Whit’s Epilogue
Seven Months Later
M y eyes are already full of unshed tears, and we’ve barely begun. While I stand here, gazing into Conrad’s eyes in front of all our friends and family, my heart skips a beat as I take him in. His red-rimmed eyes, his beard that he trimmed specifically for today, how dapper he looks in his tuxedo. He steals my breath away.
Heart pounding, I can’t take my eyes off him.
“Welcome, loved ones,” Nana announces from beside us. Conrad and I couldn’t think of a single other person who would be better at officiating this ceremony than her. “We are gathered here today to join Conrad and Whittaker in holy matrimony. I cannot think of two people better suited to spend the rest of their lives together than these two.” She looks toward Conrad. “My Connie boy, with each passing day, you remind me more and more of your grandfather. Your love for Whit is so fierce, so passionate. I am so proud of the man you are, and I am honored to be here today, witnessing you marry your true love again.”
Flicking her gaze toward me, my stomach dips as I smile at her. “And my sweet Whit.” I lose it when I hear how her voice cracks on my name and the way she’s got tears in her own eyes too. “You are a light in this family. You are the brightest of sunshines and the perfect partner to Conrad. Thank you for always loving him, for making him a better man. A happier man. I love you both so much.”
Then it’s my turn. We wrote our own vows, and my hands shake as I take the sheet of paper from inside of my tux jacket. My vision is so blurry, I can barely make out the handwriting before me.
“Conrad, you have had my heart since I was fifteen years old. Long before you even acknowledged my existence as anything more than your family’s employee.” We both breathe out a laugh before I continue. “You complete me, filling something inside of me I didn’t even know was missing until I met you. You forever have my heart, my soul, and my hand as we embark on this next chapter of life together again. I didn’t know if I would ever find myself here again, but I think it was always the way it was meant to be. It’s always been you, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me to be taking your hand again. I promise to love you, respect you, and cherish you forever. I am the luckiest man alive to have found my soulmate with you.”
My bottom lip quivers as I finish reading the vows, heart about to explode when I take in Conrad’s wet cheeks and his glassy eyes.
“Conrad,” Nana says, indicating it’s his turn.
He nods and smiles, reaching into his jacket to pull out a sheet of paper much like mine.
“Whit, falling in love with you was the easiest thing I have ever done. Heck, I’d even go as far as to say that I didn’t fall i n love with you, but instead, walked into love with you with eyes and arms wide open. Before you, I didn’t believe in fate or destiny, and even now, I don’t know if I do, but meeting you, being with you, standing here with you, is the closest thing to fate I’ve ever experienced. Getting to read these vows with you again feels like a dream. I promise to always choose you. I will always choose you, in a hundred lifetimes, in every universe, I will find you, and I will choose you. I will love you forever, like I love you right now. Like I have loved you for years.”
His voice cracks as more tears fall, but he continues.
“You have seen me at my best and at my worst, and you have loved me through it all. Some days, I don’t even know if I deserve you, but I promise to never stop trying to be deserving of all the love you give me. With you, I have found my home, my heart, and my soulmate.”
Next, we exchange our rings, and then it’s time for the kiss. Hands cupping his cheeks, I smile up at him, breathing out, “I love you,” before he seals his mouth to mine. He kisses me with such love, such affection, holding on to me like he knows my knees would collapse if not for his touch.
A loud round of clapping and cheering sounds around us, but I hardly hear any of it. I’m too lost in the feeling of this kiss. Of knowing that I’m once again Conrad Strauss’s husband, and nothing on this planet makes me happier than that.
After the ceremony ends, the reception kicks off with a champagne toast, and I can’t help but look around and feel overwhelmed with love. I soak in how blessed I am, coming from a town like Copper Lake, and getting to know the love that comes from that.
The DJ kicks off the party as our first dance song starts playing, and my heart is in my throat as Conrad leads me out in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, taking his hand in mine while his other holds me tightly around my waist. Chris Stapleton’s A Simple Song plays as we sway together. The song couldn’t be more perfect for us, and as soon as I heard it, I knew it needed to be ours.
“We did it,” Conrad says, low enough for only me to hear him. There’s a shimmer in his eyes that makes my stomach flutter and my chest warm.
“Yes, we sure did.”
“I love you, baby.”
“And I love you, Connie.”
The song comes to an end, another one playing as everyone filters around us, and we all dance the night away. Seeing how far we’ve all come in the last five years is enough to make me lose it all over again. I’m the luckiest man to be surrounded by these wonderful people, to be married to such an incredible man.
I watch as our next generation of little cowboys and cowgirls run around the ranch, dancing and laughing with each other. I see the light and the love in their eyes, and I’m overflowing with gratitude.
There was a time when I wasn’t sure I would ever feel true happiness again, a time when I was so hopeless, but I should’ve known everything was going to work out.
And boy, did it ever.
Peering back up at Conrad, I cup his cheek. “Dance with me all night, husband, until our feet ache, and then take me to bed and show me how much you love me until we fall asleep in each other’s arms.”
His smile is wide as he gazes into my eyes. “Gladly.”
The End.