Epilogue
Jaxon - Four Months Later
“Inow pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Boden gently cradled Lakelyn’s cheeks and kissed her for the first time as his wife.
While all eyes were on the happy couple, mine slid over to take in my beautiful fiancée, who stood proudly behind Jenna and Arizona, sheathed in an elegant, dusty-rose-hued satin bridesmaid dress.
When I first saw her in it, I nearly swallowed my tongue. The dress was a straight-line fit with a cinched waistline and an elegant high-leg slit, which sparked all kinds of thoughts in me that were far from gentlemanly.
And if that weren’t enough temptation drawing me in, the dress featured an open window between her breasts where the fabric crossed over her collarbone and tied behind her neck. My fingers still itched to pull on the ribbons and watch the top portion fall to her waist.
But I needed to get a grip and reel it in before things got embarrassingly awkward.
“It is my great honor and privilege to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Boden Miller.”
Everyone started clapping and whistling, which surprised Sheba, their almost one-year-old puppy, who began jumping, barking, and pawing at her owners, eager to join in the celebration.
Earlier, the little labradoodle nearly stole the show with her haphazard, zig-zag walk down the aisle, following treats tossed on the grass by guests luring her toward her parents.
It was a mighty big responsibility delivering the rings, as it required a nap afterward between her owners’ feet while we stood in front of a white rose-covered arch with the lake in the background, and finished the ceremony.
After Boden and Lakelyn made a lovable fuss over Sheba, he handed the pup’s leash off to Jameson, who then, with Arizona at his side, walked in line behind Cameron and Jenna and the newly married couple back down the aisle and under a tent set up to offer a reprieve from the hot California sun.
When I offered my arm to my fiancée, I couldn’t help but lean down and let her know just how gorgeous she was and all the wicked ideas she had incited as she slipped hers through mine.
“You steal my breath in the best way possible. You look absolutely stunning Lils. Delicious even.” I was sure to lower my voice for the last two words that crossed my lips.
“Delicious?”
I secretly loved the moments whenever I caught her off guard. The way her brows would pinch with a mix of confusion and an insatiable appetite for the unknown always sparked new playful ways to tease her.
“Yes. Do you have any idea how hard it was to officiate their vows while all I wanted to do was kiss and lick every inch of your body.”
“Pun intended?” she questioned coyly with a flirtatious spark dancing in her sparkling blue eyes.
Her styled updo allowed me the perfect access to kiss her behind her ear, in a spot that I knew drove her wild.
“You have no idea, Lils,” I murmured low enough for only her to hear.
As we reached the end of the aisle, Lily slid her hand down my arm and laced her fingers with mine. I wasted no time pulling her off to the side, where I cupped the back of her head, eagerly bringing her mouth to mine.
I needed a taste. A hit of her sweetness.
“And he says I’m the obsessed one with my girl.” Lily pulled her head back at the sound of my twin running his mouth before he continued to tease me, “Takes one to know one, huh, bro.”
Jameson smirked while I groaned with frustration, suddenly doing the mental math on how long until Lily and I were at home alone.
“Lily, can you come with me while I get some water from the bar?” Arizona asked.
She was seven months pregnant with my niece and glowing.
The transition from working full-time to being relatively stuck at home with activity restrictions was a tough adjustment for Arizona.
She wasn’t the type to sit still. But, thankfully, between her dad, my parents, and Lily, she never lacked for company when my brother was working.
Lily and I had talked about having kids close in age so they could grow up together, but we decided to take our time and enjoy being together for now.
Some might call it selfish, but we didn’t feel rushed.
If it happened naturally, we’d be happy, but we trusted things would work out when the timing was right for us.
“Sure thing.” Lily pressed up on her toes and kissed my cheek. “You know where to find me.”
“Pretty sure his eyes will track your every movement across the property,” Jameson countered, earning a smack across the back of his head from my palm. “Sheesh. What did I do now?”
“I was having a moment with my girl, and you interrupted.”
“You should be thanking me; I was doing you a favor.”
“A favor?” I scoffed.
“Yeah, another minute and you’d be giving everyone a private show the way you were feeling Lily up.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Today had been a big day for my girl. Lily set Boden and Lakelyn’s wedding day as her goal to be walking completely unassisted, and not only did she exceed that goal by three weeks, but she did so in a super sexy pair of nude high heels.
Lily had always been exceptionally beautiful in my eyes, but today, the added badge of confidence she wore with pride shone with a level of radiance that unraveled me in the best way possible.
To say I was in awe and so damn proud of her was an understatement.
No words could truly capture the feeling and do them justice.
Her strength, determination, and resilience knew no bounds.
“Earth to Jaxon. Yoo-hoo.” Jameson snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“What?” I snapped.
“You’re worse than a love-sick puppy. You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”
“Jaxon, Jameson, it’s photo time,” Boden called out, waving us over.
“Duty calls.” I smirked and started to walk away.
“My question never stood a chance.” Jameson huffed on my heels.
“Aw, don’t be jealous. I would have pled the Fifth anyway.”
“Jealous? Me? Not likely, bro.”
“Heard you set the alarms off on your baby-moon at the airport, needed a full pat down.” I couldn’t resist the urge to razz him. “And that the incident had the guy contemplating an early retirement, having said something like ‘he was too old for this shit anymore.’”
“With the amount of shit you talk about my piercings, I’m starting to think you’re the one who’s jealous?”
“You know, if confidence ran on delusion alone, you’d be loaded.” I squeezed his shoulder.
“I’m already rich where it counts. Rich in looove.” He patted his chest proudly.
“Are you preparing for a Hallmark movie audition that I don’t know about?”
“It’s called character development. You might want to give it a try sometime.”
I shook my head with a chuckle and looked out at the crowd of wedding guests. “Have you seen Ford?” I asked, not seeing him anywhere.
“Yeah, earlier on his phone, then talking with mom. He looked tense.”
“It’s the All-Star Break, and the trade deadline isn’t until the end of this month. Do you think there’s a possibility he’s being traded?”
“I hope not, but somewhere closer to us wouldn’t be a bad thing either.” He shrugged.
We stopped walking a few feet short of the photographer, who was taking pictures of Lakelyn, Brooke—Boden’s sister—Lily, Jenna, and Arizona, who proudly cradled her baby bump. “In all seriousness, you’re going to be an awesome dad. I can’t wait to meet your little princess.”
“Thank you, that means a lot.” Jameson then turned inward toward me and whispered, “But between us, I’m scared shitless that I’ll mess up somehow.”
“Nah, I know you. Even when things get tough, you’ll always show up, and that’s what will make you an exceptional father. She and Arizona are very lucky to have you.” I paused, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “I’m proud to call you my brother.”
“I feel the same. From wombmates to partners in crime for life,” he joked.
Our parents taught us to be comfortable with affection and that it didn’t have to be awkward. So when I pulled my brother into a familiar, easy hug, it was a silent confirmation of love, loyalty, and solidarity. A simple gesture that, as I got older, I never took for granted.
“Aw, guys! You’re making me cry.” Arizona’s voice wavered from beside us.
We pulled apart, and both turned to look at our better halves.
“My hormones can’t take it, but I’m happy to see you’ve kissed and made up.
” Her eyes bounced between my brother and me before settling on mine for a beat.
“You seemed a little tense before, Jaxon.”
“Red, these lips belong to you and no one else.” Jameson stepped toward his wife and kissed her tears away affectionately.
“I like hearing that,” Arizona cooed.
While everything outside of Lily faded into the background, I bent and kissed her bare shoulder. Breathing in the divine sweetness of her perfume, which smelled like her namesake.
“I missed you.”
“I was barely gone a few minutes.” Her fingers tightened around my tuxedo’s lapels.
“On our wedding day, promise you’ll never leave my side,” I said, slipping my hands around her back to pull her close.
“I think I can agree to those terms, but shh, careful.” She covered my lips with her finger and looked over her shoulder to make sure my brother and Arizona hadn’t heard anything before turning her attention back to me. “We agreed, the only wedding talk today is to be about Boden and Lakelyn.”
No one knew that I had proposed to Lily two weeks and six days ago.
And yes, I counted. I couldn’t help it.
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
But that would have to wait since we thought it was best to keep it under wraps and to ourselves, as we didn’t want to draw any attention away from Boden and Lakelyn. Admittedly, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world; it turned out I liked having a secret that was just ours.
Maybe even a little too much.
The day Lily left the hospital, she said her focus would be solely on getting back to full strength before any major decisions were made about our future. I took that to mean once she felt like herself again, I could propose.
So, the day she declared herself healthier and stronger than ever and ready to return to work, I eagerly booked a chalet in the mountains and took my girl on a road trip the next day. I chose the location on purpose because I knew she didn’t want any special accommodations.
Admittedly, that was a tough request, in general, because I just wanted to pamper my girl.
After all, I needed to make up for the ten years we had been robbed of, and acts of service were just one of my love languages when it came to showing Lily how much I loved her.
But she’d made it abundantly clear there was to be no tiptoeing around her recovery; she just wanted normalcy and not to be treated any differently. So we disconnected from our phones and explored the great outdoors, far from where anyone knew us.
I proposed overlooking a picturesque lake at sunset during our walk along one of the many scenic trails in the area.
Getting down on one knee and asking Lily to marry me was an unforgettable moment stamped in time and by far the easiest question I’d ever asked.
The date of that day was also newly inked in Roman numerals on the inside of my biceps, just below the date she came back to me.
There was no anger, frustration, or sadness associated with that day, only positives in my head.
I also planned to add our wedding date and our future kids’ birthdays, too.
“But that being said, you did an incredible job officiating their wedding.” She beamed, pride swirling in her gorgeous cornflower-blue eyes, which I loved getting lost in. “I never would’ve guessed ‘ordained minister’ would have ended up on your résumé.”
“What can I say, I have a hard time saying no to those I love.” I curved my lips in a knowing grin.
“I happen to think it’s sweet that Jameson asked you to officiate his and Ari’s wedding.” She did her best to hide her next thought, which dimmed her expression subtly, but I could tell what she was thinking before her lips parted. “I wish I’d been brave enough to witness it in person.”
“I know, but you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. No stressing over things in the past that we can’t change, remember?” My fingers spread across the exposed curve of her lower back, stopping shy of where the silky material of her dress began.
“Fisher, unless you’re about to put a ring on it, the clock’s ticking, my friend,” Boden shouted from where everyone had gathered for a group photo.
If they only knew.
I gently lifted her chin so she would look at me, ignoring everyone else.
“Thank you for waiting for me.” Lily pushed up on her toes and kissed me slowly.
Little did she know I’d wait an eternity for her if it meant I got to experience just an ounce of the happiness and love currently filling my heart.
“Thank you for coming back to me,” I whispered across her lips in an honest reply before we took our place in the group with my hands on her hips, standing tall and proud behind her while her fingers curled around the stems of her bridesmaid’s bouquet.
We often joked that our lives felt like a dream, a second chance that not everyone was lucky enough to experience.
There’s a saying, “If you love something, set it free. If it returns, it’s yours.
If not, it was never meant to be.” In her own roundabout way, that’s what Lily did all those years ago.
She chose to protect me as best she could with the information she had at the time.
As our paths remained apart, life continued to test and throw her off course.
But in the end, she ultimately found her way back to me, and that was all that truly mattered.
It wasn’t the end of our story; it was only the beginning.
And this time, I never planned on letting go.