Epilogue #2
“Josie has always been one of my favorite people. Pretty sure everyone here would agree, she’s the strongest one among us.
Watching her life unfold over the years has only confirmed what I’ve always known: she’s the kind of friend everyone hopes for.
And those of us here today? We got lucky.
” He pauses to glance around at all our friends and family.
“She’s an amazing mom. And Tyler, I have no doubt she’ll be the perfect wife for you.
I’ve only known you for a short time, but in that short time I’ve seen there is no better man to love and cherish our Josie than you. ”
“Liam,” I say, my voice breaking.
Liam pulls the paper from his pocket and looks out at everyone gathered.
“I came across this years ago, and saved it for a moment I knew was real, true. A moment like today. It’s by a poet named George Eliot. He glances between me and Tyler, then reads.
“To Be One With Each Other, by George Eliot. ‘What greater thing is there for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined for life—to strengthen each other in all labor, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories.’”
By the end, Tyler’s gripping my hands, not blinking. His eyes are glassy, jaw working in that way that tells me he’s barely holding back. I’m not in much better shape myself. Quickly, I glance at Penny’s tear streaked face, then to Abby, who’s also crying, and back to Tyler.
Liam folds the paper, then says, “I’d say that about sums it up. Now, Tyler and Josie wrote their own vows. Tyler, you’re up, man.”
Tyler lets out a quiet breath, reaching into his pocket for his vows. But then he stops, looks back at me, and wads up the paper.
“Jo, love, I need to speak from my heart. Words on paper could never come close to capturing what you mean to me.” He closes his eyes, like he’s collecting himself.
“There was a time when I thought the universe was working against us. But I see it all differently now, how the universe unfolded before us, exactly as it should. The universe wasn’t keeping us apart.
It was giving us time to become the people we are now, so when we finally found our way back to one another, we’d be ready to love each other the way we’re always meant to. ” Tyler pauses to swallow hard.
“Now that I have you, truly have you, I will never cease to marvel at the miracle of it all. Against all the odds, I’m here today to become your husband.
Never, till the end of my days, will I stop being grateful for this second chance I’ve been given to hold your hand, to build this life together, to love you each and every day. ”
Tyler’s eyes crinkle at the corners with a smile.
“Jo, you’re the most stubborn, brilliant, breathtaking woman I’ve ever known.
You made me a father and gave me a family—our family.
And I promise to love all three of you, completely, no matter what the day might bring, whether it’s chaos and laughter, or sadness and tears.
Jo, I promise to be your quiet respite when the world around you is loud.
I promise to love you and support all your dreams, from now till eternity. ”
Fat tears spill down my cheeks, probably ruining my makeup. I know my vows are next, but I don’t trust my voice to work yet. Inhaling a shaky breath, I look to Liam, who smiles and gives me a small nod.
“Your turn, Josie.”
“Well, I’m not as smooth as you and I do have mine written down. We all know how my mouth runs away with me sometimes.”
Everyone laughs and Penny leans over, handing me the note with my vows. My fingers tremble, but my voice steadies the moment I speak his name.
“Tyler, first of all, I want to say thank you. Thank you for being the kind of man who loves without conditions. You are steadfast, loyal, kind, and good down to your soul. I will never take for granted your love for our family, your devotion to our care and happiness, and your unwavering presence. I promise to keep choosing you on the best days, when life feels like I’m floating along on a cloud, and on the hard ones, when everything feels heavy and uncertain.
Especially then. Because you are my safe place. You are my constant. How lucky am I—”
“We, love,” Tyler cuts in, winking.
“Who’s vows are these?” I tease, a grin breaking through my tears. Laughter sounds throughout the tent and I continue. “How lucky are we, to have found each other not once, but twice in one lifetime.”
Everyone is so quiet I can hear the wind rustling the trees.
Then Liam grins and says, “All right then. Josie, do you take Tyler to be your husband?”
“I do. Always.”
“Tyler, do you take Josie to be your wife?”
“Always.”
“Then, by the power vested in me and by the state of Alabama, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Tyler, kiss your bride.”
Tyler’s lips crush to mine and everyone stands cheering.
The reception is a raucous affair, full of food, laughter, and music.
Tyler takes me in his arms for our first dance to “When You Say Nothing At All,” singing in my ear with all of our friends and family watching.
Everyone floods the dance floor to do The Wobble while Austin ribs Tyler about his dancing skills, but Tyler keeps on, offbeat snaps and all.
He and I sway together laughing, drunk off this love and the beautiful future that awaits us.
I dance with Jay and Abby, then with Penny, her hand on her belly as we twirl under the twinkling lights.
My brother is even here, to my surprise. And he looks good, put together in a suit and tie. When he grabs Amelia’s moms hand and drags her to the dance floor, I shake my head, laughing.
Glancing around, I spot Tyler, and as always, he’s already looking at me. I mouth, I love you, to him from across the dance floor, and he smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners and mouths it right back.
These last several years, I’d convinced myself love was a storm you had to brace against. The kind that soaks you to the bone and leaves you shivering in the cold waiting for the skies to clear.
It’s something you survive, but never trust. But standing here as Tyler’s wife, I see it differently.
Love can be peace. It’s like driving through a deluge, your mind nothing but a cacophony of racing thoughts, each one vying for attention.
But suddenly you pass under a bridge, where, for one suspended moment, the rain stops, the world falls silent, and you can breathe again.
Tyler is my bridge, the one who quiets my mind… my shelter in the storm.
I will spend all the days of my life striving to be the same for him.
Heading his way, I grab his hand when I reach him because I know where I want to kiss him on our first day of forever.
Tyler’s brows furrow, but he doesn’t question as I lead him from the tent, across our lawn and into our house.
When the kids and I moved in, Tyler and I hung the family portrait over the couch as a constant reminder that our family is complete.
Standing in front of it now, as Tyler’s wife, I rise to my tip-toes and press my lips to his.
Tyler smiles against my mouth and murmurs, “The universe finally got it right.”
It certainly did.