Epilogue
EVAN
ONE YEAR LATER
As leaves rustled in the cool April breeze in my backyard, I rubbed my hands together, so excited to see her.
Today was Chloe’s and my wedding day. Or should I say, wedding night.
We’d thought it would be nice to get married with white lights decorating the trees in the evening. We’d also set up some lanterns.
It felt surreal to be marrying the love of my life in the same yard where I’d practiced football as a teenager, in the same place where I’d spent many afternoons staring up at the sky and wondering how life could be so cruel.
But now as I stood on that grass, I felt nothing but gratitude for each and every experience that had brought me here.
Chloe and I had decided we’d have a first-look moment rather than me seeing her for the first time during the ceremony.
My beautiful bride would come walking toward me at sunset.
The photographer thought the golden hour would be the best time to take photos, so we opted to have them done ahead of time.
Phil would be walking Chloe down the aisle later, even if the audience would only be a handful of people.
I was so glad they’d been able to patch things up before this day because I knew how important getting to walk his daughter down the aisle was to Phil.
He’d expressed that to me when I’d asked for his permission to marry her.
We’d gotten our marriage license from the county clerk’s office a few days ago.
Chloe and I had opted for an intimate wedding instead of throwing a large party for friends and acquaintances.
We planned to take the money we would’ve spent and use it on a Disney cruise we’d take with Effie later this year.
The small ceremony would be officiated by my uncle Drew, who’d gotten ordained online for the occasion.
From Chloe’s side, it would be her father and Courtney, plus her sister Fawn, who’d flown in from New York with her boyfriend, Stephen.
On my end, it would only be Uncle Drew, Maura, and their sons.
We’d have our first dance under the stars to “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, a song about two best friends who fell in love.
We’d hired a private chef to cook a fancy dinner for the family and ordered an Italian rum cake in honor of Judy, who had always loved that flavor.
As I stared out at the sun setting over the mountains in the distance, our photographer came up behind me.
“Evan?”
I turned. “Yup?”
“She’s ready to come out now.”
My stomach flipped. “Cool.”
“You should turn back around until I tell you it’s okay.”
Sucking in a nervous breath, I did as she said.
I wasn’t nervous to marry Chloe, of course.
I was mainly anxious that I’d forgotten something or that it might rain.
I just wanted everything to work out perfectly, since you only get one wedding to the love of your life.
I’d marry Chloe a hundred times over if she wanted, though.
Chloe had made sure Effie was involved in every step of the wedding process.
Wedding planning had become my daughter’s favorite hobby.
They’d gone dress shopping together for both the bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses.
And, yes, my nine-year-old had insisted on being a bridesmaid and not a flower girl.
I had no idea what either dress looked like and had been forbidden from going into the back of Effie’s closet where they’d stored them both.
I’d never seen my daughter as happy as she’d been the past year and a half since Chloe had come into our lives.
While Chloe could never fully replace having her mother around, the love that Chloe showed Effie on a day-to-day basis definitely took the edge off of that loss.
Katerina had come back to Wyoming a couple more times in the past year, but it wasn’t enough.
Effie, as always, loved her mother unconditionally, despite Katerina’s abominable choices, and took what she could get, even if Effie deserved so much more.
“You can turn around now,” I heard the photographer say.
But when I turned, it wasn’t my bride coming toward me, it was my daughter.
My heart filled with joy at the sight of Effie walking slowly and carefully. She was dressed in a beautiful purple dress with a big skirt that billowed in the wind. She looked like the princess she always was to me.
Effie stopped in front of me as I knelt to meet her.
“Don’t worry. Chloe hasn’t changed her mind. That’s not why I’m here.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t thinking that, baby.”
“The photographer wanted me to come out first.”
“I love that you and I get a moment alone.”
She reached up to touch my collar. “Are you scared?”
“Not to marry Chloe. I just don’t want to mess something up.”
“You won’t. You got this, Daddy.”
I took both of her little hands in mine. “You’re my best girl, so how could things go wrong, right?”
“Right.”
I’d told her that in addition to being Chloe’s bridesmaid, she’d also take the place of my best man. She’d be my best girl. She was everything to both Chloe and me, so it was fitting to give her both roles.
“How do you feel, baby?” I asked.
“I’m happy. And relieved.”
I cocked my head. “Relieved?”
She nodded. “Now I know that someday when I grow up and leave you, you won’t be alone.”
I shut my eyes tightly as a huge smile spread across my face. It never occurred to me that Effie would worry about that. But it shouldn’t have surprised me, given her kind soul.
“I have to go now,” she suddenly said.
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to walk with Chloe, but I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Ah.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, baby. Go do your thing.”
Filled with renewed anticipation, I faced the opposite direction until the photographer once again told me it was time.
Bracing with excitement, I turned around.
A grin spread over my face, but it only took me a second to get choked up.
I didn’t know what was more beautiful, Chloe in her dress, or the sight of her walking toward me with my daughter.
Chloe wore a long-sleeve fitted gown that was covered in lace from head to toe.
It only flared out a little at the bottom.
Her long sandy hair was down and styled in waves, with the last of the day’s sunlight casting a glow around it.
A short, simple veil was draped over her head, and the purple flowers in Chloe’s bouquet matched Effie’s dress.
Effie kept alternating between looking over at me and looking up at Chloe.
When Chloe stopped in front of me, I shook my head slowly and took her into my arms, trying to be careful not to mess her up.
“This is a dream. You’re so beautiful, baby.” Tears stung my eyes.
“You look so handsome,” she said as we pulled back to face each other. Chloe straightened the silver tie I’d worn with my dark gray suit.
“Daddy, look at the bracelet I made Chloe.”
Chloe lifted her wrist and smiled. The bracelet had purple and white beads with letters that spelled out Stepmommy.
I ran my finger along the beads. “I love it, baby.”
“It matches my dress and Chloe’s flowers.” Effie beamed.
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…” Chloe said. “This bracelet is my new, Effie…”
My daughter smiled. “What about the rest?”
Chloe reached for one of her earlobes. “The old are these earrings your dad gave me that used to belong to your grandma, Carmen.”
That squeezed at my heart. I’d given those earrings to Chloe a while back and hadn’t expected her to wear them today. She’d never mentioned that she planned to. It felt good to have a piece of my mother here with us, though, and I was grateful for the gesture.
Effie looked up at us. “Something old, something new…what’s the rest?”
“Something borrowed, something blue,” Chloe explained again. “My something borrowed I can’t show you because I can’t lift my dress. But let’s just say they’re a certain pair of yellow underwear I borrowed off a scarecrow and pinned to fit me.” She winked.
“No way.” I chuckled.
Effie giggled.
“I couldn’t not do it.” Chloe laughed, then looked at me for several seconds before she said, “And my something blue…” She reached beneath the neckline of her gown to take out a small silver necklace. I hadn’t noticed it before since it was tucked inside. She faced the pendant part toward me.
“Is that supposed to be blue?”
“It’s a locket.” Her face lit up. “Open it.”
Inside was a tiny ultrasound photo of the baby we were expecting in five months.
Effie was beyond excited to have a sibling.
I’d wanted to know what we were having, but Chloe had been debating whether to read the gender the ultrasound tech had written down or to let it be a surprise. I’d left it up to her.
Then it hit me.
Oh my God—blue.