Epilogue

Allen

I stood on the sand with Brandon beside me, hearing the soft waves behind us. It was late afternoon, and the sun was lowering slowly as I pressed my hands down the black pants that I was wearing. I dressed for a regular wedding despite the location because this was my only one and I was going to do it right.

I was nervous and excited as the guests took their seats. We just had my family and some guys from the station. Nicole didn’t know a lot of people but everyone here loved her. I looked at Captain Peterson sitting in the third row behind my family and he looked at me with a small smile on his face. I hadn’t told him all the details about Nicole and how we got together, but I suspected that he put the pieces together himself. He loved her after we had him over for dinner a couple of times, and he was proud to be here today. He was joined by a woman he’d been dating for a couple of months and looked happy as he reached for her hand. The man worked for most of the day for years, and it was nice to see him relaxing a bit.

My father had his arm around my mother, who was already crying. They’d been to visit once and adored Nicole and Noelle, telling them they were their new daughters. My younger brother sat beside them and smiled at me as I nodded in his direction. I missed him and the visit showed me that I needed to get more time with him, so he was considering moving out this way and starting a business so we could be closer. Dad was retiring soon as well and I was hoping they might consider doing the same thing. My kids needed grandparents, and Nicole wasn’t lucky enough to have any.

Music started to play from the wireless speakers set around us, and I looked over at Brandon as I stood up straight. The path made from various colored rose petals started at a makeshift cloth tent so we wouldn’t be able to see anything before the girls moved into sight. Noelle stepped into our line of vision, dressed in a soft lavender gown with her hair curled around her face. She wore a crown of flowers that matched the dress and held a colorful bouquet in her hands as she smiled at Brandon.

The ring sparkled on her left finger as she started to walk to the classical music. They got engaged a month ago when Noelle moved into the house that he purchased two months before. They were planning a wedding in September once her big show was finished.

Noelle smiled brightly while she walked, and her energy filled the air as the guests smiled with her. She took her place across from the two of us and winked at Brandon as he shifted on his feet. I focused on the end of the rose petals just where the cloth blew in the wind as Canon in D started to play. Nicole told me that this song used to make her feel better when she was stressed out since she had heard it at school one day. She was thrilled once she learned that it was a popular wedding song.

She stepped out, holding onto a bouquet just like Noelle’s with a smile on her face. Her hair was curled into big, loose waves and her veil fell behind her as she looked forward and into my eyes.

Nicole looked gorgeous. She was wearing a soft cream dress that flowed down her body into a small train. It blew in the wind as she walked but the top was clingy around her chest and arms. It was perfect for her. She wore some makeup but it was light and made her skin look dewy and soft as she approached me. Her eyes popped with a bright green color and her deep plum lips curled into a smile. I couldn’t take my eyes off her while she walked, stopping before me as the music faded.

I didn’t know what to do for a moment as I looked at her, and Nicole blushed as she moved beside me in front of my friend who was performing the ceremony for us. He was a chaplain who decided to do weddings to balance out his life. I’d had his help through some hard times professionally and there was nobody better to perform my wedding.

I looked at the sun setting as he started the ceremony, keeping it simple so we could focus on the vows that we wrote for each other. In mine, I hinted to meeting her at a crazy time and how much she stopped my world just after seeing her one time. I told her how much I loved for giving herself to her sister for so many years so selflessly, making them both cry. I told her how much I wanted to spoil her now, just the way that she deserved. Both sisters were crying softly as well as my mom as I glanced out at her with a smile. I finished my wordy vows with a promise to always cherish her and love her as she wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath.

Nicole spoke in a soft voice, raising it as she blushed. Her vows started with the fact that she never thought that she’d find a man like me. She was just trying to find stability for her little family for years and once she met me, she was terrified. Nicole admitted that it took a while for her to trust me as everyone smiled, and I knew by the look in her eyes that she was thinking of when I left her for a fleeting moment.

She pressed on by talking about how quickly she fell for me as we got to know each other. She admitted that it probably wasn’t a traditional relationship but she loved it and she loved us. She talked about the trip to the same beach we were on right now and the dream proposal on the sand, and I watched her wipe a tear from her cheek.

She finished her vows by promising to love me as much as she could every day, and I held tightly onto her hands as I longed to kiss her. There was a small silence after our vows and our eyes stayed locked as she smiled tearfully. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins as Chaplain Ned cleared his throat and pronounced us man and wife, then cheers filled the air. I dropped her hands to cup her face, kissing her hard as whistles sounded in the air.

I never thought that I’d want forever with anybody, but I did. I’d never let this woman go, and I tilted my head to deepen the kiss as Nicole laughed. I sighed, brushing my lips against hers one more time before pulling away and turning to face our friends and family.

We made our way together down the aisle after Noelle gave Nicole her bouquet, smiling at everyone. I was married. It felt fucking fantastic.

We went behind the cloth and walked over to the restaurant that we’d rented out for the day. It offered enough room inside for everyone to mingle as well as a great view of the beach. There was plenty of food and alcohol, and I pushed Nicole to the glass to kiss her as we waited for everybody to arrive. “You’re my wife now.”

“I am,” she smiled at me as I kissed her again.

“You look beautiful. You are beautiful,” I murmured as I stared into her flawless face with heated eyes. “I almost wish that we didn’t need to do this reception.”

“It’s a celebration for everyone. We’ll be done tonight, and we’re leaving to go to Belize for a week tomorrow. I think you can handle a few hours with our family and friends,” Nicole told me before she pressed her lips to mine. “I love you.”

“I love you, Mrs. Rogers,” I told her, and she laughed. We heard voices and ducked into the small room offered to us before the party. I memorized Nicole’s face as I looked at her, taking in her beauty and pure joy today. I was so lucky that she was my wife.

There was a knock on the door, and I opened it to see one of the waitresses smiling at me. “Congratulations! It’s time for your grand entrance.” I reached back and pulled Nicole by the hand through the door as the girl led us to a back entrance to the main room, smiling as she hurried off to let the DJ know we were ready.

Something started playing as we were announced, and I held our hands up as we walked in to their cheers. I think our wedding party might total thirty people but it was perfect for me. I didn’t want it any bigger than this, and I grinned at everyone.

We moved to greet people more intimately as I looked at her, hugging my dad and comforting my mother through her tears. She was a mess but I knew that she was happy for me. There was no sadness there. I moved down the line as Nicole talked to people, hugging them as she met some of them for the first time.

Brandon met me as everyone started heading for the buffet, asking me to have a drink with him. We wandered over to the bar and got some shots before walking outside to look over the water. “Two shots?” I asked with a laugh, and he nodded.

“One is to celebrate everything that you found in Nicole. It was the first time I ever saw you break any rules for anyone or anything. You did it, though, and look at you now. You’re married to a great woman.” We clinked our glasses together and drank the tequila back as we both laughed.

“You’re going to marry a great woman soon as well,” I noted, and he grinned.

“I guess we both got the perks of your recklessness,” Brandon told me as he smiled.

“What is the other shot for?” I asked as he smiled victoriously.

“The gambling hall is done. It’s closed and arrests have been made, and you got to step away. You offered what you could without blowing everything wide open, and they’re gone. We all know that they won’t get a lot of time, but maybe it’ll be a message to the other places. Someone died there, and we didn’t. We were lucky.” Brandon spoke softly after looking around carefully.

“We were,” I agreed as I picked my glass up. We toasted with a serious look on both our faces and drank it down as the wind blew around us.

We made our way inside in a few minutes, and I saw Nicole sitting with her sister at a table, eating a plate of food. We didn’t go with assigned table settings and just let people sit where they wanted. I saw my parents and brother sitting across from my wife. They all laughed and love flooded my heart as I watched the scene. Brandon and I went to get our own plates and joined the girls. Nicole leaned in for a kiss.

The moment stopped for me as I looked at her face, smiling at her. She looked back at me, and I blinked at her as I took a deep breath.

We ate and talked to my family as the music flowed through the room. I sensed that there was a connection with my wife and my family and saw a future of spending holidays together. I saw them coming when we had our first child and growing up with them.

After dinner, the dance music started and everyone moved to the floor. The place had cleared out a dance floor big enough for us and Noelle led the way as she rocked her blonde curls back and forth. Nicole followed and moved with her to the pop song, rocking her hips to the music as she smiled widely. I glanced at my friend who was acting as our photographer, and he was catching every second of this. I never wanted to forget it.

After a few fast-paced songs, the DJ announced the first dance for us, and I held out my hand to Nicole. We moved together as a slow song played that made me smile. I heard it on the way home from the club after I agreed to buy her, and it just stuck in my mind. I told her about it a little into our relationship, playing it for her as she realized that it was meant for us.

Now it was everything as I held her close to me, breathing her in while I gripped her dress with one hand. I pulled back to look at her, staring into her gorgeous face as she stared back at me with tears in my eyes. I leaned in to kiss her as I pulled her closer, longing for the night to be over. I just wanted to be alone with her and worship her body. “I love you.” I told her, and she nodded.

“I love you,” she replied, and I saw the same urgency that I was feeling in her eyes. “I love you and I want you but we need to enjoy this. This is a party celebrating us, and we’re going to have a great time.”

She was right, and I kissed her again. We finished the dance, and the floor opened to others as Nicole danced with this person and that person. It was carefree and fun, and I went through the traditions as I watched her and saved the moment in my mind and heart.

We cut the cake last and fed it to each other, smiling. We weren’t drinking a lot tonight. We didn’t have to because we were drunk on love. I looked around and realized that nobody was treating this as a chance to get wasted and hang out on the beach. This night meant a lot to all of us.

We finished the night at the restaurant, and Nicole changed into a more casual dress to go to the pier with everyone. We asked if they wanted to and it was received well, so the entire group walked down and enjoyed the rides. We bought silly things to mark the shops at night. We laughed all night, and I took Nicole to the end of the pier for a quiet moment, away from the crowds and the noise.