Epilogue Vaughn
The sun is holding out on us, yet the dark clouds to the west should be concerning.
I’m confident Illinois June weather will hold out for us a little longer. Enough time to seal this deal, anyway.
Standing at the end of the aisle in dark jeans and a white linen shirt with the lake behind me, I wait impatiently for the next moments of this day.
I glance to my side and my face still puzzles. Who the hell knew that Briggs would go this far for his sister, that he would be the guy to marry us, since he got ordained somewhere between scoring goals.
“Remember, I’m not retired yet, which means my physical strength may be strong in the event it is ever needed,” Briggs informs me in a low voice so only I can hear, but then he pats my shoulder, and a beaming smile hits him.
My eyes travel to the front row where Hadley is sitting with Connor who winks at me, and Declan and Violet smile as they wait for the big show. My brother gives me a thumbs-up from where he sits at the end of the row.
Isla and I decided that we would do simple. Casual yet elegant were her words. A buffet is waiting for us inside, with a hell of a lot of champagne, cheese, and cobbler.
My instinct has me search the aisle until the end, and there she is.
We acknowledge one another with soft smiles in a perfect image that will be imprinted in my brain and heart.
Isla’s in a thin-strapped white gown that looks like a second skin and has a plunging line along her breasts.
She’s radiant, especially as one hand holds a small bouquet, and her other arm is carrying our daughter who is in a puffy dress with a headband bow that I didn’t quite agree with.
Everyone stands as Isla begins to walk down the aisle, every step feeling too slow.
Halfway down, with everyone admiring her beauty, she stops.
But I don’t stress. Nora is reaching her arms out for me and squeaking “Dada,” which earns an aww from the guests.
Isla laughs then decides to set Nora down who immediately starts her speeding crawl following the ribboned cloth and heading straight to me.
She steals the show, and I kneel down to pick her up.
Then we continue on with the wedding schedule.
When Isla reaches me, we can’t break away from our smiles.
“Should we hand her to someone in the front row?” Isla asks, with her eyes going wide.
I turn to my future brother-in-law. “This is going to be quick, right? We requested the speedy version.”
“Relax, I listened,” Briggs assures us.
“Then she stays with us,” I confirm.
And that’s how we do it. We get married holding our daughter. The fastest ten-minute service of our lives, which is good, as storm clouds are rolling in.
I have no choice but to hand Nora to my brother because when Briggs tells me I can kiss the bride, I do just that. I tip Isla back and kiss the hell out of her. We’re not going to start our life as husband and wife with a chaste kiss, uh-uh, not in my book.
The guests clap and cheer as sprinkles of rain begin to fall. Thunder in the distance breaks our kiss.
“It’s going to storm,” I tell my wife.
She wraps her arms around my neck. “Storms are my favorite when they’re with you,” she hums.
“I’m aware, which is why I paid someone up there to arrange it, assuming it makes our wedding night even better,” I joke.
Isla giggles right before I pick her up and twirl her around.
“Set me down, Husband. How am I going to get inside?”
I dip my mouth down while she’s in my arms and kiss her real quick. “I’ll carry you, I always will.”
We take a second to soak in this moment between us, with her lips gently tugging into a sentimental smile right before I carry her back down the aisle.
Toasts were done, first dance complete, cake cut, bouquet thrown, and our daughter crashed from a sugar rush since we let her have two spoonfuls of cake.
Declan, Connor, and my brother are sitting outside on the terrace while they drink their whiskey. Luckily, the storm went to the south. I join them since Isla is with Hadley and Violet freshening up, which means she’ll be a solid twenty minutes.
Someone offers me a glass of champagne, as they have an entire bottle sitting on the side table.
Connor tips his glass up. “A toast.”
Declan reaches into his blazer’s inner pocket to pull out some cigars and passes one to each of us before we all hold up our glasses.
“To locking down your wife in the most unconventional story that will be awkward as fuck to explain to your daughter one day.” Okay, so that’s Connor’s speech.
It causes all of us to glance at one another.
“Listen, kid, you accidentally got married in Vegas,” Declan points out to Connor. “And you really want to call Vaughn’s road to marriage unconventional?”
“Says the guy who used the Dizzy Duck Inn for his secret escapades with my aunt before my dad found out,” Connor counters.
Christ, we’re going down a rabbit hole.
Declan points his glass to Connor. “Hey, first off, the Dizzy Duck is sacred ground in Lake Spark. I hope the new owners keep it that way. Secondly, Violet and I are married not by accident or due to a hurricane baby.”
My brother looks between all of us. “Holy hell, what does this town do to people?”
Declan relaxes. “Normally hockey and finding the love of your life. Haven’t you discovered that yet?” With his tone flippant, he directs his question to Stone.
“That’s clear. And by the way, one of the new owners is also a retired athlete. We used to attend a few charity events together,” Stone mentions, which causes me to half smile, because truthfully, he invested as a silent partner with the new owner.
“If he changes the name of this fine hotel then the town will riot,” Declan points out. Stone tries to keep his face neutral as he listens.
“Aren’t we supposed to be having a speech now?” I attempt to get us back on track.
My brother snickers, then his jaw ticks while his cheeks tighten.
“Something you’d care to share?” I poke.
We give up on a proper speech for a toast and all clink our glasses before taking a sip, but my focus snaps back to Stone.
He takes another gulp. “Actually, I’m kind of in a predicament with someone, a writer…”
“Apple lady?” I ask, my voice one-toned.
“Yeah, something like that… a bit more complicated, though…”
Showing up to a small town for an author retreat began with a bad arrival at the inn.
Stone Madden, the cocky retired hockey star with a tight jawline, and my opposite?
He’s actually the man behind a writer I assumed was a recluse.
And he’s ready to make my day miserable due to our apparent lack of enthusiasm for one another.
But it doesn't take long to discover we click with an inflammable instant attraction. The fire I thought I’d lost inside of me begins to return.
Because of him.
Together we unlock the unexpected; a strong bond that we don’t want to break.
There may be distance on a map between us, but our emails and visits bring us even closer.
Stone entered my life as the key to healing and giving me my own love story.
But eventually, something has to give, and I’m not sure my heart can handle the risk.
In retrospect, the moment our eyes first connected, I should have known…