Epilogue Chandler
I wake up at 5 AM before the sun is even up. I look over at my wife sleeping peacefully beside me and smile. She’s so beautiful. I’m the luckiest man alive. I kiss her forehead gently, careful not to wake her, and get out of bed, tiptoeing out of the bedroom. I go downstairs and into the kitchen, checking the calendar on the wall. Today’s date has a heart around it that says ‘Anniversary.’ I’ve had three full years with the wonderful woman upstairs, and I couldn’t be happier. I start a pot of coffee and start making breakfast. Once it’s done, I set the table outside with fresh daisies and a candle. I pour a cup of coffee, making sure to add in the lavender syrup with the right amount of honey and cream before setting it on the table next to the plates full of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. I stand back to look at my handiwork, adjusting one of the forks. Perfect. She’s going to love this. I smile excitedly and run upstairs, entering the bedroom where she’s still sleeping peacefully. I watch her for a moment, the rise and fall of her chest, the soft sound of her breathing.
“Absolutely beautiful," I whisper. She lets out a loud snore, and I can’t help but laugh. I’d love to let her sleep in this morning, but we have all day to sleep. Right now, I just want to enjoy breakfast on the porch with my wife. I lay down next to her and run my fingers through her hair. Her face scrunches up, and she swats at my hand. I laugh and kiss her cheek.
“Sam? Love, it’s time to get up.”
She groans and keeps her eyes closed, grabbing my hand and holding it close to her chest. I kiss both of her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. She smiles and finally opens her eyes. “Good morning, Beautiful," I whisper.
“Good morning," she says and kisses me again.
“Happy anniversary, my love.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “It’s our anniversary? Already?”
“Ha, Ha. Very funny," I say, and she laughs, pulling me closer to her, kissing my lips sweetly.
“Happy anniversary, Chandler.”
I bury my neck in her neck, placing a soft kiss on her pulse, and pull back to look into her eyes. “I have a surprise for you. Meet me on the porch.”
“What’s the surprise?”
“You’ll have to come and find out," I say cheekily. She nods, and I pull away from her, leaving her to get dressed. I walk onto the porch and sit in one of the chairs. Even after 3 years of marriage, I still get excited to see Sam's reaction to my surprises. My heart pounds when the front door opens, and Sam walks out onto the porch. My jaw drops. Fuck me. She’s wearing my T-shirt and the blue flannel that she got me when we renovated the house. God, she still takes my breath away. The golden sun shining on her skin makes her look angelic. Her hair is a mess, her green eyes beaming when she smiles at me. I look at her from head to toe. God, this woman still drives me crazy .
“Wow, Chandler," she says, beaming at me, and my chest warms at her reaction. “You did this for me?”
I nod and stand from my chair, wrapping my arms around her waist. “I did," I say.
Looking at her makes my heart swell. I love this woman more than anything in this world.
“I love you so fucking much, Sam," I say.
She smiles at me, her eyes sparkling with affection. “I love you too, Chandler Randall.” She glances at the table full of breakfast and her favorite coffee. "And I love waking up to a ready-made breakfast."
I smile at her. We're not big on gifts for our anniversaries. I enjoy surprising her with her favorite coffee and breakfast, anyway. I wouldn’t change my life with her for anything. She’ll always know the best parts of me. She’ll always be the one that I turn to when I’ve had a bad day, and she’s the first person I want to talk to when something exciting happens. She’s everything I didn’t know I needed. She really is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I couldn't imagine that this is what our life would look like when we first met, but I'm grateful for every single day that I get to wake up next to her.
I lean down and kiss my beautiful wife, biting her bottom lip gently, loving the sound when she moans against my lips.
“What’s got you so worked up?” she asks, breathless.
“You," I breathe out and kiss her neck before pulling away and looking deep into her green eyes. I give her a teasing smile. “You always know how to get me worked up. ”