Epilogue
JORDAN
· EIGHT MONTHS LATER ·
Paige spins, showing off the shortened version of her wedding dress. We’re the only ones in the hallway outside the hotel’s ballroom, waiting to enter a reception full of our friends and family.
She leaves me breathless for the second time today. The overskirt with the long train she wore at the ceremony this morning is gone, leaving her with a knee-length white-satin dress that flares around her as she twirls with a dimpled smile. The bottom half of her rich, dark hair flows freely down her back in soft curls while the top half is in an elegant twist that gathers just above her veil. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“And my favorite part.” Paige pops one foot up behind her, displaying her small white sneakers with white-ribbon laces. “The shoes. I’m officially ready to dance with you tonight.”
I throw back my head and laugh. “I love them. They’ll fare much better than Missy’s Lucky Louis.”
Paige smiles. “As much as I love my ‘something borrowed,’ I’m not ready to break Missy’s prized heels—or my leg, for that matter. I give you all of ten minutes talking to our guests before you make a break for the dance floor, dragging me along with you.”
I chuckle. “You know me too well.”
“So, what do you think?” She spins again and strikes a pose.
I grab her waist with both hands and pull her to me, then I nuzzle my nose into her neck, making her squeal, before I kiss the soft spot behind her ear.
Paige giggles.
“I think I won’t be able to take my eyes off you,” I whisper into her ear before kissing her jawline, slowly making my way to her mouth.
When our lips meet, I take my time, soaking in every bit of Paige. I never thought kissing her could get any better, but knowing that the two of us are now facing this world together intensifies my feelings. We’re one. And by the way Paige kisses me back, I know she feels it too.
“All right, you two.” Ji’s voice cuts our kiss short.
Paige jumps back in surprise, a blush tinting her cheeks. At least we’re married this time, and Ji isn’t finding us in a pantry.
I grin and wrap my hand around Paige’s waist, keeping her close.
Ji hardly looks affected as she strides toward us. As assistant wedding planner for Mrs. Delgado and co-maid of honor with Missy, Ji’s all business. She’s got a jumbo purse that holds combs and lip balm and a sewing kit, from what I’ve seen so far. She’s like the wedding version of Bob the Builder, ready to fix anything that breaks on her watch.
“Ji, please,” I say. “Can’t a guy make out with his wife?”
Paige looks up at me and mouths the word “wife.” Her eyes are wide and glittering, and she does the cutest little bounce on her toes.
I kiss her forehead. My wife. Paige is my wife. I will never get tired of calling her that.
“Oh please, that’s what your honeymoon in Bali is for. Right now is all about making the bride look like perfection.” Ji gives Paige a fresh coat of lipstick, then she straightens the crooked clip that holds Paige’s veil in place—which up until a minute ago was perfectly aligned. “Hey, what about the groom?” I try my best to look offended.
“Oh yeah.” Ji turns to me and straightens my tie before patting me on the chest like I’m a puppy. “There. You happy?”
“Very.” I beam at her.
Once we’re ready, I wink at Paige and grab her hand, giving it a squeeze, as we position ourselves to enter the ballroom. Since so many of our loved ones live in Pine Lakes, we decided to make the trip back to Colorado to get married before taking off on our honeymoon and moving into our little house in San Francisco.
Ji touches her earpiece like she’s part of the CIA. “Cue doors. Cue Colton.”
The doors open, and the mouthwatering aroma of all the foods Paige and I have been anticipating for months rush out to greet us as we hear the voice of our MC for the night over the loudspeakers.
“Please welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Miller!” Colton booms like he’s announcing an NBA basketball team.
Paige and I run into the ballroom with our hands raised above us. Happy faces of friends and family surround us on all sides as they cheer and clap. I spin Paige around and lean her back in a dip before kissing her, and when I pull her up, she laughs and starts wiping lipstick off my face. Worth it.
Mr. and Mrs. Devons embrace us, and like mother like daughter, happy tears stream down my mother-in-law’s face as she welcomes me to the family. I give my new in-laws another grateful hug before finding my mom and Dan nearby. I barrel into my mom, embracing her, her feet lifting off the ground.
She protests, slapping my arm until I let her down, then she smiles warmly up at me. “I couldn’t be happier for you, Jordan. It’s the best feeling in the world to watch your son thrive with the person he loves.”
Our tender moment is abruptly cut off when Mom spots her new favorite child. She and Paige hug tightly and say things I can’t hear above the chatter of our friends and family, but whatever their words, it’s all happiness.
Dan and I watch Mom and Paige laugh like teenage girls before Dan brings me in for a hug. “I’m proud of you,” he says. “You picked a good one.”
I glance over my shoulder and glimpse Paige just as her niece plows into her leg. Paige picks the girl up and swings her playfully onto her hip, making them both laugh.
“I did.” I smile back at Dan. “She’s perfect.” Then I nudge Dan on the arm. “One more month, then it’ll be you and Mom getting married.”
Dan wipes a hand over his face. “I forgot how stressful weddings can be.”
“I hear ya,” I say with a commiserating glance.
After months of talking flowers, cake, and colors, the idea of eloping became extremely tempting. But looking around at the starry-night vibe Paige wanted so badly, I’m glad we stuck with it. Sheer hanging fabric and twinkling lights cover the ceiling, mimicking the night sky, while candle-lit lanterns encircled by fresh white flowers adorn the center of every table, giving the room a soft, warm glow.
The rest of the night passes in a blur. Paige was spot-on when she said I wouldn’t last long talking to guests before wanting to dance, but I had no desire to leave Paige’s side. So we make the rounds hand-in-hand for a whole forty minutes, floating from table to table as we talk to friends and family.
When Paige starts up a conversation with one of her old neighbors, my eyes catch on a slideshow of Paige and me projected on one of the walls near the guest sign-in table. It’s full of embarrassing baby photos, pictures of us in our awkward preteen years, and many photos from high school. But my smile grows when my favorite picture pops up, one taken this spring when Missy, Ji, Colton, and Miles came to visit us in California.
In the picture, I’m straddling a surfboard in the ocean as I watch Paige catch one of her first waves. The picture perfectly captures Paige’s excitement, her hands in the air as she grins from ear to ear with pure joy, and my heart swells with happiness, knowing that we have a million more moments like that ahead of us.
Soon after, Paige and I make it to the edge of the dance floor, and Colton announces our first dance as husband and wife. The soft beat of Chicago’s “Colour My World” starts to play, and I intertwine my fingers with Paige’s and lead her to the middle of the dance floor.
Our first dance turns from wide, practiced steps into slowly turning circles as Paige and I draw closer to one another, tuning out the world around us. My hand wraps around hers, my fingers playing with her engagement ring, a princess-cut diamond between sapphire gemstones. I pull her hand to my lips and place a kiss on her fingers before swinging her out from me.
She looks at me curiously, but when “Colour My World” morphs into Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” she starts laughing.
“It’s a tribute to our first kiss,” I tell her.
Paige doesn’t waste time getting into the song. She shakes her shoulders and bounces to the beat, not caring that half the room is probably wondering why “Bad” is part of our wedding song. Then she tugs on my tie, bringing me closer to her, and the room erupts with cheers as she plants a kiss on my lips.
Missy, Colton, Miles, and Ji are first to join us on the dance floor, and soon after, the floor becomes crowded with people getting down to Michael Jackson.
Several songs later, Paige and I slow-dance while we watch Mrs. Delgado try to force Missy and Colton to be dance partners. They resist, but when Mrs. Delgado skewers them with one of her pointed looks, they reluctantly walk to the center of the dance floor together.
I smile, remembering all the times Mrs. Delgado gave me a similar stare-down. “Looks like our town matchmaker has moved on to another couple.”
Paige chuckles. “She’s got pretty good intuition. I do remember her bringing a certain Santa and elf together at the Pine Lakes Christmas Festival.”
We both look over at Mrs. Delgado, who now sits at a table that borders the dance floor. Her eyes light up as she watches Missy and Colton dance like a couple of cardboard cutouts.
Paige sighs and looks at our clearly miserable friends. “If she wants to ship those two, she’s got her work cut out for her. Missy and Colton can’t even sit alone in a room together. I’m pretty sure that’s a prerequisite for a relationship.”
“Well, at least Mrs. Delgado was right about one thing.” I say, resting my forehead against hers.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Paige asks.
I brush my lips against hers before spinning her out then back into my arms. “You and I were always meant to be together.”
“Mmm.” Paige snuggles into me, resting her head on my chest. “I couldn't agree more.”
THE END