EPILOGUE
Two years later…
The Thompson family’s church was a small white brick building with a tall steeple. It was old fashioned but had a unique charm that I loved.
Lauren fussed with my veil as Kennedy tried to fix Little Jackson’s tie. The bridal room was small and had little space to maneuver with a toddler running loose, but I couldn’t think of any other place in the world I would rather be in that moment.
“You look so beautiful,” Lauren said tearfully. Kennedy gripped Little Jackson and leaned in to kiss my cheek before Lauren dropped my veil over my face.
“This is it,” I said.
They both smiled and nodded.
“Are you ready?” Kennedy asked.
“More ready that I’ve ever been for anything in my life.”
And I was.
Lauren held her belly and smiled. “She’s kicking.” Kennedy and I both swarmed her, putting our hands on her belly to feel the life inside. A soft kick pushed against my fingers, causing me to let out a squeal. Tears formed in my eyes and Lauren quickly wiped them away from under my veil.
“I just got your makeup done again,” she complained. I’d cried so much that day that Lauren was about to run out of makeup from the many touchups that were needed on my face.
I couldn’t believe how far we’d all come. Kennedy was a mother. A mother! It was surreal. She still worked hard as a lawyer, and even though they had plenty of money, she didn’t hire nannies like her friends did. She worked around Little Jackson’s schedule and had him in a great daycare. We had all laughed when she told us he was attending the uppity school for toddlers, mainly because Little Jackson was so outspoken and nothing like her elite friends’ children who sat in a corner and spoke only when spoken to.
“Let us know how that works out,” Lauren had teased when she first told us.
She was raising little Jackson to be his own person, to express himself, and while that may all sound good on paper, it apparently made for a rough life of parenting.
“No!” Kennedy yelped and ran after Little Jackson, who decided to express himself by peeing down the hallway of the church.
Lauren snickered. “This one,” she patted her belly, “there will be no free expression.”
“We better go,” Kennedy said, her voice somewhat stressed. We knew she wasn’t going to be able to control her son much longer, so we went towards the door.
As I walked down the small hallway, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. We stopped just before the entrance into the church where I knew Shep was standing.
Mrs. Thompson gripped my hands and pulled me towards her. “I knew you were the one the moment I met you,” she said sweetly. She hugged me and then Asher ushered her to a seat.
I thought about how Mrs. Thompson and even Shep knew this was right so quickly. I wondered why I didn’t. There were so many things that clogged my mind when I first arrived at the show, and one of them was that I didn’t want a man. So how did I end up with Aiden? Then Shep?
There were several bad choices made on my part, and Shep was there through them all. He held my hand, held my head up high, and always kept his hand on my back. I didn’t regret the decisions that were made. They were necessary steps to ready me for this moment. I’d been with Royce for years, and marriage was never a thought in my mind. I wasn’t sure why at the time. I guess I’d convinced myself that we were happy and didn’t need the piece of paper to prove it, but now I knew different.
I knew that the reason I hadn’t thought about marriage with Royce was because he wasn’t the one. The one was standing at the end of the aisle I so desperately wanted to peek down right now.
I glanced at Lauren and smiled softly as my eyes fell to her belly. She was ready to pop at any moment, and I kept telling her I wanted it to happen on my wedding day.
She laughed. “You don’t want me ruining your day.”
I didn’t see it as ruining it. I imagined it would be an amazing blessing to say our vows and then have a life brought into the world right after. “We could share our anniversary with her birthday,” I pleaded. “That way I’ll never forget it.”
“You wouldn’t forget it anyway,” she said, leaning forward and then backwards to stretch her tight muscles. “And besides, I don’t have control over when she comes, so you can quit your begging.”
I couldn’t wait to start a family with Shep. I knew he would be an amazing father. We had a baby already, a restaurant in Austin that was turning six months old today. Shep let me pick out the décor when we built it, and he worked with Jackson on the building design. Kennedy was our lawyer, ensuring we were up to code and that we never had to worry about violations. Lauren’s paintings were hanging on the walls of the restaurant, proudly displayed with love. Shep and I both controlled the day to day logistics of the kitchen and the front of the house. It was perfect, our life was perfect, and I couldn’t wait to bring it to the next stage.
The music started playing, and my heart fluttered. The butterflies were still flying around in my belly, and I knew my eyes were going to well up with tears again. “Don’t you cry until we get some pictures,” Lauren warned playfully. I nodded and sniffed hard.
Each bridesmaid and groomsmen walked down the aisle arm in arm. I looked at my father who wore a tuxedo and a bowtie. He looked regal and so proud I thought he’d burst through his jacket.
Little Jackson galloped down the aisle like he was riding a pony and dropped the pillow with the ring several times. We knew to put fake rings on the pillow, so our real bands were in Asher’s pocket.
My father extended his arm to me, and I took it. I stopped at the entrance of the church aisle and whispered, “I love you,” to the man who raised me so well. I was so glad he never had to be faced with the video Aiden had threatened to air. If it hadn’t been for Shep, I knew this moment would have been tainted. I’d never seen disappointment or shame when Dad looked at me, only pride and love. I thanked God and Shep every day that I was saved from that.
Shep stood at the altar, his tuxedo perfectly customized to his build. His thick dark hair was slicked back away from his face in a wave, and his dark eyes glistened under the lights gleaming through the stained-glass windows.
This is it, the beginning of the rest of my life.
My father’s hand shook as he released his grip on me and handed me to Shep. I took his hand. It was strong and secure, the way I remembered my father’s as a young girl. I looked over at my mother sitting in the front pew and could see the lifetime of happiness the man who just gave me away had given her. I wanted that with Shep. I knew I would have that with Shep.
“Don’t,” Lauren whispered as she saw my eyes start to well.
I giggled which caused her to giggle, and then Kennedy chimed in. Little Jackson loved the laughter, so he bellowed out as loudly as he could, causing an echo to chime through the small church.
Soon, everyone was laughing at the antics of the free-spirited child, and it took several minutes for the minister to calm everyone down and start the ceremony. It was surreal. I felt as though I wasn’t in my body, but floating above it, watching my life begin. Everyone in the church was smiling, then there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Shep read his touching vows. Lauren couldn’t even be upset over my running mascara because hers was streaming down her cheeks.
“I do,” Shep said.
“I do,” I said.
That was it. We were husband and wife. Mrs. Claire Thompson. I loved the way that sounded.
I leaned in and wrapped my arms around my husband. I had to tiptoe, even in my high heels to reach his lips. That first kiss as husband and wife was so delicious I never wanted it to end.
Something tugged on my gown, and I figured it was Little Jackson wanting his turn at kissing time. I turned around, and Lauren was bent over, holding her belly. “I’m so sorry, but my water just broke.”
A loud squeal escaped my lips. I couldn’t contain my excitement. “See, I knew the baby wanted to be born today.”
Asher ran to her side and caressed her hair while she breathed through a contraction.
“How long have you been in labor?” I asked her, unable to believe this was seriously happening.
“Um, I’m not sure. My back has been hurting all day, but I wasn’t expecting this.” She pointed to the floor.
Everyone in the church started to stir, so Shep took over and made a few announcements.
“Today, a special lady is ready to be born, so who are we to stand in her way. There’s a celebration of our marriage at our family farm, and now you can add to that a celebration of a new life,” Shep said so gracefully. “Please understand that we will be at the hospital cheering this little one into the world, but as soon as she’s here, we’ll join you at the party. Drink, eat, dance and celebrate, for that is what we’ll be doing.”
People started leaving the church, and Jackson’s car was brought to the front. She smacked Asher away when he tried to carry her. “I can walk,” she said with a laugh followed by a long moan.
“I can’t believe I ruined your day,” she gasped.
“Are you kidding? You just made my day even better.”
Asher was such a mess that Shep grabbed him by the shoulders and put him in the back of Jackson’s car with Lauren to keep him from running in circles. Kennedy chased after Little Jackson and managed to wrangle him in his car seat before jumping in the front. Then they were off. Shep and I ran to his red sports car that was decorated with cans and streamers alongside the ‘just married’ sign that hung on the back.
He reached over and grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. “What better way to start our life together,” he said, hitting the accelerator.
I squeezed his hand back. “I couldn’t agree more.”
At the hospital, the lady at the front desk assured us she would let us know when they got Lauren into a room and insisted we have a seat and wait. We found Kennedy and the two Jacksons in the waiting area, pacing the floor.
It was less than an hour later when Asher appeared in the lobby, his face pale and his demeanor obviously shaken.
“Are you okay; is Lauren okay?” I asked frantically.
He nodded, his mouth still parted as if he wanted to speak. “It’s a girl,” he finally mumbled.
“We know it’s a girl.” My heart stopped, and I gripped Kennedy’s hand. “She’s here?” I asked in disbelief.
He nodded again and then disappeared back through the white doors, ushered by one of the nurses. She came back out after putting Asher with Lauren where he belonged.
“She was fully dilated when she arrived,” the nurse said. “The baby is doing great, but Lauren lost a lot of blood. It’s what we call a precipitate labor, and it happened so quickly her body didn’t have a chance to prepare for the birth. We’re watching her now. You can see her when we get her in a room.”
My heart ached for Lauren while I sat in that lobby. What was supposed to be a celebration was now turning into a nightmare. What did they mean she lost a lot of blood? Was she not okay? No one was telling us anything, and that look of horror on Asher’s face had me worried beyond belief. Shep held me tight and rocked me in his arms.
“She’ll be fine, she is fine. If she wasn’t, they would tell us,” he assured me.
Kennedy wasn’t sure she liked the way things were going. She kept referring to her birth and how everyone was allowed in just minutes after Little Jackson arrived. “They were still stitching me up when my mother-in-law was allowed in,” she said. “Something isn’t right.”
I pushed through the line at the front desk and demanded the woman give us some information. Her eyes looked cold and uninterested in my anguish, not caring one bit that I was standing in front of her in my wedding gown.
“They’ll let you know when they know,” she said.
“They already know. They’re back there, we’re not. I need to know.” My voice was growing louder, but the woman seemed to care less.
“Next,” she said, staring right through me.
Asher pushed through the doors right before I was ready to explode. “She’s doing better. They moved her, come with me.”
I glared at the cold hearted receptionist and motioned for everyone to follow us to the elevators.
“Nine pounds, eight ounces,” Asher said as we rode up. “It tore her up pretty good; it was a mess.” His face went pale again. Kennedy gasped at the news of the baby’s size.
“Little Jackson was only seven pounds two ounces, and I thought he was going to kill me,” she said. “So, she didn’t have any pain medication at all?”
I suddenly felt like an ass for willing the baby to come on my wedding day. Maybe I should have willed her to come two weeks ago when she wasn’t so large. The elevator doors opened, and Asher rushed out and towards the room number he had been given. We all followed.
A nurse stopped us at the door. “Only two visitors at a time,” she said sternly. Jackson pushed Kennedy forward, and Shep did the same for me. The nurse smiled at my wedding dress as I entered the room with Asher and Kennedy.
“I’m so sorry,” I gushed as soon as I saw Lauren.
She looked exhausted. Her face was pale, her hair a sweaty that stuck to her cheeks. I brushed her hair from her face and leaned in to kiss her forehead. The baby girl was wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms, already nursing and strong as anyone could hope for.
“She’s perfect,” I whispered, peeking at her little fingers curled onto the blanket.
“Why are you sorry?” Lauren asked.
“Because she was so big, I should have wanted you to have her sooner.”
Lauren laughed and hugged me. “Sweetie, she controls when she’s born, not us,” she assured me. “I just wasn’t expecting it to be at warp speed.”
I thought about Elle’s words — people aren’t perfect. That wasn’t true. This baby girl was perfect. Her mother was perfect, and her father, even though still pale and shook up, was perfect too.
We were all perfect, in our own way. Perfect for one another anyway.
The nurse must have felt bad that we all left the wedding ceremony and let Shep and Jackson into the room. Little Jackson tried to squirm out of his daddy’s arms, but he held him tight to keep him in place.
We all took our turns holding the new baby and loving on Lauren. We congratulated Asher before Lauren kicked us out, telling us she needed rest and we had a cake to cut.
Mrs. Thompson had made a banner that said: “Welcome Baby Girl.” It was hanging on the fence as we drove up to our reception. The guests were already dancing and eating, and it felt surreal that it was all for us.
The rest of the day was spent with loved ones, sharing stories about Lauren’s delivery, our adventure on the road tasting the world, Kennedy and Jackson’s plans to open a new resort in Austin, and how Shep and I made the most perfect couple.
As he took me into his arms for our first dance as man and wife, I had to agree.
Shep and me.
The perfect recipe.
THE END
Continue on to read a special sneak peek of my previous release, The Island.