Epilogue #2
“You’re not worrying about risking life and limb anymore while there?” Archer teased.
“Only if you’re in charge of the fires.”
Sarcasm has become their mutually accepted relationship over the year, and I love the bond they’ve been able to forge, beginning from a mutual respect they forced, found, then earned.
I sit with Archer now at the head table, listening to the toasts being given as Genevieve stands, looking stunning in a slim, white gown, modest in taste and style.
“I grew up in a scattered family with a busy environment,” she begins, “but nothing ever really felt like home. I stumbled upon Autumn Ridge on a hunt for the best fall leaves, but the second I got here, I knew I’d never leave.
Not just because it’s the most beautiful place in the world, but because I found a home, a husband, friends”—she pauses, looking at me with teary eyes—“and a family in all of you. Thank you for welcoming me as your own.”
By the end, most of the room is in tears. Dad and I certainly am. Archer rests his arm behind me as he listens, his hand hanging loosely on the other side of the back of my chair.
I reach up and lace my left fingers through his. As he returns the gesture, he uses a thumb to shift the large diamond to sit upright on my finger. I stare over at it, light glinting and shimmering in the clear-cut jewel.
“Are we gonna hold our own reception here, too?” he asks in my ear as Genevieve sits down and the group cheers.
I lean my head against his shoulder, nuzzling in the crook of his neck. “I was thinking the Maple Bar and Grill, actually.”
He chuckles, the sound reverberating against my brow. “Classy.”
I lean back to peer up at him as his eyes pour into mine. “I don’t care where the reception is held, really,” I say. “Just so long as you’re right there with me.”
“I’ll see if I can find the time.”
I nudge my elbow gently into his side and sit upright as he smiles at his own joke.
“Come on,” he says as the toasts finish and the crowd shifts. “Let’s hit up the dessert table before there’s nothing left.”
We pass Wade and Ari, who rests her hand on my arm to stop me as I walk by. “You look beautiful tonight, Juliet.”
I return the compliment. “Having a good time?”
“Absolutely. Just wondering when we’ll be enjoying your special day.”
I look at Archer. “We’re thinking a fall wedding next year.”
“Oh, that sounds amazing. Doesn’t it, Wade?”
“We’ve got too much going on at the high school,” he says, his mustache twitching as he hides a smile. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Ari.”
“They’re already there, babe,” she says with a pat to his cheek.
“Time to join the ranks,” Archer teases.
We wave goodbye, moving past Dom and Reese next. Neither of them see us, Dom distracted with a flickering light as Reese laughs.
“You’re not going to spend the mayor’s wedding fixing things, Dom,” she says. “For once, it’s not your job.”
“But...it’s just one light. Maybe it has to do with the generator. It’ll be quick, I promise.”
She shakes her head, then pauses. “Is the generator outside?”
He nods.
“Where no one else is?”
“Yeah...”
She flashes him a look. “Mind if I join you?”
Delight flickers across his features. “Not at all.”
He leaps back from his chair and grabs her hand, pulling her out of the tent as she glances around to make sure no one is watching.
I smile to myself, then reach the dessert bar with Archer. He stuffs a few maple cream puffs in his mouth the second we reach the table, his cheeks full as Sadie and James join us.
“You’re going to make yourself gag, Archer,” Sadie says with a laugh. “Honestly, how do you stand him, Juliet?”
I catch from the corner of my eye as James does the same thing as his cousin. He holds his finger up to his full mouth to signal for me to be quiet, but I laugh, and Sadie turns around with a smile of her own.
“Same way you stand him,” I return.
Sadie rolls her eyes with amusement, then takes James’s face in her hands to lay a firm kiss to his lips.
She pulls back, licking her own. “Those puffs turned out great.”
James pulls her in for another kiss as a violin picks up at the side of the large, white tent.
The stunning sound, smooth and stirring, reaches across the space, and all eyes fall on Maven Walker as she stands near the rest of the live band, performing a special rendition of “Fields of Gold” for Dad and Genevieve’s first dance.
Ben stands nearby, watching his wife with glistening eyes and awe in his expression.
The whole world fades away as he admires the love of his life.
I wrap my arms around Archer, and he stands strong beside me as we turn our attention to Dad and Genevieve. The bride and groom stare into each other’s eyes, and my heart swells.
Halfway through the song, they both part, turning to face Archer and me with outstretched hands. I take Dad’s as Archer takes Genevieve’s, and together, we dance side by side.
He kisses my brow. “I can’t wait to dance with you at your own wedding.”
Never did I think I’d hear Dad say he couldn’t wait for me to marry.
A few minutes later, he parts from me, extending my hand toward Archer with a nod at my fiancé, and I dance with Archer as the rest of the floor fills.