EPILOGUE
Eight months later
Sawyer
The beat moves fast, but it’s still a four count that I repeat in my hand. A smile stretched across my face hides the pain in my body that radiates from the bottoms of my feet to the ache in my biceps. My partner twists me, and I know we’re a split second too fast. I try to slow myself on the turn and miraculously, it works and we’re back on count. My dress twirls as we move quickly across the dance floor and then, the music ends. I find myself breathing hard, my heart racing from the exhilaration of the dance and the smile I had plastered to my face as we competed is now replaced with a truly happy smile because I know we just rocked that cha cha.
It’s the Pro-Am Ballroom Dance Competition, it’s what we, professional dancers strive to compete in. Winning this competition opens so many doors of opportunities that can advance careers quickly. The judges whisper amongst themselves and turn in their scoresheets. My partner and I are escorted off the dance floor. Now, we wait for our competition to dance and bite our nails anxiously for the final results. Walking off the dance floor, I smile as I see a familiar face.
“Cuzzo!”
The old man looks in my direction, a grin on his face. “Sawyer, you were beautiful out there!”
I laugh and give him a hug. “Thank you for coming.”
Cuzzo shakes his head, his sunglasses covering his eyes. “I wouldn’t miss watching you dance for the world.”
I take his hand and squeeze it. “I’m guessing Garrison asked you to come in his place?”
Cuzzo shrugs. “Ask him yourself.”
I furrow my eyebrows, confused at his statement. Garrison is still at sea and isn’t supposed to be home from deployment for another four months. I never fully understood what love was until Garrison walked into my life. It’s amazing how loved he can make me feel when he’s miles away from me. I’m excited to see what life will be like with him when we’re physically in the same location. Still baffled and unsure what he’s implying, Cuzzo sighs at me and points toward the door. The most handsome man in the world stands there in his white Navy dress uniform. Despite my aching feet from my dance shoes, I run toward the door, ready to throw my arms around him, but I’m stopped by yet another surprise.
“You dance as gracefully as your mother did.”
“I… um… what are you doing here?” I stuttered over my words before flat out asking Dean Sawyer why he’s here. Remembering how awful I was to him just eight months ago in his office, I quickly shake my head and apologize. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Thank you, Dean, that means a lot to me.”
He smiles and nods. “I know your mother had her reasons for us not being together but I’m hoping it’s not too late for us to still have some kind of relationship. I miss her dearly and seeing you helps keep her spirit alive. I loved her, Sawyer, I always did and I always will.”
I step toward him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’d like that a lot, Dean, and I’d love to hear stories of her.”
He hugs me back in a way that only a father could. I close my eyes, my heart racing but not from my dance, from being full of love. I went from being alone and family-less to now having three men in my life who are the best family I could ask for. I open my eyes and look at Garrison, a man who loves me the way Dean loved my mother, and I know everything will be alright.
Garrison
I watch as Dean hugs Sawyer and I’m glad I decided to step in and invite him to come to her competition. I want nothing more than for Sawyer to know how incredibly loved she is in this world, which is why I have a box in my pocket.
Cuzzo moves beside me and nods in Sawyer’s direction. “Dean show up?” he asks since he can’t see what Sawyer’s doing.
I nod. “Yep, he’s a good man, Cuzzo.”
Cuzzo grins as Sawyer and Dean make their way toward us. Despite my grandfather and Dean standing there, she doesn’t hesitate to step to me and kiss me inappropriately in front of them. I smile as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close. I’ve dreamt of this moment from the day I left her at the airport eight months ago. This is the woman I want to kiss for the rest of my life, this is the woman I want to share my name with, this is the woman that I want to protect for all of my days.
Reluctantly, Sawyer pulls away but doesn’t loosen her grip around me. “What are you doing here?”
I smile and kiss her nose. “I knew this was important to you.”
She giggles and shakes her head. “Well, yeah, but I doubt that the U.S. Navy took that as an excuse.”
I laugh and nod. “You’re right on that. I have two days; I flew straight here, and I fly out at noon tomorrow.”
She frowns. “So, I only have you for less than twenty-four hours?”
I narrow my eyes. “It’s better than nothing, isn’t it?”
She smiles and nods. “True.”
Sawyer kisses me again but before it escalates, I pull back. “I’m going to go ahead and apologize now that a couple of those hours are going to be monopolized by dinner with my parents.”
“What!?” She gasps, her jaw dropping open.
Cuzzo gives his big belly laugh at her reaction and I roll my eyes.
“Let’s not make a big deal out of it. We’re all in New York so it just kind of worked out, okay?” I look over at Dean. “You’ll be joining too, won’t you?”
He nods and smiles. “I would love to.”
Sawyer grins at me and I kiss her nose. I’m not nearly as excited as she is about dinner with my parents but she and Cuzzo have been nagging me to get in touch with them. If it makes her happy, I figure why the hell not. Besides, I will hopefully have news to share with them.
The current couple stops dancing as their music ends. Sawyer kisses me quickly and says she needs to get back to her partner as they’re about to announce the winners. Once she’s gone, I tap Dean on the shoulder. He turns around to look at me and I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I, um, have a question I need to ask you.”
Dean lifts an eyebrow inquisitively, waiting for the question. I reach in my pocket and pull out the black velvet box. Opening it, I show Dean the two carat diamond ring I had special ordered. He looks at the ring then looks up at me.
“Dean, with your permission, I’d like to ask for Sawyer’s hand in marriage.”
Cuzzo claps me on the shoulder and Dean’s lips grow into a smile. He nods as he shakes my hand. “I think Lana would approve of that. On her behalf, I give you permission.”
My smile grows as Dean grants me permission and the judges call out Sawyer and her partner’s name as the winners. To think, eight months ago, Sawyer and I both went to Memphis, Missouri for completely different reasons; she ran over my bike and here I am, about to ask her to be my wife. Life is funny the way it works out because if it wasn’t for that deuce of hearts that Dean gave her mother, our relationship might not have grown to where it is today. Fairy tales do exist and I’m lucky enough to be living mine out with Sawyer.
The End