Epilogue
CARSON
“I love weddings.”
Ayla’s in front of the full-length mirror in our hotel room at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, checking out her reflection.
She’s wearing the pink dress again and she looks beautiful.
I move up behind her, set my hands on her waist, and bend to kiss her bare shoulder. “Maybe we should get married again.”
She laughs, then meets my eyes in the mirror. “What, really?”
“Maybe.” I shrug, smiling. “If you love weddings, let’s have another one.”
She turns into my arms and lays her palms on my chest. “I don’t love them that much. Organizing one was enough for me. And we’re married. We don’t need another one.”
“I just want to make sure you’re mine.”
“I’m yours.” She lifts an eyebrow. “So you want to lock me up.”
“Mmm. Lock you in, maybe. Not up. Unless you want to be locked up, like with—”
She laughs and presses her fingers to my lips. “Okay, okay. Don’t you remember when we got married how I didn’t want my dad or my parents to give me away?”
My mouth curves beneath her fingertips and she removes them. “Yeah. I remember.”
“Because I’m not someone’s possession to be handed from one person to another.”
“Right. So you’re not mine.”
She opens her mouth, eyes flashing.
I laugh softly and shake my head. “I don’t view you as a possession. You know that.”
Her face softens. “I know.”
“When I say that, it means… you’re my wife. My lover. My partner.”
She nods, looking up at me, her big eyes glimmering with shifting shades of cobalt and sapphire.
“My biggest fan,” I joke.
She laughs and shakes her head. “Okay, sure.”
“It doesn’t mean I own you. It means I want to be with you forever. It means I want to protect you and support you forever.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Can I say that too? You’re mine?”
“I most definitely am yours.” I bend to kiss her mouth softly.
She sighs against my lips. “That was better than more marriage vows.”
“Okay, good. Because I have this for you.” I reach into my pocket to pull out a small box.
Her forehead creases and she glances from the box to my face and back down again. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
She takes a step back and flips open the top of the box. Her mouth sags open and her eyes widen. “Oh, wow. That’s beautiful.” She lifts her gaze to mine again and I could drown in those blue depths.
“It’s an eternity ring.” I carefully pluck it from the box, then take her left hand.
She has her wedding rings on again now. As do I. The big diamond solitaire I gave her as an engagement ring glitters next to the simple gold band of her wedding ring. This one is a full circle of diamonds. I slide it onto her third finger and snug it up against the engagement ring.
“Eternity,” she murmurs.
“Yeah.” I lift her hand and kiss her fingers, meeting her eyes again. “I’ll love you forever.”
Her eyes go shiny and her bottom lip quivers. “I’ll love you forever, too.”
“What if… maybe… we had to fall apart… so we could fall back together.”
Making a soft sound in her throat, she slides her hand around the back of my neck and pulls me down to her for another kiss. This one is longer. Deeper. Hotter.
A rap on the door interrupts us.
I press my forehead to hers, fighting for breath. “Shit.”
She huffs out a laugh.
I head to the door and open it to Archie and his wife, Andi. They got married in a small ceremony last year without even telling anyone.
“Hey, come on,” he says. “We’re meeting up in the lounge for a drink before going over to the library.”
“Great timing,” I mutter.
Archie laughs. “Oh. Sorry.”
“We’re ready.” Ayla picks up her sparkly pink purse. “Where’s Matilda?”
“We brought our nanny from home,” Andi says. “They’re having room-service pizza and movies tonight.”
“Perfect.”
Their daughter—or Archie’s daughter, technically, but really theirs—is now two years old. And Andi’s wearing a dress that shows off her six-months-pregnant baby bump.
“You look gorgeous,” Ayla says. “I want to pat your belly.”
“Go ahead.” Andi grins. “Thanks for asking. Lots of people think my belly is public property.”
Is it hard for Ayla seeing someone pregnant? She seems okay. And when she turns to meet my eyes as we leave our hotel room, she smiles reassuringly at me as if she knows what I’m thinking.
We have a drink in the bar of the hotel, then walk a few blocks to the Free Library on the Parkway. Of course Mabel chose this location for their wedding; she’s a librarian. It still seems a little odd to me, though. I’ve been imagining the wedding taking place among the stacks of books.
“This building is gorgeous.” Ayla studies the old architecture as we enter: the marble floors and soaring ceilings, stone walls and columns. The ceremony is happening in the lobby, which is set up with rows of chairs and masses of flowers.
“They must have cleaned out a greenhouse for this,” I mutter to Ayla as we take seats.
She laughs. “Possibly. They’ll have amazing photographs here.”
Soon, Benny and his groomsmen Smitty, Crusher, and Dilly make their way to the front of the lobby, dressed in dark suits.
“He looks nervous,” I whisper to Ayla.
“This isn’t his kind of thing,” she replies. “I’m sure he’s fine, though.”
Then the three bridesmaids appear; I’ve been told the maid of honor is Bellamy, Mabel’s friend from her home town, and Cami and Tala, two newer friends. They sashay down the aisle in dresses in different shades of green, holding bouquets of greenery and white flowers.
“So pretty,” Ayla murmurs to Andi on the other side of her.
Then the music changes and Mabel is walking down the aisle, dressed in a white dress with a long, swishy skirt of sheer layers with delicate lace over top.
Her russet hair is in a low messy bun decorated with tiny flowers and pearls, and her bouquet is similar: white flowers, sheer ribbons and pearls hanging from it.
She’s beaming a smile bigger and brighter than the sun.
“Notice no one is giving her away,” Ayla whispers.
I shoot her an amused look. “Uh huh. What is this song?”
“‘First Day of My Life’.”
I knew she would know.
The ceremony is quick and informal. Benny and Mabel both say their own vows, they’re pronounced married and kiss, and they disappear up a wide marble staircase lined with candles.
We hang around with the other guests as we all wait to take the elevator to the roof where an outdoor bar has been set up for cocktails.
The lights of the city are coming on all around us and when we have a glass of champagne in hand, we move over to the stone balustrade to take in the amazing view.
We’re joined by some of our other teammates here: Archie and Andi again, Turks and his wife Holly, Shawzy and Megan.
“Rumor has it the Cup is in the building,” Archie says.
“Fuck off.” I stare at him.
“Yep. This is Benny’s weekend to have the Cup, so they brought it to the wedding.”
Yeah, we won the Stanley Cup about a month ago.
I still haven’t come down from the high of it.
It’s been an amazing ride. Our fans went absolutely insane and over the summer, we each get a day to take the Cup where we want.
Of course mine’s coming home to Salmon Arm in August. The town has some special parade planned and both my sisters will be there.
That makes me really fucking happy.
And even happier that Ayla will be there with me, too.
“We’ll get to drink champagne out of it,” Turks says with a grin.
“Again,” I add.
“Yeah.”
We drank a lot out of it after we won that night. And the next day. And the next.
We meet so many people, I can’t keep track of them all: Mabel’s parents, Benny’s parents and brother and sister, a bunch of aunts and uncles and old friends. Dinner is served back in the lobby, all elegant and glowy with tons of candles, and then we dance.
“Weddings make me all emotional,” Ayla says as I steer her around the dance floor.
I frown. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yes! It’s happy emotions.”
“Okay, good.”
“Look at them.” She nods toward Mabel and Benny. “They’re so sweet. How can you not be happy for them?”
“Yeah.” They do look happy. Blissfully, crazily in love happy.
My gaze moves to the maid of honor dancing chastely with Smitty.
He’s here with Nikki Sullivan, who’s sitting at a table with a bunch of guests crowded around her adoringly.
Then I spot Crusher dancing with Cami, a bridesmaid.
She’s pretty, the green dress flattering her dark-brown skin, and they seem… immersed in each other. Hmmm.
We get big hugs from Mabel when she has a chance to mingle. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she says. “And I’m so glad you’re here together.”
Ayla didn’t have a chance to get to know Mabel before we split up but Mabel makes friends with everyone and during the playoffs, they bonded.
“Me too,” Ayla says.
I take her hand. “Me three.”
Mabel laughs.
The music changes and “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida comes on.
“Come dance, Ayla!” Mabel takes Ayla’s other hand and pulls her away from me, waving at her bridesmaids to join them.
I watch in amusement as all the ladies get down to the music, shaking their hips, shimmying their shoulders.
Ayla lifts her hands in the air and spins, looking like an angel, her hair glowing in the candlelight, her smile radiating across the room.
Our eyes meet and her smile broadens and she does a sexy little hip move and I’m so fucking gone for her, it’s stupid. She’s it. She’s all I want.
It’s a good feeling.
* * *