Epilogue
“I’m surprised Miles went for this,” Heather said, taking a seat beside Chelsea at one of the tables that had been arranged around the lawn. “A garden wedding? I mean, it’s the most beautiful garden wedding I’ve ever seen in my life, don’t get me wrong.”
Chelsea had to agree with her friend’s assessment.
The space had been decorated, not only with the tables but with massive standing flower arrangements and rose-covered trellises.
A dance floor had been erected in the middle of the lawn, and several of the guests were currently taking advantage of it as the musicians played.
It was difficult to imagine an outdoor setting looking any more beautiful.
“This is exactly what I always wanted,” Chelsea said. “I know Miles knew that.”
“I just would have expected him to want something more elaborate,” Heather said. “If you had told me a few years ago that Miles Aspin was getting married, I would’ve expected the American version of a royal wedding. You know — ornate church service, posh venue for the reception. Loads of press.”
Chelsea shook her head. “Miles hates press,” she said.
“Truth be told, I think he was relieved when I suggested a private wedding. But I also think he would have gone along with whatever I wanted.” She smiled fondly at the man she had married just a few short hours ago.
He was out on the dance floor now with Chelsea’s mother.
Heather watched too. “He’s really been getting along with your mom.”
“That was an uphill battle,” Chelsea admitted. “Mom’s not very trusting when it comes to romance — and really, who could blame her after Dad left her the way he did? She’s always worried that the same thing would happen to me. She kept Miles at arm’s length for a long time.”
“Well, she seems like she cares about him now,” Heather said. “They look like they’re having a great time."
Chelsea nodded. “In the end, I think Silas made the difference.”
As if summoned by the sound of his name, baby Silas came toddling up. He was still fairly new to walking, but once he had discovered the skill, he had immediately abandoned every other means of getting around. He loved his new powers of mobility.
Perhaps his favorite part about being upright was that he had his hands free.
Now, as always, he was dragging Bear along behind him.
There had been no one to tell Chelsea that Miles had once done that very same thing, of course — he couldn’t remember those days himself.
But she had studied photos of his baby days enough now to recognize the pattern, and to see that her son was reflecting his father’s behavior.
As always, her heart swelled with love at the sight of it.
“Hey, Si,” she said, holding her arms out to him. He came running straight to her and flung himself into her embrace, still gripping the bear tightly. She lifted him up and sat him on her lap. “Have you been enjoying the party?”
“Cake,” Silas said.
“We’ll have cake soon,” she promised. To Heather, she added, “We probably shouldn’t have brought it out as early as we did. Of course he was going to see it and get ideas.”
“He’s not the only one,” Heather said, looking over at the elegant confection.
The cake was the one concession Chelsea and Miles had made to opulence today.
It stood five tiers high, and each layer contained a different filling.
She had discussed the cake with Heather multiple times, so her friend knew exactly what they were in for when it was cut.
But in the meantime, it was so beautiful that Chelsea could hardly bear to slice into it.
The frosting was pure art, the edible flowers blending seamlessly with the real ones that had been used as decoration.
Even Chelsea’s wedding dress didn’t compare when it came to pure fanciness.
That was by choice, though — she had selected a simple white dress, adorned with lace, that flattered her figure but didn’t make her look or feel like she had been wrapped in tulle.
She liked the feeling of being free, at ease.
That was how being with Miles always made her feel.
The song ended and Miles bowed over Chelsea’s mother’s hand. She giggled and stepped forward to embrace her new son-in-law.
Chelsea couldn’t have been any happier. Seeing her loved ones come together like this…
it was a kind of joy she had never imagined finding.
Family had always meant just Chelsea and her mother, and now Miles and Silas — and Silas Sr., though he couldn’t be with them — they were all part of it. They were all family together.
And now Miles was walking over to them. He was beaming. “Your mom is a hoot,” he laughed.
Chelsea couldn’t help but laugh, too. “I’m so glad you two are getting along,” she said. “Did you enjoy your dance?”
“Very much, but now I want to dance with my wife.” He held out his hand to her. Emotion surged through Chelsea at the sound of that word. Wife.
All her life, she’d dreamed of falling in love.
She had dreamed of starting a family with someone.
Those dreams had come true. And when she had pictured those things, she had always imagined being married — although that was a point she had been willing to compromise on.
But now, hearing Miles call her his wife, she was overwhelmed.
I am his. He is mine. We belong to each other, and we always will.
She hadn’t known that she’d felt this longing to be someone’s wife.
Not someone’s. His. That’s why it’s special. That’s what makes me feel like this.
She passed Silas over to Heather. The baby went willingly enough — he had gotten used to being spoiled by “Auntie Heather,” as the family affectionately referred to her. Chelsea reached out and took Miles’s hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.
He led her over to the dance floor, and as the band began to play again, he took her into his arms.
Miles’s ability to dance was an unexpected treat that Chelsea had discovered in the last few months.
As they had prepared for the big day, he’d taken advantage of several moments when the two of them had just been standing around in the kitchen or the living room to sweep Chelsea into his arms and spin her around.
So, she had known, coming into the wedding day, what she could expect from him.
But even so, there was something special about this moment, now that she was dressed in her wedding dress, now that she was surrounded by friends and family.
Their first dance together had been like something out of a dream, and Chelsea wouldn’t have been any more enchanted if they had lifted right off the ground and spun around on the surface of a cloud.
And now, as they began another dance, she felt just the same.
I wonder if this is how I’ll feel every time he puts his arms around me for the rest of my life? I wonder if it will always be like magic?
Right now, it was hard to imagine that it ever wouldn’t feel magical to be held by Miles.
He kept her close — close enough that he hardly had to speak above a whisper to be heard. “You look beautiful today,” he murmured. “I think I must be the luckiest man in the world.”
“That’s funny, because I was just thinking how lucky I am,” she said with a smile. “I can’t believe this has all happened. That everything worked out so perfectly.”
“Well, it wasn’t without considerable effort,” Miles said.
“I don’t know,” Chelsea countered. “It seems to me that things started going right the moment we stopped worrying so much and just let them be. When we were trying to control the outcome… that’s when we were pushing ourselves apart from one another.
I know I was. I was just too in my head, too determined that I knew what was best and that it was my responsibility to make things turn out the way I believed they should.
It was only when I turned off my mind and allowed myself to follow my heart that everything became clear.
I belong with you, and I always did. I just wasn’t smart enough to see it. ”
“Thank God my father was smart enough to see it,” Miles said with a smile.
“He knew exactly what we needed all along. Sometimes I think he could always see where things were heading, from the moment he met you. Maybe even before that. Maybe he knew that telling me to find love, to start a family, was going to be the boost I needed to finally find the happiness he always wanted for me.”
He raised a hand and slowly stroked her cheek, his fingertips so gentle against her skin that for a moment she was in awe.
How could this be the same gruff, no-nonsense man she had met that day in the fertility clinic?
Right now, he struck Chelsea as the most tender person she had ever met in her life.
And he’s mine. He’s mine forever. My husband, the father of my child, my companion on the journey of life. Everything we do, we’ll do side by side. Every challenge we face will be tackled together, and every joy will be shared.
The song ended and faded into another, and Miles and Chelsea kept dancing.
“You know,” Miles said, “this is a beautiful party, but I can’t help wishing it was over.”
“You’re not having fun?”
“No, I’m having a great time. It’s amazing to have everyone here to celebrate with us, and you…” he sighed and shook his head, “you look so beautiful I can hardly stand it, Chelsea.”
“The dress is so simple…”
“And that’s perfect. You’re the real beauty.
The dress is lovely, but I’m glad it doesn’t overwhelm you.
” He smiled. “I’m just ready for the party to end so that we can return to our lives.
As special as today is… every day with you and Silas is even more special to me.
Every day, I wake up feeling excited about what we have, and what the day will bring.
It’s hard to imagine being any happier.”
“I know what you mean,” she murmured. “Watching him grow up… there’s nothing like it. And the most insignificant moments are charmed because you’re a part of them. When I think of the fact that we almost missed out on this…”
“It would have been the greatest mistake of our lives,” Miles agreed.
The sun was beginning to go down. From somewhere in the distance, Chelsea heard the sound of their son’s laughter, and it warmed her heart. Miles spun her, catching her gently against his chest as he pulled her back in.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said.
“Ask me what?”
“Well, Silas has improved our lives in so many ways,” Miles said. “In every way. And now that we’re married — now that we’re officially a family — all I can think about is what more we might be able to build.” His eyebrows furrowed in obvious concern. “Do you think… that is, I wondered…”
“If we might have another?” Chelsea asked.
“Have you thought about it?”
“I would love that,” Chelsea beamed. “And this time, we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
A grin broke across Miles’s face. He pulled her close, gazing into her eyes, and bent to kiss her.
Chelsea lost herself in the pleasure of his kiss and the knowledge that, this time, no one would feel the need to pull away. This time, there would be as many kisses as she wanted for the rest of her life.