29. Epilogue
Epilogue
Robert
Ten Months Later
Waving my hand in front of my face, I tried to stir the blistering air in front of me to create the semblance of a breeze. Why had I thought getting married in August, outside, was a great idea again?
Spoiler alert–it wasn’t a great idea at all.
It was hot. Blazing fucking hot.
There were bugs.
The sun was blinding.
And my oldest son, who was supposed to be walking me down the aisle and giving me away, had just turned green, slapped his hand over his mouth, and took off back into his house like the hounds of hell were nipping at his ankles .
Leaving me standing on the porch in my pale pink suit that I was slowly sweating through, trying to corral Julianna and Aiden, while every single person we had invited turned in the white chairs set up in the yard and stared at me.
Jackson gave me a confused look, and for a moment I forgot all the chaos that had suddenly erupted around me, just enjoying the sexy sight of him standing at the altar in a black tuxedo. A pale pink rose was pinned to his lapel, and he looked even more handsome than he usually did.
Becks shot from his chair and came running down the aisle, taking the porch steps two at a time. “I’ve got this. Be right back.”
“Is Wyatt okay?” Aiden asked, scuffing his polished shoe against the floorboard, the little pillow he was holding containing our rings juggling precariously. Catching the pillow with one hand, I gave him a reassuring smile that I did not feel.
“Absolutely. I’m sure he’ll be out in just a minute.”
Julianna twirled in her frilly pink dress, causing the skirt to billow out in rows of ruffles. “Pretty, Hops?”
“Gorgeous.”
Glancing up, Jackson waved his hands at me, silently asking what the hell was happening. Making the same gesture I told him I had not one clue, but if Wyatt didn’t get back out here soon, I was just going to walk myself right down that aisle .
Becks reappeared, a pale Wyatt behind him. Taking Julianna by her hand to stop her twirling, Becks signaled for the music to begin again. Scooting Aiden down the stairs in front of him, he ushered the ring bearer and flower girl safely down the aisle and into their spots. Becks took Julianna and secured her on his lap, while Aiden went to the groom’s side and sat between George and Devon. Devon was holding a babbling Hudson for us, and they were planning to stay and watch the kids for us while we enjoyed our honeymoon.
Even Michelle had flown in with them, and had cried tears of joy when we had introduced her to Hudson and told her the middle name we had chosen. The small gesture, honoring her late son, had gone a long way in helping her accept me. She had even arrived with gifts for both the boys, and when I had taken her aside to thank her for including Hudson, she had shrugged it off with a wave of her hand. “He is Aiden’s half brother, and I would never be so cruel as to not include him.”
Wyatt held out his arm and I placed mine in his, giving him side-eye.
“Please tell me you don’t have food poisoning.” I said from the corner of my mouth, as we took the first step down.
We had catered a wedding breakfast for our families and closest friends, and I didn’t think I’d be able to deal if half our guests came down with a bad case of food poisoning from sketchy catering. Not that it had seemed sketchy, but Wyatt was a pale shade of green.
“I’m fine, Pops,” Wyatt whispered, smiling wanly as we made our way down the white aisle runner separating the chairs in the middle of the yard. “Nothing about five months won’t cure.”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I stared at him, mouth open, before excitement overcame me. Throwing my arms around him, I shouted, “Oh my Goddess! Really!”
Laughing as he pulled back, he nodded. “We were trying to wait to tell you until after the wedding, but…sorry about that.”
“Nope, this is the perfect wedding present.” I beamed at him.
Jackson, clearing his throat loudly, caught my attention. “Oops, we’d better get this show on the road.”
Wyatt grinned, taking my arm in his once again. “Let’s get you married.”
He deposited me next to Jackson, and then I forgot everything else that had happened. The guests disappeared, and all I saw was Jackson. Taking my hand in his, smiling down at me, his greenish brown eyes glistening, his dark hair shining in the sun.
“Hi,” he whispered, his throat thick, the word coming out rough.
“Hi.” I smiled at him, basking in the way he looked at me .
Slowly, I had gotten used to Jackson gazing at me like I was the best thing he had ever seen. It was a heady, powerful, wonderful feeling to think that this gorgeous alpha looked at me like I made his world go round.
“Please tell me the restaurant has air conditioning,” he murmured, tugging at the bow tie of his tuxedo and wiping the sweat from his brow.
“It had better.”
We had rented out an Italian restaurant for the night, one that had a small dance floor and a fully stocked bar. It was the perfect size for our small wedding and guests, and the menu we had sampled was beyond delicious.
They even agreed to allow us to bring in our own wedding cake, when I had explained that despite loving Italian food, I just couldn’t stand tiramisu and really, really didn’t want it as my wedding cake. We had hired Quinn to bake our cake, and decided on a simple, three-layer cake with fresh flowers for most of the decorations.
Brendan cleared his throat, and we both turned to stare at him, remembering we were meant to be getting married.
“Thanks for joining us, you two,” he teased, his deep voice full of humor.
Once we realized we both wanted to keep our wedding small and intimate, and we didn’t want a wedding party, Jackson had asked Brendan if he would marry us. Brendan had agreed immediately, going online and getting the license needed to perform our ceremony.
Everyone snickered, and Brendan began.
I would like to say I could remember one single word the man said, but I couldn’t. Instead, I was too busy being aware of the tall, solid man standing beside me. The feel of his hand holding tightly to mine, giving my fingers an encouraging squeeze once in a while. The heat of his body along my side, somehow not as bothersome as the heat from the sun. It wrapped me in a cocoon of safety, security, and most of all love. Of his scent, mingled with the body wash that I had come to recognize as him.
For a moment, I had the barest fear that none of this was real.
That I was dreaming, and I’d wake up and still be trapped in a loveless marriage, to a cruel, cold woman, who disliked the world. That my days would be one long, boring cycle of charity lunches, and that it would continue until I passed. Not miserable, but definitely not happy. A world where I seldom saw my son or granddaughter, and I missed everything in their lives.
Then Jackson turned, and we were facing each other, both my hands held tightly in his, his eyes staring into mine.
And I knew that this was real. That somehow, this was my life. This man was mine, sent to me from the Goddess, my perfect mate. That the baby babbling happily in the seats just to our right, was our child. A child I was sure I would never have. That the smiling boy seated between his grandfathers, making faces at his little brother, while not biologically mine was the child of my heart. That my son had walked me down the aisle, while my granddaughter skipped happily in front of us, tossing pink rose petals here and there and making a wonderful mess.
This was my life.
I barely heard Jackson’s vows to me, or what I said to him, but his lips capturing mine to wild clapping, had me clinging to him desperately. When we finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against mine, and we swayed together to music only we could hear.
“I love you, Robert Sobek,” he whispered, and I gasped in joy, hearing him call me by his last name for the first time.
Caressing his jaw, I gazed up at him with what had to be the brightest stars in the sky in my eyes. “I love you, Jackson Sobek.”
Instead of us walking back down the aisle, hand in hand, Jackson scooped me into his arms in a bridal carry, and spun me around until I was dizzy and laughing. Carrying me past our family and friends, he didn’t stop until we were standing back on Wyatt’s porch.
His lips captured mine in a hungry kiss, that made me want to skip our reception, or at least be very, very late.
“Thank you for bringing me back to life, Robert. ”
Leaning my head against his chest, I whispered, “Thank you for not giving up on me. For not letting my silly fears get in our way.”
“Never. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Always.”
The End