Epilogue
Soft sounds of music played as me and Declan swayed side to side. He wore a dark navy-blue suit that looked incredibly sexy against his tanned skin and made his ice blue eyes pop. I lifted my finger to a loose strand of his shaggy blond hair, moving it out of the way as he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “I can’t believe I’m married to my hot childhood babysitter.”
I gave his shoulder a playful shove, “I told you to forget that time in our lives. It sounds creepy!” A chuckle escaped both of our mouths.
We wanted a simple wedding, just our closest friends and family here to witness this special time in our lives. It felt right to host our wedding down here at Cherry Creek. There had been so many intimate moments between us here that it was an obvious choice.
With my dad being absent for the wedding, I asked Chase to walk me down the aisle. My now little brother was officially an adult and living his life having fun in college. Even with him away at school, he still came home often. It had allowed our relationship to grow over the last year in ways it never did when I was living in Phoenix. Instead of my brother feeling like an acquaintance and a distant relative, we’ve been able to dive deeper into who we actually are as humans. Our connection actually feels stronger than it ever had before and I loved the time we’d all been able to spend together.
After some time had passed and each of us healed in our own ways, you’d find endless nights over the summer of the five of us kicking back by the creek drinking and getting lost in conversation. Declan, Myles, Sophie and Chase were the close group of people I was in search of all these years. The family I’d forever be grateful for.
I looked around the dance floor at all the couples dancing around us. All of our loved ones together in one space. Mom and Chase shared a dance since they were both here alone. Declan’s mom and dad, Laura and Mark, moved around on the dance floor like they were seasoned vets being married for over twenty years.
Sophie and Myles were both here as well, our maid of honor and best man. But at the moment, I didn’t spot them on the dance floor, they were nowhere to be found.
Myles was a completely different person than he was when I first came back to Alpine Peak. Now he was sober and doing right by himself and the people close to him.
It had been a year since we were able to get the closure we needed. Logan pled guilty to a hit and run resulting in death. The death of my father.
He received the maximum sentence of twelve years in Colorado. Since he committed a class three felony, he would be away for a while. I could only hope he was truly remorseful for the decisions he made on that fateful night. Over the next decade, he would have the opportunity behind bars to learn his lesson and grow from it to become a better person.
I wish my father were here today and that Logan never took him away from us. Especially on days like this I carry a little extra sadness with me. He should have been here on the happiest day of my life.
But I knew he would be proud of the life I was living now. I came back home to pay my respects to him and grow closer to my family after so many years away. I accomplished that and so much more.
I ended up falling in love with the man of my dreams. The man who held a death grip on my waist as if he was scared I’d be a runaway bride. Reconnecting with Declan made me realize everything I needed in my life was right in front of my face.
Last year on this exact date, on a beautiful spring evening, Declan asked me to marry him, and it was the easiest yes of my life. Another new beginning was on the horizon for the Coopers, and just like Declan does every Thanksgiving, I’ll give thanks to my father for bringing us together.
“It’s time for dessert!” Sophie hollered to the small crowd, grabbing my attention away from my thoughts.
“I bet everyone thinks we are bat shit crazy for having French toast at our wedding for dessert. If only they knew,” Declan whispered gruffly into my ear as he gave my ass a firm squeeze.
I bit my bottom lip in response. “Sophie might know…” I grimaced.
Before Declan could make his way to the dessert table he whipped his head back toward me in response, one eyebrow hiked up higher than the other.
“Girl’s night…” I shrugged as I sashayed away.
Before I could make my way to the rest of the crowd, Declan stalked behind me and swooped me up over his shoulder. A train of white lace dragging behind me.
“Fucking girl’s night. I love you, baby girl, but that morning was sacred and you’re going to pay for that one,” he muttered in a hoarse voice as he flung me over his shoulder in determination.
A squeal escaped my mouth when he stood in front of the dessert table and took the bottle of syrup in his fist. “Paige seems to have had a wardrobe malfunction,” he announced. “I better take her up to the house and help her fix it.”
He began marching away when Sophie called out to us, “What could you possibly need the syrup for?” The whole situation had me giggling and anxious, that monumental morning on a loop in my mind.
“To stick her dress back together, Soph. Mind your business.” With Declan’s back to the crowd, and me a rag doll thrown over his hard body, we walked up the dirt path. The view of the beautiful white modern farm house I called home in front of my eyes.
“That’s one way to carry your new wife over the threshold,” I teased as he walked us in through the front door, closing it behind us.
“There was no way I could control myself any longer. I needed to find an excuse to get my wife away from everyone. You look way too fucking good in this dress; your tits are practically falling out.” His blue eyes gazed into mine.
“And you figured telling everyone you were going to use syrup to fix my dress was the way to get us away from everyone? Smooth,” I joked.
“Your tits falling out is very much a wardrobe malfunction. No fucking way am I letting anyone else see these.” His hands roamed up my body, over my busty chest then up my neck where he grabbed my throat lightly, pulling me in for a desperate kiss.
His lips parted, inviting my tongue in. We licked and nipped until we were both so lost in each other, we forgot it was our own wedding that we ditched. His hand reached behind me and turned the deadbolt locking the door—making it impossible to let anyone else inside if they came looking for us.
We made our way to the bedroom, our lips still locked to one another. Behind us we created a trail of clothing, mostly consisting of his. The bedroom door shut behind us as he helped me out of my tight, lace dress, one button at a time.
“Time to show my wife how much I love her.”
THE END.