Epilogue
There had been a time, not that long ago, when Grace Ryan had been convinced she’d never have a boyfriend, let alone a husband.
Lap-band surgery had transformed her body, but Evan McCarthy’s love had transformed her soul.
Seeing herself through his eyes, she felt beautiful for the first time in her life, and standing before the full-length mirror in the resort’s bridal suite, she took in the sight of herself in her wedding dress and could see for herself, for once, that she was indeed beautiful on the most important day of her life.
From one of the most embarrassing incidents ever had come the love of a lifetime. Sometimes it seemed like minutes rather than more than a year since the night she’d been abandoned by a date on Gansett Island and rescued by Evan, who’d been playing a gig with Owen at the McCarthy’s marina.
Evan had taken the time to find out why she was sitting by herself, crying.
The guy she’d come to the island with had taken off on his boat with her purse, her money and her clothes, all because she’d refused to have sex with him after finding out their “relationship” had been yet another in a series of jokes about the “fat” girl.
She refused to think about him. Not today.
She’d much rather focus on the man who’d taken her home to his parents’ house, put her up for the night and paid for her ferry ticket home to Connecticut the next day.
The single best thing she’d ever done in her entire life was return to the island the following week to reimburse Evan for the ferry ticket.
He hadn’t wanted her money, but much to her surprise, the handsome, sexy, ridiculously talented musician who could’ve had any woman in the world had wanted her.
They’d been together pretty much ever since, and she’d ended up giving her virginity to a man who truly loved her and always would—her first and only boyfriend, the love of her life.
A knock on the door drew her out of the trip down memory lane. “Come in.”
The door opened, and in came Linda McCarthy. She shut the door behind her and crossed the room to Grace. “Oh, honey,” Linda said, her hand over her heart. “You’re stunning. Evan won’t know what hit him when he sees you.”
“Thank you,” Grace said, fortified by her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s reaction.
Her hair was long and shiny thanks to the efforts of the resort’s salon.
She wore the same makeup she wore most days, which wasn’t much, and her dress, which her friend Tiffany had helped her to special order, was a simple white, floor-length gown with a beaded bodice and a long, flowing skirt.
The bicep curls Grace had been doing every day for six months had brought new definition to her arms that she was damned proud of.
She would carry a bouquet of red and hot pink tropical flowers and had a red hibiscus bloom tucked behind her right ear.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Linda asked.
“I think I’m good. You can send the girls in if they’re ready.”
“They’re outside. I’ll get them for you, but before I do…
I just wanted to say, Mac and I are so thrilled to welcome you into our family.
If we could’ve handpicked the perfect partner for Evan, we couldn’t have found anyone better suited to him than you are.
Thank you for making him happier than he’s ever been. ”
“Oh, Linda, don’t make me cry.” Grace reached for her hand.
“Your son is the finest man I’ve ever known, except for maybe your husband, and it’s the greatest honor of my life to become a McCarthy.
All this time, in the back of my mind, I think I’ve been waiting for something to go wrong. Something always goes wrong.”
“Not today, sweetheart. Today will be perfect, and at the end of it, you’ll be Evan’s wife and he’ll be your husband. Just the way it was always supposed to be.”
Grace risked wrinkles to hug Linda. “Thank you so much for coming to check on me. It means so much to me to know you and Mac are happy for us.”
“We’re delighted. We love you both very much.” Linda hugged her, carefully, kissed her cheek and stepped back. “I’ll send your girls in.”
“Linda.”
She turned back, her brow raised in inquiry.
“Thank you for knowing that I could use a little mothering right now.”
“Of course, honey. This mother is available to you any time you need her.”
“I’ll probably be needing her a lot.”
“That’s fine with me.” Linda left her with a smile, closing the door behind her.
Grace took a deep breath, battling the emotions stirred by Linda’s generosity.
She had fallen in love with Evan’s family almost as quickly as she’d fallen for him, and knowing they would be part of her life forever made this amazing day that much sweeter.
In her opinion, she’d done a rather admirable job of forgetting her own parents weren’t there.
She’d enjoyed the time with her brothers, Evan’s family and their wonderful friends.
It wasn’t just enough. It was more than enough.
After a quick knock, the door opened, and in came Grace’s tribe of bridesmaids—Abby, Stephanie, Janey, Maddie, Laura and Tiffany, along with Ashleigh, who was their flower girl.
Each of them wore dresses made from the same floral material, but all in different styles that they’d chosen for themselves.
Not only had meeting Evan led to her first real boyfriend, it had also led to deep and meaningful friendships with the most incredible group of women who would serve as her attendants.
“You look amazing,” Tiffany said, giving Grace a critical once-over. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“That’s high praise from the empress of style,” Maddie said, “and I completely agree with my sister. You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Grace said, blinking back tears as she brought them in for a group hug. “Thank you all so much for being the best friends I’ve ever had.”
Evan had expected to be nervous, but he was too excited to be nervous. Today he got to marry his amazing Grace, and he couldn’t wait to make it official. They’d been counting down to this date, the eighteenth of January, for what felt like forever.
And now that the day was finally upon them, Evan wanted to push the clock ahead an hour so he could see her.
Because she was superstitious, they’d spent the night apart, and he hadn’t yet seen her today.
He was losing his mind waiting for the magical sunset hour they’d chosen for their wedding.
They should’ve done it at sunrise so he wouldn’t have had to spend most of the day without her.
“Are you with me?” Owen asked from his perch on the stool next to Evan’s.
“Oh, yeah, sorry.”
Owen laughed in his face. “You’re a mess.”
“I’m anxious to get on with it.”
Owen looked over his shoulder to see the sun heading toward the horizon in a fiery ball that gilded the surface of the crystal-blue water. “Won’t be long now, and from the looks of things, it’ll be worth the wait.”
“Means a lot to me that you’re here, and singing with me, and everything.”
“I’d be so bummed if I were at home missing it.”
“Does that mean you’ve come around to enjoying the getaway with your wife?”
“Well, except for the part where she’s giving me the deep freeze thanks to your stupid brother and his big ideas.”
Evan tossed his head back and laughed. “I’ve got the most pissed-off and horny group of groomsmen.”
“I’m never listening to Mac again. Ever.”
Still laughing, Evan said, “Let’s go through it one more time.”
Playing ukuleles, they went over their rendition of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” medley, singing in perfect harmony, as always.
They’d practiced as often as they could over the last few days, and exchanged smiles as it came together just the way Evan had envisioned.
Grace had left the music to his discretion.
He wanted it to be special for her, and having Owen there with him made it special for him, too.
When they finished that, they practiced Evan’s number-one hit song, “My Amazing Grace,” before declaring themselves good to go. The rehearsal had been a formality, something to kill the time. He and Owen could play together in public on a moment’s notice without so much as a minute of rehearsal.
They stashed their instruments and went to make sure the other guys were getting ready on schedule. On the way to the villa where they were meeting the others, they ran into Big Mac. Evan’s dad wore the same white linen shirt and khaki pants as the guys in the wedding party.
“Was wondering where you two had gotten off to,” Big Mac said.
“One last sound check on the beach,” Evan said.
“Owen, would you mind giving me one minute with my son?” Big Mac asked.
“Of course not. I’ll see you back at the house.”
“We’ll be right along,” Big Mac said. “And Owen? It wouldn’t have been the same for Evan without you here.”
“I’m glad Laura manipulated me into coming,” Owen said with a grin before he left them.
Evan stood with his dad on the expansive boardwalk that looked out over the water. “You’re not going to make me cry like a little girl or anything, are you?”
“Would I do that?” Big Mac asked.
Evan laughed at his indignant reply. “Yeah, you would.”
“I just wanted the chance to say how happy I am for you and Grace and how proud I am of the man you grew up to be.”
Sure enough, Evan blinked rapidly. “You know how much your opinion means to all of us.”
“I’m also proud of you for pursuing the music when it would be less complicated to let go of the dream and take the easy road.
You always would’ve wondered what might’ve been if you hadn’t taken this chance, but you should know how much we’ll miss you.
We’ll be waiting for you when it’s time to come home. ”
Evan nodded and smiled at his dad. “That’s good to know. I’d hoped you would approve.”
Big Mac put his arm around Evan’s shoulders. “I approve, and I love you, son. More than you’ll ever know.”