Epilogue
Tanner
Christmas Day . . .
THIS IS THE FIRST DAY of the rest of my life.
This morning when the Church Bells rang out, the sun was shining, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and not a cloud in the sky. Today is a perfect day.
Today, I’m marrying Abigail Williams.
Today, I stand at the altar in our little country church in a gray suit that Abby hand-picked. She laughed when I said I was going to buy it to remember this day for the rest of my life. I can’t help but also remember the day that Ginnie Winslow died on my kitchen floor with her husband, Brandon.
After that day, we moved forward to legally change her name to Abigail, which it turned out was her grandmother’s name, William her grandfather. I couldn’t think of a more fitting name for the rest of her life as they were the only people who never abandoned her or turned there backs on her. That is until the day she landed in Mason.
Once Major, another friend of mine and Holt’s from the service, and all of his buddies from agencies with initials instead of names finished their investigation of Brandon Winslow, no charges were filed against Abigail. My killing of her first husband was ruled self-defense but Internal Affairs—a clean shoot. They said I didn’t need to take a leave of absence following the incident, but I did anyway to make sure that Abigail was going to be okay and that she was ready to settle into her new life with me. And she was.
I proposed on Thanksgiving Day, surrounded by our friends and family with my great-grandmother’s ring. And obviously, she said yes.
I also did not want to wait to claim this woman as my wife for the rest of all of our days, so I insisted on a Christmas wedding and she also agreed. I wanted Abigail to have all of her dreams come true, so I sent her with my mom with the instructions to make today perfect. And they succeeded.
The music changes and the doors to the church open wide. Abigail walks in on the arm of Russell, the man who now sees her as a daughter of his own. Only Abigail could turn a big, gruff pit bull of a man like Russell into a fluffy puppy. She credits him with saving her. And so, do I. He recognized her for what she really was all those months ago when I couldn’t.
When she reaches me at the altar, she smiles at me so brightly, so honestly, it takes my breath away.
Everyone in the building has their eyes on Abigail. She’s gorgeous in a white satin gown with the full, poufy skirt that makes her look like a princess and long white lace sleeves that do something to me. She holds the attention of everyone around her, including me, but my Abigail only has eyes for me. That knowledge burns through my chest in the very best of ways.
It would have been understandable if she never trusted another man again after what she went through, but here she is, putting that trust, that faith, in me. And she echoes those thoughts with her vows to love and to cherish from this day on. And I do too.
Forever
***
The night is winding down and Abigail and I are dancing in the middle of the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the Jennings’ big, red barn. They were over the moon when we asked them if we could hold our reception where we had our first date.
“Unchained Melody” swirls all around us. Our friends and family eat and drink and dance all around, celebrating the day with us, but as I hold Abby in my arms as we sway to the music, it feels like it’s just us in the world our in our own little bubble.
“I have a surprise,” she says hesitantly, and I know what she wants to say to me is important.
“Don’t be scared,” I reassure her. “I love anything you do.”
“I’m pregnant,” she whispers and that warm glow blazes bright. Right here, right now, I have everything.
“Really?” I ask excited.
“Truly,” she says.
“But when? We’ve been so careful.” And we have. I have used a condom every time.
“Except . . .” she says a smile playing on her lips.
“That day on the living room floor,” I say. We were so scared so desperate for each other that we didn’t stop.
“Are you okay?” she asks me.
“I’m more than okay,” I say, smiling at her. “You’ve given me everything today. Everything I have ever wanted.”
“Me too,” she says as she settles back into my arms as we sway to the music. “I love you, Tanner.”
“And I love you, darlin’.”
Sometimes out of the ashes grow the most beautiful blessings. Abigail is everything I didn’t know I that needed and so much more. As we dance the last dance of the night before I take her home, I vow that she and our child will never go a day without knowing how much I love them, how truly wanted they are.
“Ready to go home, honey?” I ask her.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she says, smiling.
“Let’s go get started on that forever, darlin’.” And with her hand in mine, we walk out of the barn and into the night to our waiting car where we do just that.
Forever.
The End