Epilogue
Maria
One Year Later
No matter how hard I try to hold them back, the tears continue to roll down my cheeks.
I am just grateful my mascara is waterproof because the last thing I need is for my makeup to run today of all days.
It’s bad enough that I can feel Mark’s fingers twitch against mine, aching to wipe my tears away, but I keep a firm hold on his hands to keep him from doing so.
It’s his own fault, really. His misty eyes were full of so much love and adoration as I walked down the aisle that I broke before I even reached the halfway point. It was all downhill after that.
Today is the happiest day of my life, and it could not be more perfect.
The venue and the flowers are exactly what I imagined, the crowd is full of people we love and who love us, and I am wearing the dress of my dreams. Naturally, Darius is my man of honor, and Sean is Mark’s best man.
What’s more, and what makes this day so much better, is the fact that Chase got himself ordained solely for today.
However, none of that tops the fact that I am marrying the man of my dreams. The love of my life.
This past year has been a whirlwind of emotions and changes for both of us.
Mark quit his job at the insurance company and is now a full-time trainer and life coach, just like he wanted.
I started working out too, going with him to the gym when he had clients.
I started going for myself too, and not because someone made me feel like I needed to change.
While I have lost a few pounds, my focus is on building up my cardio and getting stronger.
Mark really does enjoy my curves and having something to hold on to.
A few months ago, Darius and I opened up our very own coffee shop. While we both loved working at The Brew, our boss retired, and then the place got a bunch of new management. With all the new rules and expectations, the intimate feel of the place was gone, and it just wasn’t the same anymore.
The shop and start-up costs had been a gift from Mark after he had heard Darius and me talking about it one day.
It started as a joke one night when Darius and I had a bit too much wine, and the more we drank, the more we planned.
I had written the entire business plan on the user's manual for the new wine fridge Mark had gotten me, and the rest is history.
Business is booming, too, and even Chase made the switch, becoming our first regular.
A few months ago, Mark and I bought a house together.
It’s a gorgeous four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom place with a huge backyard.
We want to get a dog soon, which I am excited about, but we are just having a little bit of trouble agreeing on a breed.
We are also unable to agree on the number of kids we want, but that’s still a way off. Much to Mark’s dismay.
However, there’s been one constant this past year, and that’s the fact that Mark and I just fit and love one another dearly.
“By the power vested in me by this great state, and the silly little thing called the internet,” Chase says, winking at me, his quip making the crowd laugh, “it is my greatest honor to pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your beautiful bride.”
Amid all the cheers of the crowd, Mark grins and pulls me flush against his body.
His lips meet mine in a respectable but delicious kiss that still gives me butterflies.
It’s official now: This man is mine. He loves me more than life itself, just like I do him.
And he’s kept true to his promise, too, telling me every day how beautiful I am.
Though I’ve never felt more beautiful than I do in this moment.
Breaking the kiss, his thumbs brush against my wet cheeks. “I love you, Maria.”
“I love you too, Mark.” And I mean that more than I have ever meant anything.
What started as a silly status situation has turned into my very own happily ever after just a year later. It’s funny how things work out like that.