Epilogue
Daisy
We get married at the courthouse. It’s not a big affair like Jasper and Delilah had, it’s not even medium sized like Kimmie’s wedding when she married Natan.
The day is exactly right though. It’s spring, the snow is mostly melted and green shoots are poking up in the flower beds promising warmth and sunshine is just around the corner.
Mechislav wears a gray suit over a pale pink shirt, which is possibly the biggest surprise of the day. Because he matched it to my pale pink dress which he only saw a swatch of.
Mr Kleine, Patricia, made it for me and it’s the prettiest most gorgeous thing I own now.
She dabs her eyes in the front row of chairs that have been spread out while Tamsin holds her arm and smiles at us.
Tamsin ended up staying long after her visit was meant to end, citing wanting to spend Christmas with her mom, then new year, then confessing she didn’t want to return to the cruise ships at all.
Delilah is holding her baby; he is two months old now and massive.
Jasper constantly brags about how he was ten pounds when he was born and eats enough to feed a small army.
Delilah vowed never to give birth again, but she is so enamored with Rex that I imagine it won’t be long before another follows.
We walk down the short aisle to cheers and whoops and then walk to the restaurant with our family and friends following us.
Ron snaps a few photographs, since I can’t.
“Mrs Federova,” Mechislav says as he sits down beside me and hands me a glass of champagne. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.” He drops a kiss to my lips and smiles. “How are you feeling?”
I consider his question for a moment.
“I feel all the words,” I say, smiling back at him.
“Not like you want to run, then?” he asks, only a hint of sarcasm in this voice.
“Only if you’ll chase me,” I say with a laugh.
We kiss again, a little deeper this time, not caring who sees us.
As we pull apart, Lilah waddles over to Mechislav and tugs on the hem of his suit jacket.
“Uncle Mech,” she says, all seriousness. “If you kiss a lady, she will have a baby!” Her eyes grow big and round and little mouth opens in a gasp, like she is telling him the most dangerous secret of all.
Mech laughs lightly, scooping her into his arms. “Now who told you that?” he asks.
“Momma,” she says, solemnly. “That’s why daddy says I’m not allowed to kiss anyone until I’m thirty.” She nods, like this is the greatest wisdom anyone has ever imparted.
I suppress a smile and nod when Mechislav looks at me. “It’s true, I heard it on the television,” I say as he lowers Lilah to the floor. She runs off to find her parents and Mechislav turns back to me.
“If only I knew kissing was how you made babies…” he says.
“Haha,” I say, my voice dry.
“All in good time, wife,” he says, tapping my butt lightly.
I smile. A few months ago, him saying something like that would have made me run for the hills no matter how much I wanted it.
Now it just feels like an inevitable truth, but one that doesn’t have to happen immediately.
And that’s okay. It’s okay to want the big things in the future but talk about them in the present.
It doesn’t feel so scary with Mechislav standing beside me.
“Let’s do this then,” he says with a sigh as the lights drop and he pulls me onto the makeshift dancefloor.
He promised me dancing lessons for our wedding and he didn’t disappoint.
I’m not sure what’s funnier, the fact that this huge man has attended twice weekly ballroom lessons with me, thanks to Tamsin, or the fact that none of his cousins knew.
Now he is spinning me around the dancefloor and all of their faces are a picture of complete shock. Mouths wide open, eyes completely bugged.
“Worth it,” he says when he sees them.
“Definitely,” I agree.