Epilogue
Melissa
“Quit freaking out. You look amazing. And Jeremy would marry you if you were wearing a burlap bag,” Ayda says, adjusting the back of my wedding dress.
Ayda is one of the ISH guys’ wives I didn’t get to meet in Illinois, but we’ve become fast friends over the last year. The same goes for Sadie, Justus’s wife. I’ve grown to love them all like sisters. My real sister has never gotten in touch, and the last I heard of her, she was boarding a plane to Hawaii with some self-professed New Age healer. At least Jeremy and the guys managed to get her money back to her, along with all the other ex-followers of True Life.
“No! Don’t touch!” I hear Justus call from the next room. “I said don’t touch, not rub it into the carpet. Come on, let’s wash your hands.”
Leah and I glance at one another and burst out laughing. When Justus volunteered to keep an eye on Calvin, he didn’t know what he was in for. At fourteen months old, he’s quick on his feet and puts his hands anywhere there’s an open spot. All cabinets must be opened, all curtains peeked behind, all tables crawled under. Nothing can be left unexplored by his curious little self. In other words, he’s an absolute joy.
His hard beginning doesn’t seem to have affected his development much. Although he’s a little behind the weight and height average, his doctors assure me he’ll catch up.
“Da!” I hear him cry, followed by Jeremy’s voice.
“What are you into now, huh?”
I peek around the corner just in time to see him scoop him up and toss him in the air. Calvin squeals with laughter, and the way he looks at Jeremy when he puts him on his hip says it all. Jeremy’s prediction that he was a mama’s boy was way off. He idolizes him, and follows him constantly, trying to mimic whatever Jeremy is doing.
Jeremy is an amazing father, and now, he’s going to be my husband as well.
And a damned gorgeous one.
He’s wearing a dark, three-piece suit, and there’s never been a man who could wear it better. The other ISH guys are gathered around, all wearing suits as well, and the women look amazing in their dresses.
When Jeremy and I discussed what kind of wedding we wanted, we were thrilled to find we had the same outlook on it. It’s sort of a thing with these guys to have outrageous weddings in weird places, so they’re expecting us to try to top theirs.
Landon and Zoe married at a Western theme park, Dare and Ayda married in a graveyard with everyone dressed as zombies, Justus and Sadie wed in a hot air balloon floating over Lake Tahoe, and Tucker and Leah jumped out of a freaking plane. The pressure is high, especially since we won’t tell them where we’re going to do it. We’ve gotten a lot of joy out of watching them guess and knowing the truth.
So, the whole group is gathered here, dressed up and waiting.
Finally, two limos pull up out front and Jeremy announces. “Pick a limo, they’re both going to the same place.”
“Where?” Justus calls out.
“The wedding,” I reply.
“Damn it, Baby Mama.”
“He’s over a year old, Justus. How long is that nickname going to stick?”
Justus flashes me a grin. “You’re always going to be his baby mama.”
Everyone piles into the limos, and Jeremy has a quick word with both drivers before we take off. Tucker, Leah, Justus, and Sadie ride with us. And Calvin, of course.
Jeremy shoves Justus over another seat. “Two limos to choose from and you had to ride with us,” he teases.
“Hey, my little man Cal insisted. He loves his Uncle Justus. I’m his favorite.” He turns to me. “Tell him, Mel.”
“Calvin loves all of you,” I say, looking between them. “Just like I do.”
“You love me best too, though. We just can’t let Jeremy know,” he mock whispers.
Sadie elbows him in the side. “Shh. It’s their wedding day. Just for once, behave yourself.”
“Yes, dear.” Justus gives Sadie an over the top grin. She shakes her head in exasperation, but her lips tilt up. Justus is a great guy, but I don’t know how she does it. He’s exhausting.
The limos pull up at our destination, and a snort of laughter rings out from Tucker. Justus’s mouth drops open. “All that preparation and this is where you’re doing it?”
“Yep. Seemed like a good place,” Jeremy replies, meeting my eyes with a smirk.
We get out of the limo just as Landon is climbing out of the other one. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Landon cries out. He’s managed to get his protective jumpsuit on over his suit, and his voice is a bit muffled from the mask.
“Our appointment is for eleven. Let’s go!” Jeremy calls.
Laughing, we walk hand in hand into the Marion County Courthouse.
The quick ceremony is performed by a judge in a room with more wood paneling than I’ve ever seen in my life. Despite our decision to do this the easiest, quickest way, we did write some short vows.
Our friends stand around us in a semicircle, with Calvin squirming in Justus’s arms, while Jeremy faces me.
“I was in such a dark place before I met you, Melissa. To me, the whole world was just a terrible place that held nothing for me. You.” He glances toward our son. “And C.J opened my eyes to the truth. The world is a terrible place, randomly speckled with beauty. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you have to grab those beautiful moments and make all you can of them, because they don't last. You're my speck of beauty, Melissa. I promise to love and protect you and our family for the rest of my life.”
It takes me a moment to get control of myself. The tears running down my face try to turn to sobs, but I swallow them down and look into those soft brown eyes.
“The first time we met, I hated you. The second time wasn’t any better.” Jeremy smirks, and I hear random chuckles from the others. “It took a while for you to let me see the real you, and once I did, I was helpless against him. I’ve never met a man as loving, compassionate, and caring. I don’t think you realize how much you did for me, or what it meant to me at the time. Because of you I wasn’t alone for our baby’s first kick, the birthing classes, and the terrifying months he spent in the hospital. You were there. You were my strength. I promise to be your strength whenever you need it and to love you for the rest of my life.”
My gaze never breaks from his while the judge finishes the ceremony and we both say, “I do.”
Zoe takes a picture just as we seal our vows with a kiss, and I know just where it’s going to be displayed. I’ll hang it above our bed, right next to the glass frame that holds a tiny white undershirt with the words “Will you marry my daddy?” scrawled in blue marker.
When we leave the courthouse, everyone is laughing and talking, and strangers stop to congratulate us.
“Seriously, why the courthouse?” Dare asks.
I grin at Jeremy, letting him answer for us.
“We don’t need a fancy party or a crazy story to tell. Our story is crazy enough. We just wanted it official.”
Dare nods and wraps his arm around Ayda.
“The reception is at Zoe’s place!” Jeremy calls out as we head back to the limos.
“You mean my place,” Landon says.
“Now, we all know who wears the pants in your house, man,” Dare says.
“The non-reflective ones anyway,” Justus quips, teasing him over his jumpsuit. Just before we make it to the limos, Justus asks, “So, where’s your honeymoon going to be after all this splendor? The public pool? Maybe that by-the-hour motel on main?”
Calvin squirms and tries to dive out of Justus’s arms to get to Jeremy. As Justus hands him over, a wide smile inches across Jeremy’s face. “Oh, didn’t Sadie tell you? We’re booked to leave for two weeks in Bora Bora next month. Sadie volunteered to keep Calvin. She said you need some practice before you try for your own.”
Justus’s eyes try to escape his head as it whips around to his wife. “What? He’s full of shit, right?”
Sadie grins and walks around the limo.
“Sadist? He’s lying right?”
Jeremy wraps his arm around my shoulder, and we watch Justus freak out as Sadie climbs in the limo. He rushes to jump in the other side.
Jeremy leans down to kiss me, and I whisper, “Zoe is keeping him, and it’s only a week.”
Jeremy chuckles. “Hmm, must’ve mixed that up.”
I swear, these guys make my life so interesting. I never even imagined a group like In Safe Hands existed, but now, I can’t imagine living without these amazing people. They tease and torture each other, but there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. For family.
My new family.
THE END