Epilogue
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER: AMELIA
“ G ood morning, beautiful.”
A smile spread across Amelia’s face before she even opened her eyes. The sound of Liam’s voice and the feeling of his hand on her waist brought the same wave of love and attraction she’d felt two years ago, when Liam had first proposed.
“What time is it?” Amelia asked. She opened her eyes and saw Liam’s handsome face beside hers.
“Not quite eight. Miles hasn’t woken up yet, and I haven’t heard anything from Grace’s room.”
“They let us sleep in.” Amelia smiled and stretched luxuriously. Liam had opened the curtains to let sunlight spill across the bed, which was made with a simple sky-blue comforter that Amelia had convinced Liam to get. “What a nice present.”
“Grace has another present for us, apparently. Her preschool teacher said that she’s been working on something special all week.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” With a yawn, Amelia sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I’m going to take a quick shower, then we can get the kids up.”
“Hold on.” Liam sat up and came to sit beside Amelia. He lifted one hand to the side of her face and ran his thumb across her cheekbone. “I want to remember how my wife looks on her wedding day.”
Amelia blushed. “Please don’t remember how I look now. My hair is messy, I’m not wearing any makeup, and I probably have a big red line from the pillow across my cheek.”
“You look beautiful.” Liam kissed Amelia’s cheek. “You always look beautiful. But this is how I want to remember you on our wedding day — fresh from sleep and all mine.”
Amelia lifted her hand to cover Liam’s. “Then I’ll remember you like this, too, with a hint of stubble on your cheeks and half your hair sticking up. And all mine.” She grinned and Liam grinned back. Two years had passed, and Amelia still felt like she’d won the lottery every day, getting to be with a guy like Liam. “Now I have to go shower.”
“Take your time. I’ll get the kids up.”
“Thanks.” Amelia made a beeline for the shower. As she stepped into the warm water and reached for her shampoo, she thought back on everything that had changed over the last few years. After Liam proposed to her in the kitchen, they talked about having a wedding right away, but since everyone already thought they were married, they decided to wait. Then, Miles was born. From his first day, he was amazing — he made them laugh, he was adorable, he seemed to learn and grow every day, and he won over his older sister with a toothless grin.
Amelia and Liam brought Miles home, not to Liam’s penthouse but to the beautiful family home in the suburbs they’d purchased in Amelia’s sixth month of pregnancy. After that, they settled into a blissful, if sleep-deprived, cocoon of family life. The house was big and sunny and had a huge backyard, where Grace loved to play on her swing set and trampoline. She asked every day when her little brother would be big enough to jump and swing with her.
Liam still went into the office, but his hours were far reduced. He spent some time training his deputies so that they could handle most of the day-to-day operations of the office, and Lilypad Learning continued to thrive without Liam controlling every aspect of the company. He devoted the extra time he had to his wife and children.
As for Amelia, she loved her new life. She took time off work after Miles was born, but now that he was quickly approaching eighteen months old, she’d found a part-time job at a local charity, where she was able to put her HR skills to good use without her work taking over her life.
Amelia rinsed the last of the conditioner out of her hair, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower. Her towel was warm, and her outfit for the day — a beautiful, lacy, white dress — was neatly hung on the back of the door. Amelia didn’t put it on yet, though, since breakfast with two kids was almost sure to be messy. Instead, she slipped into her weekend pajamas and headed out.
As he’d promised, Liam had gotten Miles and Grace up. Both kids were sitting at the dining-room table, Miles in his high chair. When Amelia walked in, they both bounced with joy.
“Mommy!” Grace called.
“Mama!” Miles echoed.
Grace called Amelia “Mommy” now. They still talked about Cora, Grace’s “first mommy,” often, but Grace had explained that Amelia was her “second mommy” now. Amelia was touched by her daughter’s love and by the honor of earning the title.
“Good morning.” Amelia beamed at her children and came to kiss first Grace, then Miles, on their small heads. Both kids smelled like baby shampoo and syrup.
“I made pancakes.” Liam proudly lifted a plate full of pancakes from the counter onto the table.
“Wow, you really did. They look beautiful.”
“Still such a tone of surprise.” Liam raised his eyebrows teasingly. “You know I’ve worked hard on my culinary skills.”
“I know, I know, but I’m still impressed whenever you turn out something that isn’t charred or raw.”
“Well, these are neither. Sit down and let’s eat.”
Amelia sat and began helping Miles and Grace dish up their breakfasts.
“Are you two excited for today?” Liam asked.
“ So excited.” Grace’s eyes were wide with joy. “I get to wear a beautiful dress.”
“Yes, you do.” Amelia and Liam exchanged a smile. They’d agreed that during their small, private ceremony, everyone should get to wear exactly what they wanted. What Grace wanted was a shimmery blue princess costume and fairy wings. She looked adorable and, most importantly, she was thrilled with her outfit.
“How about you, Miles?” Liam asked. “Are you excited?”
“Ka koo,” Miles replied, very seriously. He knew a few words, but he still communicated a lot in adorable babbles.
“He’s excited,” Grace reported. She took her role as Miles’s translator very seriously, even though Liam and Amelia were fairly certain that she was no better at understanding his baby babbles than they were.
“That’s great.” Amelia grinned at her beautiful children. Her heart felt so full.
“I have a present for you.” Grace ran to her room and returned with a folded piece of paper that was smeared with syrup from the pancakes. Amelia and Liam exchanged a glance before Amelia carefully unfolded the paper. Inside was a drawing of Amelia, Liam, Grace, and baby Miles in a garden, holding hands. The sight of the picture melted Amelia’s heart and she folded Grace into a tight hug.
After breakfast, it was time to get ready for the ceremony. Amelia and Liam had announced it to their family and friends as a vow renewal, which it technically was, but it was also the wedding they’d never had. Amelia’s sister Katie came over to help her get ready, while her father watched the kids.
“I’m so happy for you,” Katie said as she helped Amelia into her white dress. “I know this has been a long road, but I’ve never seen a couple as happy to be together as you and Liam.”
“We are pretty perfect for each other.” Amelia spun to look at herself in the full-length mirror. “We just didn’t know it at first.”
“Even I knew you would be a good match before you did.” Katie winked. “You told me, very firmly, for a long time, that you weren’t interested in Liam at all.”
“And I believed it!” Amelia chuckled. “I didn’t see how wonderful Liam was, beneath his productive and managerial exterior.”
“He is pretty great.” Katie handed Amelia the pearl earrings she’d picked out for the ceremony. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Amelia swept her gaze over her form in the mirror. Her wedding dress had three-quarter sleeves, a fitted bodice, and a long, flared skirt. It was made with a beautiful, delicate lace that Amelia couldn’t stop running her hands over. The dress had been expensive, but Liam had insisted that she get exactly the dress she wanted.
“You deserve the best, always,” he’d said, and then he’d kissed her.
“No, really, you do.” Katie shook her head. “And it’s not even the beautiful dress or your hair or your jewelry. You’re glowing with happiness.”
“And you encouraged me not to take this job.” Amelia chuckled. “You told me not to take a job that would steal my whole heart.”
“In this case, I was wrong. Love is the one job that should take your whole heart.”
The sisters smiled at each other in the mirror. Then Katie let out a sigh.
“Okay. It’s time to get you out there.”
When Amelia stepped through the glass back door into the yard, she caught her breath. Liam had closed the blinds the day before and told her very sternly not to look outside. Amelia had nearly died of curiosity, but the wait was worth it. The yard was transformed into the most beautiful wedding venue Amelia had ever seen. White folding chairs lined an aisle strewn with rose petals. An arch of flowering vines stood at the end of the aisle. Best of all, Liam was waiting for Amelia there with Miles in his arms. It was the dream wedding Amelia had imagined for herself come to life.
“Mommy!” Grace hurried over and held up her arms. Amelia scooped her up.
“You look so beautiful, sweetheart. I love your dress.”
“You look beautiful, too, Mommy.” Grace smiled her sweet toothy smile up at Amelia. “Is it time to walk to Daddy?”
“Yes, it is.”
Since this wasn’t exactly a traditional wedding, Amelia and Liam had structured the ceremony just how they wanted. Their children played a big role, the ceremony itself would be short, and afterwards they would have a barbecue lunch with everyone they loved best.
“Katie, would you ask them to start the music?”
“Sure thing.” Katie hurried off and, a moment later, the wedding march began to play. Amelia’s dad joined her and Grace at the end of the aisle and, together, they began the long walk to the arch at the front of the yard.
When the music began to play, Liam looked up and his eyes met Amelia’s. His lips curved into a smile, and Amelia could see the love in his deep-blue eyes. In his arms, Miles clapped excitedly.
As Amelia walked, scenes from her life with Liam flashed through her mind. There was that first meeting, when little Jamie had smeared ice cream all over Liam’s suit. Their lunch at the restaurant, when Amelia had thought they were on a date and had quickly realized it was a job interview. The first time Liam had given her a ring in the kitchen to solidify their fake marriage.
Then came all the beautiful moments as Liam had learned to be a father and Amelia had begun to fall in love with him. She remembered how tentative they’d been in the beginning and all the heartbreaks they’d faced — heartbreaks that had only brought them closer. There was the second ring Liam had given her, the candy one that had since been replaced with a perfect but modest diamond. All the moments of her pregnancy, when Liam had been by Amelia’s side.
Their new house. The joys and trials of parenthood. The little moments of connection. The time, a few months ago, when Liam had gotten down on one knee again and asked her if she was ready for their long-awaited ceremony.
And there was today. Surrounded by their friends and family, including Amelia’s whole family, Stanley and his family, and even Liam’s parents, they would declare their love for each other for the rest of their lives.
Liam had said that morning that he wanted to remember Amelia as she was, sitting on the side of their bed in her pajamas and with messy hair. Well, Amelia wanted to remember him like this: standing at the end of the aisle, holding their son, as she walked towards him with their daughter in her arms. She wanted to remember all he’d done to put their family first, from stepping back at work to learning more and more about parenting every day. She wanted to remember how he looked at her and how he kissed her, like she was the only person in the world who mattered.
The birds sang in the sky above, the guests cheered, Liam smiled that loving smile, and Amelia stepped closer. She couldn’t wait to begin her new life, as Liam’s real wife, but she didn’t want this moment to end, either.
It felt like the beginning of everything.
The End