Epilogue
O ne and a half years later—June
Underneath the dimmed lights of the ballroom, the faces faded into the shadows at the edge of the dance floor. The rest of the world fell away while the chorus from Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls played overhead. Projected onto the ceiling, a glittering display of the night sky and all its stars set the mood for the perfect evening.
Daisy's head lifted off Jensen's shoulder, hearing his soft murmuring to the song's lyrics. The two stood in the middle of the dance floor, swaying with the spotlight beaming on them. That was standard for weddings, after all.
Jensen’s voice quieted, but Daisy’s gloved hand slid up the lapel of his suit jacket. “Keep going. Your voice is so beautiful.”
“Oh, yeah?” Jensen chuckled, chin tilted down so their eyes would meet halfway. “That’s not what you said in the shower last week.”
"First of all, I said that you're not built to belt Whitney Houston, but most people don't have the skills for that! And second, please. . . for me?” Daisy scooted closer to Jensen, batting her lashes at him.
“Alright, alright.” Jensen’s hands dipped lower on her waist, leaning down until their lips brushed together. He fought a smile, sparing a glance toward the faces hidden in the darkness. “Anything for my wife.”
Daisy’s hold on Jensen—her husband —tightened while they circled around the ballroom. Between Jensen's whispering of the lyrics, the two collided into kisses, filled with enough passion to stretch across the four walls, helplessly falling into one another’s gravity.
Nuzzling closer to Jensen, Daisy tucked her face into his neck, listening to the steady thump of his heart. It was the sound Daisy heard when she first woke up and the last thing she heard before she fell asleep. Its steadiness grounded her to the world, even when her head landed somewhere among the stars or the rings of Saturn.
A sniffle escaped her as the outro to the song echoed over the speakers, prompting a soft sigh from Jensen. “Honey, do you need a tissue?”
“I’m fine,” Daisy huffed, albeit playfully, while fanning at her eyes. She didn’t spend a pretty penny on her make-up for the photos to have mascara smeared down her cheeks or splotches of red. “I’m still recovering from the surprise our parents sprung on me.”
When planning their wedding, Jensen and Daisy knew some traditions would need different executions. Chief among them was the father-daughter dance.
The two had brainstormed ideas, settling on making the dances for their families instead. Jensen shared the dance with his sisters and mom to an upbeat, crowd-pleaser. Daisy planned to dance to one of her favorite Billy Joel songs with her mom and brother.
During the dance, however, Daisy felt a tap on her shoulder, finding none other than Harrison and Eileen standing behind her. They offered their hands to her, asking for their turn to dance and welcome her to the family. She barely emerged from the dance with her make-up unscathed. That, and she heard enough camera clicks to have a photo album filled with her crying face taken mid-dance.
Jensen hummed, “I can’t wait to see how those photos turned out. Even while on the verge of crying, you’re still the most beautiful woman in this place.”
"And you're such a sap." Daisy suppressed her laughter into Jensen's shoulder, feeling it shake underneath her with his own laughter.
"I can spout off Hidden Oasis' quarterly reports if you prefer instead of lavishing you in compliments about how divine you look tonight," Jensen said.
“You’re annoying.”
“I love you, too.”
“I love you more.”
Daisy’s nose scrunched at him, smiling wide. The lights around the room raised, revealing all the faces of their friends, family, and former coworkers sitting at their assigned tables. Applause rolled from the audience, including whistles and hollering from the crowd.
Jensen and Daisy stepped apart when the emcee’s voice echoed from the DJ stand, “Once again, let’s hear it for Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey. What a lovely couple!”
“Not to be pedantic, but it’s Mr. Ramsey and soon-to-be Dr. Riggs!” Jensen declared above all the cheering from the crowd, waving his hand toward the emcee. He said it with a cheesy smirk while Daisy rolled her eyes.
“Ignore him,” she called out. “I don’t have a PhD yet, so it's still Mrs., but when the time comes, it'll be Dr. Ramsey. Thank you."
Daisy twirled out of Jensen’s arms, taking in the downright goofy smile on his face instead of the suave, composed smirk he wore before. Their marriage could still bring surprises to the table.
"With the first dances done, we will proceed to the bouquet toss! All the single ladies, get out of your chairs and line up!" the emcee shouted while Daisy raced to the sidelines, hiking the glittering skirt of her ivory sheath gown into her gloved hands.
She held her hand out to Giselle—her matron of honor—and accepted the bouquet of classic red roses. The spaghetti strap of her dress slipped down her shoulder while she raced back to Jensen on the floor.
As the music played, women from around the room rushed to the floor and packed into tight lines. Daisy turned her back to them, practicing her toss while she whispered to Jensen, "Hayley's girlfriend slipped me a $20 to toss it to her."
“Just shoot for the stars, honey,” Jensen chuckled, hands tucked into his suit’s pockets. Those stormy blue eyes sparkled while watching her. Daisy winked as she flung the bouquet behind her.
“Let’s see where it landed,” Daisy snorted, glancing over her shoulder with Jensen. The crowd of girls had parted and revealed the bouquet perfectly seated on the lap of one Callum Lambert.
Cal held up the bouquet, waving it in the air. "I'm off-duty and still catching flying objects. Any chance you want to pitch for the Foxhounds, Mrs. Ramsey?"
"I'm good, thanks! You're next on the marriage market, so good luck." Daisy smirked while the audience howled. Despite wrinkling his nose, Cal held the bouquet to his chest and swatted hands away from taking it.
A pair of arms slid around Daisy’s waist. She gasped softly before Jensen’s mouth found hers, crushing a loving kiss to her mouth. She, of course, reciprocated with a teasing nibble to his lower lip until Jensen pulled her closer.
“Is the garter toss next?”
“Your turn, Jensen!”
Several people in the crowd yelled—suspiciously at the Foxhound table—and Jensen waved them off, keeping Daisy close to his chest.
“None of you freaks get the garter toss. My wife, my eyes only!” Jensen exclaimed over the playful ribbing from the sidelines. He turned back to Daisy when she looped her hand into his lapels.
“I know that’s right,” she whispered, crushing their lips back together. Once, they might’ve been rivals at one another’s throats, but in each other, they found the one person who would never let the other settle for less than the best. It was what Ramseys did.