Epilogue
EPILOGUE
TATE
Six months later
I t feels weird having not spent the night with Sian, but she wanted to do the wedding thing properly. She spent the night with Rowan and some other girlfriends at a high-end hotel, so they could wake up and get ready together. Rick threw me a bachelor party last week, and I’m glad he didn't do it the night before the wedding because I haven't been that drunk in a long time.
There's a knock at the door, and I sit up, "Yeah?"
"Time to get up," my father says. "Rick and Clint are already waiting for you to shower and get ready, but first, come have some breakfast."
I don't know if I can eat. Maybe just some coffee to fill the nervous hole where my stomach should be. I get up and put on a robe before I open the door. "I can't eat," I say as I walk with my father downstairs.
"I thought I couldn't either when I married your mother." He chuckles. "But it helps. Have a bit of toast."
I nod, and we walk into the kitchen where Rick, Clint, and the rest of my groomsmen are standing around, eating and talking shit. Mary seems flustered. She probably tried to usher them into the dining room, but they clearly didn't get that far.
"Are you people heathens?" I ask. "Can you not sit down and eat?"
They all laugh, and Rick offers me a slice of toast with some jam on it. I take it and lean against the counter, biting into it. Mary brings me some coffee, and I gladly take it. "Thanks, Mary. You can go get ready now."
"Not until everything is cleaned up," she says with a huff. "Though, if Rick, Clint, and the rest of your goon squad don't move to the dining room, I'm going to start swatting their asses with a broomstick."
I know she means business when she swears, and I usher the men out of there. We all sit at the dining room table, everyone talking over everyone else while I sit there quietly eating my toast.
Rick looks at me and leans in, whispering, "You’ve got nothing to be nervous about, boss."
"I know," I say. "I'm more excited than nervous. Sian's probably planned a spectacular wedding, and then we're jetting off to the Caribbean for our honeymoon. You going to be able to run things while I'm gone?"
"You know I'll take care of everything," Rick says with a smile. "Besides, your father already told me he'll check in on things."
I trust Rick and his abilities, so I smile and nod, finishing my toast. "I'm going to shower."
All the guys whistle, and I wave them off. "Don't be asshats your entire lives," I joke.
I go upstairs and disrobe, getting into a hot shower and washing off. Once I'm out and dry, I get dressed in my tuxedo. I go downstairs where there's a wedding photographer waiting to take photos of me and the groomsman. We head out to the back of the estate to the beautiful garden area to take the photos. We take a couple of serious ones before she makes us do some funny poses. She takes photos of us toasting to me, drinking, then she takes photos of me alone both with and without my jacket on.
Despite my initial nerves, I'm feeling more confident now. I know Sian is my weakness, but she’s also the greatest source of strength for me. Since we killed Daniel, she’s blossomed, and now she's running her own accounting firm in the city. She's hugely successful. It was Daniel who had been holding her back the entire time. He had made her meek and dulled her fire. I live to spark that fire every day. I want her to conquer the world.
"It's time to get to the venue," my father says from the patio.
I nod and shrug on my tux jacket. I stop in front of him. He fixes my tie, and I smile. He looks pleased. I know he loves Sian like his own. They spend many evenings talking about books they've read. My father challenges her to read more complicated stories and then discuss them with him. She thoroughly enjoys that.
He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I smile up at him. "Let's go," I say.
We get into the limo, and it drives us to the country estate where Sian has booked the wedding. We've invited friends, family, and some business associates. When I walk in, I see the gift table is barely hanging on, and I tell Rick to organize a second one so nothing falls over. People were generous. They needn't have been, though. I can afford to take care of us. Hell, Sian can afford to take care of us at this point. Still, the gesture is sweet.
We walk to the front of the chapel, and I stand there with my hands clasped in front of me as the guests file in and fill the seats. I turn and watch them. Some of the people greet me with a wave, some with a nod of their head. My groomsmen stand beside me. I know my father is in the back waiting for Sian. He was more than honored to walk her down the aisle at her request. I can't wait until she's officially mine, though I believe she was mine from the moment I laid eyes on her. I know she feels the same way about me. There’s an intensity we can’t deny.
Music plays softly in the background, and when it changes, I turn to face the back of the hall, watching carefully. Rowan is the only bridesmaid Sian wanted, and she makes her way down the aisle in a sea green infinity dress—according to the brochure anyway—and takes her place.
The doors close and the wedding song starts. They open again, and my heart skips a beat. Sian appears, standing with my father. Her hair is carefully pinned up with curls escaping. Her backless wedding dress sweeps to the floor. It's like a princess dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves. She looks like something out of a fairytale. The bodice is encrusted with jewels, and the skirt flares out to the ground, creating a buoyant look. They start down the aisle, and I see she's not wearing a lot of makeup, which is the one thing I asked for. I wanted her to be natural. She smiles brightly as she walks down the aisle, the train of her veil flowing behind her. As she walks, little pops go off, and from the mini explosion, confetti rains down around her.
They reach the front, and my father holds out her hand. "Tate, you had better take care of her with everything you have."
"I promise," I say quietly before shaking his hand and then taking hers, leading her in front of the priest.
He begins to go through the wedding ceremony, and I can feel Sian's hand in mind, gripping lightly. We turn to face each other to say our vows, and as I say mine, tears form in Sian's eyes.
"Sian, I swear before everyone here, before the whole world, that you are the only one for me. You made my heart beat when I long thought it was dead. You ignite in me a passion to be a better version of myself every day. You're my family, you're my rock. I love you now more than ever, and I promise to love you more tomorrow. You are a light in the dark world I call home. You are the reason I get up, and the reason I come home every day. I promise I'll never hurt you, I'll never let you go, and I'll never let you go to bed mad."
She wipes her eyes with a tissue that Rowan hands her before she looks at me.
"Tate, you opened up my world like no one had before. When I thought I'd known love, I hadn't. Because what I have with you is so much more than love. What I have with you is my happy ever after. You are my world. You are my everything. I couldn't imagine a life without you, and I'm so glad I threw a glass of champagne on you the first night we met. We’ve been through so much, but I would go through it a hundred times if it meant standing here with you, marrying you, and making you my family."
We exchange rings, and the priest declares us husband and wife. I grab Sian and pull her to me, kissing her deeply to cheers from the crowd.
The music starts up again, and I slowly let her go to escort her back down the aisle to where we're taking our photos. Sian wanted to get that out of the way first so we could enjoy the reception before we jet off. The photographer is waiting for us and gathers our family as they leave. Several people come to take photos with us, and Sian welcomes them all.
At the reception, we sit at the head table and enjoy our privacy, even though we're in public. Sian keeps kissing me softly, murmuring that she loves me. I keep calling her Mrs. Matthews, which makes her giggle.
“I have something to tell you,” she whispers in my ear.
“Oh, yeah. What’s that?” I ask, full of seduction, thinking that’s where she’s going with it, but I’m stunned when she wordlessly takes my hand and places it over her belly.
My eyes widen, and my heart hammers against my chest. “Are you serious?”
She nods. “Uh-huh. Sixteen weeks today. I went to a private clinic with Rowan last week. It’s a boy, Tate. You’re going to be a father.” She cries happy tears.
I would never have guessed, but as I slide my eyes to her belly, I see a small bump. How have I not noticed? I knew every inch of Sian’s sinful body. “A boy. Oh, wow. Just when I thought I couldn’t be any happier. I promise to love and protect you both until my dying breath.”
“I know you will, Tate.” I press my lips to hers, not once removing my hand from my son growing inside her.
I never thought I’d have this in my life. I’m capable of love, and I do it wholeheartedly. The family is about to get bigger, and I can’t fucking wait.
The End.