Bonus Epilogue
Jonas
It’s a gorgeous day to get married in the second most beautiful place in the world.
First most beautiful place?
Home, in the mountains of Snaggletooth Creek, with Emma and Bash.
Second most beautiful place?
The island where Emma and I met.
We planned a massive wedding in New Hampshire. Leaked details to the press. Booked everything.
There’s a huge reception happening on my estate there right now, in fact, with all of my Hollywood friends and Emma’s favorite clients and friends from Snaggletooth Creek.
While we’re standing at the water below the villa where I passed out on Emma’s porch with my family and hers.
Zen is officiating.
Hayes and Theo are my best men.
Sabrina and Laney are Emma’s matrons of honor.
My mom is crying.
So is Emma’s dad.
And I’m a little choked up myself, because my bride is smiling at me through tears as Zen finishes a beautiful speech about love, struggles, and the meaning of family.
Emma’s in a soft peach summer dress. I’m in shorts.
Bash is wearing his swimsuit and inching closer and closer and closer to the water like he thinks every one of us doesn’t have half an eye on him.
“And if all of that doesn’t scare you,” Zen says, “then Emma, it’s time for you to try one last time with your vows.”
Everyone laughs.
This is easily the lightest-hearted wedding I’ve ever been to, and that’s perfect .
There’s enough difficulty in life.
Loving Emma? Choosing Emma?
This is easy.
She squeezes my hands and looks straight into my eyes, fearless joy dancing in hers. “Jonas, I had no idea how much meeting you would save my?—”
“ Aaaaaaa-ccccchhhhhhhoooooooooo !”
The sneeze reverberates across the beach. Birds squawk and take flight. A dolphin changes direction mid-leap and dives for safety. Hayes and Begonia’s twins, who recently celebrated their first birthday, simultaneously burst into sobs.
“Bless you?” my mother mutters to the offensive sneezer.
“Good god , I’d heard rumors, but is it really like that all of the time?” Keisha mutters.
Loudly.
“Stop it, Uncle Theo!” Bash yells.
I turn and look at my very-soon-to-be brother-in-law and lift my brows.
Don’t miss the way Grey’s nearly doubled over laughing in the small crowd gathered around us.
Or the way Mike Monroe’s cringing so hard I can feel it in my own face, even though I’m actually about to laugh myself.
“Any more you’re saving in there?” I ask Theo.
He stares back straight-faced. “Allergies. Never know. New pollen here.”
“I’m gonna get back to marrying your sister now.”
“Your wedding, man. But I strongly suggest you say your vows like you’re Ryan Reynolds.”
“I can take him out,” Hayes murmurs to me. “Begonia’s never seen me go full caveman. I think she’d like it.”
I look back at Emma, who’s clearly trying to stifle a laugh while she wipes more tears from her eyes.
“That shake loose any last minute things you need to say first?” I ask her.
Theo sneezes again.
Beside Emma, Laney is clearly trying to keep herself from laughing. She’s three months pregnant, which I’m not supposed to know, but Sabrina and Emma both figured it out, and there aren’t secrets among the six of us, so now we all know.
Sabrina’s crossed her arms and is staring at Theo like she’s next in line behind Hayes to go caveman on Theo’s ass if he sneezes again.
“Stop scawing da birds, Uncle Theo,” Bash says.
Emma grabs him by the shoulders on his little march to have words with his uncle. “Stay here with me,” she whispers. “I have to say my vows and marry your daddy, okay?”
“Dat’s dumb,” Bash mutters.
Loudly.
Theo sneezes again.
His own daughter starts crying.
And Emma cracks up.
“Probably want to go for the short version or excuse him from his duties,” Zen mutters to us.
And once more, a massive, echoing sneeze splits the air.
But this time, it’s not Theo.
This time, it’s Bash sneezing the sneeze of a person six times his size.
Every last person gathered at our little wedding gawks at him.
How the hell did that sound come out of his body?
“Bwess me, I get tiss-sue?” he says.
Emma whimpers, clearly stifling a laugh.
Sabrina, Laney, my mother, and one of the triplets all produce tissues for Bash.
And my bride grabs my hand again, still keeping one on Bash as she launches into her vows before anyone else sneezes.
“Jonas, you are the last thing I ever wanted. Ever . Especially when we met, and even more so when you came back into my life. But you’re also everything that’s ever been missing in my life.
You’re my best friend. My partner. The first person to fully and completely demonstrate to me the true meaning of believing in another person.
You saved me and you gave me more than I ever knew I could wish for when you chose to love me and our son, and I will love you until the end of time and back again. ”
“ Dammit ,” Theo mutters.
“There’s no objecting in this wedding, dumbass,” Zen hisses at him.
“ She made me cry ,” he hisses back.
“Also, this is the best wedding ever ,” Emma whispers to me. “Your turn. Maybe fast?”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I pull her hand to my mouth and kiss it.
“Emma, I spent my entire life chasing a dream with roles that weren’t supposed to be mine.
But when I met you, I found where I fit.
You give my life meaning and purpose and more love and joy in a single minute of the day than I’ve ever found anywhere else.
I love you more than all of the stars and planets and meteor showers that exist in the entire universe, and I give you my heart for all eternity. ”
Every word is true.
None come from any movie script I’ve ever read.
I checked.
Emma flings herself at me and kisses me. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you too.”
“You love meeeeee,” Bash says.
“Fucking dammit ,” Theo mutters again. “ He made me cry too.”
“Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones,” Zen says.
I lift Bash up and hug him while I’m hugging Emma and she’s hugging both of us.
“And I now pronounce you man and wife and child,” Zen says. “Do the kissing and all that. Like you didn’t already. Go ahead. Do the kissing again.”
But Emma doesn’t kiss me.
Actually, she looks at Zen and completely kiss-blocks me.
“You missed the one part,” Emma whispers to Zen.
Zen rolls their eyes with a smirk that gives me pause for the first time all day. All week. Even all month .
“Oh, right . That part.” They clear their throat. “I now pronounce you man and wife and child and child-on-the-way. Now you can do the kissing thing.”
Squeals and gasps and are they serious zip around us.
I blink at Emma.
Blink again.
“Are they—” I murmur.
She grins, and then she kisses me, again, this one longer and slower and sweet and spicy and everything , and I know.
She is.
We are .
“Only my friends got the announcement last time,” she whispers as she pulls out of the kiss. “I thought it was only fair your friends and family got to be included at the same time this time.”
“More babies,” my mom says, sounding a little choked up.
“Way to go , J,” Keisha crows.
“I still know where you live,” Theo says behind me.
“I can always find where you live,” Hayes mutters back to him.
“Awww, this is the best wedding ever . After ours.” Begonia reaches us the same time as Laney and Sabrina, all of them hugging us and laughing and asking questions while I keep stealing kisses from my new wife, who’s glowing with love and happiness.
Best day of my life.
Hands down.
Until our little girl comes along about eight months later. And her and Bash’s baby brother eighteen months after that. And one last surprise girl four years after that.
This is my life.
And living it day in and day out with Emma is better than all of the fame and fortune in the world.