Epilogue
“Every little girl dreams of marrying their soulmate. Today, I get to do just that.” - Elizabeth
DEREK
The day had finally come. I have been waiting for this day for years and have imagined what it would be like and how I would feel—and genuinely, I was feeling pretty damn good about it.
“Derek, you doing all right?” I glance over at Garrett in surprise. Normally, he would give me some sarcasm, some sass. Tease me for the goofy grin I’ve been sporting all day long. But today, he was almost smiling.
“I’m great.”
I adjust my sleeve, making sure my cuff links that my almost father-in-law gifted me for the day are in place, and smile at the audience full of people here to support my union to my bride.
A month after the carnival, I couldn’t wait any longer, and I asked Birdie to marry me. It was an over-the-top, grand gesture of a marriage proposal, including champagne and a hot air balloon.
You didn’t think I would go through this entire story of ours without a grand gesture, did you?
It had been romantic and sweet, full of nervous laughter from Birdie because apparently she was terrified of heights—who knew—but she had squealed and nearly leaped into my arms when I proposed. It was exactly how I hoped it would be, and I was in wedding planning mode instantly.
I don’t think Birdie expected me to be quite so hands-on, but she was the first to say that it was our day and I should have as much say as I could.
So we used the time to plan our wedding to bond, to grow our connection deeper, and to talk about the future.
I’m beyond excited for what’s to come.
The pews of the church were filled with our friends and family, a good number of the Cobras baseball team were here as well to support us, and some of us have become good friends in recent months.
My buddies standing beside me, Graham being number one, definitely gawked for a moment when they saw who had arrived.
“You good?” Graham says quietly, holding out a tissue. “Quinn made me carry some for you.”
I grin at the thought of Quinn going and buying me tissues. She knows what a softy I am.
“Nah, I’m really doing great.”
I’m surprisingly non-emotional today. Just excited. I’m more than a little ready to call Elizabeth my wife and be the best damn stepdad there ever was for Rora. She was thrilled when we told her we were getting married, and being five now, she has a better understanding of what that means.
It was an honor to be a part of her life and watch her grow up.
The music cues, and I stand up straight, waiting for the bridesmaids to make their way down the aisle. We had quite a bridal party. The girls of the group fully embraced Birdie as one of their own, and she has become close to them over the last year and a half.
I smile and nod at Hattie, who’s the last one down before the flower girl, who was my gorgeous daughter, comes skipping down the aisle with a giant smile on her face.
Uh oh. I take a deep breath, watching her skip with her cream-colored dress on and ringlet curls, a wide smile on her face. My eyes heat, but I keep myself in check, just barely.
She runs to me, and I catch her, giving her a big hug.
“Did I do good?”
I smile and tell myself to get it together before I nod. “The best.”
I set her down, and she runs to the front pew where Valerie sits, waiting for her.
Then, the music changes, and I look to the end, where Elizabeth stands, wedding dress flowing over her shoulders and down to the floor, flowers that match the ones I gave her months ago, and her father holding her arm.
“Shit,” I whisper as the tears well in my eyes. I feel the pinprick in my nose and the building of tears in the back of my throat.
Graham leans over, and I take the tissue. Dammit, I really thought I had it together.
I let loose a few tears as she makes her way to me, and I step down the stairs to greet her, giving a shrug when she smiles widely at me, her face clear of any tears herself.
I take a breath and wipe at my face just before she gets to me, and Roger smiles broadly, shaking my hand before passing one of his most prized possessions over to me.
It’s the greatest honor of my life.
Birdie watches me, and we take a moment, not rushing with the traditions of weddings to the altar, but just looking at each other.
I look down at her neck and smile at the necklace there. “You like your gift?”
She reaches up with her hand and touches it. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
I smile at her, “I bought it the day you saw it.” The light catches the glass flower necklace I bought her all those months ago at the farmers’ market. I wrapped it up and placed it on the table in the bridal changing room before she got here. “I’ve just been saving it for a special occasion.”
Her eyes shine, but there’s nothing but pure happiness in her expression as she looks at me. “I love you,” she says in her normal voice, allowing people to hear her.
I shake my head, sniffling and trying to gain some control. “I love you so much. I can’t believe you’re marrying me.”
She inches forward and grabs my hand. I hold onto hers for dear life, and she says, “You couldn’t be rid of me if you tried.”
The ceremony was a blur of laughs and tears, of sweet vows and promises to each other that I would never break.
When it was over, we rode in a limo—I know, it’s extra but it’s too fun not to—to the reception, which was graciously being held at the baseball stadium, a gift from Hattie to us. That girl has connections.
We arrive after everyone has had time to get settled, and when we enter, the cheers that ring out nearly make my ears ring. We both grin widely, overwhelmed and happy and excited for the love our friends and family have shown us.
Eating dinner happens in a blur, and I have no idea how much I actually got to eat, but I made sure Birdie had a chance to sit and enjoy herself.
Dancing starts, and we have our first dance as husband and wife. For a moment, I lay my head against the side of hers and breathe her in, basking in this moment with this woman in my arms.
We dance slowly and hold each other, and I really don’t want the moment to end.
When it does, though, the next dance is almost as important, as the DJ announces the father-daughter dance and Roger comes to take Birdie away. and I walk up to Rora, who’s swaying on the side of the dance floor.
“May I have this dance?” I hold out my hand for her, and she beams at me, launching into my arms. I notice Hattie wiping away tears as I do, and I spin Rora around in my arms, making her laugh and her hair spin out behind her.
Her little hands are around my shoulders, and I dip and twirl her around the dance floor, enjoying this moment with my now-official stepdaughter. I see Birdie and Roger watching us with smiles on their faces when Rora starts laughing at a spinning move.
When the song is over, I set her down and kneel to smile at her. “I love you, Rora.”
She smiles, but her attention catches on the other kids playing, and she starts to turn to run off. “I love you too, Daddy!”
My heart beats fiercely in my chest, and I watch her run off with wide eyes. I can hardly stand back up again as I watch her, and I feel Birdie come to stand beside me, and I turn to see her beaming from ear to ear.
“Did you hear that?”
She grasps my hand and interlaces our fingers. “I did.”
I look back over to see Rora playing with my friends’ kids. “She called me Daddy.”
“She sure did,” Birdie replies, confirming what my brain thought it heard. We start to sway again, couples around us filtering onto the dance floor, and my friends all grab their respective partners, joining the crowd.
Birdie slides her fingers through the hair at the base of my neck and says, “That’s because it’s what you are, Derek. She loves you. You’re our family, you have been for a while. Even though we just got married today, we pretty much claimed you the day we met you.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her into me and basking in the moment. “I’m so happy. I never thought that I would find someone that I could love so much, but then you happened, and I can’t imagine ever going back.”
Birdie smiles and presses her lips to mine. “Well, that’s good, because now you’re stuck with me.”
I pull her back to me, pressing our lips together once more, the sound of clinking champagne glasses in the background egging us on, and my heart settles, my body relaxing into this woman that I will love forever, and my happily ever after finally begins.