Epilogue
Ledger, about a year later
When you marry a woman like Kaisa, you should expect an over-the-top wedding.
Still, even now, as I’m standing on the balcony high above the reception below, preparing a surprise for my beautiful bride, I can’t get over the concepts she came up with.
Instead of chandeliers, there are large, glass snow globes holding Christmas scenes and hanging from the ceiling, each powered with their own fan to ensure the glittery snow never stops swirling.
Hundreds of long strings of crystal beads also hang from the ceiling, catching and throwing the light in a kaleidoscope of color.
Gold accents and bright pink roses touch every surface.
Evergreen boughs and stringed lights in soft pinks and yellows cover the walls, the crisp scent of pine only eclipsed by the smell of delicate Finnish pastries and peppermint hot chocolate.
A large ice sculpture of a ballroom couple created by Kaisa’s favorite artist from Helsinki stands near the entrance.
It's dazzling. Worthy of the kind of woman Kaisa is.
I proposed to her five months ago, and from that very moment, she knew what she wanted: a Christmas wedding in Shelbyville, Indiana, a reception in Helsinki in the new year after my season is over, and a long honeymoon anywhere warm.
Things have pretty much gone exactly that way so far. And here we are, in a converted industrial loft reception center in the community where I was born and raised.
Married. Giddy.
Last Christmas day, after I surprised Kaisa at her apartment in LA the night before, we flew to Shelbyville together. There really was no other choice. We couldn’t be apart, and we wanted to be with family.
Initially, Kaisa’s social anxieties meant she was a little quiet with my family—and awestruck at the chaos and sheer noise all those people in my parents’ grand, old farmhouse could make.
There were some mishaps. But it didn’t take long for her to feel comfortable. Accepted. And totally loved by my family.
It was mutual. In the new year, my parents and siblings—whoever could make it—came to my games and sat with Kaisa, as much as her tour schedule allowed. They got all hyped up together, cheering like maniacs when I did something well. Booing when the officials made a terrible call.
And various members of my family and I managed to make it to all of the episodes of Lights, Camera, Dance! that Kaisa was on. The late contracts turned out to be a good thing. Wynn had been fighting with the board for higher salaries for his dancers—and won.
Kaisa and her partner, a distinguished actor in his fifties who’d performed on Broadway, danced their way to the semi-finals, which Kaisa was thrilled with.
She kept telling me the lack of “beige” in their performances had mostly to do with the sparkle in her eye that could only be attributed to one thing: being in love with me.
I think there were more factors than just that, but I’ll take it.
She’s the love of my life. So smart, tough, vibrant, and full of life, yet tender. Soft when needed. My comfort in the storms and my best friend.
And I have a surprise for her tonight.
“Mr. Farm Boy Husband?” Kaisa’s voice rings out behind me. She joins me at the railing overlooking our masterpiece of a wedding reception.
Hundreds of guests descended on Shelbyville for this event, including a lot of notable people, like Coach Whittaker and his wife, Maija. Many of my teammates and Wynn Clark with the cast and crew from Lights, Camera, Dance!. Even Barry and Mary Mynt.
And our families, of course.
We’ve already had our couple’s dance, which was a version of the rumba we performed for The Peppermynt Twist Showdown. Why mess with perfection, right? And a few minutes ago, she presented me with my groom’s cake: a dense, rich, dark chocolate cake in the shape of a football.
I turn from the balcony to my wife, my wife, tripped up for the hundredth time today by her great beauty and radiant smile. She’s in her second gown of the day. The first one was a formal ballgown. It reminded me of something a Northern European princess might wear.
This dress is also white, but it’s short and poufy, perfect for dancing. Both were made by our favorite clothing artiste, Olga.
Kaisa’s got Latin ballroom shoes on so she can dance, but the cool thing is, she had them dyed San Antonio Wolves green, and she bejeweled the backs above the heels with “7,” my jersey number.
She grabs both my hands and leans in for a kiss. I linger on her lips, sheer pleasure zinging over me.
“You almost ready for your surprise?” I ask her once we’ve pulled apart.
Her eyes shine brightly. “You’ve been talking this up for months. It better be good.” She gives me another quick smooch. “But no matter what it is, nothing could take away my joy today.”
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you more,” she replies.
It’s almost my cue, and I can hardly stand the anticipation…and nerves.
At first, the music being piped over the loudspeakers doesn’t register in Kaisa’s mind. I think she’s just basking in all these people who are here to support us. She’d insisted she could handle the crowds just fine since it’s people she knows.
Partway through the song, she gasps and puts a pointer finger in the air, her mouth open wide in surprise. “Is that…?”
I nod. “All I Want For Christmas is You in Finnish? Yes.” I step back, grinning. “Which means we have to go.”
A quizzical look crosses her face as I grab her hand and we make our way to the stairs, heading back down to the main floor of the reception center.
I lead her to the edge of the crowd, where we’ve placed an ornate, gold chair.
It’s for her to sit in, so she can get a front row seat to the madness that’s about to begin.
I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous. I catch a glimpse of my family, standing near Kaisa’s family. They’re all grinning. They know what’s about to go down.
The quick-paced song repeats, signaling the important players to assemble and take their places. I make my way to the middle of the dance floor, joining my brothers and several of my teammates as we strike our beginning pose.
We picked up our moves by watching videos of a famous K-pop group…I couldn’t have come up with the choreography on my own. But the result is actually…fun. Silly. I try to watch Kaisa’s face the whole time, as it goes from shock to pure enjoyment as my guys and I really ham it up.
But there are times I can’t watch her. My hip action has to be extra good and that takes up all my concentration.
She squeals with delight at one of my…I’ll say sexier…moves, and the crowd goes wild in kind. We’ve barely hit our final poses when Kaisa charges the floor, laughing and clapping. She wraps me in an embrace and kisses me. I pick her up and spin her around.
“Ledger, you’re my dream come true.” Her blue eyes shine with tears.
“Are you crying?” I ask her softly.
She traps her lower lip between her teeth before answering. “Yes, I’m crying.” She blinks rapidly. “I was just so happy watching you perform…I’m overwhelmed with love for you.”
My heart thumps against my ribcage. “Kaisa, my bride, I love you.”