Epilogue #2
“I thought you weren’t coming?” I say, shocked to see my brother Jay standing there.
“You look beautiful,” he says, smiling at me.
“Thank you.”
“I wanted to be here for you to show my support, even though I don’t approve. I think you could do better.”
I can’t believe he came here for this. “I don’t need your approval, Jay.
I don’t care what you think. Nick is one of the best men I know, and he would put my life before his own.
He is the best father I could ever ask for my son, to show him what a man should be.
How a man should love a woman. You insulting him is insulting me.
You can leave, I don’t need you here.” He puts his hand on the door to stop me from closing it in his face.
“Cat, wait, I’m sorry! I didn’t want to insult you or make you upset.”
“Didn’t you?”
“No. You’re my baby sister, and I want what’s best for you. I don’t want you to make a mistake you can’t take back.”
“Nick is what’s best for me. If he’s a mistake, which he’s not, he’s the best mistake I’ve ever made.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I’m sorry for the things I said to you. I didn’t mean them; I was angry. Sometimes I say stupid things when I’m angry, things that are not true, and I know that is no excuse.”
“You hurt me. A lot. You made me feel like…I was everything you said I was. It hurt.”
“For that I’m sorry. I was wrong. That’s why I’m here. I would like to be a part of this day, if the invitation is still open and you’ll let me? I was wrong.”
“Fine, stay,” I say after thinking about it.
“Thank you. You really do look beautiful. All grown up.” He smiles and walks away.
I stop him when he turns. “Jay ?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want a red wedding. This could easily turn into a Game of Thrones-like situation with fists. Please don’t say or do anything that will set Nick off.”
“You have my word.”
“Good.” I close the door and say a silent prayer we will be married and fists will not fly today. Where is Ava? I’m ready for them to start the music already. I’m one hundred percent ready to be Mrs. Nicholas Alexander for the rest of my life.
Nick
Putting my jacket on, I button it, and now all I’m waiting for is Chris’s ass. He went to see if Cat was ready thirty minutes ago—how long does that take? There’s a knock on the door. “Come in.”
“Hello, Nick.”
What the hell is she doing in here? She’s the last person I would expect to knock on this door. She must have the wrong room. “Mrs. Reed,” I say stiffly, watching her curiously.
“I wanted to thank you for agreeing to allow us to be here today. I know it wasn’t an easy decision for you after everything.”
“No, it wasn’t. If I had it my way, you wouldn’t be here. But I only want to make Cat happy, and I don’t want her to have regrets about this day. Like it or not, you are a part of her, you are her family, and if having you here makes her happy, I’m going to give her what she wants.”
“I can see you make her happy.”
“That’s the only reason you and your daughter are here.
Me making her happy. I haven’t forgotten a thing.
I’m not happy about her spending time with you, but I’m going to tolerate it for her.
Don’t hurt her. If you do, I can guarantee you won’t get this chance again.
If you’ll excuse me, I have a wedding I need to finish getting ready for. ”
She looks at me with a stiff smile, her head held high as ever.
She closes the door. I run my hand through my hair and unclench my jaw.
She grates on my nerves. I’m not fooled for one second into thinking she wouldn’t turn Cat against me if there was any way possible.
The truth is, the only reason I tolerate her having a relationship with Cat is because I know what Cat and I have she can’t touch.
We’re solid, she can’t put a dent in it.
“Fuck this. I’m going to see if Cat is ready.” I’ve waited long enough for her to be my wife. I open the door and pull up short. “What the fuck?”
“Hi, Nick.”
“What do you want, Kate?”
“Forget it—I know you hate me.”
I’ve spoken to Kate once, last month. I wasn’t happy, and the things I had to say to her were harsh but they had to be said.
Like I told her, if it wasn’t for Cat flat-out refusing, I would have pressed charges against her.
She said, “We couldn’t move on and forgive.
We would always be stuck in a place of hate and anger.
This way we could all begin to heal and move on.
” That’s when I made the mistake of making a snide remark with some colorful expletives.
“Are we supposed to hold hands like a Coca-Cola commercial and sing I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect fucking harmony?
” She replied with colorful expletives of her own and refused to speak to me for the rest of the day.
I step back into the room but stop her from walking away. “Say whatever it is you need to say, fast.”
“I saw Jace for the first time.”
I tense, watching her. “When did you see Jace?”
“Your mother was holding him outside. He’s amazing.”
“Thanks.” Some of the tension at her saying she saw Jace goes out of my body.
“He has your eyes, but everything else is all Cat. He’s a beautiful little boy,” she says, her voice wavering.
I let out a breath and relax a little. She looks different. Still very much put together, but different. Less superior and I-have-all-my-shit-together.
“Kate, I don’t hate you anymore. I’m still very angry.” She lifts her head up and looks at me. I see the doubt in her eyes. “I’m sorry for a lot of things. I’ll never forget the way both of them were almost taken away from me, but I don’t hate you. Anymore.”
“What happened is something I will have to live with. My sister and her baby almost dying because of my rage and impulsivity. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to either one of them, especially that beautiful baby.”
I know what she’s thinking. I’m thinking it too. “I wish you could feel what I do when I look at Jace. I know how you feel; I feel it too. Having Jace doesn’t make me forget. I had two children.”
“Thank you.”
“I will never forget. That’s a bond we will always have.”
“You make her happy.”
“You’re the second person to say that today.”
“Anyone who looks at you can see you belong together.”
We stand in silence, and she clears her throat. “I’m going to go back to my seat.” I watch her leave and close the door.
That was different. I’m angry with her, but I also feel sympathy for her. Enough of this. I need to see Cat. On my way to Cat’s room, I see Shawn and Chris, catching the end of their conversation.
“Ava’s smokin’, don’t know why you keep playing hard to get. If you’re not interested, I’ve been thinking about asking her out.”
“I’m going to save you the trouble—no.”
“Hey, Shawn.”
“Hey, you ready to be tied down for life?”
“Way past ready and waiting.”
“I know you are. You’re a lucky man,” he says, patting me on the back as he heads back to where the guests are. Pointing a finger at Chris, he says, “We’ll talk later.”
“Where the hell have you been?” I ask Chris.
“I ran into Ava. She was giving me all kinds of shit about my date.”
“You should have expected that.”
“Yeah, come on, let’s go outside, Cat’s ready.”
“It’s about damn time.”
I can’t take my eyes off her. The sun is shining down on her, and she’s an angel made for me.
She looks to the left where my parents are standing.
She sees my mother, and the smile on her face is even brighter she sees Jace sleeping soundly in my mother’s arms. Her eyes find me, and the rest of the way she sees only me, and I only have eyes for her.
It was all worth it. I would do it all again if it meant I would be here waiting for her, for my forever.
Cat
He takes my hand, and his eyes never leaving mine for a second.
He mouths, “I love you.” I swallow the lump in my throat and hold back the tears threatening to come.
Looking into his eyes, I can see the love we share, and I hope he can see it in mine as much as I see it in his.
Those same beautiful eyes have haunted me many nights when I was all alone.
Standing here, looking at them, I know he will always be by my side.
When I’m weak, he will be my strength. If I’m cold, he will keep me warm.
If I’m lost, he will find me. I am his, and he is mine, forever.
I look at him and hope I can keep it together till the end of my vows to him.
The minister speaks, and I wait nervously for him to indicate it’s time for me to share the words in my heart.
“It took three times to finally get this ring on my finger. The third time, when you put this ring on my finger, in my heart and mind we were already married. We have a bond that can’t be broken.
Our son is an extension of that bond, which draws us together whether near or far.
I’ve shared a lot of firsts with you, first kiss—yes, for those of you who didn’t know that’s how far back we go,” I say smiling.
“There is no other person I would rather share my firsts with in this life. I know we’re just starting our lives together, and we have many more firsts to come, good and bad.
I can’t wait to share them all with you by my side, because with you, everything is better.
” For the first time since I walked out, Nick breaks eye contact and turns to the minister.
“Can I kiss her?” I laugh and so do our guests, along with the minister.
“Not quite yet, son. You still have to go over your part.”
He locks eyes with me again with a beautiful smile. “Catherine Emerson Reed. It took three proposals to get here. The first time you were pregnant with our amazing son. The second time I didn’t even ask you anything. You were like, I’m accepting your proposal I turned down, where’s my ring?”
I bite down on my lip and smile. “I did not say it like that.”
“Close enough. Two days later, for the third time, I decided to do it right. Here in this rose garden, under the trellis. I said you’re more than the love of my life, you are my life.
I will never want to walk this earth a day without you by my side.
You have made me happier than you will know.
I love you, Cat. I will love you till the day I die. ”
“Oh crap. I tried to hold it together,” I say under my breath so only he can hear. When a tear rolls down my cheek, he wipes it away and kisses the tip of my nose. Hearing a loud sniff, I look behind me and smile at Ava, who pretends like it wasn’t from her.
“Do you, Nicholas Harrison Alexander, take Catherine Emerson Reed to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad times, forsaking all others, keep you only unto her, so long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Catherine Emerson Reed, take Nicholas Harrison Alexander to be your lawfully wedded husband, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad times, forsaking all others, keep you only unto him, so long as you both shall live?”
“I do.”
“What therefore God has joined together, let no man or woman put asunder. By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. I can now grant your request—”
The minister looks at Nick with a smile. Before he finishes, Nick pulls me up against him in a smoldering kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and melt against him in front of God and all who are watching.
“By all means, you may now kiss your beautiful wife, which you are already in the process of doing,” the minister says with a chuckle. So does everyone else clapping and cheering.
Holding me close to him on the dance floor, surrounded by family and friends, I run my fingers through his hair as I gaze into his eyes, wishing we were somewhere else.
“So, Mrs. Alexander.”
“Yes, Mr. Alexander ?”
“How does it feel being my wife?”
“Like nothing I could have imagined. We should have done this sooner.”
“I tried to tell you.”
“And this time I will admit, I should have listened.” I pull his head down, fitting my lips between his, kissing him softly. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m an instant billionaire, a rags to riches story. I’m on top of the world.” He smiles and kisses me on the cheek. “When can we get out of here? I need to be with you. I seriously need to be with you. Alone.”
I smile, nodding my head. “Twenty minutes.”
“Thank God.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind not going on a honeymoon?”
“Anywhere we are is a honeymoon.”
“We only have a few hours alone till your mother brings Jace back. I’m sorry, I couldn’t leave him alone, not yet.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, I feel the same way. As long as we’re together I’m happy.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek. Holding me still, he holds up his other hand in the direction of the band and a different song starts playing. I feel my cheeks heat at the memory.
“This is our song.” A slow smile creeps up my face. Mikki Ekko’s “Pull Me Down.”
“This is how it all started. A sordid affair that was too fierce to be contained by either of us. Or anyone else in its way.”
“I love you. Good, bad, indifferent, imperfections and all,” I tell him.
“I love you more, more than you could imagine.”
His lips touch my neck, and I hold on to him tight while we sway, my feet barely touching the floor with his arms around me.
The song changes to Sade, “By Your Side.” I sigh deeply, my forehead against his chest, lost in the song and the feel of his lips against my skin.
When I open my eyes, we’re standing by the door.
“Nick?”
“Twenty minutes are up. We’re going to have honeymoon number one in a limo. Let’s go, Mrs. Alexander.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Alexander!” I say, smiling when he grabs me by the hand, spinning me out the door in a white swirl, and we spend the next glorious eight hours wrapped up in each other. Blissfully happy, the way it should always be.