CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Epilogue – Brooke
“Pop, what are you doing?” I cried as I looked at my father over my shoulder.
“Nothing, just checking something,” he said as he bent down and pulled something out of his shoe. He handed me a penny that had obviously been smashed by something enormous and said, “Here you go, kiddo. I’ve been saving this for this day.”
“Pop, what is this?” I asked as I turned it over and felt the smooth copper in my hand.
“It’s my lucky penny. I’ve had it since I was eight,” he smiled. I put it in all my shoes for good luck. I wanted you to have it today.
“Pop, where am I going to put this?” I asked as I looked down at my outfit and tried to think of where I could tuck the good luck charm.
“Oh, I didn’t really think about that,” he said as he looked me over and then kissed my cheek. “You really look beautiful, Brookie.”
“Oh, Pop, stop it,” I said as I tried not to let the tears well up and ruin my makeup.
“You ready to do this, kiddo?” my father asked as he held out his arm and smiled warmly.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I smiled and took his arm just as the music started.
We walked through the kitchen to the backdoor where we stopped and looked at each other and laughed because we knew we were both waiting for my mother to yell at us.
“Stop dawdling and start walking,” she called from her seat out in the yard. The whole crowd burst out laughing because they, too, knew about my mother and her floors.
The music started as my father took a step forward, and I followed down the stairs and across the lawn. The backyard had been landscaped especially for this occasion, and it looked like a botanical garden with all the trees and flowering bushes. I smiled as we started up the center aisle, lined with flower petals that led all the way to the handsome man waiting for me at the end of it.
I held his gaze the whole walk to him. And when I reached his side, my father took both of our hands and joined them before he said, “Be kind to one another. Always.” He turned to go join my mother, but before he reached her, he looked back at us and added, “And, stay off your mother’s floors.”
The crowd erupted into a fit of laughter and the officiate began, “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony…”
When we got to the vows, I looked up at the handsome man in front of me and in a confident voice I said, “Mr. Malone, I promise you a lifetime of love, joy, laughter, and warmth. I promise that I will cherish and respect you. I promise that I will listen to you and talk with you. But most of all, I promise that our home will always be a place where you will want to return to after you’ve been out in the world. I promise to be your partner, your friend, your lover, and your biggest supporter. As long as I’m with you, I will always be at home.”
Dax smiled warmly as he looked into my eyes and said his vows, “Brooke, you had my heart from the moment I met you. And every day I’ve spent with you has simply served to confirm that I’ve found a home for my heart. I promise that I will protect, respect, and love you. I will support you and listen to you, and I will strive to make a home for your big, beautiful heart as we spend our lives living and loving together.”
There was not a dry eye in the house as he slipped the ring on my finger and the officiate pronounced us man and wife. Dax lifted one hand to brush the stray hairs from my cheek before he bent down and wrapped his arms around me. He looked deep into my eyes as he mouthed, “I love you,” before he bent and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss as he lifted me off of my feet and raised one arm in victory.
“Hey, don’t drop me, Malone!” I cried as I felt myself slipping out of his grasp. “This dress cost a fortune, buddy!”
“Don’t get sassy with me, Mrs. Malone,” he said as he kissed me again and gently lowered me to the floor. We joined hands and as the crowd of friends and family clapped and cheered, Dax and I walked down the aisle into the next chapter of our lives.