Bonus Epilogue #4
She’s so stunningly beautiful, even more so now at thirty-six than when I met her at twenty-one.
Time has been good to us, with more ups than downs.
Each gentle laugh line or hint of a wrinkle that caresses her face is a memory of our life together, and it makes me happy to see even the faintest trace of how we’ve lived.
She’s settled into her adult self, become the impactful leader she was always meant to be, and runs her Bourbon empire like she was born for it.
We let Paige enjoy her breakfast before we drag her from the house to some of our favorite family activities and things she loves.
We visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden and spend hours wandering the conservatory.
We take photos of the sculptures, the gorgeous flowers, and plants, and Paige gets her fill of natural beauty while trying to stay out of the scorching Atlanta August heat as much as we can.
“A lot of the Elysium Garden at The Abyss was based on the conservatory here,” I tell the kids. Paige already knows, but they may not be as aware. “Every time we walk through this space it reminds me of the night we met, and our wedding ceremony,” I say to her.
Her brilliant smile lights up her face as she beams at me. “I’ve always thought that, too.”
“Did you like each other when you met?” Zach asks.
“Ew, no, don’t ask them about that. They’re disgusting enough without having to tell their love story.” Maddie’s reply is quick and consistent with her teenage attitude. “So much PDA,” she mumbles.
I laugh and delight in an opportunity to embarrass my too-cool-for-her-family kid. “Yes, I was very interested in your mama when I met her. I knew exactly how special she was, and as soon as she gave me the time of day, I was already falling for her.”
“He was the most handsome, beguiling man I’d ever met,” Paige adds, slipping her hand in mine and hugging my arm.
“I wanted to spend all my time with him despite being at my debutante ball and needing to entertain a crowd downstairs from the garden. It was so hard to leave and go back to the party after spending even a little time with him.”
So if I have a debutante ball, I can meet my future husband?” Maddie asks.
“Oh, dear girl, I would never make you participate in that archaic tradition,” Paige says hurriedly. “No cotillion, debutante balls, or pageants for you, my darling. I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”
“What if I want to do pageants and think a debutante ball sounds romantic?” Maddie asks, intent on being contrary now that her mom said she wasn’t going to do something.
Paige pauses and swallows hard, eyeing Maddie speculatively as she considers her daughter’s provocative question.
“Has your grandmama been talking to you about this?” Maddie shakes her head no and tries to hide her coy smile.
Paige bites her lip and shakes her head softly as if clearing whatever idea is in there.
“You may try or do anything you’d like, within reason,” she begins.
“I was forced to do those things because my mama had an idea of the person she wanted me to be, not because I showed any interest in them. If you really want to try out pageants and participate in cotillion or the debutante scene, I will support you and make sure you have the best possible experience.”
This is a tough subject for my beautiful wife.
She wanted the opposite of what she had to deal with for our daughter, and now hearing that Maddie may actually want to do the same things is a tough pill for her to swallow.
She is incredibly gracious to even entertain the idea, as it’s not something I wanted to push for, either.
“I do. Can you sign me up for Cotillion now? Adalyn and Gracie are doing it this year, and it sounds like fun. We’ll learn how to dance and stuff. I even think Jeremy and Dalton from school are going to do it, too. They’re, like, really hot.”
Paige’s mouth drops open before she catches herself, standing straighter and laughing a little.
“So this is all about boys? I’ll tell you, Cotillion is more about manners, etiquette, and decorum than socializing with boys, but yes, you will learn how to dance and will have to partner with boys at some point. ”
Maddie takes that as her affirmative answer and whirls away in a haze of happy smiles as she skips off to take a selfie in front of a pretty flowering bush.
“So, we’re going to have a legacy debutante on our hands,” I say quietly to Paige. “Let’s hope she wants to have her ball at the Abyss also, so I can ensure there aren’t any lecherous older men waiting for her in the garden should she sneak off for a break.”
“Is it hypocrisy if I don’t want our daughter to meet a man at her ball when that is how we met?” she asks me.
“I think it’s the hopes of a parent, honestly. We weren’t exactly supposed to meet, though fate made sure I found my gorgeous bride anyway.”
“I guess we’ll have to watch her make her own choices and hope she’s as happy about them as we have been with ours,” Paige says, continuing to stare after Maddie as she pulls Zach in to make silly faces for more selfies.
“That’s all a parent could want for their kid,” I agree. “If her bourbon legacy is anything as prim, proper, lovely, and beautiful as you, I know she will be just fine.