Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ALEX
Six Weeks Later
“ W hat do you think, Uncle Alex?” Elliot says, gesturing to the table where he’s built a wedding scene out of LEGO’s.
“I think it’s brilliant, little man,” I say, ruffling his hair.
“Uncle Alex, you know I’m almost eleven, right?”
“Does that mean you’re too old for hair ruffling?”
He grins, shaking his head. “Nah, it’s cool.”
“What about tickling?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m too old for that…”
He erupts into giggles when I leap on him. As he laughs, the last six weeks replay in my mind: the proposal, my woman moving in with us, the love we share every night, the way she nudges me to bond on a deeper level with Elliot, her bonding with Elliot.
Last night, in bed, she lay in my arms and whispered, “I can’t believe how deluded I was when this first started, Alex. It’s like I wanted you to be the bad guy. I was looking for a way out, a way to ignore what I knew I was feeling when I loved you already.”
I told her the truth: “I loved you the first moment I saw you.”
I put Elliot down when my phone buzzes.
“Remember the rule, Uncle Alex. You can only text if it’s Tori.”
I chuckle. “Seems I’m in luck, then.”
Tori: Do you think you could come to the bar?
My instincts turn to fierce protection right away.
Alex: Is something wrong?
Tori: No, but something has happened. I know it seems silly because it’s us, but I don’t want to tell you over text.
Alex: Is it good news or bad news?
Tori: I think you’ll need to decide that for yourself.
Alex: Okay, Miss Cryptic. But do YOU think it’s good or bad news?
Tory: My opinion sort of depends on your response.
I smirk, rolling my eyes. “Elliot, want to go for a ride?”
I drive to the bar, memories surging through me when I walk through the door. Julian still can’t believe that his ploy worked. He loves jokingly taking credit for us.
Tori rushes over to us, taking a moment to bump knuckles with Elliot. “Hey, champ.”
“Sup, Tori.”
“What is it?” I ask, taking Tori’s hand.
“I’m pregnant,” she says cautiously, clearly worried about my response, just like she said.
I let out a cheer so loud several people turn to look at us. Tori giggles when I pull her into my arms. “Pregnant? This is amazing news.”
“Are you sure?” she asks. “You don’t think we’re moving too fast?”
“Tori, my perfect poet, I knew I loved you the moment I saw you before we even exchanged our first text. Nothing is too fast for me… unless it is for you.”
She blinks, her eyes welling, making her look even more emotional and beautiful. “Whenever I tried to take it slow, I was kidding myself,” she says. “I wanted a happily ever after with you the night we met.”
“I love you,” I say, pulling her into my arms.
She wraps one arm around me and pulls Elliot in with the other. “I love you too. What do you think, Elliot? You’re going to have a little cousin.”
Elliot beams up at us. “I think I’ve got the best family ever.”
Considering where we started, the betrayal of my brother, his dad, and his mom this touches me deeply, and I feel a tear well in my eye.