37. EPILOGUE
Chapter 37
EPILOGUE
E ighteen months later, the wedding reception of the century—or at least that’s how it was billed in Sophie’s head—was in full swing, laughter and music filling the air.
Sophie and Stone, the newlyweds, sat at the head table, surrounded by friends and family. Overhead, twinkling lights mirrored the twinkle in their eyes as they basked in the glow of their big day.
Sophie’s gown—a vision of lace and satin—had been designed by Clarabelle with love…and magic. The train and veil, which Sophie had designed herself, were adorned with delicate embroidery and tiny pearls that shimmered as she moved.
The sound of silverware clinking against glass quieted the room.
“Good evening. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ryder, Stone’s good-looking brother and co-best man. If you do know me, I apologize for any inappropriate jokes I’ve already made tonight.”
Sophie laughed and glanced at Stone. His eyes were on her, the awe and adoration in his expression making her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Stone and Sophie, what a couple.” Ryder said. “One is a strong, silent type with no charm, and the other is Sophie. I mean, have you seen her? Bro, you really outkicked your coverage here.”
This elicited laughter from the audience and a nod of agreement from Stone.
“Now, let me tell you about my baby brother. He’s always been the guy who wanted the world to see him as tough and broody. Broody—that’s a new term I learned from Sophie, but I digress. Let’s get back to Stone’s aspirations to be Mr. Tough Guy. As it turns out, Stone is the only Navy SEAL in history who’s afraid of needles. That’s right, folks, the only SEAL without a single tattoo. Not one. While his comrades were getting inked with eagles and anchors, Stone was busy making sure he stayed a blank canvas. Tough, my ass.” Ryder paused and smiled at his brother. “It’s okay, little brother, I’m sure Sophie loves your tattoo-free, needle-phobic self just the way you are.”
You’re afraid of needles? Sophie mouthed to her new husband. How had she not known this already? When she’d asked him about his lack of tattoos, he’d made a joke about saving himself for marriage and then had distracted her with sex.
He leaned over and whispered, “Ryder’s afraid of bubbles.”
Sophie laughed and glanced around at those in attendance.
At a table nearby were eleven of the twelve book boyfriends. Her year-long column with Naked Runway had been a success. They’d offered her another column, but she’d declined. Her plate had gotten a little full, what with her T-shirt business booming and her side hustle as a Fairytale Coordinator.
And then there was the time now spent learning how to not only operate a wand but also cast spells.
Come to find out her mom had been a fairy godmother and her father a warlock. She’d discovered this when Poppie had given her two letters—one from each parent. Letters he’d received upon their deaths, with strict instructions to hold them until he knew she’d met the one she was meant to be with.
In the letters, they had explained she was a Magical and that she would come into her powers when she fell in love with the right man. They had also given her the names of two contacts she could go to for help in understanding her new identity. They lived in a haunted town in Missouri, and their names were Ruby Rae and Sara Ann. She and Stone had already visited the quirky little town of Harmony and its neighbor community, Mayhem, on several occasions. They loved the haunted towns so much that they were considering moving there once they had started a family.
Another tinkling of silverware against crystal pulled Sophie out of her thoughts. It was time for another speech.
“Good evening. I’m Donna, Sophie’s maid of honor and the proud vice president of the Book Boyfriend Connoisseurs Club. That’s right, I have the official job of critiquing fictional men for a living, and I must say, Sophie has set quite a high bar with her real-life choice.”
The audience clapped, especially the two tables filled with members of the club. Considering Sophie’s family consisted of just her and Poppie, she’d invited the book club and the book boyfriends to fill her side of the church. Stone had invited his Navy SEAL buddies and Clarabelle’s family. His family via adoption. And, of course, all of Naked Runway’s editors and their Glam Team were in attendance.
“Sophie and I met through our mutual love of romance novels,” Donna said. “We bonded over swoon-worthy heroes, epic love stories, and of course, the occasional ridiculous plot twist.”
Stone leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Like the bride is a witch and a fairy godmother? That kind of ridiculous plot twist?”
“Oh, hush up,” Sophie said, playfully swatting his arm. He wasn’t wrong.
Donna continued, “Sophie, with her endless optimism and boundless imagination, always dreamed of finding her very own book boyfriend in real life…thus her approaching Naked Runway to write a series of columns for them on the subject.”
The book boyfriend table hooted and hollered.
“Little did she know,” Donna continued when their antics died down, “her happily-ever-after was just around the corner, in the form of a grumpy Navy SEAL.”
This caused deep, guttural hooyahs from their tables.
“The only thing making me grumpy right now,” Stone whispered, “is wanting you out of that dress and knowing we’re here for at least another three hours, during which those assholes are going to insist on dancing with you.” He jerked his head toward his friends.
Sophie laughed. She’d told him in no uncertain terms they were staying for all of the reception. The details of both the wedding and the reception had been included in Sophie’s letter from her mom. She’d written,
Sophie, if you’re reading this, then I am not there to help you plan your special day. The thought breaks my heart, and I am so sorry I let you down by not living to see you in all your glory. It is a day I’ve dreamt about since you were born…
She’d gone on to write about how she had envisioned everything, right down to the glass slippers Sophie would wear.
Donna finished her speech and took a seat.
Poppie stood, looking handsome and happy in his tuxedo from the auction. He’d been thrilled when he’d learned he got to keep it. “I’m not much on speeches, but for Sophie, I’d do anything.” He glanced her way. “Sophie, over the years, your spirit has kept me young, it’s kept me alive, and it’s kept me on my toes. Now, you have a new man in your life.” He glanced at Stone. “And before it’s too late to have this marriage annulled, I’d like to ask him a few questions. There will be a penalty for each one he gets wrong.”
“Poppie,” Sophie said. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re still on probation. If your plan is to shoot rocks at him with your slingshot for every answer he misses, you need to hop over to Plan B.”
This caused some laughter.
“I’m willing to take my chances with the judge,” Poppie said, pulling his slingshot out of one suit pocket and a fist full of rocks out of the other and placing them on the table.
More laughter.
“Son, it’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to your courtship. Let’s start with an easy one. Stone, can you tell all of us how it all began?”
Stone grinned, leaning back in his chair. “It all started in a coffee shop when the barista mixed up our coffee orders.”
Sophie laughed, shaking her head. “According to the barista, she got them right. You chose to take mine so you’d have an excuse to talk to me.”
“Umm,” Stone said.
“I think the words you’re looking for, Stone, are, ‘yes dear,’” said Ms. Birdie.
As it turned out Ms. Birdie and Clarabelle had been in cahoots to matchmake Clarabelle’s three sons for some time now. Sophie had discovered this while at brunch with Ms. Birdie the day after the auction.
Stone, dressed in a black tuxedo with a pink bowtie, turned to Sophie. “Yes, dear.”
She smiled and patted him on his bald head.
Poppie cleared his throat. “Next question, who made the first move?”
Stone turned to Sophie. “Darling, would you like to field that question?”
She shrugged. “I may or may not have kissed him to make a point.”
“And she made a fine point,” Stone added, eliciting laughter.
“First date?” Poppie asked.
“I took her to a concert in the park. We had a picnic while listening to jazz,” Stone said, looking quite pleased with his answer.
“It was a street fair, and we bought lemonade and hot dogs from a vendor,” Sophie corrected.
“Hotdogs at a street fair? How in the hell did you get her to say yes to a second date let alone marriage?” Montgomery, Stone’s oldest brother, chimed in.
“Asshole,” Stone said, while flipping his brother the bird.
“Who said I love you first?” Poppie asked, looking quite bemused with all the comradery. Next to him sat his date. A woman he’d met at the auction. They’d been seeing quite a lot of each other, but Poppie clammed up anytime Sophie asked him his intentions toward her.
“This one I know,” Stone said. “I said I love you before our first official date. And just so you all know, it took her three months to say it back.”
“That’s true enough.” Sophie laid her hand on his arm, swooning at how his muscles tightened every time she touched him. “I did make him work for it. I mean, after such a dismal first date effort on his part, I was bound by sisterhood honor to put him through the wringer for everything he got past that point.”
“Sophie E. Clark, you and I are cut from the same cloth,” Isabella P. Chance said from her seat among the other bridesmaids.”
“In my defense.” Stone placed his hand over Sophie’s. “It wasn’t a planned first date. It was a spur-of-the-moment outing that ended up feeling like a date, so we gave it the official billing.”
“Who is the most generous?” Poppie asked.
“Well, I did pay a million dollars to win him at auction,” Sophie said.
“And I repaid you by telling you a secret that still makes you squeal with happiness over a year later,” Stone replied.
“Tell us. Tell us. Tell us.” The Navy SEALs chanted, pounding their fists on the table as they did, only to abruptly stop when Poppie picked up his slingshot and a rock and aimed it fully loaded in their direction.
“Worst date?” Poppie asked, putting his weapon of choice down unfired.
Stone frowned. “Darling, have we had a bad date?”
“Not unless you count the time you took me to the opera, and you fell asleep,” Sophie replied sweetly.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Only because you kept me up all night the night before.”
“Worst habit?” Poppie asked.
“Easy. She makes me wear pink T-shirts with crazy ass sayings,” Stone spouted off, winking at Sophie.
“Oh, come on, Stone,” Frankie interjected. She was also part of the wedding party…reluctant, but Sophie had worn her down. “You look fabulous in pink. Almost as good as you did during that phase in your life where you wore a wig to impress your new wife.” She held up her phone. “I have pictures if anyone wants to see them.”
Stone groaned good-naturedly. He and Frankie had come to a shaky truce. He’d confronted her with his doubts about her, and she’d informed him to mind his own damn business. Other things were said, things Sophie had no knowledge of, but they had appeased Stone’s worries.
Sophie patted him on the arm. “You made a wonderful-ish cinnamon roll. And I don’t want to hear any complaints from you about my T-shirts. Not only do they now cost two hundred retail, but it’s pretty much because of them that we met.”
“True,” he said. “Darling, have I mentioned yet today that saying yes to being your bodyguard was the best decision I ever made?”
Ziggy piped in. “And saying yes to hot dogs at a street fair. Don’t forget that.” He’d been their high-energy wedding planner. His date was Eddie, a guy who was a member of the Manhattan Knitters and an off-off-Broadway actor. He matched Ziggy flair for flair, inappropriate comment for inappropriate comment.
Sophie smiled at her husband. “I love you.”
“Last question. What are you looking forward to the most in your future together?” Poppie asked.
Stone wrapped an arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “Honestly, Poppie, just being with Sophie every day is what I look forward to. Whether it’s an adventure or a quiet night in, as long as we’re together, I’m happy.”
Sophie’s heart swelled. She thought about how much her life had changed.
As the reception continued, filled with laughter, love, and a hint of magic, Sophie knew that this was only the beginning. She squeezed Stone’s hand, feeling his warmth and the promise of many more happy chapters to come.
The sound of a bell caught the attention of all those present who were in the fairy godperson business. It was the bell that indicated a child…or an adult…had just wished for their very own.
Stone leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Ready for our next adventure, Sophie Enchantment Clark…Blackthorn?”
Sophie smiled, her heart fluttering. He’d learned her middle name. “Always, Mr. Stone Cold-ish Godfather. Just not before the party is over. My dance card is quite full.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You have a dance card? Why am I just now learning of this?”
With a grin, she pulled it out of the hidden pocket in her dress and laid it on the table. There were thirty spots on it, all claimed. “Don’t worry, darling, I insisted you be initialed in for the first and last dance.”
“And what if I don’t want to share you?” he inquired, his eyes darkening with a possessive glint.
“I do believe that is something you’ll have to take up with your brothers. You see, they created the card and then charged a thousand dollars a dance to all your SEAL buddies.”
“Fucking assholes,” he said before capturing her lips in a quick kiss. When the kiss ended, he pushed back from the table.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To bribe the band to play nothing but fast music except for the first and last dance.”
She shook her head, amusement bubbling up inside of her.
As she watched him saunter away, her heart swelled with love and contentment. He was her new most favorite boyfriend trope. The alpha roll. The term referred to a hero who was all broody and macho on the outside but became warm and gooey on the inside…for the girl. One so gooey, she had no fear he’d balk at the T-shirts she’d created for them to wear on their honeymoon. Hers said ‘Mine.’ His said ‘Hers.’
Her fairytale ending wasn’t an ending after all. It was only the beginning. A beginning with no stop sign in sight.
A commotion on the dance floor caught her attention. The SEALs had joined Stone, and they appeared to be doing their own bribing of the musicians.
A sound of pure joy spilled out of her.
Sophie E. Clark had most definitely gotten the last laugh.