Epilogue
Leyla
Six months later
Twirling in my lace wedding gown, I looked at my mom, who was trying not to cry.
“Leyla, you look like a princess,” she said, her hand over her heart. “I’ve been praying for your husband from the time you were a little girl. I asked God to bring a man into your life that would fight for you, would love you fiercely just as you are, and who would love God first.”
“Niko is every one of those things and more,” I said, my lips trembling.
My dress was made of delicate tulle and lace, looking like a dream. The tiny straps of the bodice, plunging neckline, and low back design made me feel more beautiful than I’d ever felt. My hair was up in a simple updo, and my veil was lacy and hung at my shoulders.
My parents had fallen in love with Niko immediately and had welcomed him with open arms. When they met that first time, just as we were leaving, my father gathered us together and prayed over us.
Seeing the two most important men in my life praying together would be a memory I would treasure until my last breath.
Of course, when my older brother, Harrison, first met him during a visit not long after the proposal, he gave Niko the ‘hurt her and you die’ spiel, making my poor fiancé break out in a sweat.
Mike offered to get one of those online officiant certifications so he could say those iconic lines from The Princess Bride at the wedding.
“Come on guys. It’s perfect. Listen…wove, twue love is what bwings us together today,” he said.
We both yelled “No!” at the same time. He pouted for months.
Vicky and Sofia walked into the bridal room, having gone for drinks for us, and talked about how beautiful the church was, decorated with lilies of every color, matching my fragrant bouquet.
“Leyla, you are stunning,” Sofia said.
“Niko isn’t going to know what to do when he sees you,” Vicky said, carefully handing me a bottle of water with a straw. The makeup artist would kill me if I messed up my lipstick.
“Aria said she was going to write your love story next. A real enemies-to-lovers romance,” Sofia said. Aria was Sofia’s close friend back in Positano and was a best-selling author. It was no secret that she used all of our love stories for her inspiration.
I laughed, thinking about the crazy path that Niko and I had been on all these years.
We spent every free minute together since his spontaneous beach proposal.
Getting to know all the everyday things about my fiancé was fun and challenging.
There were surf days, picnics, long, quiet walks around Balboa Park, and cuddles on the sofa as we watched all the romcoms my heart desired.
Niko pretended to be interested, but admitted he took notes from time to time.
The decision to move into my house was easy because he wanted me to be happy, but we talked about finding a bigger place together once we were ready to start a family.
The thought made my heart soar. Being Niko’s wife and having his little science-nerd kiddos. It was all a dream come true.
Niko and I prayed about waiting longer to get married, but in the end, we decided that life was precious and neither of us wanted to wait any longer.
Adjusting my veil in the mirror as they fussed over me, I said, “It’s crazy to think that I once considered him the enemy. I was so foolish.”
“Well, I think it was all part of your story. Sometimes we meet the right person, but it’s not the right time,” Mom said, picking up my bouquet.
“That’s what happened with Miles and me. It’s all in God’s timing,” Vicky said with a smile, Sofia nodding her head. “You and Luke, too,” she said to Sofia.
“Yes, it’s true. We started out as enemies, and then I accidentally fell in love with the enemy,” I said, shaking my head with a chuckle. “Little did I know that it was all part of God’s purpose.”
“All right, well, it’s time to get you married. Mike texted me saying Niko was starting to pace. That man is in love and ready to get married!”
With a huge smile, I said, “Let’s not make him wait any longer.”
Dad kissed my hand as we watched Sofia and Vicky walk slowly down the aisle. My stunning engagement ring glittered in the light. Niko chose a one-carat emerald-cut diamond, saying it reminded him of my emerald eyes.
My white-and-pink lily bouquet shook as my trembling hands held it when the church doors opened, and my father and I took our first step down the aisle.
As we passed our friends and family, everyone sighed and whispered about how beautiful I looked, but my focus was on the handsome Turkish man waiting for me in a gorgeous black tux.
We chose the song ‘I Get to Love You’ as my bridal march song, and it was so appropriate for our love story.
When Niko’s eyes met mine, I could see tears brimming in them, his hand over his mouth as Mike squeezed his shoulder. He wiped his face as he watched me walk toward him.
Just as Dad was about to give Niko my hand, I heard my husband-to-be whisper, “I can’t believe I get to be the man to love her.”
Those whispered words unlocked my own tears, as our pastor asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?”
My father took my hand and placed it in Niko’s, answering, “Her mother and I do.”
We stepped up the stairs, Niko helping me with my train as we stood before our pastor.
We both tried to listen to everything being said, but we couldn’t stop looking at each other.
“I love you,” I mouthed to him, making him inhale and nod.
“I love you, too,” he mouthed back.
Pastor Danny said, “Niko, Leyla, you’ve written your own vows. I’ll ask you to share them with each other now.”
Niko squeezed my hand as he began to speak, and I gave him a watery smile.
“Leyla, hyatim, I choose you today to walk down the path that God has set for us. I choose you because my heart came alive when my eyes first saw you. I choose you on the good days, the hard days, the days when life is wondrous and when it’s simple.
” He pressed his lips together and nodded, measuring his words.
“I thank God every day for bringing you back into my life. Thank you for loving me, for seeing me, for choosing me.” Niko slipped the simple gold wedding band onto my finger before kissing it.
I was holding back sobs as we stared at each other in wonder at the love we had been given.
Niko stepped closer and wiped away my tears, then held my hands again, taking his place across from me.
“Niko, you’ve demonstrated forgiveness, shown me what a true friend is, and then showered me with a love I’d never dreamed possible.
You’ve loved me unconditionally in all my versions.
You’ve been my champion, always standing by my side, believing in me.
I promise to keep choosing you with intention, patience, and the kind of devotion that comes from a heart of surrendered love.
I give you my heart and all my love, today and every day.
” Taking Niko’s hand, I placed the gold band with the inscription, ‘I love you on purpose’, onto his finger.
I could hear sniffles throughout the church, and I knew that our closest loved ones were witnessing something special as God’s presence was felt all around us.
“With the power invested in me by God and the state of California, Niko and Leyla, I now pronounce you man and wife. Niko, you may kiss your bride.”
My husband swooped me up by the waist, and I gasped as he kissed me passionately. When he pulled away, he whispered, “My wife.”
I smiled and kissed his sweet lips once, twice, and said, “My husband.”
“From the words of the great pirate Robert. This is true love. Do you think this happens every day?”
I shook my head, giddy with joy and bursting with love. “No, no, I don’t.”
When I look back over our story, I know it may have seemed impossible or improbable, even from a scientific perspective. Niko took my hand as we walked back up the aisle, our friends and family celebrating around us with clapping and shouts. In that moment, I knew one thing to be true.
God’s forgiveness is pure and ever-present, and even when we can’t see His intention, He leads us on a path that is filled with love and joy unspeakable. We are his masterpieces, just the way we are.
The End