Epilogue
Dominic
Three months later
Dominic's hand was steady as he held a glass and made a toast in front of a crowd of people.
His parents and siblings.
Marley's family from Texas.
Friends.
Teammates.
Cousins.
Joan and Patrick.
People from both gyms.
Pro athletes from at least three different sports.
He was regarding all of them, and they were all staring back at him, smiling. It was like a scene from a movie, but it was his life. Dominic's other hand was securely fixed on Marley's side, holding her close to him as he finished his speech.
"She's so precious, you guys…" he said, glancing at Marley for a second. "I want to love and protect this woman. It just comes naturally to me, and she seems to love me back."
She nodded gratefully, drawing a reaction from several people in the crowd. She was delicate and wonderful, and there was nothing Dominic could do to stop himself from leaning down and putting a kiss on her mouth which drew a round of approving noises. There were at least fifty male athletes in the bunch, so it was not a quiet crowd.
"Listen, I know you were all expecting to come to a wedding next spring. Sorry we went ahead and got married without y'all."
"We're just here for the party!" someone yelled, causing a round of laughter.
"Hey, thank you for coming to celebrate with us! Marley is an amazing person, you guys. She's got this kindness for people and creatures alike… she carries nuts in her pocket in case she runs into a hungry animal." The crowd awed. "No, but nothing will shake this girl. I've seen her in situations where most people would've blown up or exploded or just broken down and cried, but not Marley. She's just so calm and sturdy in all of life, and she knows about a million Bible verses." He turned and glanced at his wife. She had been looking at the crowd, but she turned to him with a smile. "Anyway, she's a good girl. I was being great and going by the book, waiting for marriage and whatnot, but then a couple of months ago, everybody at the gym heard our story on that podcast, and they started egging me on. Then she came into my office one day, grinning and sitting on my lap smelling like a pool. I dang near lost my patience. I just had to make her mine." He took a deep dramatic breath, that drew laughter. "Sorry mom. But, long story short, I pulled as many strings as I could, and the following day, we met a man at a chapel, and then she got to sleep in my bed that night."
Marley said, "Aww," to that as she squeezed his side.
People cheered, and Dominic leaned down and kissed her before holding up his glass. "So, thank you all for being here. We love you all!"
"Here's to the bride and groom!" EJ said, standing near his brother and hollering it out.
There were cheers and Dominic kissed his wife.
"I love you," he said.
"You love us," she returned. She stared at him, and he stared back at her. There was chaos and talking all around them, but she was gazing at him like she was saying something big.
He made a face at her. "What's that mean?" He hugged her since that felt natural at the moment. People were going back to their own conversations, but Dominic could not focus on anything but Marley.
"It means what you think it means," she said in his ear.
He pulled back and stared at her. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. I'm pretty sure."
Dominic felt a rush of excitement and adrenaline at the thought that he might be a dad. They had talked about it before. Both of them wanted to start a family as soon as possible, but they weren't actively trying. He could not believe the feeling he got at the thought of having a child with this woman. His heart was racing and he wanted so badly for it to be the truth even though he couldn't believe it.
"What's pretty sure mean?" He asked.
"Well, I'm not supposed to start my… it's early."
Conversations continued all around them.
"Did you take a test?" he asked in her ear.
Someone came up for a hug. They had no idea Marley and Dominic were in this conversation, and the two of them had to make small talk for a minute before they could get back to the topic at hand.
She spoke discreetly in his ear again. "Yes, I took a test. Just before I came here today. Just in case. I had been thinking about it."
He pulled back and looked at her. "And what did the test say?" he said.
She grinned and nodded a little.
"Yes?"
"Yes," she said. "I think. It's early, and I only took one. But it said 'yes'."
Dominic smiled and kissed her before they again had to talk to other people. People were oblivious to this conversation, so they kept coming up to them to congratulate them. It was only a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity before Dominic was able to talk to his wife again.
"Do you want to tell these people?" he asked, feeling like he wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
She shook her head. "Not yet. We have to make sure it's real." She kissed his cheek. "I would be so happy for it, though. I hope you would."
"Yes."
"And if it's true, if it's real, I would give this baby all the good things."
Dominic could see a new light in her eyes and it was beautiful—like nothing he had ever seen or perceived before. He could see with his heart that she was a mother. He grinned at her, feeling like he got a small glimpse of something that was to come.
"It's real," he said. "I know it is. And you'll be the best."
The End
(till book 2)