Epilogue - TAYLOR
One Month Later - New Years Eve
The cool sand hits my toes and all the tension leaves my body the second I find Grant staring at me beneath the arch set up on the beach outside our house on our private island.
The same beach where we first stood in front of the pier and exchanged vows recited by a boat captain, me in a white sundress, and Grant in simple pants and a white shirt.
Today, he’s wearing the same tan suit he wore to Ivory and Preston’s wedding—the day I saw him for the first time again after years apart—and he looks as sinfully delicious today as he did then with his shaggy hair, unbuttoned dress shirt, and that same slutty chain peeking out beneath his collar.
The chain that’s empty now because his wedding band is back on his finger where it belongs.
I slide my thumb against the underside of the engagement ring, relishing in the weight of it on my finger as I walk down the aisle to my husband, carrying a bouquet of all the gold-tipped roses he’s given me over the years.
Instead of a stranger performing our vow renewal ceremony, what with our marriage still being legally binding and this merely a symbolic union, Daddy Mike stands beside Grant, as the officiant.
My brother stands on Grant’s other as his best man.
Miller winks at me when I reach the group of our friends standing in a circle, surrounding us with their love.
He’s been on his best behavior since I was able to convince Chloe to photograph the ceremony, and watching him fall over himself to get her attention is the most entertained I’ve been in my entire life.
Ivory burrows into Preston’s side and kisses his jaw.
Chase pulls Gabby into his front and presses a kiss to her temple.
They say they’re in no hurry to get engaged or married, but personally, I’d love for it to happen within the next year.
I’ve never seen my best friend shine as much as she does with Chase and she deserves the love he gives her for the rest of her life.
Grant reaches for my hand when I make it to the arch, the familiar touch soothing and electric all at once.
His eyes devour me, full of love, adoration, and a passionate intensity I can’t wait to explore later when all the festivities and family time are over.
For now, I give him a sly smirk and wink as I pass the bouquet to Gabby.
“Well, it’s about damn time, ” Mike starts, making us all laugh.
“And so nice of you to invite us to your affair this time around,” Miller calls from his place in the circle around us.
I cut my eyes in his direction. “You weren’t even in existence the first time, so shut it, Millicent.”
“But we were!” Josh argues.
“I agree with Daddy Mike, it’s about damn time,” Gabby speaks up from behind me.
“About damn time, indeed,” Grant murmurs, tangling his fingers with mine and dragging me closer until my chest bumps against his.
“You look stunning in this dress.” The V-neck mermaid dress with a see-through lace corset top and delicate applique skirt hugs my body like a second skin, and with the way Grant is looking at me, I know without a doubt he can’t wait to see it off my body as much as he’s enjoying the view of it on.
“My husband is always hot as fuck.” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his stumbled jaw.
“Let’s get this show on the road before they give us a show,” Preston says, chuckling as Grant loops his hands around my body and palms my ass.
With Grant’s forehead pressed to mine, Mike reads the same poem from our first ceremony about always being meant to be and another poem that has us all laughing and crying by the end.
When it’s time for our vows, Mike steps back and the world falls away as Grant pulls me infinitesimally closer into his body.
His amber and rosewood scent mixes with the fresh ocean air, the feel of his forehead on mine, his hands on my body as he holds me tenderly, his breath mingling with mine as he opens his mouth to speak first in a whispered tone only I can hear.
“You have always been mine, and I have always been yours. I’ve never and will never want it any other way.
You stole my heart the first moment my eyes met yours and I almost messed up a pitch.
You crashed into my life and I was forever changed.
I always knew we would end up back here, together.
You’re my soulmate, my best friend, my greatest treasure, and my Stella.
I’ve loved you every single second of every single day since the day we met, and I will love you for every single second of all the days we have left in this lifetime, the next, and the next after that.
There is no world without you in it, Tay baby, and I cannot wait for the rest of our lives.
” A tear falls from Grant’s lashes when he finishes.
A watery laugh falls from my lips, my own tears spilling over. “How the hell am I supposed to compete with that? You’re such a romantic.”
I wipe my cheeks with one hand and then his. Palming his cheek, I do my best to pour every ounce of love and longing in my body into my vows, giving him the words I know he needs to hear, the ones he’s waited for.
“You may not know this, but I had a feeling about you before the game that night. I knew we were going to meet up with one of Josh’s friends, and I vaguely remembered you from when Josh was in college and watching your games before, but I hadn’t officially met you yet.
That night, something was different. It’s like every cell in my body was addled with restless energy, a vibration that settled the second your eyes met mine.
You were imposing on the mound, in the zone, but in that split second, you lost every bit of concentration and it’s like my soul called to yours and claimed it right then and there.
I was irrevocably changed at that moment. ”
I sniffle as more tears run down my cheeks, the salty taste lingering on my lips. Grant clears them with a thumb while I take a deep breath and calm my racing heart to finish my vows. The encouraging smile on his face, giving me the strength to continue.
“Our journey may have been a bumpy road—untraditional in every sense of the word—but it was ours, wholly, completely, predestined. And right here, right now, I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
Thank you for never giving up on us, on me.
For reminding me every year on our anniversary, even when I wouldn’t answer your calls, even when I sent divorce papers, even when the first time I reached out was for a favor and nothing else.
Your unwavering determination and unconditional love are the best parts about you, and I am forever grateful you chose me.
You are my soulmate, my best friend, the love of my life, my soft place to land, the comfort I seek, and the best support and partner I could ever ask for.
I know anything in this life is possible with you by my side, and that’s where I’ll be forever—with you, by your side.
I love you to the ends of the earth, Grant, and I love being your wife. ”
As soon as the last words are out, he crushes his mouth to mine, my lips parting instantly.
His tongue delves into my mouth, exploring every crevice as I do the same.
Hands clutch and tug and rove as we lose all sense of time and place and the eight people around us, too caught up in the sensation of lips and teeth and tongues, of love and lust and joy.
A loud whistle finally seeps into my consciousness.
Dropping back, I blink my eyes open and find our friends staring at us with expressions ranging from mischievous excitement to unadulterated joy.
“If you’re done mauling each other, we can go get this party started,” Miller pipes up in amusement.
“I don’t know if the party we’re throwing is the party they want to attend anymore,” Chase mutters.
“Leave them alone,” Ivory slaps Miller on the back of the head. “They’ve waited long enough. They deserve this.”
“Damn right, we do,” Grant bundles me against him, peppering kisses on my face and neck.
Pulling out of his hold, I grab his hand and tug him toward the house. “Give us ten minutes, we’ll meet you by the pool.”
“Ten minutes?” Grant quirks a brow at me before picking me up and speed-walking up the path.
“An hour, max!” I call over his shoulder, because they’re right—we have some other celebrating to do first.
Our story started over ten years ago, but our happily ever after starts today.