Epilogue – 6 months later
Jade
Jade stood between Cleo and Lana, waiting for Ivy to walk down the aisle.
She looked along the front row and saw her parents sitting with Evan.
All of them with tears in their eyes. Sitting next to Evan, was April.
Whose eyes were looking straight at Jade.
She was stunning. In a floor length satin dress with cap sleeves, with a scoop neckline and backless, that was black or forest green depending on how the light hit it.
Jade had reached out to Raul to get a dress made for April that would match her outfit colors as a surprise.
Jade couldn’t get over the journey they’d been on in the past year when she looked at the woman smiling back at her.
April seemed like the best version of herself since she came out and was unapologetically her since.
She won the US Open, but the way she did it was spectacular: beating Suzie in straight sets to win the title.
That was after the player Suzie faced in the semi-final hit her in the face with a wild ball.
While April would never admit it aloud, Jade wouldn’t shy away from the sense of satisfaction that brought her after what Suzie had done to April.
Smiling at the memory of sponsorship influxes that Dani fielded for April after she came out, Jade couldn’t hold back the excitement she felt for the very bright future April had with her career.
Despite the attempts from Suzie to ruin it for her.
She threw April a wink before turning toward the aisle as the music changed.
Toni came down the aisle first in a satin olive-green dress, followed by Sophie and Willow in off-white flower girl dresses with olive-green sashes at their waist. Once they stood at what would be Ivy’s side, the music changed once more.
Jade turned to look at her sister, waiting for the exact moment her eyes saw her future wife walking down the aisle towards her. And then it happened. She saw Cleo’s breath catch, and tears filled her eyes in an instant. Her smile grew wider than Jade had ever seen before.
At that, she turned to see Ivy walking down the aisle in a simple champagne satin dress with an illusion neckline, her hair was tied up with a French braid on either side.
She carried a single white rose in one hand instead of a bouquet, and had her other arm looped around her best friend, Lucas’s arm.
When Ivy made it to Cleo, she turned and gave Lucas a hug, a tear running down her face. He wiped it away for her and nodded to Cleo, who reached out a hand for her soon-to-be wife, as he went to sit beside his own wife, Gabby, and their toddler, Brody.
The ceremony started, and Jade switched between looking at Ivy and Cleo, and looking over at the love of her life, April.
Hearing the words spoken by the celebrant sat differently with her today.
They meant, more, having someone she felt that exact way about there with her.
A calm settled in her as she held her gaze on her partner, knowing that she’d undeniably found her person.
She turned back to Cleo to hear her sister read the vows she’d written to Ivy.
“Ivy, you are my love, my heart, and my home. You’re the person I want to tell my secrets to, the one I want to share my hopes and fears with, and the one I want to share my life with.
Yours is the face I want to see before I fall asleep at night, and the first one I see in the morning when I wake up.
I want to spend my life making you feel happy, loved, and safe.
The very same way you’ve made me feel since the day we, finally, met. I love you.”
Jade’s heart melted at the amount of love she had for her sister in that moment, and the brave way she shared her heart with Ivy.
Jade knew this was exactly the kind of relationship she had found with April.
She looked forward to the many years ahead more than ever as Ivy started to say her vows to Cleo.
“Cleo, I’ve never met anyone who loved so openly, protected so fiercely, and cared so gently as you do.
You’ve made me realize that where you come from doesn’t define where you’re going, and that I can choose that path entirely by myself.
The day I crashed into you, literally, was the day I chose my own path.
And that was also the day when I realized that it wasn’t one that I had to walk alone anymore.
I gladly walk this path with you, hand in hand, our hearts safe with each other.
You light up my life in ways I never knew was possible, just by being you. I love you.”
Jade looked over at April and saw her partner’s eyes already locked on hers.
Her heart swelled as she was aware of Cleo and Ivy swapping rings and finishing their ceremony, but her focus was on the woman she loved.
Sat in the front row. Mouthing, I love you, to Jade as Cleo and Ivy shared their first kiss as wife and wife.
Jade mouthed it back, and she saw April’s inhale deeply as her eyes became glassy.
The ceremony ended, photos were taken, and the meal was inhaled by all.
The speeches were survived by the newlyweds, however hard Evan and Lucas tried to out-embarrass the brides with each other’s speeches.
Before the dancing started, Ivy had requested to complete the throwing of her bouquet.
Much to everyone’s amusement, given it was a single white rose and therefore wouldn’t go very far once thrown.
Cleo announced that her wife had demanded that anyone who was unmarried, whether single or not, make their way to the dance floor. Jade looked at April by her side who laughed and shook her head as Jade slowly got up and reached for April’s hand to walk to the dance floor together.
Jade laughed as she recognized the three older women who were surrogate Grandmothers to Ivy from her coffee shop joining in, even though she knew only one of them was widowed.
The other two were there for support. She turned and saw Oliver standing near the far side with his back turned, probably to ensure he wouldn’t catch it, but knowing he wouldn’t want to face Ivy’s wrath at work by not appearing for it either.
Jade and April were in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by giggles and chatter, as Ivy turned her back to them all and announced for everyone to get ready.
She motioned three times to throw the flower overhead but stopped before letting it go.
Turned. And made her way through the crowd. Towards Jade.
She handed the flower to her newly titled sister-in-law, hiding the flower between their bodies as she whispered in Jade's ear to the opposite side of where April stood, “go get her, little sister”, and kissed her cheek gently.
The room went silent as Jade turned to April and held the rose toward her on its side.
Those close enough saw what April noticed on the long stem and gasps made their way through the crowd.
While Ivy had pulled Jade in close to give her the flower, Jade had slipped a sapphire and white gold engagement ring on the stem ready to present it to April.
With tears in both their eyes, April’s hands raised to her mouth as Jade dropped to one knee in front of her partner.
“April, from the moment I met you, I knew you were the love of my life. Not a single moment since that first night walking around the city with you has my heart not known that it is you to whom it belongs. If I had it my way, I would have proposed that very night. But I know now that wasn’t the way our story was meant to play out.
We needed to lose each other for those two months, to be able to appreciate what we had to fight for over the months that followed.
It didn’t take us long to decide on calling each other our partners instead of girlfriends, and that had its purpose at the time, and I loved being that for you.
But I’m ready for you to take the title I’ve wanted all along.
So, April Walker, will you please let me finally call you, my wife? ”
April laughed. Actually. Laughed. Confused, Jade watched with wide teary eyes as April reached into her bag and retrieved a ring box.
Then Cleo suddenly arrived beside her, touched April's shoulder to get her attention, and handed over the flower from the lapel of her jacket. The crowd surrounding them let out a united awww, as they realized April had planned the very same thing Jade had as she placed the diamond band engagement ring on Cleo’s rose and offered it to Jade, getting down on her own knee facing her.
“Jade, you are by far the most fearless, caring, supportive, loving person I have ever come across in my entire life. Getting to call you my partner always felt joyful as I was still calling you mine, but felt equal parts sadness as I didn’t get to call you what I truly wanted in my heart.
To be able to announce to the world that I was entirely yours, and have you be entirely mine.
Forever. The only way for that to happen though, is to ditch that title and take on the only one I’ve ever wanted since seeing those stunning emerald eyes across the bar.
Followed by your fiery hair, exquisite style, those intricate tattoos.
..” April sucked her lips into her mouth and bit back the laugh as she realized what had slipped out.
Jade’s eyes nearly popped out her head as she heard Cleo laugh somewhere ahead of her from the reveal of her secret in front of her parents, but she closed her eyes and breathed for a second before nodding for April to continue.
“...I’m so sorry,” April whispered before clearing her throat and continuing. “So please, before I get either of us into any more trouble with your parents, Jade Alexis Foster, can you stop being my partner and please become my wife?”
They both laughed through their tears, removed the rings from each rose stem, and declared “YES!” together as they placed each other’s rings on the fourth finger of their left hands. Wrapped in each other's arms, the crowd cheered as they made their way to standing and finally kissed.
The crowd dispersed, and Cleo and Ivy were the first to congratulate them, followed by Jade’s parents.
April encouraged Jade to roll up her sleeves and unbutton the top few buttons on her collared shirt and finally reveal a small section of her tattoo to her parents.
Jade was relieved to discover they didn’t mind in the slightest. Her mom even admired the delicate designs.
As the evening wore on and the party started to calm down to make way for the slow songs at the end of the night, April and Jade held each other close as they swayed in time to one of Cleo and Ivy’s favorite ballads: Fall On Me.
“I can’t believe that happened,” April grinned with a laugh as she rested her head on Jade’s shoulder. Their bodies embracing impossibly close.
“I can,” Jade stated, placing a soft kiss on April’s temple. “We both want to be each other’s wives, and I can’t wait.”