Epilogue 2 - Charlie
One year later
“Your man has gone above and beyond for this one.” Lucy straightens my tie, then pushes my hair out of my eyes with gentle fingers. “I’m so glad you listened to me and took that broken man in.”
I huff a laugh. “Listened to you? As I recall, you told me to stay far, far away.”
She waves her hand in the air as she steps back, pretending to inspect her work. “I don’t remember that. I have selective memory when I’m right.”
I shake my head, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt. The small room at the back of the venue is filled with soft afternoon light, the distant murmur of guests and string music filtering through the door. My hands won’t stop trembling.
Today is our wedding day.
Lucy notices the nerves and steps closer again, smoothing down the lapels of my deep green suit. “Hey. Breathe. You look stupidly hot, and he’s going to cry the second he sees you. You two have earned this.”
I swallow hard and nod. “I know. I just… can’t believe we actually made it here.”
A year and a half ago, I was still scared some days. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now I’m standing here in a suit, about to marry the man who once broke my heart and then spent every day after putting it back together better than it was before.
Lucy’s eyes soften. “You both did the work. That’s why it feels real.”
The door cracks open, and Maya pokes her head in. “Five minutes, lovebirds. Hunter already looks like he’s going to pass out from how much he loves you.”
My heart flips. I take one last deep breath.
Lucy grabs my hands and squeezes them. “You ready?”
“I’ve never been more ready for anything.”
She walks me down the short aisle lined with wildflowers and fairy lights. The moment I see Hunter waiting under the arch, everything else fades.
He’s devastating in a charcoal suit, shoulders broad, eyes already shining with unshed tears.
When our gazes lock, his whole face changes, like the sun coming out after rain.
I don’t even remember walking the rest of the way.
One second, I’m with Lucy; the next, I’m standing in front of him, both of us grinning like idiots.
“You look…” Hunter’s voice cracks. He clears his throat and tries again. “You look like forever.”
I laugh wetly. “So do you.”
The ceremony is simple and ours. We wrote our own vows.
Hunter’s voice shakes as he promises to keep choosing me every day, to never stop doing the work, to love me even when life gets heavy.
I tell him I’ll always fight for us, that I’ll keep letting him in, that I’m never letting go of the man who fought so hard to be worthy of love.
When we kiss, it’s soft and deep and full of every hard, beautiful thing we’ve survived together. The guests cheer. Sofia—wearing a tiny flower collar and looking deeply offended—meows from Lucy’s arms like she’s giving her official blessing.
Later, after cake and dancing and too many emotional toasts, Hunter pulls me onto the rooftop terrace for a quiet moment alone. The city sparkles below us and the stars above. He wraps his arms around me from behind, chin on my shoulder.
“Married,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my neck. “You’re stuck with me now, Mr. Hale.”
I lean back into his chest, covering his hands with mine. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, Mr. Hale.”
We stand there in comfortable silence, watching the lights of the city we both love—the same city that once felt so loud and lonely, now full of promise.
Hunter kisses my temple. “Thank you for choosing me. Every single time.”
I turn in his arms and kiss him properly, slow and full of love.
“Thank you for becoming someone I could choose.”
We stay like that for a long time—two survivors, two healing hearts, wrapped up in each other under the night sky.
Our story didn’t start easy.
But it’s ours.
And it’s only just beginning.