Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER…
“Brownie, no! Stop it! Spit that out! Come out of there!”
Marcus strolled into their bedroom and spotted Billie down on her hands and knees, halfway under their bed. Her adorable butt was in the air and he couldn’t help but chuckle as she reprimanded their puppy.
“What did he get into this time?”
“The dirty clothes! He’s got a pair of my underwear and is refusing to let go!”
“Well…you can’t blame him. I know I enjoy taking your underwear off with my teeth too,” he teased.
“Aha! Got ’em!” Crawling backwards, she sat up, waving the ruined garment. “For future reference, next time you tear off my underwear and toss them over your shoulder, remember to pick them up afterwards.” She was laughing, so he knew she wasn’t too upset about the whole thing.
“Duly noted.”
They had gotten back from their honeymoon two weeks ago and were finally settling into married life in their newly-furnished home. It still felt a little surreal to him, but in the best possible way.
Getting up, she tossed the underwear in the garbage in their bathroom before walking out and sitting on the corner of the bed. “How’s your day going?”
“Good! I just got the email from the photographer. Our wedding pictures are ready.”
Her beautiful eyes went wide. “Really? Already?” She was on her feet and running out of the room. “We need to look at them right now! Hurry!”
Laughing, he followed and found her in his office. “We don’t have to look at them in here. Why don’t we go into the living room, get comfy, and we’ll watch the slideshow?”
She scooped up his iPad and ran to the living room. “Come on!”
“You know, everyone in your family talks about your legendary patience, but I’m not getting that vibe from you at all…like…ever.”
“It’s gone. Trust me,” she told him as she sat down. Holding up the tablet, her legs were kicking playfully, and he knew it would be pointless to try to reason with her. “Please, Marcus! I’ve been looking forward to this so much!”
Sitting down beside her, he pulled up the email, clicked on the link, and then got comfortable. He might not admit it out loud, but he was excited about seeing the pictures too.
“Ooohhh…look how pretty,” she whispered. “The flowers really were amazing. And my bouquet was stunning.”
He had to agree.
There were pictures of the flowers, her dress, and of her getting ready first. Then, there were family pictures of her with her parents and siblings. The next batch was of him with his father and brother, holding a photo of his mom.
“Oh my goodness, I love that.” Leaning over, she kissed his cheek.
“She would have loved knowing I finally got my head out of my ass and married you,” he said, trying to make light of all of it. It was crazy how emotional seeing the photo made him. “She loved you.”
“I loved her too,” she quietly told him.
After that, there were dozens of photos from the church and the ceremony. “Now that’s the best shot,” he said when they reached the picture of them kissing when the pastor announced them man and wife.
“I have to agree.” She kissed him again.
The photos from the reception were a lot of fun to see because so much of it had been a blur. There were so many people and constant demands for pictures from relatives, and this was a great way to see all the things they missed.
“Wait, go back,” Billie said.
“Why?”
“The last picture, look at the background and tell me what you see.”
So he did. “I see people dancing. Why, what do you see?”
“I see my cousin Hailey kissing your brother!” she pointed out with amusement. “How did we miss that? How did everyone miss that? I would have thought someone would’ve mentioned it to us!”
“I…I have no idea. Max didn’t mention it either.”
She leaned in closer, studying the picture. “I’m so curious now! I might have to text Hailey later and see what’s up!” Then she looked up at him. “Or you can text Max and find out?”
“I’m not getting involved. It’s none of our business. If it was something, someone would have told us. For all you know, it was just a drunken kiss.”
“Hmm…maybe…”
“Can we finish looking at the rest of the pictures?”
“Yes, please!”
They finished and then looked them over another three times, each time finding a new favorite.
“I’ll be right back. I need something to drink. Do you want anything?”
“I’m good, but thanks.”
Billie got up and Marcus was more than happy to keep scrolling. It was crazy how they’d pulled off such a fantastic wedding in such a short amount of time. It was rustic chic, the food was delicious, and the fact that they’d been able to enjoy themselves was kind of amazing. It certainly beat eloping by themselves like he thought was a good idea years ago. If he had only listened back then, it might not have taken so long to get where they were right now.
“Lesson learned,” he murmured.
“Hey, your phone just dinged with an incoming text,” she said as she sat back down, handing the phone to him.
“Thanks.” Handing her the tablet, he tapped on the phone screen and was instantly confused. “Um…the text is from you.”
“Mm-hmm…” she hummed. “Open it.”
“Billie, can’t you just tell me…?”
“Just open it!” she snapped with a laugh. “Sheesh!”
It was a photo, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Tapping the screen, he zoomed in a bit. “Is this…what…?” Then he spotted the two pink lines. Turning his head, his eyes went wide. “Is this what I think it is?”
She nodded. “Uh-huh!”
“We’re having…you’re…you’re…”
“We’re having a baby!” She was in his arms, straddling his lap, holding him tight.
Dropping his phone, he held her close. “Why didn’t you say anything? I know we’ve been trying, but…”
Pulling back slightly, she rested her forehead against his. “I was afraid to get my hopes up. We’re older and already in a high-risk category, so I wanted to wait until I talked to the gynecologist. She’s a customer at Books & Beans and she took me in after I left work today.” She studied his face. “This is another big change, I mean…the house, the dogs, the wedding, and now a baby. Are you ready for this?”
Reaching up, he cupped her face in his hands. “As long as you’re right here beside me, I’m ready for anything because you are my other half. There isn’t anything we can’t get through together.”