Epilogue

Lucas

One Year Later

The church is already packed with attendants by the time the silly bride and groom arrive, late. But we have three kids to wrestle with.

“This is so surreal,” Sofia breathes as I lead her into the sweeping foyer of the cathedral. “It feels like we’ve already been married for years.”

I smile down at her, holding our little baby Maggie in her arms, and I have to agree. We’ve been together for two years next month, and we have a child together, but we’re only just getting married now. I could’ve sworn she was my wife the instant she walked through my cabin’s front door, soaking wet in a Henley and skinny jeans.

Maggie Marshall crops up next to Sofia and binds her in a tight, rapid hug, wearing a long turquoise blue gown and her hair in one thick fishtail braid down her shoulders.

“Oh, my god, you made it!” Maggie squeals, holding Sofia tight. “Oh, and the little baby Maggie!” She presses a kiss to our daughter’s head, and Baby Maggie swats at her with a toothy grin. “We were taking a pool over at our seats, trying to figure out which one of you two had cold feet.”

“Her,” I tell Maggie with a wink. “Definitely her.”

“Shut up,” Sofia laughs, nudging me warmly. “No one has cold feet. There was traffic, and we’re terrible people. We’re here now, and we’re ready. I wouldn’t cancel my wedding when you drove, like, a thousand miles to get here! Where should I be? What should I be doing? You were always better at this stuff than me.”

“You went to the rehearsal last night, didn’t you?” Maggie shrills at her, then laughs. They never look more alike than when they laugh together. “Luckily for you, I took notes. Come on. There’s a room upstairs for you, doll.” Maggie loops her arm through Sofia’s and pulls her away from me, leaving me wondering where the hell I’m supposed to go.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” A hand claps down on my shoulder, and I pivot toward James, staring after Sofia and Maggie as they ascend the stairwell together. “Who is that?”

“You mean, the woman who looks exactly like my wife?” I ask.

James grins. “That’s the one. Is that the infamous Maggie Marshall, her twin?”

“Duh, man,” I tell him, clapping him on the back. “And no, you can’t have her. That’s too weird.”

“What? Why?” James yelps. “After everything I’ve done for you?”

That makes me laugh, and I head toward the groom’s chamber to prepare myself. James follows. “Don’t you mean everything you’ve done to me?” I ask. “No, I’m not particularly eager to introduce your immature ass to my future sister-in-law. She already survived one disease. Let her avoid this one.”

“Oh, come on!”

I have to listen to James’s pleading to be introduced favorably to Maggie, as my tuxedo and my hair and the rings and the vows are all painstakingly perfected.

When it’s time, I’m ready, and I stand with the pastor when the wedding march plays.

The doors of the cathedral sweep open, and a white taffeta dream comes floating down the aisle toward me. I swallow, unable to believe that this beauty is mine.

When Sofia reaches the front of the sanctuary, where Maggie gives her away, her eyes are already cloudy with tears. I have to swallow, too. My throat feels tight.

As the pastor speaks about marriage, we gaze into each other’s eyes and smile and giggle, and everything that came before now matters so much less. The fact that she lied to me about who she was. The way Astrid completely fell apart and still struggles with normal parenting now. None of it matters anymore. When we’re together, all the cracks heal, and I’m whole again.

The pastor requests that we give our vows, and I go first. I’m surprised at the way my voice slightly trembles. I never cry, but right now, looking at her, I think I might.

“Sofia,” I whisper to her, forgetting about our audience and whatever they might be hoping to hear. “I knew that we were meant to be so quickly after meeting you. It wasn’t how beautiful you are, even though you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even how Charlie and Madison trusted you and looked up to you. It was your warmth and your strength. It was the way you complemented me in everything that I did. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life, and I didn’t know it until you walked through my door.”

Sofia sidles closer to me and presses a kiss to my lips, and giggles ripple through the crowd.

When she pulls away and lightly touches at her now imperfect lipstick, she makes a little “oops” face and my heart warms.

“Ahem, Lucas,” she reads from her own vows. “I hate that I have to read my vows second, because I know that yours were better. I just know it. I want to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You were completely willing to break the law for me. We were a whirlwind romance when we started. It didn’t make any sense, and we didn’t care. But when the dust settled, it started to make sense. You could’ve backed out. I lied about who I was. I was wanted for fraud when we met. I got a job as a nanny with a false identity. But you didn’t kick me out. And when I got pregnant with Maggie, the timing could have been better. You could have told me to deal with it myself. But you didn’t. You were so happy to have a little life inside of me. You wanted to make me your wife. I love you, Lucas. Thank you for loving me so much. Thank you for always making me feel welcome and wanted.”

Tears pour down her face now, and I can’t resist the urge to cup her chin in my hands and kiss her on the mouth, only ruining her lipstick further.

The pastor gives up. “By the power invested in me, you may kiss the bride,” he announces, and I bend Sofia over backward, deepening the kiss. Catcalls rise up from our audience, but I don’t even hear them. All I can think about is what a lucky man I am today.

After the ceremony, as our friends and family enjoy the reception, we sit together at our own tiny table with Baby Maggie, Madison, and Charlie all enjoying cake and catering.

“Thanks for the shout-out during your vows, Sofia,” Charlie says around his mouth packed full of barbeque sandwich.

“It was the truth,” Sofia replies warmly. “I love you guys.” She kisses them both on the crowns of their heads, but when Baby Maggie starts to squirm and rebel in her arms, the only way to soothe her is with another bite of cake.

I smile down at the scene, at my young wife feeding my new baby, at my two children stuffing their faces, welcoming her to our family. I knew everything would be OK. I was scared, but deep down, there must have been some part of me that called out, “Everything will be OK.”

My eyes rove the dance floor, enjoying the sight, when they freeze on Maggie and James, locked in each other’s arms, slow dancing to a fast song. My brow furrows. No way. This cannot be happening.

“Hey, Sofia,” I call to her, nudging her with my elbow. “Look out on the dance floor and tell me if you like what you see. I’m going to let you be the judge.”

Sofia’s eyes tilt away from Baby Maggie and rove the dance floor, freezing as soon as they light my brother and her sister, arm in arm. Her lips fall open.

“No way,” she breathes. “They were supposed to hate each other. He’s so goofy, and she’s so serious. No way!”

But there is no denying the way that Maggie smiles up at him on the dance floor. No denying the way he’s smiling down at her.

“They’re going to hate each other,” Sofia whispers, still certain, and I loop my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She and I both have always been the type to fight the inevitable.

“Maybe, maybe not,” I say, and she reaches up her free hand to thread her fingers through mine. “You know what they say. Everything happens for a reason.”

Sofia sighs and her head drapes on my shoulder. “Everything does happen for a reason.”