37. Epilogue
Epilogue
MARLEY
Six months later
“You look pretty,” Tuyet Mai gushed, looking up at Marley with wide eyes. Warm sunlight filtered in through the open windows of the living room.
Smiling, Marley held the bouquet Gia had designed, looking down at the three-year-old dressed in a pale pink dress. “You do too, Snow White.”
“What about me?” Th?y Mai asked from her spot near the window. Her dress was a pale blue color that matched the color of the summer sky outside.
“You look beautiful, Tweety Bird.” Marley looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her pale purple dress brought out the light brown flecks in her eyes. She had attempted to style her hair into an elegant updo, but her wild curls had their own ideas, so she braided them down her back.
Something soft nudged her ankles, begging for attention. “Hey, Tuna. You’re a pretty girl, too.”
Bending low, she picked up the black cat, who was sporting a bright pink collar with a dangling diamond. Another soft meow, followed by the sound of feet running across the hardwood floor, signaled Pepperoni’s entrance.
After the fundraiser, where people adopted most of the kittens, nobody claimed Pepperoni or Tuna. It nearly broke her heart until Jake begrudgingly offered to keep the pair together in their home. Jake grew to love the bonded pair, so the family permanently adopted them.
Pepperoni ran straight to Thuy Mai, who picked her up and placed her on her lap.
“Girls, you’re going to get hair all over your dresses!” Minh admonished, fixing her lipstick in the mirror while Mrs. Lien plucked at her dress. Both women were wearing shades of red.
Today was Jake and Gia’s wedding day. The women were getting ready at the house while the men were at Willowbrook Inn.
The ceremony and exchange of vows would take place on the dock for immediate friends and family.
After the ceremony, Griffin had arranged for some vintage cars to escort the bridal party and groomsmen to the inn for the reception, where people from all over town could join their celebration.
“Where are my shoes?” Gia muttered from where she crouched on the floor. “Have you guys seen my shoes?”
“Nope,” Marley answered, putting Tuna down and moving to help Gia locate her missing shoes.
“Did you leave them upstairs?” asked Gia’s personal assistant, Kim, while looking behind the couch. She had arrived from LA a few days before. Her mint off-the-shoulder dress matched the rest of the bridal entourage.
“I swear they were right here…” Gia muttered, gripping her white dress in one hand and kneeling on the floor to look under the couch.
“Oh, here they are!” Tuy?t Mai giggled as she wobbled around on her stolen pair of shoes.
Gia sat back on her haunches, a bemused expression on her face as she watched Tuy?t Mai try to walk in shoes much too large for her small feet.
Marley smiled. Warmth filled her chest when Gia grabbed Tuy?t Mai and started tickling her. The laughter filled the room and made everyone smile.
She had known Gia would become a part of her life, but what she hadn’t expected was being a part of this family. For years, she’d felt so lonely, until Jake practically adopted her—but she still hadn’t felt like she belonged.
Until now.