Epilogue #2
Chloe giggled uncharacteristically, and I froze, my heart flying into my throat.
“Ugh, finally,” she answered. “That’s what I would think.
” And then it was quiet except for the thumping in my chest, which I suspected could be heard all the way across the ocean.
A few beats later, Chloe’s curious voice interrupted the stillness.
“But if Mom becomes a Bryant…can I, too? I don’t know why I have my dad’s last name if I never see him. ”
“You know, I was thinking we could all be Londons. I made a promise once that I’d never take your mom away from her family in any way. And I think that includes her name. Would you want to be a London, Chlo?”
“Yeah, I do.” Her confession was quiet, barely audible, but it tore me up inside. “Especially if you’re going to be.”
“I’ll see what I can do, ’kay?”
“That means you’ll take care of it, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, Champ. That means I’ll take care of it.”
The next fall
NATALIE
Cameron burst through the door at home, carrying the most sunflowers I had ever seen at one time…ever.
“Do you think this is enough?”
“Do I think that’s enough?” I echoed, choking on an incredulous laugh.
“Yeah.” He gave me a serious look, like he was really concerned. “There’s a few more in the car. And I suppose we could cut the ones on the front patio if we really need more—”
“No.” I shook my head. “Uh-uh. No cutting the ones on the patio. Those are my sunflowers.”
Cameron’s lips twitched as he put the pile of flowers down on the counter. They seemed to spread everywhere, taking up the entire room.
“I will not touch them, then,” he assured me and then closed the distance between us, sweeping me into his arms with surprising quickness. “God, I can’t wait. I feel like I’ve been waiting for so long.”
I tipped my head back to look at him, say something maybe, but Cameron took advantage of the opportunity to cover my lips with his, sinking us into a deep, toe-curling kiss.
Heat bloomed, brighter and hotter than ever before, and I gripped his shoulders, hanging on.
I knew he’d carry me through this weekend. And then the rest of our lives.
“You’ve been very patient,” I whispered against his lips when we finally broke apart. “Thank you for that. I love you, like, an unbelievable amount.”
“I love you so fucking much,” he groaned in response. “I would have waited lifetimes to marry you, Natalie London. Lifetimes.”
“Only two more days. I promise.”
“Two more days,” he sighed, dropping his forehead to mine. “Two more days until I get to see my beautiful bride walk down the aisle.”
“With the biggest bouquet of sunflowers anyone has ever seen,” I laughed.
“Exactly.” Cameron pressed his mouth to mine again, lingering slightly. “What should we do until then?”
There were a million tasks on my to-do list to prepare for the wedding weekend, but we had about thirty minutes until Chloe came home from school, and the house was calm. It was the last bit of quiet we’d probably have for days to come. And I didn’t want to do anything but—
Cameron picked me clean off my feet, reading my mind.
“I’ve made an executive decision,” he grunted, “I want to fuck my fiancée one more time.”
“One more time?” I asked breathlessly. “And then what? Will my husband take over?”
“Yeah, baby.” Cameron’s heavy footsteps sounded against the creaky stairs. “He will. He’s gonna take care of you for the rest of your life, don’t you worry about that.”
I wasn’t the least bit worried.
Thirteen years later
CAMERON
“Are we really sure he’s good enough for you?”
“Yeah, Dad.” Chloe rolled her eyes at me, but there was no mistaking the nervous, jittery smile on her face. “We’re sure. And even if we weren’t, do you really think now is a good time to bring it up?”
I raised a brow. “Better than in ten minutes from now, when it’s too late.”
Chloe shook her head, huffing a laugh before she turned her attention to her dress, fluffing the white fabric around her ankles.
God, where had the time gone?
My throat tightened, and I nudged her with my elbow. She looked up, those green eyes bright and wide, reminding me of her mother’s. Her whole face had traces of her mom in it, her beauty and her brilliance.
“You know I’m kidding, right?”
Her lips tugged to one side. “I know you’re kidding.”
“I just don’t think anyone is good enough for you.”
“I know you think that, too.”
“I’m a big fan of Oliver,” I said, wanting to make sure we were clear on that.
Chloe nodded, a slight sheen in her eyes now. “I wouldn’t be marrying him if you weren’t.”
My throat squeezed, threatening to close on itself. “He let your twelve-year-old brother be a groomsman. That really sealed the deal for me.”
Chloe laughed, twirling her bouquet in her hand. It was a summery yellow mix of blooms, but there were sunflowers in it.
She grew up with them.
“Eli looks really cute in his tuxedo,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to look at the front of the crowd, where her brother stood with her future husband.
“He’s happy to be included,” I said, also sneaking a peek at my son.
His dark brown hair was brushed out of his face—a rarity.
I could tell he was nervous to be standing up there, but also trying to keep his cool.
Like he didn’t want anyone to know how excited he was.
He smiled at someone in the audience, his dimples popping, and then he chanced a glance at Oliver, who stood anxiously waiting for us. For Chloe.
I looked back at the bride to find her cocking her head to the side, watching me.
Her long golden-brown hair was perfectly curled, flowing over her shoulders with a sparkling pin holding it back on one side.
“We’ll always be around for him, Dad.” She pressed her lips together before adding, “I don’t know if I ever said this to you, but…
thanks for giving me the one thing I always wanted. ”
I reached out, grabbing her free hand and giving it a squeeze. “A sibling?”
“Well, yeah, but—” Her smile was soft. Mature.
Calm now, the anxiety dimming. “I love Eli, but I was going to say a dad. Someone who I know will always take care of things. Who will always take care of Mom. I remember how she was before…before you. It’s fuzzy, but I remember. And I know how she is now.”
I pulled Chloe in for a hug this time, trying to be cognizant of the wedding dress and bridal bouquet, but truthfully not really giving a damn. “I care about your mom and you so fucking much, Chlo. And I always will.”
“I know,” she whispered into my chest. “I’m gonna keep London, you know. You worked so hard for me to be Chloe London, so I’m gonna keep it. Oliver’s okay with that, and it’s what I want. To be like Mom, and Eli, and you. Even though I love Oliver so much, too.”
I never imagined that my heart had the capacity to feel this goddamn full, and I clutched Chloe tighter, even as the music that was our cue began to play.
“As long as that’s what you want,” I said, feeling like all my vital organs might burst out of my chest.
“It is,” Chloe confirmed and then pulled away, holding out her hand.
I inhaled, steadying myself, and took it. “You ready, Champ?”
She nodded, an excited gleam on her face. “So ready, Dad.”
We only took one step down the aisle before my gaze found Natalie, standing at the end of the front row of guests, looking stunning.
It had been thirteen years since she’d walked down the aisle to me, sunflowers in her hand, honey hair framing her gorgeous face, and now here we were again.
Her watery eyes brimmed with overflowing emotion as they flicked between Chloe and me.
So much love, so much pride. God, I adored this woman and the life we’d created. More and more every single day.
When we reached where she stood, Chloe and I paused, as was planned, and I leaned forward, brushing a kiss on Natalie’s wet cheek.
“It started with just the two of you, and that’s the way it should end, too,” I murmured.
Natalie swallowed hard, her emerald eyes brimming with tears as she switched places with me, giving Chloe a hug and then taking her arm. They stared at each other for a long moment without saying anything, and then finally, Natalie’s eyes found their way back to me.
Like they always did.
“No, Cam.” Her smile made me feel like I was floating. Anytime she looked at me, really. “It’s just the beginning, didn’t you know? There’s still so much more left to come.”
And as usual, she was right.
THE END