Epilogue #4
“She likes everyone,” I pointed out.
“True,” Lilly said. “But she doesn’t laugh like that with just anyone.”
I took a slow sip of champagne and watched Sawyer again.
Something quiet settled in my chest. “I think I want one,” I said before I could overthink it.
Lilly turned toward me, eyebrows lifting slightly. “A baby?”
“Maybe,” I said, my voice softer now. “Not right away. But… one day.”
Lilly studied me for a moment, then glanced back toward the dance floor where Sawyer was now crouching down so Rosie could pat her face with both hands.
“You two would be very good at that,” she said.
My throat tightened unexpectedly. “Yeah,” I said. “I think we would.”
The music shifted into something louder and more upbeat, and Benji appeared suddenly beside our table.
“Addison!” he announced dramatically, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet before I could protest. “You’re required on the dance floor. It’s in the wedding contract.”
I laughed as he dragged me into the center of the crowd.
For the next stretch of time the night blurred into music and movement and laughter.
Vic spun me in a circle while Jay attempted something that looked vaguely like breakdancing before immediately regretting it. Benji insisted on lifting both Sawyer and me at one point for a photo that I was almost certain would become blackmail material later.
Sawyer danced with me between songs, one hand steady at my waist as we swayed through the faster beats and slower ones alike.
At some point someone started passing around glasses of something stronger than champagne, and the energy of the tent shifted from polite celebration to full-blown party. I didn’t care. I danced. I laughed.
At one point Sawyer disappeared into the crowd.
When I spotted her again, she was wrapped in a hug from Hollis while Soren stood beside them smiling.
The three of them laughed about something I couldn’t hear, and Sawyer threw her head back in that easy, unguarded way she only did around the people who knew her best.
I found myself smiling from across the room. They had been part of her life long before I was, quietly loving her until she was ready to let herself be loved. Seeing them there, celebrating with us, felt exactly right.
God, I was so fucking lucky that this woman was my wife.
I let the night carry me along without worrying about how I looked or who might be watching.
Later, when the music softened into a slower rhythm and people drifted back toward their tables, Sawyer reached for my hand and tugged me gently back onto the dance floor.
Her other hand settled against the small of my back, warm and familiar. We swayed slowly while the lights overhead flickered against the darkening sky outside the tent.
Sawyer leaned closer, her forehead brushing mine. “I love you so fucking much,” she murmured quietly.
The blunt sincerity of it made me laugh softly. “I love you too.”
She pulled back just enough to look at me properly, her eyes warm in the glow of the string lights.
“You’re perfect,” she said.
I snorted softly. “That’s objectively not true.”
She crinkled her nose and shook her head. “You’re my favorite person,” Sawyer replied.
The music drifted around us while we moved slowly together, and for a moment the rest of the room faded into background noise.
My parents approached us not long after the song ended. My mother reached me first, her expression warm and a little emotional.
“You look beautiful,” she said, pulling me into a hug that smelled faintly like her familiar perfume.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
My father clasped Sawyer’s hand in a firm handshake before pulling her into a brief, slightly awkward hug. “You take care of her,” he said.
Sawyer nodded easily. “I plan to.”
My mother smiled at her. “We’re very happy you’re part of this family,” she said.
Sawyer’s expression softened in a way that made my chest ache a little. “I’m happy to be here,” she replied.
It wasn’t a big moment. Just a quiet one. But it meant everything.
Eventually the music slowed again and someone announced that it was time for the send-off.
Guests drifted outside the tent in a loose crowd, laughter echoing across the lawn as handfuls of rice were passed around.
Sawyer took my hand and led me toward the edge of the gravel drive where her motorcycle waited under the glow of the venue lights.
I laughed the second I saw it.
“You actually did it,” I said.
“Of course I did,” Sawyer replied.
People lined both sides of the path as we walked between them, tossing rice into the air while cheers and whistles followed us.
Sawyer helped me climb carefully onto the back of the bike before swinging onto the seat in front of me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pressing close as she started the engine. The sound rumbled through the quiet night air.
Sawyer glanced back over her shoulder at me, smiling. “Ready, wife?”
My heart lifted in my chest. “Always.”
She pulled away from the venue slowly at first, the cheers of our friends fading behind us as we rode into the cool autumn night together.
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