Epilogue
Kimberly
“Gran was right. June is a great month for a wedding,” I murmured. “Gran, are you sure you don’t need our help?”
“No, no. I’ll be out in a minute.” She was changing behind a curtain and stepped out almost immediately. Her eyes were red.
"Gran!" Reese said, jumping from the chair.
I rose too. My sister and I had been on our feet for hours, walking in killer heels. They looked good, but my feet were already hurting, and I was determined to dance at my grandmother's wedding.
"I teared up. Can you believe it?" Gran asked.
"Don't you worry. I'll fix you up right away," Reese replied. She'd bought a special makeup kit for the occasion. Gran insisted she didn't want anyone but us touching her hair and makeup, and we'd done a great job, if I did say so myself.
"You look stunning," I told her. She'd chosen silver jewelry for the day. She wore big chandelier earrings and a matching pendant. "I've never seen you wear these."
"Your grandfather gave them to me. I couldn't wear them for the longest time. Every time I took them out, I'd get sad. But I felt it was appropriate to wear them today."
Oh sweet Lord. Now guess who's tearing up? Yep. Me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at my sister. She moved stiffly, which meant she was trying to fight tears.
"Of course, Gran. I'm sure Grandpa is looking down and is happy for you," she said.
"I think so too. I'm sure he'd berate me for spending so much time alone, but if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have met John."
"That's right," Reese agreed. "We're so happy for you. By the way, Dad arrived a while ago. He's actually right outside the door, waiting to talk to you."
"Oh, let him in."
I immediately went to the door of the suite, opening it.
Dad came inside with his new wife, Lara, who was carrying our baby sister. Well, she wasn't a baby anymore. She was a toddler and could have been my daughter, really, because she liked cookies as much as I did. Hence why I'd nicknamed her Cookie.
Almost automatically, I stretched out my hands. Lara smiled, depositing Cookie in my arms.
"You're very good with her," she said.
I immediately kissed her head. "Do you remember your sister Kimberly? You were so tiny the last time I saw you." That was one part of the problem with Dad living so far away in London. It wasn't just that we didn't see him often, but I didn't get to see this lovely girl either.
"Mom, you look great," he said.
"I'm happy you think so. Did you have a nice flight?"
"Yes. We’re jet-lagged but still plan to dance a lot," Lara said. "As long as our baby girl will let us."
"Don't worry, Kimberly and I can keep an eye on her," Reese offered.
"I've had a long chat with your future husband as well," Dad said to Gran.
She rolled her eyes. "Tell me you didn't scare him off. Being left at the altar at my age wouldn't bode well. Who would marry me?"
Dad chuckled. "I like him. I invited both of you to London. Not that you need an invitation, but I thought he might feel more at ease if it came directly from me."
She smiled. "Thank you."
"Now, come on," Lara said. "Everyone's impatiently waiting outside. Wouldn't want your groom to say you have cold feet."
"I don't, not even a bit."
Dad walked arm in arm with Gran for only a few steps before she pulled away. "You walk too fast. Let me be. I need to go at my pace."
We all laughed.
I gave my sister to Lara, and then Dad held his arms at his sides and said, "Girls, want to walk with this old man?"
"Sure, Dad." I took his arm. Reese took the other.
Gran was walking in front, and Lara was behind us.
"It's good that you've come. I know it means a lot to Gran," I said.
"It means a lot to me, too, to witness this day. I'm happy Mom finally found someone."
He looked at each of us for a moment. "Girls, I had a lot of time to think about the two of you lately, and, well, I wanted to apologize for not being more present for you while growing up."
Reese and I exchanged glances. Dad never spoke about that time. Mostly because it had been very painful for him.
"You did your best," I said. I knew from the bottom of my heart that he really had, and that was all any of us could do.
"I know, but I want to do better. I know we live an ocean apart, but I want to be a bigger part of your lives, girls."
Reese beamed. "You're doing fine, Dad."
He frowned. "Neither of you has come to visit me lately."
"I might," Reese said.
We walked through the narrow corridor that led straight to the huge yard. It was a small luxury hotel. Gran insisted she wanted to have a wedding at a venue that had plenty of space outdoors because she didn't want to feel confined.
Our uncle was waiting right outside. I offered him my other arm, and he took it right away.
"How are you holding up?" Dad asked him.
Emmett cleared his throat. "Honestly, I never thought this day would happen."
"Gran's radiant," I said. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."
"That's all we want for her," Emmett said. He and Dad were both stoic. I could imagine this was a very emotional day for them.
It was for us grandkids too. My throat was full of emotion, but not just because Gran was getting married. Having Dad here and being together as a family meant a lot to me.
The hotel had done a fabulous job with the sitting area outside.
I was trying to shut off my work brain, yet I couldn't help but notice details: the carpet they'd put between the rows leading up to the aisle, and even the chairs themselves—they looked very comfortable, even though they didn't take up much space.
Most of the guests were sitting down, but not us Maxwells, of course. Everyone seemed to be on their feet. Tate and Travis were chasing their toddlers. I loved seeing both of my cousins like this. Fatherhood truly was good for them.
Bonnie and Lexi were sitting down, heads together. Lexi winked at me. I wondered what they were planning.
Liz was at the appetizer table, instructing the server. She was such a darling. She'd offered to help us find a catering team and to keep an eye on them.
Sweet Lord, I hadn't wanted her to work the day of the wedding. I'd have a word with her later, or I could get Declan to do it. He was far more convincing than I was.
Suze was by the table, too, holding Michael on one hip. Drake was next to her, wiping a bit of drool from Michael's chin.
Not the moment to jump him, Kimberly.
Noticing me, he kissed Michael's head before joining us. I’d met his parents, too, when they came to visit recently. They seemed to like me, which was all I could hope for.
Both my dad and my uncle went on with Gran.
"How's it going in there?" Drake asked, putting an arm around my waist. I loved it when he did that. I felt treasured and protected and wanted.
"Emotions are running rampant, but I think that's to be expected. Gran is happy.”
“How are things with your dad?"
"They're great," I said truthfully. "I'm happy he's here."
"How come you aren't carrying your sister? I was half expecting you to hog her the whole day."
I laughed but felt myself blush. How did he know I planned to do just that?
"The day is still young," I said in what I hoped was an enigmatic tone.
Drake burst out laughing, then kissed my forehead. "You're damn adorable."
Sam and Tyler came up to us. They were both grinning from ear to ear.
"What are you smiling about?" I asked.
"Hey, it's a happy day. Can’t we smile?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, it's just a bit suspicious. It's a grin, not a smile," I remarked.
"We were just trying to guess whose wedding will come next, now that we're getting the hang of it." Tyler looked between the two of us.
I narrowed my eyes. “Tyler, I know for a fact that you plan on tying the knot soon, so why don't you tell us?"
He gave us a mischievous grin. "Kendra and I want to do it at the end of summer."
"I can't believe it. Why does no one in this family take longer than a few months to plan a wedding?"
Sam winked at me. “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to plan mine and Avery’s.” Then he turned to Drake. “You and I still need to have a serious conversation, by the way.”
It was my turn to laugh now. Drake's expression was comical, like he didn't know if he should laugh or if he should be afraid of my cousins.
"Don't worry. They're all talk," Luke said, coming up behind us, clearly overhearing the conversation.
"You did tell them that you questioned Drake, didn't you?" I asked Luke.
The day after our engagement, Drake woke up early and went for coffee downstairs. Guess who he ran into? My cousins. They grilled him like it was their job.
“Yeah, but if Sam wants to have a go, I can’t stop him.”
“That's the spirit.” Sam grinned. "Besides, we need to keep sharp for whenever Reese introduces us to anyone."
Tyler looked at me. "What do you know? Should we expect it soon?”
“Wait, are you three ambushing me?"
Drake brought his mouth to my year. "Yeah, babe, they are."
"Why?"
"We've had so many surprises lately," Luke said nonchalantly. "We'd like to be prepared for once."
"I'm not saying anything." All three of my cousins glowered at me. I was sure they were starting to get the wrong idea. "Fine. She's not seeing anyone, but even when she starts to, I'm not going to give you a heads-up."
"Why the hell not?" Sam exclaimed, clearly at a loss.
From behind us, I heard Uncle Emmett clear his throat just as the music of the ceremony began. Perfect timing.
"Oh, let’s go," I said.
Drake and I hurried to our seats next to Reese, who was sitting in the first row. I sat between Drake and my sister. Each of them was holding one of my hands. Reese was squeezing it tight. Drake was giving me strength, and I was giving it to my sister.
Gran walked with both her sons to the altar, where there were chairs for her and John to sit down.
It had been yet another of the things she'd insisted on.