Epilogue
Aiden
The first time I did this there were no wedding-day jitters.
Probably because I didn’t know it was going to be my wedding day.
By the time any nerves could have come up I was drunk enough to not remember.
This morning there are still no nerves. All I feel is excitement.
I have more adrenalin now than I do when I am on the ice.
I want to be standing at the aisle waiting for Lyndsey more than I need air.
Technically this is just a vows renewal, but I’ll always think of this as our wedding day.
We are surrounded by our family – well, not Lyndsey’s family.
It was not even a question whether or not they would be invited, there was no chance.
We wouldn’t let their judgement affect our day.
Plus they might be her blood but they haven’t been her family for a long time.
Her brother has been let out on bail pending his harassment charges but he has kept his distance.
The restraining order is ironclad but I know that when he is desperate enough, he will crop back up.
I won’t think about that today. I’ll only think about what I think Lyndsey’s dress will be like when Ruin walks her down the aisle.
He was so honoured when she asked him that I saw him blinking back some tears.
I love that my teammates are her family.
Even if something ever happened between us, I know they would support her and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
I’m alone pacing the room where my groomsmen and I got ready. They are out greeting guests and doing any last-minute things Lyndsey needs, giving me a moment to myself. A knock at the door makes me jump, but Alice doesn’t wait for me to answer before she strolls in.
“Last chance to run.” She hands me a glass with two fingers of whisky.
“I’m good.” I laugh, knowing that she knows good and well there is no force that could pull me away from today.
“She looks amazing.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me and I want to ask questions about every detail, but she won’t give me anything.
We fall into silence, me sipping at my whisky and her sipping at the bubbling glass of champagne. I’m glad for the company but I know my twin well enough to know there is another reason she is here. She knows I wouldn’t want to run so why would she bother coming to see me? Not to stand in silence.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, taking her empty glass out of her hand, guiding her to the sofa in the middle of the room.
“Nothing bad, but I have something to tell you and I know you are probably super uptight right now so I thought I’d give you something else to think about,” she rambles. It is so unlike my sister to not say what she is thinking. She isn’t the type of woman who beats around the bush.
“Okay?” I’m worried but I don’t think it can be bad news. She wouldn’t start off what is supposed to be the best day of my life by giving me some terrible news. I don’t think she would anyway.
“I’m moving to Seattle.” She smiles and I just blink at her. Her words sound foreign to my ears.
“What?” I cough, not wanting to get my hopes up. She might mean she is coming to visit.
“You are looking at the Spears newest rink-side photographer.” She laughs at my shocked face and I start to laugh too. So completely blown away by this wedding gift. My damn sister is coming to work with me.
“Alice! Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, jumping to my feet, so filled with excitement that sitting still feels impossible.
“I wanted to wait until I knew for sure.” She bites her bottom lip, this must have been a hard decision for her.
Her coming here means the girls will be in Texas alone but they are adults.
They can look after themselves. “Now that I don’t have Pops keeping me home, the girls told me I had to go for it while I had the chance. ”
“I’m so happy for you, come here.” I tug at her arm until she is standing, pulling her into my arms. We aren’t always the most physically affectionate siblings but with the way she wraps her arms around me I know she needed this.
To know I’m proud of her. “Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone you will be working with. You will love Cassie.” I guide her towards the door but she lets out a nervous laugh, pulling back on my arm and stopping me.
“I already love Cassie.” She grimaces at my confused face. “She helped me keep it from you while I was interviewing.”
“Jesus, does everyone know except me?” I ask, a little offended.
I understand why she wouldn’t want to tell me.
She wanted this job because of her talent and not because I put in a good word for her with the Spears management.
Plus if I had known I would have got my hopes up and it could have been for nothing.
“No. Just most people.” She shrugs, walking out of the room herself. I follow her, it’s almost time for the ceremony to start anyway.
Edge stands beside me at the front of the room. I feel my hands shaking so I try putting them in my pockets just to pull them out again a second later. Every minute that I stand here feels an hour long as I wait for the doors at the other end of the room to open and Lyndsey to walk through.
“Take a breath.” Edge leans forward to whisper and I suck in a staggering lungful of air, nodding at him in thanks.
I want to remember every minute of this day. Every little feeling. Every sound in the room. I want to remember the smell of the flowers and the looks in the eyes of our friends and family.
We are having a small wedding – still, it’s bigger than the last one.
There are only around fifty guests so we decided to hold it at a hotel in the centre of Seattle.
We hired out a few floors so everyone can spend the night and everyone has somewhere to relax for a few days.
I’m glad we waited until the off-season so there wouldn’t be any injuries in our wedding pictures.
The music changes in the room and everyone stands up as the door at the back creaks open. Then I see my wife.
Lyndsey is wearing a fitted white dress that gleams in the sunlight through the windows.
The light behind her makes her an angel-like mirage coming to bring me salvation.
When her eyes meet mine the smile she gives me makes everyone else in the room disappear, it is just me and her.
Slowly she walks towards me, her arm in Liam’s and a bouquet of pale pink flowers matching the bridesmaids’ dresses of Ellis and my sisters.
I have to hold myself back from walking down the aisle to kiss her.
I have to wait for her to come to me and the walk feels miles long, like she will never make it.
After what feels like half an hour, she is in front of me.
Ruin hugs her tightly before giving me a wink as he walks to the front row where Ellis, Jack and Charlotte are sat waiting for him.
“Hey, cowboy.” She smiles a soft, contented smile up at me.
“Well hi, darlin’.” I take her hands in mine, trying to pay attention as the celebrant talks to the room. My eyes are on her. They are always on her.
We have done our first dance.
We have cut the cake.
Now we are sitting at the sweetheart table watching our guests drink and dance and generally have a good time.
It is amazing. She has been my wife on paper for a long time but now Lyndsey is my wife in the eyes of our nearest and dearest too.
I can’t keep my hands off her. If I’m not kissing her then I’m holding her hand.
If I’m not holding her hand I have her pulled into my side.
When she isn’t close to me? I’m watching her with a smile.
“What is he doing?” she asks from beside me, nodding towards where Rook is talking to Alice. He’d better not be doing what I think he is doing. My sister should be off limits.
I’m about to stand when Cassie appears over my shoulder, putting her hand on the back of my neck. “We have a problem.” Her voice is low enough that Lyndsey won’t hear but she is still looking between Cassie and me, confused.
“What?” I ask, but instead of answering she shakes her head, almost imperceptibly darting her eyes towards the main door. I stand up, leaving a light kiss on my wife’s head before following after Cassie.
With quick steps she walks me over to where Ruin is waiting, pacing back and forward with his phone pressed to his ear.
“I have to leave,” she tells me when we are far enough away from the rest of the wedding party to be heard.
“Why? What’s wrong?” I ask, my eyes darting around looking for any clues of why someone I consider a good friend is dipping out of my wedding.
“Edge has been arrested,” she says, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet as she grimaces.
“What?” I yell. I walk over to Liam where he has stopped talking on his phone and is instead pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Peter was here, he was yelling for you and Lyndsey and basically causing a scene. Edge caught him before he could get in and there was an incident,” she tells me, and when I hear Peter’s name, I stop short of spinning around to see if she is making some ill-timed joke.
Because I can’t think of another reason why she would be talking about that asshole on my damn wedding day.
“Fuck, is he still here?” I want to give that son of a bitch a piece of my mind. How dare he turn up today and try to make it about him? He has ruined Lyndsey’s happiness enough this year.
“No, he was taken in a police car too, as soon as I knew he was here I called the police, with the restraining order and everything they took him but not before Edge tried to knock him out.” Cassie fills me in but before I can ask any follow-up questions Ruin butts in.
“It was amazing.” He smiles, shaking his head and acting out a punch. He takes his right arm and swings it as though he is going to hit himself before staggering back a few steps, clutching his nose in what I think is a bad re-enactment of Peter.
“Liam!” Cassie chastises as I laugh.