EPILOGUEANNIE
EPILOGUE
ANNIE
TWO SUMMERS LATER
With wildflowers in my hair, my dad walked me to meet Nick. We decided to return to the scene of where we first met, having our wedding at the Greenbrier like Guy and Kitty had.
But instead of the little white chapel, we got married at sunset in a field close to where we had our first ill-fated rendezvous.
Kitty arranged my skirts and tried not to draw attention to the fact that she was quietly weeping.
She wasn’t the only one. Nick, too, stood with shining eyes, reaching for me as soon as I was in range. His firm, albeit sweaty, grip on me soothed me as we recited our vows.
“Annabelle Jane, three years ago, I met you at this resort. We were both broken and bruised, and I was so taken by the beauty of both your scars and your resilience. And one of those nights, you told me what you wanted to hear when you got married. So I’m going to do my best to remember what you wanted,” he said.
“Annie, you are my first choice. You are enough on even your worst days. I always want to hear how you feel, and I’ll tell you how I feel. You are the center of my world, and I’m just a hopeless planet circling around your sun. I vow to be completely, sometimes foolishly in love with you, because you deserve every bit of that love. I promise to put you first today, and every day. To live with you, die with you, have babies with you, and experience every moment we can together.”
Well, I was a sobbing mess. And he did exactly what I thought he would: he pulled out a rainbow-colored endless handkerchief. I did everything I could not to kiss his corny ass right then and there, instead telling him how I felt.
“Nicholas John, I, too, remember how you opened your heart to me when we met, and how it tore mine right open. You shared the words that would mean the most to you. Know that I mean every one of them with everything I am. Nick, you are the only one for me. You make my life magical. I trust and love you in a way that transcends words. Being near you is the ultimate comfort. I want you by my side for the hard times and the good times. I’ll hold your hand if you die first, and I hope you’ll hold mine if I go first. I want to have children with you, so we can experience that joy together. And no matter what, I’ll work to figure it out with you, because there is nothing more special and worthwhile than what we have.”
And as we drank and danced and kissed, I knew that there could be no better future than the one that waited for me with Nick Oberbeck.