EPILOGUE
COLE
It’s a beautiful spring day, and all our family and friends are in the backyard of our cabin, waiting for her to step out and make her way down the aisle.
The music starts, and the door opens. She steps into the open doorway and takes my breath away.
Her strawberry-blond hair is pulled up into a loose bun with flowing strands hanging down to frame her face.
Her green eyes are shimmering with happiness and excitement as she looks at me and only me.
Her white dress is made of lace, but it’s not a big heavy wedding dress.
It’s a simple summer dress that hugs all her curves. It’s elegant and beautiful.
She steps out of the house and starts walking down the aisle toward me, where I wait with the preacher.
Suddenly, everything falls away even though at least thirty people are between us right now, and it’s nobody but her and me.
My memory fills with visions of her. From the first time I saw her cheer, to the day we got married, to the day she left and came back, and now, after months of having her back in my life.
I never thought I’d get her to marry me once, and here she is, doing it twice.
The day she was supposed to leave, she came back to me, and she hasn’t left for more than a couple of days since.
We even took a little vacation to California together to pack and move her things.
I volunteered to move there, but she disagreed, saying the country would be a better life for us.
She’s even managed to open another location for her custom costumes here in town.
Things are only going up for us. I have her back in my life, she still has her dream career, and soon we’re going to work on expanding the cabin and trying for kids.
We’re not letting the ten years we lost slow us down any. We’re going to work to catch up.
She finally finishes the walk to me, and I take her hands in mine.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today to bear witness to Alice and Cole as they combine their hearts, lives, and souls together as one once again,” the preacher says.
Looking away from him, I take in my wife as she smiles at me.
“Sometimes, we don’t know what life has in store for us…”
the preacher goes on, and suddenly, I don’t hear a word he’s saying.
I can’t even force myself to listen because my eyes are locked on hers.
The green in her eyes matches the wet grass on a spring day as the sun shines down on creation.
Her lips are light pink, and they’re coated in some kind of shiny gloss that makes them sparkle and glisten like diamonds.
I find myself already leaning in, wanting and needing to feel her lips with my own.
She can tell that I’m not listening to anything this man says, and she lets out a soft giggle that makes my stomach muscles tighten.
She mouths, “Listen,” to me, but I shake my head slightly and keep my eyes and thoughts glued to her.
“…and sometimes, no matter how much we think we know what we want, fate has other plans just like with these two,” the preacher says.
I move my hands to her hips, and without warning, I pull her into me, where my lips find hers.
Everyone laughs, and the preacher says, “Whoa, you’re ahead of me. I didn’t say you could kiss the bride.”
I kiss her a few more seconds, and I savor every bit of it. Finally, I pull away. “Sorry, Preach, but nobody tells me I can’t kiss my wife whenever I want.”
Everyone laughs, including the preacher, and he goes back to his speech.
Eventually, I am allowed to kiss my wife, and I waste no time pulling her against me.
Our friends and family begin to clap and cheer, and even though I know I should pull back and break the kiss, I have no control when it comes to her.
She pulls back with a laugh, and I pick her up and carry her into the house while our guests move over to the small event tent we’ve had set up for a catered dinner. I carry her over the threshold, and the moment we’re inside, my mouth is back on hers as I head to the bedroom.
“What are you doing, Cole?” she asks against my lips.
“I can’t wait to be inside my wife. Let’s start that family.”
She laughs. “We’ve only been married for thirty seconds.”
“No, we’ve been married for twelve years and thirty seconds. It’s about time we start trying for a baby, don’t you think?” I ask as we fall onto the bed. The moment we land on the soft mattress, my hand moves up her dress and slips beneath her panties.
“Oh,” she breathes out, no longer worried about pushing me away. “Okay, we’ll try real quick,” she says, pulling my mouth back to hers while her hands get busy freeing me from my pants. It only takes us seconds before we’re connecting as one, just like we were always meant to be.