Epilogue
Six Months Later
KANE
“How are you feeling?”
Oliver’s voice is pitched low as he speaks from my side. I reluctantly tear my gaze from the aisle to glance over at him, meeting his concerned expression with a reassuring smile. In the same quiet tone, I reply, “I’m good. Why?”
He grins. “Just checking on you. I remember how nervous I was when I was waiting for Shea to walk down the aisle.”
“Nervous?” I adjust my collar and give my tie a quick tug to straighten it. “Why would I be nervous? I can’t wait to marry Jess.”
“Not nervous about marrying her. Just the whole wedding thing. All the people, the ceremony… One of my buddies got so lightheaded he had to sit do wn for a minute. And this was from a guy who spent years undercover in the CIA. Living in Syria, no less.”
I cast a quick look around the ballroom, taking in the hundred or so people in attendance.
Though it’s not close to the population of Sleepy Hollow, it feels like everyone I know is here.
The entire Blade and Arrow team. All the guys from the station except for the few who drew the short straw and have to work today.
Most of the volunteers from Station 4 and the Ambulance Corps.
Grant and Scarlett. Cash and Ari. Ian and Rose.
Ben and Thea. Shea, sitting to the right of my mom in the front row.
And Hazel, who came from Vermont for the occasion.
And then there are all the other locals who asked if they could be here. Mrs. Plimpton. Mrs. Everts and Mr. Cunningham, who got to know Jess from her job at the practice. And Penny, who’s become friends with Jess through their weekly reality-TV-nights.
Then at the altar, there’s me, Oliver, and Nora; all waiting for the guest of honor to arrive.
Because although it’s our wedding, today is really all about Jess.
It’s the day when she gets to see how many people care about her.
How much work has gone into planning everything, from the elaborate flower arrangements to the meticulously tied blue bows on the back of the chairs.
From the blue sparkle lights draped carefully across the ceiling to the thousands of flower petals strewn down the aisle.
Today is the day when Jess gets to be the center of attention for all the right reasons.
When she gets to be the most beautiful woman in the room, with everyone oohing as soon as they see her .
Although, she’s always the most beautiful woman to me. But today, everyone will get to see it.
On my second scan of the room, my mom catches my eye. She gives me a watery smile and a little wave, then mouths, I’m so proud of you.
I’m not sure if she should be proud or consider me unbelievably lucky. The latter is how I feel most of the time. Incredibly lucky. Somehow, I found the most amazing woman in the world and she actually fell in love with me. Agreed to be mine. To take my name and become my wife.
It’s been six months since I proposed, and I still feel like pinching myself every morning when I wake up to find my beautiful fiancée snuggled beside me. Looking so sweet with her lips pursed and her nose wrinkled as she sleeps, her leg always tossed carelessly over mine.
But not my fiancée for much longer. Soon—in less than fifteen minutes, the officiant promised—she’ll be my wife.
Still looking at my mom, I wave back at her and mouth, thanks , since trying to mouth, I’m actually the luckiest guy in the world , is probably a little too long.
Then my gaze shifts to the empty seat to her left.
Or not empty, exactly—there’s a photo sitting on it.
A large, elaborately framed picture of Jess’s mom.
My throat goes thick to see it, even though I’ve known it would be there for months. It was one of the first things Jess and I talked about when we started planning the wedding; how to make her mom a part of it. Then Oliver gave me the idea, saying he did it at his own wedding to Shea.
I wasn’t sure at first, worried it would make Jess too sad. But she liked it. She said it would make her feel like her mom was there.
So we have a seat at the ceremony reserved and another at the reception.
It’s not as good as having her mom here, of course, but it’s something.
And we did go back to her grave right after I proposed to give the news in person.
Then I stayed there for a few minutes by myself, promising to do the absolute best job I could to always care for her daughter.
“She’s more important than anything,” I said quietly, my gaze fixed on the words etched into stone. “And I swear on my life, I will do whatever it takes to protect her. To make sure she’s happy.”
“It’s tough,” Oliver murmurs. “Missing people. Wishing they could be here. But I am sure Jess’s mom is watching right now. And she’s so happy.”
Unexpectedly, my eyes burn.
This emotional side of me isn’t one I’m familiar with.
In fact, it only comes out when it has to do with Jess. But I guess that makes sense, because she’s my heart. When she hurts, I hurt. When she’s sad, so am I. And if she’s not happy, I can’t be, either.
But today is a happy day. Not one for feeling sad or mournful.
So I tuck aside the bittersweet feelings and say, “I hope she’s happy. Proud of how amazing her daughter is.”
From my other side, Nora leans in. “She’s definitely proud. How could she not be?”
Exactly.
For all the years Jess was so down on herself, all the years the people in town judged her, she’s proven everyone wrong .
My Jess is the strongest person I know. And I’ll forever be in awe of her.
I’m about to reply to Nora when the instrumental strains of Here Comes the Sun begins. All my muscles tense. My chest squeezes.
It’s the song we chose for Jess to walk down the aisle.
She picked the first dance song. But this one I chose. Because she is the sun. She’s my everything.
On a held breath, I wait to see her.
Then.
Through the double doors at the back of the room, she enters. Alone, just like she said she wanted to.
And oh.
She’s so beautiful.
I know she’s wearing some sort of white and blue dress and her hair is flowing down her back in shining waves. I know she’s wearing the topaz pendant my mom gave her as something blue, and the diamond earrings I bought as a pre-wedding gift.
I know all these things, but they don’t really matter.
All that matters is my love, my heart, my sun, is walking towards me, her smile brighter than I’ve ever seen it.
As all the guests turn to look at her, a soft ahh fills the room.
My heart feels like it’s about to explode. Not from nerves, but sheer joy.
Everything else fades except for her. I dimly feel Oliver’s hand clap my shoulder and hear a loud sniffle that I’d bet is from my mom.
Out of the blue, my hands get damp .
A wave of lightheadedness sweeps over me, and I now I can understand how Oliver’s friend must have felt.
This moment… it’s indescribable.
As Jess continues towards me, I swear it looks like she’s glowing. Not just from her smile and the love in her eyes, but just this essence of her.
Time does this funny thing where it feels like it’s running on fast forward and reverse at the same time.
With every step closer, my heart pounds faster.
And then, finally, she’s standing in front of me. Finally .
Nora takes Jess’s bouquet—blue orchids, this time—and gives her a quick hug. Then Jess turns to me and gives me a smile I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“Hi,” she whispers. “I missed you.”
“Jess.” I catch her hands in mine. “I missed you, too.”
It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I last saw Jess, since we decided to lean more on the traditional side and spend last night apart.
She stayed here, at Ari and Cash’s place, along with Thea, Scarlett, Nora, Hazel, Shea, and Rose.
And I hung out back at home with Oliver and Ian, watching TV and trying not to think about how much I missed Jess already.
But now she’s here. And we won’t ever have to be apart again.
“Are you ready?” Bill Davis, my old mentor and current wedding officiant, asks.
Jess meets my gaze and gives a little nod. “I’m ready.”
“More than ready,” I agree. “I can’t wait to make Jess my wife.”
Amid the low laughter from the guests, Bill grins at me. “Well said. If you’re in a hurry to marry your beautiful fiancée, that’s a very good thing. ”
From there, everything seems to move by in a blur. I hear the words he’s saying, about staying true to your partner through thick and thin, in sickness and health, and I agree with all of them. But all I can really think is, Jess is about to be my wife.
When we finally get to the hand-written vows part, that’s when time slows down again.
When Jess squeezes my hand and holds my gaze as she says, “I know we said we wanted to make this quick because no one likes drawn out ceremonies. And I will. But there are a few things I want to say. When I first met you, Kane, even though I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen, I never imagined I’d have a chance with you. ”
“Jess.”
“I thought I’d end up with twenty cats—not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she adds, and the crowd chuckles. “But the idea of finding my one true love? My missing piece? I couldn’t comprehend it. And…” She swallows hard. “I didn’t think it was possible for someone like me.”
“That’s not true,” I whisper. “You know that.”
“I was wrong,” Jess continues. “And it took meeting you to realize that. You pushed me just enough to leave my comfort zone. And you showed me that I was so much more than I thought.”
Drawing in a breath, she lets it out before adding quietly, “You made me feel beautiful, Kane. You gave me hope. And you gave me strength before I found it for myself. I’m so, so thankful I met you.
That you found me in my car that day. And I am so thrilled and honored to be able to call you my husband. ”
Then she releases my hand and touches my cheek. “Don’t cry,” she whispers.
“Happy tears,” I assure her. “All happy ones.”
Then I take a deep breath and bare my heart to her.
“I still remember that day at the Halloween Fest; when you captured my attention. I didn’t think I had a chance with you , but I wished I did. And when you finally gave me a chance… I couldn’t believe it. I felt so lucky. I still do.”
Threading my fingers between hers, I take a moment to compose myself. “You’re the first person I ever fell in love with. And once you let me in, I knew there couldn’t be anyone else. You’re it, Jess. The one. For now and always.”
“Kane.” It’s soft. Filled with emotion.
“You truly are the strongest person I know. And the kindest. The most generous. The most loving. I still can’t believe you picked me out of everyone in the world, but I’ll spend the rest of my life proving you didn’t make a mistake.”
“Never,” Jess replies. “Falling in love with you is the rightest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I love you so much, sweetheart,” I continue, my voice thick with emotion. “I can’t wait to marry you. To spend my life with you. And—” I lean in to speak near her ear, so only she can hear me. “I really can’t wait for our honeymoon. The villa on the water with the private pool and that giant bed…”
Her eyes heat to a deep green. Quietly, she adds, “And we have to remember the scarves. And the blindfold.”
Despite the formal setting, my pants go tight. “Yes,” I breathe. “Definitely those. ”
After a moment, Bill chuckles and says, “Okay, so let’s get this ceremony wrapped up. And I have a feeling these two wouldn’t mind skipping straight to the honeymoon.”
But he’s wrong.
I wouldn’t give up a second of this.
Of hearing Jess promise to take me as her husband.
Of me vowing to take her as my wife.
Slipping the wedding band on her finger, feeling as though everything in life finally makes sense.
Yes, I want the honeymoon. But I also want Jess to have this.
Her special day.
The day she deserves more than anyone.
When we’re declared husband and wife, I pull Jess into my arms and kiss her hard. She twines her arms around me and hangs on tight. I look into my wife’s eyes and joy takes over everything.
“I love you, Mrs. Montague,” I tell her. “Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world.”
Jess holds my gaze. Tears shine brightly in her eyes. “I love you, Mr. Montague. Thank you for showing me what true happiness is.”
My own eyes fill. “I’ll do anything to make you happy, sweetheart. Always .”