Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Kat
Nine months later
Graham.
Just Graham.
If there was one thing I was going to take away from this day, it would be him. Every little thing about him.
I was still in such a state of disbelief that any of this had happened. I’d been feeling that way for a while now. The first day I met Graham often replayed in my mind. So did the day we shared the truth about our pasts as well as our day at the beach, that first walk along the shore that commemorated the start of our new lives together.
And in the moments that I’d lived since then, I frequently thought about what a day like today would look like, how it would feel. I considered all the possibilities, and I genuinely went into this believing I’d remember every aspect of it, each tiny detail we had planned together.
But I was wrong.
Because even though we were little more than halfway through the day, I remembered very few things about it. But those things were so monumental, I knew they would stay with me for the rest of my life.
There were the first few minutes of the day when I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling, knowing what was ahead. It would be the last day I’d ever officially be on my own.
There was the time spent with my mom and sisters getting ready. Hours of time together, laughing and crying.
There was the look on my father’s face when he saw me in my dress for the first time. He was a man so proud of me, and he was beyond happy that I’d found a man who deserved me.
Even if everything else about the day faded, I knew I’d never forget those moments. But there was something even more memorable, something else I’d cherish for the rest of my life.
Graham.
Graham seeing me at the end of the aisle. Graham standing beside me at the front of it. Graham saying his vows to me. Graham having tears in his eyes as I recited my own to him. Graham giving me my first kiss as his wife.
No matter what happened from this point forward, it would be the memory of him on this day that would always fill my heart with such joy and love.
Now we were here in the back of the limousine with one another, heading to the spot where we’d take our pictures and have a reception. I knew it was the last quiet and private moment we’d have with one another for hours, and I didn’t want it filled with silence.
“If I didn’t know any better, I might tell you to direct the driver to the hospital.”
Graham was immediately concerned, his body going rigid as his eyes roamed over me for any sign of injury. “Are you okay?”
I smiled, nodding profusely at him. “Yes. It’s just… there’s this feeling in the center of my chest. Like whatever’s inside is just too big to fit. But it feels lovely, Graham. This was easily the most magical day of my whole life.”
His features softened as he took my hand in his and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “Nothing has made me as happy as becoming your husband has, Kat. I’m so glad we fought to get here.”
I leaned toward him. “With the exception of that one little blip in the beginning, there hasn’t been much of a fight. It’s been so easy with you.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I think we both can just recognize how lucky we are to have one another, and that’s why it’s felt a bit effortless.”
He wasn’t wrong about that.
Admittedly, I had believed a long time ago that I’d never have this. I convinced myself after my previous engagement ended that the risk of being hurt again was far too much.
But Graham changed that for me.
And he’d been worth it. He was worth taking that chance on, because he’d made me happier than I ever thought possible.
“It’s supposed to get better, too. That seems impossible after a day like today.”
Graham kissed my knuckles again. “I won’t deny this day has been better than I could have ever imagined, but I do know our days ahead will be the best yet.”
I loved his confidence. “How do you know?”
“Because I’m fully committed to making you the happiest woman in the world. I have to believe that if I succeed in doing that, there’s no chance for failure.”
Pressing my body against his, I tipped my chin up and drove my fingers into his hair to urge his mouth toward mine. I touched my lips to his in a chaste kiss. “I love you so much.”
He smiled against my lips. “I love you, too.”
Graham took over and kissed me. And we used the remainder of our private time before the reception to enjoy our first make-out session as a married couple.
Graham
Seventeen months later
I couldn’t hold back the emotions.
Tears had filled my eyes despite repeated attempts to stave them off.
I’d pinched myself no less than five times in the last hour, but that wasn’t what was causing the emotional rollercoaster.
It was this.
It was me starting a family with my gorgeous wife and becoming a dad to the most beautiful boy in the whole world.
Christopher Matthew Stephenson.
Looking at him as he slept soundly against my chest, tears leaked from my eyes. Begrudgingly, I tore my attention away from the angel in my arms and looked at the beautiful woman in the bed beside me.
My wife.
The woman had given me everything.
Though I hadn’t necessarily been looking for it, I felt such vindication. Because while it hadn’t come easily—and I’d certainly wasted far more time than I should have in the beginning—all the risk and effort had been worth it.
Even the awful things that happened before I met her didn’t seem so bad now. I used to think that what happened with my ex was such a horrible thing. Now, I knew it had to happen just as it did. And if I had to suffer through that all over again just to have Kat and our son, I’d do it all without hesitation a million times over.
Kat was worth it.
She was easily the best thing that had happened to me.
And she’d given me him. Our baby, our son.
“Of all the ways I’ve seen you, this is easily my favorite,” Kat said softly.
Part of me still wondered what I’d done to deserve her. She often said she believed she was the luckiest woman alive, but the way I saw it, I was the fortunate one in our relationship. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
She smiled at me, her eyes dropping to our boy. “He’s so sweet.”
“Just like his mom.”
“I know it’s only been a few hours since he was born, but I almost don’t remember our life before him. How did we live without him?”
I had no good answer to give her to that question.
So, I stood and moved toward the head of the bed, where I placed Christopher in his mother’s arms. “You’re a mom now, Kit Kat.”
She brushed her finger down his soft, chubby cheek. When she looked up at me, she had tears in her eyes. “And you’re a dad.”
“Thank you, Kat.”
“For what?”
I settled my hand lightly on the top of her head and stroked my fingers through her hair. “For giving me the chance to make it work between us, for allowing me to love you.”
A knowing look washed over her face. “I’d have been a fool not to. I love you, Graham.”
I bent forward and kissed her. “I love you, too.”
Kat scooted over a touch in the bed, an indication she wanted me to sit beside her. So, that’s what I did.
I sat beside my wife, wrapped my arm around her back, and brought my other hand to our son’s body. When Kat leaned on my chest, all I felt was love and contentment.
And I couldn’t wait to see where the rest of my life with this woman would take me.