Epilogue
HARPER - TWO YEARS LATER
“Everything looks good here,” Harper said, turning in a slow circle and surveying the wedding venue.
The event was to take place tomorrow, but everything had been set up in advance.
The table settings were ready. Ivory-colored bows had been tied around the chairs.
The dance floor was in place. Harper would put in an appearance tomorrow at the ceremony just to make sure that everything was going well.
But for the most part, her job here was done.
“I can’t thank you enough for all your work,” said the bride, who was on the other end of the phone. “I know it’s going to be a perfect day.”
“I think you’ll be very happy,” Harper agreed. “It’s been a privilege working with you. Definitely don’t hesitate to give my contact information to your sister-in-law like we talked about. I’m looking forward to hearing from her and helping her plan her wedding as well.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to be telling all my friends about you,” the bride said. “I couldn’t have imagined this going any better.”
“Well, I hope it’s a beautiful day tomorrow, and congratulations again on your marriage,” Harper said.
She ended the call and tucked her phone into her pocket. She was finishing her day a little earlier than she had anticipated, which was a good thing, because now she could go home to her family.
This wedding-planning business was everything Harper had ever wanted career-wise, but her dreams were also coming true in her personal life.
As she got into her car and turned it on, nursery rhyme music came to life, and she couldn’t help laughing.
It was her daughter Savannah’s playlist. She’d had it set to auto play, as she usually did.
It was always amusing to hear those familiar childish songs come to life when she was least expecting it.
The drive home was quick. She had another wedding in the works that was scheduled for two weeks from now, and she considered using this time to call a few vendors, but she decided against it.
The plans were in place for that event, and there were only a few last-minute details left to take care of.
She could do that tomorrow. For today, she was ready to put work down and focus on what really mattered.
She parked the car outside her house. Sitting there, she could see through the kitchen window.
Theo was moving around, working on something, though she couldn’t tell what.
She sat for a moment, just watching him, allowing herself to dwell on the gratitude she felt for all the good things in her life.
Her beautiful daughter, her co-parent, this home they shared. It was all so wonderful.
Harper got out of the car and went inside.
“Mama!” Savannah had been standing on a chair at the kitchen counter, her arms buried in sudsy water, obviously helping to wash dishes.
But now she toddled over to Harper and flung her wet arms around her mother’s waist. Harper scooped her daughter up into her arms, not minding the water, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Are you helping Daddy?” she asked.
“Yeah!”
“We’re doing the dishes,” Theo explained unnecessarily as he pulled a plate out of the soapy water and began to dry it.
“Not using that top-of-the-line dishwasher you said we needed?” Harper set Savannah down.
“She wanted to play with bubbles.” Theo grinned. “Could you say no to her?”
“I really couldn’t. What did you make?”
“Chicken wings. They’ll be out in a few minutes. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” She moved to the sink to wash her hands, keeping them above the suds. “How was your day? Did you two go into the ball park at all?”
“Nah, Max is handling things right now since his kids are away all day.” Jenna was in second grade this year, and Jack was in all-day preschool.
Theo had made his brother co-owner of the Stallions shortly before Savannah’s birth, allowing him the time he needed to stay at home with his family and to support Harper while she tried to grow her career.
The arrangement also allowed Max plenty of time to continue his sportswriting, so everyone was happy.
“How does the wedding venue look?” Theo asked.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous. They’re going to be so happy with it,” Harper said.
“Do you want to consider the same venue for our wedding?”
He was grinning. Harper knew it was a joke. “You know that isn’t up for debate,” she said. “We know where we’re getting married, and it isn’t negotiable.”
Theo nodded. “I wouldn’t consider anything else,” he agreed.
“After the way we first got together, it’s got to be there.
” They would be marrying in six months’ time at the same venue they’d used for Max and Tara’s wedding, and they were taking their time with the planning.
It was going to be the wedding Harper had dreamed of all her life.
Even now, she couldn’t believe it was all really happening. She was going to be married to the man of her dreams. And though it hadn’t happened exactly the way it had in her fantasies, she wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Harper went to the table and began to set it for their supper. “Did you two have a good time today? I wish I could’ve been here.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. You had to work. We understand that, don’t we, kiddo?
” He put his hands on Savannah’s shoulders and guided her over to a chair.
She started to climb up on her own, but Theo bent down and picked her up, swinging her into her booster seat.
He settled her in and pushed the chair up close to the table so she wouldn’t wiggle out of it.
Savannah picked up her spoon and whacked it against the table.
“Hey.” Theo put a gentle hand on top of Savannah’s. “None of that. Take it easy with the spoon.”
“Tara says she’s going to buy her a drum kit.” Harper shook her head.
Theo laughed. “If she does, I’ll buy Jenna a tarantula. You know Jenna would love it, and it would drive Max and Tara crazy.”
“Oh, my God, we should totally do that for Jenna’s next birthday,” Harper said. “You’re right. Jenna would love it.”
“They would never invite us to dinner again,” Theo pointed out.
“Tara isn’t a great cook anyway,” Harper laughed.
She finished setting the table and took her own seat.
Theo got the chicken wings, put them on a serving plate, and set them in the center of the table.
As Harper took a piece of chicken and began to cut the meat off the bone to give to her daughter, Theo pulled a bowl of salad out of the refrigerator and set that on the table as well.
“So, I was thinking that it might be time for Savannah’s first baseball game,” Theo said. “What do you think? Do you think she’s ready?”
“If it weren’t for the private box, I might not think so,” Harper said. “But I think having a space that’s dedicated to just us would make it possible for her.”
“What you think, kid? Do you want to go see a baseball game?” Theo asked.
Savannah grinned and nodded, even though Harper was sure she had no idea what her father was asking about. She had been to the field a few times, but Harper didn’t think she had any conception of the fact that games were played there.
“Incidentally,” Harper said, “I’m considering a new catering company for our wedding.”
“I’m happy with whatever you think is best,” Theo said. He reached over and took Harper’s hand.
It was difficult to imagine the Theo she had met when they had first been planning Max and Tara’s wedding responding to her so positively. Sometimes it still amazed Harper that the two of them had come so far. “I’d like you to come to a tasting with me,” she said.
“You want me to go to a tasting?” Theo raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know if I have time for that, Harper. I’m just so busy with work all the time. It might be difficult for me to get away for something like wedding planning.”
Harper couldn’t help laughing. She gave him a mock scowl.
“You want me to plan this wedding all on my own? I thought you and I were going to do it together. Wasn’t that the idea?
” She had finished cutting up the chicken, and she placed the plate in front of Savannah.
The little girl began to eat, her gaze moving back and forth between her parents.
“Oh, gosh, I don’t know,” Theo sighed. “Weddings are just so much hassle, aren’t they? I think you should handle it by yourself. I’ll pay for everything, but you’re the one with the experience planning weddings. You don’t need my help.”
Harper put a few pieces of chicken on her plate and reached for the salad. “Hey, if you don’t want to help, I’ll do it myself. I’ll make it so there’s nothing but sushi at our wedding.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll go with you.” Theo laughed.
The way the two of them could joke with one another about things that had once been serious points of contention let her know just how good things were between them.
She trusted Theo and trusted the relationship the two of them had built.
She was happier than she had ever believed she could be.
And this man — this surprisingly tender, loving man, who had proven to be capable of letting his walls down for her — was, to her great surprise, exactly who she had always wanted. This was the man of her dreams.
This was the life of her dreams.
When dinner was over, Theo took Savannah upstairs to give her a bath. Harper finished the dinner dishes — she actually loaded them into the dishwasher, instead of doing them by hand — and packed away the food. She met Theo up in their shared bedroom. He’d already stripped out of his shirt.
“Mmm, you didn’t waste any time.” She stepped into his arms as he reached back to turn on the shower. “Is Savannah sleeping?”
“She dropped right off. She was running around in the yard all day, so I knew she would be exhausted. Did it on purpose, actually.”
“You wore out our kid so you could get me into the shower with you?”
“Sure did. Not sorry, either.” He was unbuttoning her dress. “You need to get the stress of the day off you.” His hands moved over her body, and Harper sighed happily. The stress didn’t stand a chance. Not when she was with Theo.
He pulled her into the shower. The warm water beat down around them as she turned in his arms and pressed her lips to his.
The world faded away as the kiss deepened, and nothing else seemed to matter.
It was just the two of them, the life they had built together, and the bright future that awaited them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Theo and Harper’s story!