Onno was a man. They assured me they very much looked forward to meeting him.

After four weeks, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I booked a flight to Amsterdam to visit him for a week. I met his mom, who was the sweetest ever and immediately accepted me, although she was sad that her other son would also be moving abroad. So I told her she could visit as often as she wanted. I also got to know Onno’s friends. Seeing him through their eyes only made me fall in love with him more.

Once that week was over, I had to return to Forestville, where I spent time with Joost and Brianna and got to know them better. Another month passed, and I flew back to Amsterdam. Apparently, four weeks was the maximum time I could stand to be separated from Onno, even when FaceTiming daily. I needed him like I needed oxygen, and he felt the same way.

While grocery shopping, we ran into Gerard, who I recognized from pictures Onno had shown me. Even if I hadn’t, the way Onno tensed would’ve clued me in. So I kissed him passionately until Gerard got the hint and disappeared, and Onno looked at me with stars in his eyes.

It took four months to get the letter that his fiancé visa had been approved, which meant he could book his ticket, and we could get married. Finally.

He flew in with his mom and two of his best friends, Froukje—whose name I horribly mangled every time I attempted to pronounce it—and her husband, Steven. Froukje would be his maid of honor and Joost his best man. On my side, Bubbles—who would be my best man—and Justin flew in from Tampa, and my sister, Carrie, would be my maid of honor. It was unconventional as fuck, and I loved it because it completely fit us.

Onno was waiting for me outside the bakery like he had every time I’d picked him up for a date, except now he was dressed in a blue pinstriped suit, a white dress shirt, and a baby-blue bow tie that made his eyes sparkle. My eyes filled with tears. My man, my best friend, my unexpected miracle.

“Hi.” He flashed me that shy smile.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “You look amazing. So gorgeous.”

“So do you.” He patted my biceps, where the fabric of my jacket stretched tightly. “You’d better not flex too hard.”

Smiling at our inside joke, I kissed him again. Surrounded by our family and friends, we walked to the church hand in hand. Growing up, Onno had always gone to church, and while he didn’t anymore, he’d explained it would mean a lot to his mom if we got married in a church. I didn’t consider myself religious, but I had no objections if that made her—and thus him—happy.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as we stood facing each other to say our vows.

“Howell, you may go first,” the officiant said.

I’d written it down, but I didn’t need my notes, the words etched in my heart. “Onno, I think I fell in love with you the moment I met you…when you sent us both flying into the Skykomish River.” Laughter rose, and he grinned. “I fell, but so did my heart. Three weeks was enough to know I loved you, but a lifetime won’t be enough to show you how much.”

My niece Sara, our ring bearer, beamed a smile as she held up the little pillow with our rings. I took Onno’s and slipped it on his finger.

“I promise I will always love you, cherish you, and honor you, support you in every way I can, and do all within my might to keep you safe and happy.”

His eyes filled with tears, and I had to fight the urge to kiss them away.

He took a deep breath. “Howell, you were my compass when I felt lost, my buoy when I thought I was drowning, and my shelter when it was storming. You helped me find myself, and for that alone, I will always be grateful. I fell for you so quickly, so easily, and so deeply. In the words of Ruth from the Old Testament, ‘ Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God .’”

He took my ring and carefully put it on my finger. “I promise I will love you and never leave your side, that I will take care of you the best I can in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until the day I die.”

We both turned to the officiant, who gave us a nod. “By the power vested in me by the state of Washington, I declare you husbands. You may kiss.”

I didn’t need to be told twice, and I took my time kissing my husband. Then I leaned my forehead against his. “I love you, sweetheart. Our forever starts now.”

Thank you for reading! If you’d like to read more stories about men falling in love in Forestville, please check out my Forestville Silver Foxes series on lokepub. The first book in the series is Renovating the Model .