Epilogue #2
“How could I forget it? My girl was making a bold statement, and I had a feeling you were way off, but I didn’t tell you that then.
Telling you now is so much better. And maybe all the people who come in will see those words and know their happily ever after—whatever that looks like—will happen too. ”
“I want that.” Alivia hugged her even tighter. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Lex replied.
“Not to break up all the love”—I semi-coughed—“but we have about twenty seconds before everyone comes in.”
The women parted, their arms hanging in the air as if they were still reaching for each other before their hands fell to their sides.
Alivia shook her head and cleared her throat and tried to wipe the emotion from her face. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Let’s do this, baby.” I escorted her to the entrance and whispered in her ear, “I love you,” before I positioned myself to the side.
I wanted her to welcome everyone in, and just like our upcoming wedding day, when she would be walking down the aisle toward me, I only wanted to look at her.
So, when she turned the knob and cracked the door, my eyes were on her.
I could only see her profile. Her smile. The layers of happiness that filled her face.
Many moments before this one had confirmed what I already knew. I was madly in love with Alivia Todd. But this moment revalidated how badly I wanted her to be my wife.
“Welcome to Alivia’s,” she said, her smile more beautiful than I’d ever seen it. “Your home away from home.”
That was the calm before the storm.
As soon as the door opened wider, the crowd began to fill, and I was shaking hands or hugging everyone who came in. The first group who pulled me aside was my family, and Beck gave Alivia a giant hug, lifting her feet off the ground.
“Girl, this place is fucking awesome,” my youngest brother said.
Alivia was still laughing when he set her down. “Thank you, and thank you for coming. You guys are the best for being here.”
While Hart hugged her and filled her with more compliments, I picked up Ellie, Colson’s four-year-old daughter, and held her in my arms. “How’s my girl doing?” I kissed her cheek.
“I’m the bestest. Hehe.” There was nothing cuter than her smile. “Uncle Walk, I haven’t seen you in sooo long.”
“I just saw you last weekend at my house for family dinner.” One of her pigtails got Velcroed to my beard, and I pulled it off.
She pouted. “That feels like a hundred thousand million years ago.”
“Well then, Alivia and I will just have to pick you up from school one day very soon and take you to our house and make you all the cookies. How does that sound?”
She jumped in my arms. “Daddy! I’m going to Uncle Walk’s house, and he’s making me cookies! And his cookies are the bestest!”
Colson laughed as he pulled away from Alivia and joined us. “Maybe I should ban you from going to Uncle Walk’s house until he can call me back.”
Fuck.
Why the hell was Colson reminding me now, when I was supposed to call him months ago? The dude needed better follow-up, considering I’d completely dropped the ball.
“Colson, my man, I’m sorry. It totally slipped my mind.”
“How about we talk later tonight? I’ve … got a lot to tell you.”
I nodded. “We can make that happen, for sure.”
“Daddy, I want cookies!” Ellie yelled from my arms. “Please don’t say I can’t go to Uncle Walk’s house.”
“The boss has spoken.” I laughed.
“She sure has,” Colson voiced.
Alivia pulled away from Eden, after the two had embraced for a while, and came close to me, rubbing Ellie’s back. “Did I just hear that Uncle Walk promised you cookies?”
“Mm-hmm.” Ellie had a dimple on her right side that was so fucking adorable.
“What if I made you s’mores?” Alivia asked her. “Would you rather have those or cookies? Or both?” She smiled.
“S’mores, huh?” I challenged. “I certainly know those are your favorite.”
Alivia gave me a death stare. “Someone’s being sassy tonight.”
“I’m sassy!” Ellie shouted.
Everyone laughed.
I set Ellie down and put my arm around Alivia’s shoulders, my lips hovering above her ear.
She needed to go work the room; so many people were anxious to talk to her.
The Charred employees she had befriended were in attendance, along with Leslie and several other residents and staff of the assisted living facility.
But before she left my side, I whispered something to her.
Something I didn’t want anyone else to hear.
“You proved tonight that the sky isn’t your limit.
You picked that screen name without even knowing how far you were going to reach.
But this isn’t all of it, baby. Your cooking is going to be the warm blanket for everyone who comes to dine here.
And then you’re going to do it again, outside this restaurant, on an even grander scale.
” I gave her the softest kiss. “There isn’t a person in this room who isn’t in awe of you. Look …”
As she scanned the dining area, the smile, at first, pulled slowly at her lips and then quickly grew as her eyes returned to mine.
“You asked me a question earlier that I never answered. If I thought Whiskey35 was going to be my husband. The answer is I didn’t think it, but I wished it.
” She linked our fingers and squeezed so tight.
“Alivia’s is only a small part of my dreams. Dreams I have because of you. ”
When she paused, the emotion surfaced on her face, and it was thicker than I’d seen it all night.
“You’re the hero of this story. Our story.
The man who saved me. Who pulled me out of the darkness and didn’t let me return.
” She let out a small huff. “My Whiskey, my Walker—you’re my happily ever after when I thought I only deserved a happy for now. ”