Epilogue 1
Jack
D ad catches my eye in the mirror as I adjust my tie for the hundredth time. In an hour, he'll be standing at that altar marrying Caterina, and I couldn't be prouder to stand beside him as his best man.
“Need help with that, son?” He appears beside me, looking sharp in his charcoal suit.
“Shouldn't I be asking you that?” I turn to face him. “You're the one getting married today. Any pre-wedding jitters?”
He shrugs, the gesture almost boyish despite his silver hair. “Not a single one. Marrying Caterina?” His eyes crinkle. “Only thing I've been this sure about was watching you and Eden fall in love. Some things you just know.”
Two months. It's been two months since Eden quit her job, since she came home and turned everything upside down in the best possible way. The boutique next to The HideOut opened just after New Year's, and even in the post-holiday retail slump, her “authentic designs” are drawing people from three towns over.
“Speaking of Eden...” Dad nods toward the door where my girlfriend – though not for much longer if the ring hidden in my desk at the bar has anything to say about it – is slipping in, still in jeans and one of my flannel shirts, her hair in rollers.
“Jack!” She rushes over, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “Mom's asking for you. Something about the hot chocolate station? The caterers can't find your recipe card.”
I catch her hand before she can dash away again. “Breathe, princess. The recipe's behind the bar at The HideOut. Tony knows where.”
“Right. Yes. Breathing.” She squeezes my hand, then looks at Dad. “And you! Why aren't you dressed yet? Mom's going to?—”
“Eden.” I tug her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo mixed with what I suspect is peppermint syrup from the morning's taste-testing. “Everything's perfect. Go finish getting ready.”
She melts against me for just a moment, then straightens. “You're right. Of course you're right.” She heads for the door, calling over her shoulder, “But if those marshmallows aren't hand-cut squares, we're going to have words, Jack Harrison!”
Dad chuckles as the door closes behind her. “That girl...”
“Yeah.” I straighten my tie one last time, thinking of the ring waiting at the bar. Soon. Maybe after the boutique's spring collection launch. Or during the cherry blossom festival she keeps talking about. “That girl's going to be my wife.”
Dad's eyes soften. “You know, son, when I moved here to reconnect with you, I never imagined we'd both find happiness with?—”
A knock at the door interrupts us. Tony pokes his head in, already in his groomsman suit. “Hot chocolate crisis averted. But uh, Caterina's asking for both of you. Something about a mother-son dance addition to the reception?”
Eden's influence, no doubt. Two months ago, she'd started leaving wedding magazines around the boutique, pages folded down to articles about blended family traditions. As if I needed any more reasons to love her.
“Better not keep the bride waiting,” Dad says, reaching for his tux jacket. “You remember what happened at the menu tasting.”
I laugh, following him out. The menu tasting had turned into an impromptu family dinner, with Eden and Caterina tag-teaming their way through every possible combination of appetizers while Dad and I exchanged bemused looks over our wine glasses. That night, watching Eden gesture enthusiastically about proper hors d'oeuvre-to-champagne ratios, I knew she'd make Dad and Caterina's day perfect. And she has. From the flowers to the timing, she hasn't missed a detail.
The church's side room is organized chaos. Caterina's already in her dress – ivory silk that Eden designed, with delicate beading that catches the light. Her eyes light up when she sees us.
“There are my favorite men!” She waves us over, careful not to disturb the pearl-dotted pins in her hair. “Robert, darling, we need to practice our first dance one more time. And Jack, Eden needs you in the reception hall. Something about the hot chocolate garnishes?”
“I've got it covered.” I kiss her cheek. “You look beautiful, Caterina.”
Her eyes well up. “Oh, don't. My makeup's already been done twice.”
“Mom!” Eden's voice carries from the hallway. “The florist is here with the bouquets, and – Jack?” She appears in the doorway, half-dressed in her bridesmaid's gown, hair still in those ridiculous rollers. “Why aren't you checking the hot chocolate station?”
“Because your mother just told me you needed help with garnishes.”
“What? No, I—” She stops, narrowing her eyes at Caterina. “Mom, are you trying to orchestrate moments again?”
Caterina looks utterly unrepentant. “I just think it's nice when people have special moments to remember on wedding days.”
“It's your wedding day,” Eden points out.
“And I want to share it.” Caterina reaches for both our hands. “My wonderful daughter, who came home to stop my wedding and ended up finding her own happiness. And Jack, who's become the son I never had. Now go, both of you. Sort out whatever needs sorting with that hot chocolate station. But Jack?” Her eyes twinkle. “Check your inside pocket first. Robert left something there for you both.”
My hand flies to my suit jacket's inner pocket, relief washing over me when I remember the ring is safely hidden in my desk drawer at the bar. Instead, I find a small cream envelope I definitely didn't put there.
“What's this?” Eden asks, peering over my shoulder as I open it.
Inside is an old photograph of The HideOut from when it first opened, next to a recent one of Eden's boutique on opening day. Someone – Dad, probably – has written across the bottom: “Like father, like son. Here's to new beginnings.”
“Dad?” I look at him, surprised.
He shrugs, trying to appear casual despite his obvious pleasure. “Just wanted you both to see how far we've all come. And how much further we can go.”
Eden's eyes well up as she traces the edges of the photographs. “I should go check on those marshmallows,” she whispers, but not before I catch her wiping away a tear.
“I'll help with the marshmallows,” I say, following Eden into the hallway. She stops abruptly, turning to press her face against my chest.
“Your tie's going to be a mess,” she mumbles into my shirt.
“Worth it.” I stroke her back, careful of the half-done dress. “You okay?”
She pulls back, laughing softly. “Yeah. Just... remember when I came home determined to stop all this? And now look at us.”
“Best failed intervention ever.”
“Shut up.” But she's smiling, that brilliant smile that first caught my attention across the bar. “Come on. Those marshmallows aren't going to inspect themselves.”
The reception hall is a vision of winter-to-spring transition, just as Eden promised it would be. White roses and silver ribbons echo the church decorations, but she's added touches of pale pink and green, subtle hints of the season to come. The hot chocolate station stands in the corner, an elegant setup that somehow manages to look both sophisticated and cozy.
“See?” Eden gestures to the perfectly cut marshmallow squares. “Tony found your recipe card.”
“Our recipe,” I correct her. “You're the one who insisted on the sea salt addition.”
“Which makes it perfect.” She steals one of the marshmallows, popping it into her mouth with a satisfied smile. “Just like that night at the fair.”
I watch her adjust a flower arrangement, totally in her element. The boutique might be new, but this – this ability to make everything around her more beautiful – that's pure Eden. Has been since the day she stormed into my bar with her city clothes and sharp tongue.
“What?” She catches me staring.
“Nothing.” Everything. “Just thinking about how glad I am you came home to stop this wedding.”
Music drifts in from the church – the organist must be practicing. Eden's eyes soften at the melody, and I can't help but imagine another day, another ceremony. Soon. The ring in my desk drawer suddenly feels like it's burning a hole through the whole building.
“Eden? It's time!” One of the bridesmaids calls from the doorway. “Your mom's asking for you.”
Eden stretches up on her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “See you up there?”
“I'll be the one next to the nervous guy in the tuxedo.”
“And I'll be the one not crying.” She backs away, grinning. “Much.”
I watch her go, already missing her warmth. Then I head back to help Dad with his boutonnière, knowing that in less than an hour, our families will be officially joined. Though if I'm honest, they already are – have been since that first night at The HideOut, when a city girl walked into my bar and changed everything.
The church bells begin to chime.
The ceremony is everything Caterina dreamed of. She floats down the aisle to Dad, both of them grinning like teenagers. Eden stands beside her mother, dabbing her eyes despite her earlier claims about not crying. When she catches my eye during the vows, her smile is so bright it makes my chest ache.
At the reception, the hot chocolate station is a hit. Even Eden's fashion-forward college friends are asking for seconds, adding splashes of Baileys from The HideOut's signature collection. Dad and Caterina share their first dance, and I watch Eden sway to the music, her eyes following their movements with a softness I've never seen before.
“May I?” I hold out my hand as the next song starts.
She comes willingly into my arms. “Who taught you to dance?”
“YouTube, last night.” When she laughs, I pull her closer. “Actually, your mom. Said I needed to practice for important occasions.”
“Like your father's wedding?”
“Among others.” The ring at the bar seems to pulse in my mind. But no – not tonight. Tonight is for them.
Except...
The music shifts to something slow and sweet. Eden's head rests against my shoulder, and suddenly I can't remember a single one of the reasons why I was waiting. Can't think of anything except how right she feels in my arms, how perfect her boutique looks next to my bar, how the past two months have been the best of my life.
“Eden?”
“Mmm?”
“I'll be right back.”
She blinks up at me, confused, as I sprint toward the door. I hear her call after me, but I'm already halfway to The HideOut. The ring is exactly where I left it, tucked safely in my desk drawer. Simple, elegant, with a small diamond that reminded me of starlight on snow.
When I return, slightly out of breath, Eden's waiting by the hot chocolate station.
“Jack? What are you?—”
I drop to one knee, right there between the marshmallows and the hand-shaved chocolate.
“I had a plan,” I tell her, heart pounding. “Something about cherry blossoms and spring, but... I don't want to wait. I don't want to plan. I just want you, Eden. Forever. Even if you hate my Christmas lights and reorganize my filing system and make me hand-cut marshmallows for the rest of our lives.”
“Jack...” Her hands fly to her mouth.
“Marry me?”
For a moment, there's just the sound of music and distant laughter. Then Eden pulls me to my feet, tears streaming down her face.
“Yes,” she whispers against my lips.
Later, as we sway to another slow song, her ring catching the light, Caterina raises her hot chocolate in a toast. “To new beginnings,” she calls out.
“To new beginnings,” everyone echoes.
Eden squeezes my hand. “To coming home,” she whispers, just for me.
And she's right. We're all home now.