Epilogue
TRAVIS
One Year Later
“You ready, little man?” I asked River as I knelt in front of him, adjusting the little black tie he somehow managed to untie by running around the room while I finished getting ready myself.
“Yeah, I’m ready!” River was practically jumping in place, a big toothy smile on his face and freckles dusted across his cheeks. Never failing to remind me of Delilah. I managed to convince him to let me comb his hair back, but little did I know that the biggest obstacle would be tying this damn tie.
Dad and Finn left the room not too long ago, giving us some space before we had to head out. Because in less than an hour, I was marrying my best friend. Somehow, my brain wasn’t quite computing that information whereas my heart wouldn’t stop jumping around like a jackrabbit in my chest. I was one big ball of nervous energy, to say the least.
“Alright then, you’re all set.” I smiled when I finished retying his tie .
River placed his hand on the bow and scrunched his nose. “Do I have to wear it all day?”
I grinned. “Just until the end of the ceremony, okay? Then you can take it off and run free.”
I got started on tying my own tie, facing the mirror while I concentrated. River came up to me after a bit and leaned against my leg, his curious eyes catching mine in the mirror. His slicked back hair fell into neat curls at the nape of his neck, and I just knew Delilah would lose it the moment she caught sight of him. He was too damn cute. I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine a day when he wouldn’t be the sweet little kid who always ran to me the moment I came home.
I patted his shoulder. “What’s on your mind, River?”
He hesitated for a moment, looking a little shy, a little more uncertain than usual. But then he asked, “You know, since you’re marrying Mom…” I smiled at that. He’d been calling Delilah his mother for a little over a year now and he never referred to her in any other way. I think, in his mind, it helped him establish their relationship a little more. It made perfect sense. She had been the only one raising him since the moment he was born. I knew it meant the world to Delilah that he wanted to call her his mother. “Does that mean you’re still Travis to me?”
I turned around and knelt in front of him. “What do you mean by that, buddy?”
He fidgeted with his hands, cheeks turning a little red. “Do I have to keep calling you Travis? Because I don’t have a dad and…I want you to be my dad. Is that okay?”
The emotion hit me before I could see it coming.
My eyes stung and I had to blink a few times, but it was no use when I saw the hopeful, almost scared expression on his face. As if he was excepting me to say anything other than yes .
“I’d love that.” I cleared my throat before I said, “If you call me Dad, then that’s exactly what I’ll be for you. I’ll protect you, encourage you, and be there for you until I’m an old man who needs a cane just to walk to the bathroom.”
We shared a laugh at that.
Then I said earnestly, “I love you so much, River. Thank you.”
He throws his arms around me, and I hold him tight as he murmurs, “I love you too...Dad.”
The barn was decorated from top to bottom, from the warm glowing lights hanging over the rafters to elegant flower arrangements. I could hardly recognize the old barn anymore from the inside. When Delilah told me she wanted to get married on Silver Hill, I thought she’d want to have it in the backyard of my parents’ house or the field, but when she mentioned the old barn closest to the willow tree, I had to admit I wasn’t sure how we’d make it work.
The barn hadn’t been used for much in the last ten years since Dad had another one built to better fit the rescues we’d gathered over time, leaving the barn behind to use for storage. Of course, the moment Delilah told my mother and Desi, they were all over it.
Between me and Finn and some of the ranch hands who volunteered to help out, we fixed it up and cleaned out the barn before the ladies got to work with the rest. They barely let me in on any of the planning after that. It was nice seeing how excited Delilah was with the wedding plans when she and my mother got together to talk about it.
True to her personality, Delilah wanted to keep things simple yet beautiful with only a small list of guests who were closest to us in attendance. But seeing all the people occupying their seats on either side of the aisle as I waited for Delilah, something told me someone invited one too many people. I knew it wasn’t Delilah’s doing so that meant one of the Adlers had blabbed about our wedding.
I did catch a glimpse of Saul sitting next to Manny just now…
So long as she was happy, that’s all I cared about.
When we got engaged last year, we’d agreed to wait until Delilah got through her first year of nursing school. I told her we could wait longer so it wouldn’t interrupt her studies, but she insisted we got married in the spring. I wasn’t about to question her decisions.
I was more than ready to make Delilah North my wife.
“You look like you’re about to shit your pants. Stop frowning like that. Deep breaths,” Finn said under his breath with a hint of amusement as he came to stand next to me. He just finished walking down the aisle with Desi, both of them beaming under the attention of everyone in attendance tonight.
“Is it really that impossible for you to be quiet for ten minutes?” I sniped back at him, even though we knew I didn’t mean it.
Logan grinned beside him but said nothing, which was not surprising. He wasn’t a man of many words. I hadn’t known the guy as long as Finn had, but we’d managed to become friends over time. No matter what others may think, he was a good man who genuinely cared for my family, if his actions this past year said anything. I’m glad he wanted to be here today.
It was a no brainer to ask Finn to be my best man, and of course, he told me he already knew I’d ask him. I couldn’t wait for the day someone knocked him on his ass and wiped that cocky grin off his face.
The day it happened, I’d never let him know a day of peace.
Being Delilah’s bridesmaids, Desi and Wren wore silk olive green dresses, each smiling at me as I stood stock still, trying to calm myself down as the music began to play a soft melody that echoed all around us.
My mom and River walked down the aisle next, holding hands as they made their way toward us. River quickly walked over to me at Mom’s encouragement before she went to take her seat on one of the chairs.
Finn placed his hands on River’s shoulder as the music grew a little louder, and the doors finally opened, revealing the most beautiful woman in the world.
My breath caught in my throat as I took Delilah in from head to toe. Her ivory dress was long and flowing around her, with a cinched waist decorated with embroidered details. Her long hair fell around her shoulders in thick curls, swaying as she took two steps into the barn, only to stop and look to her right as my dad walked up to her. He offered her his arm and they shared a special moment as they smiled at one another. Then Delilah looked away and fanned her face which made me chuckle. Laughter echoed throughout the barn when Desmond pulled out the handkerchief from his front suit pocket to wipe away his own tears.
The guests all stood as they both made their way down the aisle, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. I didn’t want to. The moment her brown eyes met mine, the rest of the world faded away, leaving the two of us alone for the briefest of moments.
She was perfect in every sense of the word.
And she was mine. Just as I was hers .
I never imagined I could love someone as much as I loved Delilah. The word “love” didn’t even come close to describing what I felt for her. I’d spend the rest of my days trying to find the words, the actions, the years that could possibly convey what I felt for the woman now standing before me.
As they came to a stop, Delilah turned and placed a kiss on my dad’s cheek before he turned to give me a hug. He took a seat beside my mother and held her hand as they watched me reach for Delilah’s, unable to stop myself from touching her.
“You look perfect.”
She smiled wide at me, still blushing like always as she took me in. “So do you.”
When her eyes landed on a giddy River, only containing his excitement when Finn patted his shoulders to keep still just a little longer, they shone with a joy that spoke directly to my heart.
The ceremony continued, we said our vows in front of all of our family and friends who had been there for each of us in different ways—different phases of our lives—and we were cheered on by everyone when we shared a kiss that finally sealed our union after years of waiting to be together. But I wouldn’t take any of it back or change a single thing about how we came to find each other again. It was all those things that ultimately brought us back together, no matter how difficult.
When we were officially announced as husband and wife, I gathered her in my arms once more and kissed her again in front of everyone. Their rambunctious applause and hoots of joy and congratulations making her laugh as she threw her head back. There was a sudden flash of a camera and Desi whistled nice and loud, only encouraging everyone to do the same.
I turned to sweep River up in my arms and held him between us so we could both place a kiss on either side of his cheek. His giggle made us both smile as we walked out of the barn. Taking my first steps with my wife and son.
My family.
My home.
The only home I’d ever need.