Epilogue #3
Clouds of pink and white blossoms adorned dogwood trees artfully planted around the yard. Towering oaks dripped paper lanterns and strings of fairy lights that glittered like stars as the afternoon faded into twilight.
Across the yard was an enormous outdoor screen with a projector.
A slideshow featuring Caleb and Daniela’s official engagement photos had been running on a loop all day.
April Kwan, who’d traded law school for a camera lens, had photographed the couple in her upscale portrait studio, a space Caleb had generously financed to support her dreams. She’d also arranged photo shoots for them at various other locations, and the stunning results of her work had blown everyone away.
An unavoidable scheduling conflict prevented her from being here to bask in the well-deserved praise, which would have tickled her no end.
Although she was super bummed about missing today’s party, she’d attended all the other pre-wedding events, and as a bridesmaid, she couldn’t wait to celebrate with everyone on the big day—which was taking place at the ranch, on a hilltop overlooking the valley.
April said the wedding venue was going to look breathtaking in photographs, and Daniela couldn’t agree more.
Dozens of blankets and pillows were scattered around the huge screen, fanning out across the grass like theater seats.
There were people everywhere, men, women and children spread out on blankets or lounging in lawn chairs, chatting and laughing as they waited for the show to begin.
An independent filmmaker and close acquaintance of Brandon’s was giving them a private screening of his family-friendly movie before he jetted off to the Cannes Film Festival.
At the far end of the yard, laser beams crisscrossed a dance floor and a brilliantly lit stage where a DJ was playing Top 40 hits for a large crowd that included Beau Chambers and his lovely date.
Kennedi spotted the couple in the distance and let out a sad moan. “I need a drink.”
“I could go for one, too.” Robinette grabbed her hand. “C’mon, the bar’s this way.”
No sooner had they wandered off than a group of children raced toward Daniela and Tamia, brandishing glowsticks and squealing as they darted through the throngs of adults.
Leading the pack was Brandon Junior, who grinned and waved at his mother as he streaked past. Right on his heels were Kenneth and Janie’s adorable fraternal twins.
“Hi, Auntie!” KJ and Lourdes yelled at Daniela as they raced by, a blur of neon glowsticks and beaming smiles that left her grinning.
Bringing up the rear was a gorgeous little girl with a butterscotch complexion and long curly pigtails.
Tamia reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close and bending to kiss the top of her head.
Apollonia was her four-year-old niece, the child of her incarcerated sister and Brandon’s best friend.
Fiona and Dre had argued back and forth over the name Apollonia.
Dre didn’t want his daughter named after Prince’s sexpot paramour, who’d famously bared her breasts in the movie Purple Rain.
Dre insisted that Apollonia sounded like a stripper name, way too grown and sexy for his child.
But Fiona didn’t see why that was a problem.
She’d reasoned that Apollonia was a bad bitch and someday their daughter would be one too; additionally, Apollonia was a Greek name that meant “destroyer,” which appealed immensely to Fiona.
As a compromise, they’d agreed to call their daughter “Apple” for short.
Dre was super protective of his little girl, who was fittingly the apple of his eye. He rarely let her out of his sight unless she was accompanied by her nanny.
“Where’s Josie?” Tamia asked her niece.
“Talking to a boy.”
Tamia scowled and took Apple’s hand. “Let’s go find her before your daddy does.” She threw Daniela an apologetic look. “Go get your man. I’ll catch up.”
“Okay. Good luck.” Daniela kept walking, accepting hugs and congratulations from guests while scanning the yard for her fiancé.
Beneath a large white canvas tent, dozens of tables were set with crisp white cloths, flickering candles and fresh flowers. Several people lingered after dinner, enjoying second and third helpings of assorted desserts prepared by a Michelin-starred pastry chef.
In one corner of the tent, Governor Bernard Chambers stood drinking and socializing with Crandall Thorne, Deacon Hubbard and nine or ten other men.
His wife was holding court in the other corner, surrounded by adoring acolytes who hung on her every word.
She wore an impossibly elegant royal blue dress that made her look as regal and intimidating as a queen.
(Sidenote: The combined security details for the governor, the first lady and Brandon had the place guarded better than Fort Knox.)
Daniela lingered at the entrance to the tent, smiling at her new stepfather.
Her mother and Deacon Hubbard had gotten married four months ago in an intimate candlelit ceremony at their church.
Daniela had bawled like a baby at their wedding, completely overjoyed for her mother, who had never looked more radiantly happy in her life.
Catching Daniela’s eye across the tent, Crandall raised his champagne glass and winked.
Few people were more thrilled than him when Caleb and Daniela reconciled.
He’d invited them to the ranch for a celebratory five-course feast, which had since become a monthly ritual that included her mother and Deacon Hubbard.
Crandall had embraced Daniela as his own, becoming the doting father figure she’d been missing all her life.
She beamed and waved back at him, then stepped away from the tent and continued walking until she finally located her fiancé in the furthest corner of the huge lawn, in a moon-dappled courtyard with lush greenery and a bubbling fountain in the middle.
He stood in a circle with her beloved cousin Dane, Brandon, Noah, Evander, Dre, Cornel and Justin, another one of Brandon’s longtime friends.
They were all laughing, drinking champagne and joking around, a sight that brought a smile to her face and made her think of well-dressed gangsters enjoying some downtime in a Scorsese film.
Two days after Caleb and Daniela got engaged, Kenneth and Noah took Caleb out for drinks and humbly apologized for conspiring against him and his father.
The three of them had hashed things out and were now good friends.
To further demonstrate that all was forgiven, Caleb and his father had been sending a steady stream of new business to the agency.
At the rate things were going, they’d have to hire new staff to meet the growing demand. Definitely a good problem to have.
As Daniela approached the fellas, Caleb tossed back the last of his champagne and gave his glass to a server who’d been hovering nearby, looking a little starstruck as she watched the handsome group of men.
Daniela didn’t blame her. But she only had eyes for Caleb.
She watched as he accepted a hot towel from the server and wiped his hands, laughing at a joke cracked by Cornel. As he passed the used towel back to the server, his head turned in Daniela’s direction.
Heat seared her skin when their eyes met across the lawn. An electric arc pulled them toward each other like magnets, the pull growing stronger as the distance shrank, until they stood face to face under the starry sky.
“You’re back,” Caleb drawled, his deep voice tinged with amusement. “Thought you might’ve skipped town or something.”
“That’s what I was about to say to you,” Daniela teased. “I was beginning to think you were hiding from me.”
“Now why would I ever do that?”
“I don’t know,” she said, toying with the top button of his white bespoke shirt. “Maybe you’re getting cold feet, wondering if you really want to spend the rest of your life with this shoe-obsessed broad who needs a whole separate closet just for her hair products.”
He let out a rumbling laugh that resonated to the very core of her. God, she loved his laugh. She’d never get enough of it—or him.
He cupped her face in his palms and dropped his forehead to hers, his eyes glimmering with mirth. “Holy shit, I’m crazy about you.”
“I’m crazy about you, too,” she cooed in dulcet tones. “But I’m still waiting for you to assure me that you’re not worried about my shoe collection or endless hair products overtaking your space.”
“Well…”
She playfully slapped his chest.
He laughed again and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin as if to brand her. “I love you, baby,” he said, low and husky. “The only thing that worries me is waking up tomorrow to find out this was all just a dream.”
Everything inside her melted into one big puddle of feels.
“Good answer, counselor.” Smile softening, she reached up and stroked his cheek. “I love you so damn much, Caleb. Just three more weeks and you’re stuck with me and my fifty-’leven shoes for life.”
He gazed down at her, smiling hard, and just like the day they met, she felt like he could see into her soul.
A burst of raucous male laughter broke the spell between them.
Daniela grinned, and gestured behind him. “Why are you guys hanging out all the way back here?”
Caleb’s mouth quirked up. “Someone wanted to smoke a blunt without getting caught by Brandon’s mother.”
“Really? Who?”
“Can’t tell you. I’m not a snitch.” His eyes twinkled. “Did you put Tatiana to bed?”
“Her mommy did, but I supervised.”
His soft chuckle floated over her skin, making her body tingle as he tipped up her face to gaze into her eyes. “Dance with me, sweetheart.”
“With pleasure,” she purred.