Epilogue
NICK
APRIL
Ihop up the steps of the dance studio, reaching to pull the door open until someone steps out and stops me.
“Sorry, but where do you think you’re going?” Eve asks, her voice flat and irritated. She’s wearing a pale blue dress that grazes the ground while her hair is pulled back into a fancy looking updo.
“Uhh, inside to talk to my wife?” I ask, confused.
“No, you’re not. You can’t see the bride before she walks down the aisle. It’s bad luck.” She crosses her arms in front of her to show me she’s serious.
“Eve, I’ve already seen her. Every day actually for the last six months since we’ve been, ya know, married?”
“Sorry, buddy. The clock resets the day of the wedding. You don’t get to see her.”
“But we’ve already had a wedding,” I argue.
“Yeah, but none of us were there to see it,” she snaps. “You stole her away for a weekend and got married without any of us there, which I’m still pissed about.”
“You’re normally pissed at me for some reason,” I sigh.
“That’s because you make me want to use my paring knife to—”
She stops talking when Belle slips out from inside the dance studio.
“Hi, Nick.” She greets me with a cheerful smile and bubbly disposition. She’s wearing a similar pale blue dress as Eve.
“Hi, Belle, you look beautiful today,” I compliment.
“Wow, didn’t compliment me. That’s fine,” Eve mutters under her breath. I turn to glare at her before Belle speaks again.
“Hey, have you seen Chris anywhere?” She’s looking at me as she asks. Chris is not only my closest friend in Evergreen but also my best man for our town wedding today.
“Uhh, yeah, he’s over there on the phone.” I look out across the square and point to where he’s standing.
“Perfect, I’ll be right back.” She shoots the two of us a smile before taking off down the steps.
Turning around, I see Eve is still standing there blocking my way.
“Come on, Eve. Just one minute.”
“No, not even fifteen seconds. You’ll see her in an hour as she’s walking down the aisle. Why do you have to see her right now?”
“Can a man not just want to see his wife?”
She scowls at me and rolls her eyes. “I guess that’s a good enough reason. Stay there. If you try to come in—”
“Yeah, yeah, the paring knife, I get it.” I stop her and raise my hand. She slips back inside and a moment later, Noelle is sliding her head out the door.
“Hey, you. Wow, you look handsome.”
“I would tell you you look beautiful but I can’t see much of you,” I comment. She’s standing with the door only open wide enough so I can see her face.
“Eve is being very weird about this ‘not seeing the bride before the ceremony’ thing. I feel bad she wasn’t there when we got married the first time, so I’m playing along.”
“You’re a good friend,” I chuckle.
The town has been crazy this whole week leading up to our wedding that it only makes sense that they’re going to carry that crazy to the bitter end.
“So what’s up? You said you wanted to see me?” she asks. I can’t help but notice how she can’t stop smiling.
“I just wanted to see you, that’s all. I guess I’m going to have to be okay with only seeing your face.”
“It’s enough for right now. The ceremony starts soon, plus, you can still kiss me if you can see my face.”
“That’s true. That’s very true.” When she sticks her lips out, I lean in and give her the kiss she’s asking for.
“Okay, I don’t mean to rush you off but I have to finish getting ready. See you at the altar?”
“I promise you will,” I say with a nod.
“I love you, Nick Winters,” she says with a smile.
“I love you, too, Noelle Holly,” I say back.
“Save it for the ceremony!” I hear Eve shout from inside the dance studio. Noelle and I laugh and roll our eyes in unison before she disappears back inside.
An hour later, I’m standing at the end of the aisle—Chris and my dad standing by my side—waiting for the music to play.
When it does, pretty much everyone in town stands to welcome Noelle down the aisle.
Fresh flowers in varying shades of blue hang from the street lamps, chairs, and in the windows of the businesses around the square.
Our wedding was practically a holiday for the town, many people closing their shops to come and watch us get married for a second time.
Evergreen Hollow has always been a little much when it comes to town events, but they really go all out when you’re marrying the town sweetheart.
When she rounds the corner and stands at the end of the aisle, my breath is taken away immediately.
Wearing her mother’s wedding dress with a few alterations to bring it into the latest trends and fashions, she looks absolutely stunning.
Grandma Mary is by her side, walking her down the aisle and into her next phase of life.
The one I’m lucky enough to be her partner through.
As she gets closer, I’m reminded of everything that brought us here.
The good, the bad, and the hard. All the time we spent together as kids and how we get to spend forever together as adults.
I promised her months ago that I loved her and that I’m not going anywhere.
And as I stand here in front of the entire town of Evergreen Hollow, I plan on making that same promise to her again and living it out for the rest of the days we get to spend together.
When she finally reaches me, I take her hands into mine and feel tears begin to prick my eyelids. Suddenly, she’s teary-eyed, too, smiling back at me.
“Ready for forever?” she whispers.
“You and me, wife. We’re in this for real,” I say back, unable to fight back tears. She reaches over and wipes one away, causing the crowd to laugh.
After a moment, the town priest begins the ceremony.
“We’re gathered here today to witness the joining of two lives…”
THE END