Epilogue
Lainey
“Come on, Lainey! You’re going to be late; they’re waiting for you!” Ellie’s voice rings out as I stare at myself in the large mirror that stands in the corner of the room.
Taking a few more deep, shaky breaths, I smooth down my dress and paste a smile on my face. This is supposed to be a happy day, so why do I feel scared shitless?
“You look beautiful. Now let’s go!” Gwen says, pulling me by the arm toward the door.
“Okay, okay. I’m coming!” I say, chuckling at my friends.
“Oh thank god, I thought you were going to flee,” Haley says, wiping fake sweat off her brow.
My friends stand in front of me, each wearing their dark, maroon-colored dresses, looking stunning and excited.
“I’m here, I didn’t flee. I’m not that much of a bitch,” I tell them, taking another deep breath and shaking out the nerves. “I feel like I’m having a heart attack. Is it hot in here?”
Gwen steps in front of me, planting her hands on my shoulders. “Breathe, Lane. You’re not having a heart attack. You’re just nervous. Take a deep breath,” she tells me in an attempt to calm my racing heart.
“You’re going to be great, just don’t forget to smile,” Ellie says, giving me her best calming look.
“And don’t trip,” Haley chimes in.
We all shoot her a glare.
“Shut up, Haley!” Gwen scolds before turning back to me. “You’re going to be fine. Just pay attention to what’s in front of you and keep smiling.”
“You got this,” Ellie says, holding her thumbs up in encouragement.
Music begins from behind the large wooden doors, and my adrenaline spikes. Okay, Lainey. You can do this. It’s just some family and friends.
The doors open and before walking through, my friends smile and give me a thumbs up. Gwen gives me one last smile and kisses me on the cheek.
“I’m happy for you, Lane,” she says with a sweet smile, tears forming in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, because then I’m going to cry and I’m going to have to kill you for making me cry,” I tell her.
She chuckles before turning and walking through the doors.
The music changes and I take one final breath before walking through the doors.
Friends and family line each side of the aisle, and at the end, my best friends stand with huge smiles on their faces.
On the other side, Holland’s friends stand beside him, and Holland stands in the middle, waiting for me.
The smile on his face is one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. He looks incredibly sexy in his black suit with his dirty blonde hair all tousled.
I finally make it to Holland, and it feels like I’d been walking for an eternity.
“You showed up,” he whispers with a smirk. I let out a quiet, shaky laugh.
“Here I am,” I say.
“Finally,” Holland says, and my heart pounds in my chest. To think, this same man annoyed the living shit out of me for years, and now I’m marrying the guy.
This doesn’t feel real. I wasn’t supposed to get the guy. He was supposed to be like everyone else and just leave. To be fair, he still could, but I don’t think he will.
When it’s time for the vows, my stomach churns. I am so not into public speaking. This is honestly one of the parts I was dreading the most. I told Holland we should do private vows, but he insisted on doing them in front of everyone so they could witness how much he loves me.
I couldn’t say no to that, and I also couldn’t let him be the only one to do it. So here we are, and I feel like throwing up.
“Lainey, I think I loved you before I even knew what love actually was. You were my storm, my rival, my friend, and somewhere in the middle of all our years of arguments and bickering, you became the only person I couldn’t imagine living without.
I realized a long time ago that I’d always choose you, even when you didn’t believe in us, even when you pushed me away.
And today, I stand here not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.
I vow to love you with the same certainty I’ve carried all these years.
To fight beside you when you’re strong, to hold you when you’re tired, and to remind you every day that what we have isn’t a fairytale — it’s better.
It’s real. It’s ours. It’s us. I love you, Lainey Bug. ”
I can’t help the stupid tears that begin to fall down my cheeks as I take in the words he just said. How in the hell did I get so lucky?
Sniffling, I take a deep breath and begin to recite my vows.
“Holland, I spent years pretending I didn’t care.
Pretending the way you looked at me didn’t unravel me, pretending I didn’t notice when you were the only one who could make me laugh when I was angry.
I thought love was supposed to be easy, and what we had…
it scared me because it was real. Messy. Unavoidable.
But today, I’m not afraid. I vow to argue with you when I think you’re wrong and to fight beside you when the world is.
I vow to love you in the small ways and the loud ways; in coffee on tired mornings, in holding your hand when you’re restless, in reminding you that you’ve always been enough.
I vow to love you because I don’t know how not to.
Thank you for not giving up on me and thank you for showing me that real love does exist. I love you. ”
Holland reaches up, brushing away the tear that slips down my cheek. The crowd blurs into silence. The years of stubbornness and denial have led to this moment. To us. The officiant’s voice breaks through the temporary stillness.
“You may kiss.”
“Finally,” Holland repeats his earlier sentiment. I giggle, and then, his lips are on mine. And for once in our tangled mess of a history, neither of us hesitate.
Even though my parents weren’t able to come due to their stint in Paris, everyone who really matters showed up. My nanny, Erika, Mrs. Monroe, our friends, a lot of Hollands family. It’s absolutely perfect.
For so long, I believed that this kind of love only existed in the movies, that I was incapable of finding someone that would love me for me. That because my own parents didn’t want me, no one could.
Holland had always been there, and for a long time, he was only a background character in my story. I didn’t ever imagine that we’d end up here, but God, am I happy we did.
Here’s to getting my fairytale, and my happily ever after.
The End