Epilogue
Serena
Two months later
We get married in our back yard with Bodi as West’s best man, Holly as my maid of honor, Lindy our flower girl, and Joey the ring bearer.
It’s a Sunday afternoon in early April, a couple of weeks before the playoffs are supposed to start.
There are more people than we initially wanted, but they’re all people we care about.
The rest of our roommates.
West’s parents and my family from South Georgia.
Jayne’s boss Kelly.
Coach Teller and Viggo.
Assistant coaches Quinn and Panzetti.
Mr. Carrier.
A handful of players on the team.
Banks and Aspen.
Adele and her husband.
My friend Lacy flew in from New York.
About sixty people, which is more than we wanted but not a single person we felt like we could leave out.
And it’s the best day of my life.
Joey looks adorable in his little tuxedo, and West—holy shit, can that man rock a tux.
It’s a back yard wedding but we opted for formal.
Because we can. Because we wanted a nice mix of fancy and casual: Fancy clothes, casual setting.
There’s gourmet food, a champagne fountain, and a huge cake.
We asked people not to bring gifts but some did anyway, and my heart is so full it might just explode.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about, angel?” West asks, sliding an arm around my waist.
“How perfect this is.” I lean into him.
“It is.” He kisses me and we smile at each other. “I’m just sorry I can’t take you on a honeymoon until hockey season is over.”
“That’s okay. I’m excited for you and the rest of the team.”
He looks around for a moment and nods. “Yeah, turns out moving to Atlanta was the absolute best decision I could have made.”
“I’m really glad you did.”
“Hey, guys, are you ready to cut the cake?” Holly asks.
“Sure.” I smile as West takes my hand and leads me toward the table where the cake is set up.
“Mommy, can I help?” Joey tugs on my dress.
“Sure, buddy.” West scoops him up and carries him the rest of the way.
We cut the cake, each take a bite, and then West puts a tiny dab of frosting on Joey’s nose. He laughs and squirms to get down, running to Lindy and leaving us to have our moment.
“I love you,” he whispers against my mouth.
“I love you more.”
West
What a day.
I can honestly say I’ve never been as happy as I am right now.
My wife. My new son—we’ve started the process for me to legally adopt him—and all our friends.
My parents love Serena and Joey, which is a good thing because I don’t know what I would’ve done if they didn’t. Luckily, I’ll never have to find out.
After we cut the cake, Serena goes off with her friends and they’re drinking champagne, taking selfies, having a good time. Which is exactly what I wanted for her. I asked her if she wanted a big, formal event and she said no—there will be plenty of that once she starts with Dusty Peaks.
And if I’m honest, this is exactly the type of event I wanted too. Fancy but low-key. Everyone we love. In the place we call home.
There will be changes soon.
Bodi, Jayne, and Lindy will be moving out in May or June, and then Vik will take their big en suite bedroom while we move Joey into Vik’s current bedroom, which is next to the primary suite.
Closer to Serena and me and a little more privacy for Vik.
The guys drew straws on who would get the big, downstairs bedroom, and he was the winner.
I look over at him and he’s deep in conversation with Kelly.
Kelly is Jayne’s boss at the library, and we all know her pretty well.
She’s lovely and smart, and she and Vik have become close friends.
She’s old enough to be his mother, but she speaks fluent Russian so she’s been helping him with his English and he gives her the opportunity to practice.
Today, though, they seem to be having a very serious conversation, which isn’t like them.
Curiously, I wander over.
“Having fun?” I ask casually.
Vik and Kelly look up almost guiltily.
“Uh, yeah. Of course.” Kelly smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Do I even want to know?” I demand quietly. “Please tell me there isn’t some kind of drama going on today.”
Vik shakes his head. “No drama. Just…business.”
“Business?” I squint. “What kind of business?”
Vik and Kelly exchange a strange look.
“I’m trying to talk him out of doing something stupid,” Kelly says.
Vik stands up straighter. “Is only solution.”
“Solution?” I look from one to the other. “What’s going on?”
“I need wife,” he says quietly. “Immediately.”
“A wife?” I stare at him in confusion. “What are you talking about? And what does immediately mean? Do you have someone in mind?”
“He does.” Holly comes up behind us and nods solemnly. “Me.”
Thank you for reading Chasing Love!