Epilogue
“Ican’t believe I’m getting married today,” Rose said as she sat beside Lanie at the salon.
“And to think, it almost didn’t happen.” Lanie reached over and grabbed Rose’s hand. “But I’m glad you and Steven worked things out. I’m excited to have a sister.”
Rose smiled. Her heart was so full that her eyes kept filling up with tears. That was proving to be a problem for the woman working on her hair and makeup. Ellie, Bea’s granddaughter, groaned in frustration.
“If you keep crying, you’re going to ruin my masterpiece,” she complained.
“I’m sorry.” Rose blinked rapidly, which only made the situation worse. “This is just such a happy day.”
“Better put on some waterproof mascara, El, if you have any hope of that face making it to the picture portion of today,” Lanie teased.
Ellie rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure that’ll be enough with Ms. Waterworks over here.”
“Excuse me, that’s Mrs. Waterworks,“ Rose quipped.
“You’re not a Mrs. yet, and at this rate, it may never happen.” Lanie pursed her lips at Rose in the mirror.
“Fine, fine.” It took effort, but Rose managed to control her emotions. When they were both finished, Lanie helped Rose into her dress, a simple white ball gown with off-the-shoulder straps and a sweetheart neckline. Once they were dressed, Ellie had them pose by the window and snapped a few pictures.
“Now at least I’ll have evidence of my skill in the event she cries it all off later.”
Before Rose could respond, a knock sounded at the door. It was Dr. Myers, dressed to the nines in a tuxedo. He smiled at both women then raised an eyebrow at Rose.
“You ready?”
She nodded and handed Lanie her bouquet. Since her father couldn’t be there, she’d asked Dr. Myers to give her away. She’d wanted to ask Max, but when Steven had asked him to be his best man, it didn’t seem appropriate.
Lanie gave her arm a squeeze before she left to begin the wedding procession. The moment they were alone, Dr. Myers turned to her.
“I’m glad you decided to go through with it.”
“You don’t think I’m making a mistake? After what you went through with your ex, I mean.”
He shook his head. “If Steven had continued the path he was on, then I would have worried for your welfare. But he’s truly gained a new perspective these past few weeks. I have no doubt he’ll continue to work at finding a better balance in his life and make his health more of a priority.”
She smiled, as she felt exactly the same way. When he stuck out his elbow, she grabbed her bouquet and linked her arm through his. She took a deep breath, and they headed outside.
The church sat on top of a hill, overlooking the river. Closing her eyes, Rose lifted her face to the warmth of the late-August sun. The air was sticky with summer humidity, but when she opened her eyes, there were hints of the coming change in season. Some of the leaves on the tops of the trees had already begun to transition from the bright green of summer to the rich red of autumn. She was glad she and Steven had a weeklong cruise to look forward to, as she wasn’t ready to bid goodbye to her favorite season just yet.
They reached the steps outside of the church, and Dr. Myers stopped. “This is where I leave you.”
Rose frowned. “What? You have to walk me down the aisle.”
With a sly smile, he put his hand on her shoulder and spun her around. There, standing directly behind her, were her parents.
Her heart leapt into her throat. “What? How?” She couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
“Steven used some of the money from the fundraiser to buy the plane tickets before you broke things off,” Mom explained as she embraced Rose. “When you called and said the wedding was off, I tried to cancel, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
More tears welled up in Rose’s eyes, and she prayed Ellie’s mascara would hold. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Dr. Myers stepped to her side. “I assume my services are no longer needed. I’ll go find a seat inside.”
“Thank you,” Rose said. “For everything.”
With a nod, he climbed the stairs into the church, leaving Rose alone with her parents. Her father held out his arm.
“May I do the honors?”
“You both can,” Rose said, taking his arm and grabbing her mother’s as well. Together, they climbed the stairs to where Lanie was waiting.
Lanie gave Rose a thumbs-up before she and Max entered the church. As the door swung closed, Rose caught a glimpse of Steven standing at the front, waiting for her. He stood tall and proud and, if she wasn’t mistaken, without his cane.
“Is he…?” Before she could finish the question, the door opened again, and the sound of the wedding march filled the room. It was her turn to walk down the aisle. Her heart hammered in her chest as she moved, her eyes never leaving Steven’s. It took effort not to run straight into his arms, into her future.
When they reached the front of the church, her parents placed her hand in Steven’s before kissing her cheeks and finding their seats. And then, it was as if everyone else disappeared when she looked up into Steven’s face. She barely heard the preacher welcoming the crowd and paid only enough attention to what he was saying to know when to say “I do.”
Before she knew it, the preacher said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Steven’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he wrapped his arms around her waist and dipped her in a kiss. Cheers and whoops could be heard from the crowd, but Rose barely heard them. In spite of the trials they had faced, in spite of almost losing him twice, they had finally done it. And he was hers. Forever.
When he finally released her, breathless and grinning, he turned her to their gathered loved ones and raised their joined hands in triumph. Rose giggled at the silliness of the action. Soon, she found herself jostled away into the arms of her family, both old and new alike.
The first faces she saw were those of her parents, and she pulled them into a hug. Their presence had made the day so much more wonderful.
Lanie embraced her next, and the warmth and joy exuding from her now sister-in-law touched Rose. But she should have known nothing could break their bond. She and Lanie were soul sisters through and through.
Then she threw her arms around Max. Her father-in-law’s hug was stilted and awkward, and he shifted away too soon.
“Welcome to the family.”
“Thanks,” she said with a wry smile. “So, now that your two children are paired up, don’t you think it’s your turn?”
Lanie laughed. “The day my dad remarries is the day hell freezes over.”
Crossing his arms, he shook his head. “I gave marriage the old college try. It’s the bachelor life for me.”
“Pity for the rest of us,” Carissa said as she reached them, a clipboard in hand. “Not to break up this celebration, but we’ve got a schedule to keep.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Not everything has to be planned out to the second.”
“Just because you live life by the seat of your pants doesn’t mean the rest of us have to,” Carissa retorted. Then she wrapped an arm around Rose’s shoulders and led her over to Steven.
Rose grasped his arm and gently pulled him away from his friends. “We’ve got to go get photos taken.”
Her parents and Lanie and Max met up with them outside. Rose wondered whether they shouldn’t have skipped formal shots and stuck with candid photos. Neither of them had a very large family, and there were only so many ways to position their small group.
After posing for several photos, Rose was ready to eat. The photographer told their families to head into the reception hall while he finished up with a few shots of just Rose and Steven.
As soon as they were released to join the festivities, they quickly made their way to the reception for their grand entrance. Rose danced from foot to foot, anxious to get inside and enjoy a well-earned meal.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the new Mr. and Mrs. McAllister!”
Their friends and family clapped as Rose and Steven made their grand entrance. Her vision for the wedding was inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tea lights hung in small globes from the rafters. Scalloped glass vases filled with white and pink roses and rich green leaves sat in the center of each table. Wreaths of hydrangeas and ivy adorned each window and twinkled with hidden fairy lights. The beauty of the room momentarily took Rose’s breath away.
She headed straight for their table, hoping to scarf down some food. But before she got to her seat, Steven grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop just as the DJ called them back to the dance floor.
“What’s going on?” she hissed, following Steven. “We agreed no formal dances.” It hadn’t seemed right at the time because her parents hadn’t planned to attend and Steven’s mother was gone.
Instead of responding, Steven smiled. Though he still had a slight limp, she’d been amazed at how steady he was on his feet.
“Are you sure?” Her eyes strayed to his legs, and she worried he would tire if he pushed himself too much.
“I am,” he said, drawing her in close and taking her hand. “I’ve been practicing.”
“You have?”
“Lanie and I started before the accident.” His lips twitched. “She didn’t want me to make a fool of myself for our first dance.” He shrugged. “And once I’d made enough progress in PT, Dr. Bhati thought it would be good for improving my dexterity and coordination.”
Taylor Swift’s This Love began to play, and Steven led Rose in a simple waltz. She stared into his eyes, overwhelmed at the realization of how hard he’d had to work to make the moment happen.
“Oh my goodness. I can’t believe you did this for me.” Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she knew Ellie would kill her if she saw her.
He twirled her before enveloping her in his arms again. “I wanted to make today as special as I could, to show you how much you mean to me.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “It’s just like the swans.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
Lifting her head, she placed a hand on his cheek. “Swans mate for life. And when they are separated due to an illness, they perform this beautiful dance together to rekindle their bond.”
“I never knew that,” he said with a smile.
“I only learned it recently.” She tightened her arms around him.
As the last notes of the song played, Steven twirled her once more before lifting her hand to his lips. Their friends and family cheered, and Rose felt on top of the world.
“I know you’re hungry,” he murmured into her ear. “But how would you feel about taking our dinner down to the river? There’s a picnic table by the pier, and we could have a few minutes to ourselves.”
A moment alone, just the two of them, was exactly what Rose needed. She grabbed her plate and followed him, slipping out the back door unnoticed.
The sun hung lower in the sky, and the breeze coming off the river held the promise of autumn. They sat on opposite sides of the picnic table near the pier and enjoyed their meal. Just as they were ready to leave, a fluttering of white feathers caught Rose’s eye. There in the middle of the river was a pair of swans. Their long white necks formed a heart as they pressed their foreheads together before lifting their wings and circling each other.
“You see,” Rose said, pointing. “They’re dancing!”
Steven stood and pulled her into his arms again, swaying them back and forth. “And so are we.”