Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
Melody walked around, talking with guests. She and Tony were hosting a housewarming party for the new house. This was a friends and family only event, but at Tony’s urging, she and Eric had done a walkthrough earlier in the week with some of the production team they’d be working with at Triple H.
Thankfully, neither Tony’s parents or Aspen, Damien, and the kids had arrived until after the Triple H people left. The Triple H production team had briefly floated the idea that they have celebrity guests once they realized who Melody was seeing, but she and Eric had shut that down. They wanted to succeed or fail on their own without stunt casting.
Vicky waved her over to where she sat talking with Melody’s mom. Melody bent down and kissed her mom on the cheek. “How are you holding up?” Her mom had fallen while out walking a few weeks ago and had broken her wrist. Thankfully, she’d been able to get into a hand surgeon quickly.
Her mom held up her arm in the black sling her doctor demanded she use, if only to remind her to limit use of the hand. “Listening to the doctor’s orders. I want to hold Peanut as soon as she arrives.”
Melody rubbed her belly. The pregnancy had gone smoothly mostly, but Peanut kept punching at her organs lately, and sleeping through the night was a thing of the past. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”
Vicky smiled up at her. “Did you get that delivery I told you about?”
Biting the inside of her cheek, Melody shook her head. “Not yet. It might be held up in customs.”
Vicky wrinkled her nose. “I’ll have my assistant look into it. The shopkeeper said it needed to be hung up in the baby’s room before they come home to help heal any lingering negative energy.”
Swallowing the urge to remind Vicky that the house was a brand new build, Melody instead smiled. “I’ll tell Tony to keep an eye out for it. In fact, I need to go find him. Have either of you seen him?”
Vicky waved her hand. “I think I saw him talking with that bar owner friend of yours. I heard something about grovels and black moments.”
Grinning, Melody kissed each of their cheeks and headed off. Harry shouldn’t be hard to spot, but Tony might have taken him into the house. Hannah, Kieran, and Bethie’s oldest ran past screaming as they squirted water cannons at each other. That had to have been Bethie’s husband’s idea. Button and Mayzie chased after them, trying to catch the water squirts in their mouths .
Ana came over, a pinched expression on her face. “Melody, can we talk somewhere private?”
Frowning, Melody nodded. “Sure. What’s up?”
Ana looked over her shoulder, which then slumped. “Too late.”
Wondering what the hell was going on, Melody followed Ana’s gaze and saw Ana’s parents. “What are they doing here?”
“I don’t know. I got a text from Mom a couple minutes ago that they were on their way, and she wanted to know if her favorite wine was on offer.”
Melody looked back at Ana. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s never been the greatest, but she’s gotten so bad lately.”
They watched as Ana’s mother, followed by her father, made a beeline for Alex Kavanaugh who was talking with Nancy and Mrs. Smith. She interrupted whatever he was saying to Andy and began fawning over him. Alex had been enjoying some time back with his family during breaks in the season as he planned for his retirement from pro hockey, and everyone in Sunflower Falls had been giving him space. Until now. Even from this distance, they could see Alex’s confusion and Melody winced.
“I should probably go save him.”
Ana drew in a deep breath. “No. I’ll do it.”
Neither of them had to as Zach appeared by Alex’s side and extracted him from Mrs. Rogers’ clutches.
“Whoa.” The look on Ana’s mom’s face would have seriously wounded Zach if they’d been daggers. “What is the deal with your mother?”
Ana sighed. “I wish I knew.”
Libby came over. “Sorry to interrupt, but have either of you seen Eric? ”
Melody pointed to the grill Tony had bought a couple weeks ago. “I think he got deputized by Harry.”
Libby grinned. “Thanks. How are you feeling?”
Melody rubbed her belly. “Fine. I wouldn’t mind sitting for a little bit.” She held up her red cup. “But first, I need a refill.”
“We’ve got it out here. Go pamper yourself. Take fifteen if you need to.”
Melody headed inside. The sound level dropped immediately. She let out a happy sigh at the sign of a well-built house. Tony and Harry weren’t to be seen in the open kitchen, but she could hear some sounds coming from the office they’d carved out for Tony from the front entrance area. Ignoring them for the moment, she headed for the fridge. The gallon container with her name prominently marked on it was getting down to empty, so she poured what she could into her cup, and then drank what was left directly from the jug. She tossed it into the recycling bin.
She was poking around in the pantry for a replacement to put in the fridge when she heard the door to Tony’s office open.
“And you’re good with this?”
“To be part of a grand gesture like this is an honor.”
“What are you two talking about?” She found the other jugs of electrolytes on a shelf behind some bags of dried beans. Wondering why those were there, she started moving them to their designated space.
“Are you okay? What are you doing inside?” Tony appeared in the pantry doorway.
She held up a bag of beans. “What are these doing in front of my drink?”
“To hide your drink from the kids in case they get inside and start poking around. ”
She tossed the beans onto their shelf, and then grabbed a jug and held it up. “You’ve marked every single one of them with my name.”
“So? Kids are going to kid. If they’re thirsty, they’ll probably open it, take a sip, and then put it back with the lid on if we’re lucky.”
Laughing, she pushed past him. “Are you okay? You’re acting weird.”
“I’m fine. Do you need to rest or anything? No one’s tiring you out?”
She put the jug in the fridge. “I’m fine. We should probably head back outside, though. Ana’s parents arrived.”
Tony frowned. “Ana’s parents? We didn’t invite them. We had a very specific guest list.”
Melody picked up her drink and sipped at it. He was definitely being weird. “We did not invite them, but this is Sunflower Falls. Unless you’re mortal enemies with war declared, you might find some unexpected guests when you’re throwing an outdoor barbecue. While Ana’s mother is on my least favorite list, we have not declared open war on each other. Though, if she gets near your mother, that might have to change.”
Tony pulled her in as close as he could with Peanut between them. “What about your mother?”
She waved a hand. “Mom can handle herself. She’s been dealing with Helen Rogers for decades.”
Tony kissed her nose. “Fine. Do you want me to carry a refill for you?”
“Thanks, but I should be good.” She backed away and bumped her hip against his. Her hip met something hard. She backed away and saw a square outline in his pocket. “What’s that?”
“Uh, nothing. We should get outside. ”
Narrowing her eyes at him, she set her cup down on the island, and crossed her arms. “No. I heard Harry when I was in the pantry. Where did he go?”
“Back outside. He had to man the grill.”
“Eric was doing that.”
“You know Harry.”
“Tony.”
He sighed and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck. Rested his forehead against hers. “Can you give me some space to surprise you?”
“It’s not exactly a surprise right now.”
“No details have been shared. Please?”
Recognizing this to be one of the moments he needed in their relationship, she tilted her chin up and kissed him. “Fine. Let’s go save whoever Mrs. Rogers is antagonizing.”
“Can we sic Zach on her?”
“Probably. He saved Alex earlier, and Mrs. Rogers does not appear to be a fan of Zach. It was a classic ‘if looks could kill’ moment.”
After a brief detour to the bathroom, they headed back into the yard hand in hand. But once outside, instead of letting her go, Tony led her to a table he’d set up close to their small strip of beach earlier in the day. He’d covered it with a silky dark green cloth overlaid with an airy white lace thing. A heavy candle in the center and two tapers on either side held it all down.
When she’d asked him about it, he just said that he wanted something that they could sit at together later.
He’d even ensured that no one put anything down on it by putting a big sign that read “Reserved for Melody and Tony” on it, anchored by the central candle.
“Attention.” He held up his hands and waved. Everyone quieted and turned their attention to him. “Melody and I want to thank you today for coming to help us celebrate our new home and the start of our lives together as a family.”
She looked around and saw various people tear up as tissues were pulled from purses and pockets. She lifted her cup in the air. “Thank you.”
Tony took her free hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “In fact,” he dropped to a knee and gasps filled the air. “Melody Keller, would you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife? Again? Today? In front of all our friends and family? For almost an entire year now, you’ve been the bright light of my day, and you bring me joy every time you smile. When you’re sad, I want to be there for you in whatever way you need me to be. Being the best partner I can be to you is my biggest mission in life, and I can’t wait to go on the new adventure with you of becoming parents to this little one.” He placed his hand on her belly, and she began tearing up herself.
She tugged on his hand to pull him up and kiss him. “Tony.”
He winked at her. “Just a moment. One more thing.” Still holding her hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the box she’d felt earlier. He popped it open single-handed, and she gasped. The ring was a deep green oval, surrounded by brilliant white stones. “Tony…”
“Will you marry me, Melody?”
She tugged hard on his hand until he stood up. Pulling his face down to hers with both hands, she kissed him. “You always have to make a big production out of things, don’t you?”
He kissed her again. And his reply was barely above a whisper. “As much as you’ll let me. Marry me?”
She looked into his eyes and saw the love shining there. This man would always be there for her, supporting her, finding ways to show he loved her. Her reply was equally soft. “Yes.”
He grinned and picked her up, swinging her around even with an eight-months-pregnant belly.
Everyone cheered.
He put on the ring and held up their hands to show the crowd. “We’re getting married!” He looked over to one side of the crowd and waved. “Harry.”
Harry came over with a suit jacket over his graphic t-shirt from an event the bar had held a few years ago. He carried a sheet of paper in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
Confused, Melody looked up at Tony. “What?”
He bent down close to her ear. “Remember when we redid the marriage license?”
She nodded as they had decided to go to the courthouse before Peanut got here to make sure everything truly was legal. “Yeah?”
He kissed her cheek. “I figured you deserved to have everyone you liked here for this wedding. Surprised?”
Laughing, she kissed him again. “Yeah. I love it.”
Being the producer he was, Tony soon got everyone organized. All the kids walked down the hastily assembled aisle because none of them wanted to be left out of the proceedings. Tony had magically produced floofy green dog dresses for both Button and Mayzie, and Libby walked them down the aisle.
Ana had also gotten a bouquet as her maid of honor, and her best friend gave her a huge hug before she walked toward where Tony was standing with Harry and Zach as his best man.
Finally, it was time for Eric and her mom to escort her. She’d never thought she’d be getting married, again, like this. She’d been more dressed up for her first wedding, but this was who she and Tony were. Comfortable with each other and valuing the presence of family and friends over pomp and fancy decorations.
Someone thought to start playing some instrumental music on their phone. Halfway down the aisle, she doubled over as much as she could with her pregnancy belly, laughing. It was an instrumental version of a popular song featuring a portion of the alphabet that was most assuredly not one would expect to play as a bride walked down the aisle to her groom.
But it was right for her, and it was right for them. They’d had a rocky start, but now they had this beautiful transition to the next phase of their lives together. She pulled herself together and continued walking.
First Eric kissed her cheek, and then her mom. They sat next to Libby and the dogs, and Harry began his welcome.
“We are gathered here, a bit unexpectedly, to celebrate the joining of Melody Keller and Anthony, Tony to most of us here in the Falls, Dewitt in loving marriage. I got my certificate to do this kind of thing online a few years ago after reading one of my wife’s romance novels. And you know how much I’ve come to love them, too. Being asked to be a part of this is truly an honor. Watching these two get together, break up, and then work out their differences in order to build a life together, and to welcome a little one into their love is a blessing in which we all share. So, thank you, Melody and Tony. Now, let me tell you about the books I told Tony to read when he fucked shit up.”
Everyone laughed, and they were soon married. At the end of the ceremony, Tony planted his feet alongside her, wrapped his arms around her back, and tilted her back to kiss her. She grinned up at him and did her best to wrap her one leg around his hip while she hung on tight to his neck with one arm.
“I love you, Melody Keller.”
“Love you, too, Tony Caputo.”
“That’s Tony Dewitt.”
She winked at him, even as his lips met hers.
After, they were wandering around talking with their guests. At one point, she was showing the ring to Ana who squealed over the design.
“That’s so gorgeous. You’ll have to be careful when you’re working on site, though.”
Tony hooked an arm around Melody’s shoulders. “I’ve got silicone bands for her when she’s working. No need to accidentally injure herself just to wear this.”
Melody kissed Tony’s jaw and was about to say something to Ana when a harsh voice interrupted them.
“Admire that ring as much as you want, but you’re never going to get a man to give one like that to you.”
Melody watched as Ana’s face first flushed with what looked to be embarrassment, and then complete and total fury.
Ana squared her shoulders and turned to where her mother was standing a few feet away from them.
Melody felt Tony stiffen next to her, but she squeezed his waist as she knew Ana had to have her say to that pile of bullshit.
“The thing is, Mother, I don’t want a ring like that, and my fiance knows that.”
Fighting to not let shock show through on her face, Melody kept her gaze on Ana, refusing to look at Mrs. Rogers.
“Fiance? You haven’t been dating. There is no fiance.”
None of them saw Zach approach until he wrapped an arm around Ana’s waist and pulled her in tight against his chest. Melody looked up at him and saw him staring dead into Mrs. Rogers’ eyes. “I’m her fiance.”