Epilogue

I stood on the balcony overlooking the lake below us. It was beautiful, a rich dark blue and surrounded by tall wildflowers. The pier that led to the lake was covered in flowers as well, ending right at the edge of the pier where Griffin and I were to be married.

I wasn’t nervous. All I felt was happiness. Griffin was everything that I wanted in a man. And finally, we’d be together.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear when someone opened the door. It was my mom and she gave me a smile.

“You look beautiful! Gosh, I’m so jealous. Your dad and I got married at the courthouse the next county over. It wasn’t exactly a great photo moment. I had all sorts of questionable fluids on my scrubs.”

I’d heard that story many times before and it was always amusing. She and Dad had gotten married during her lunch break, right after she’d helped deliver triplets on the emergency room floor.

“But you, you look so perfect. So beautiful. I would call you angelic if I didn’t know any better,” she teased, making me smile. “So, are you ready?”

I nodded. “Definitely. Is Dad ready?”

“He’s waiting downstairs for you. The stairs are still a little hard for him.”

Excitedly, I made my way downstairs where Dad was sitting patiently for me in a white linen suit.

“Don’t you look sharp today!” said Dad, standing up gingerly. He was using a cane, not because he needed it but because he wanted to make a fashion statement. My dad was too much sometimes, but it did make him look quite debonair. I made a mental note to tell him that later.

“Thanks, Dad,” I said. I was amused by his compliment. Who used the word “sharp” to describe their daughter in a wedding dress? My dad did.

“Shall we?” he asked, with a teasing smile on his face. I think he might have been more excited about making a grand appearance than I was.

“Let’s do this.” I hooked my arm through the one he offered and my mom gave us a big smile before she disappeared outside.

Suddenly, I started to feel a little nervous as the music began. As if sensing it, Dad reached up and patted my hand. “It’s alright to be nervous, little one.”

“I didn’t expect this.”

“It’ll pass.”

“I hope I don’t trip over my train.”

He said, “If you do, I’ll trip too, that way no one will pay attention to you. They’ll be too busy trying to help up the geriatric case.”

“Great plan, Dad.”

He chuckled.

I couldn't help myself as I peeked around the corner to catch a glimpse of my daughter as she walked down the pier.

Sadie looked adorable as a flower girl. She was dressed in a yellow poufy dress and had a crown of flowers in her hair. She was the perfect flower girl, I thought to myself, as she tossed flowers down the pier in wild abandon. A few people had to dodge flowers that smacked them in the face. I made a mental note to get Sadie into t-ball.

And then when she made it to the front, Griffin picked her up and placed a kiss on her forehead. She made a face and he laughed. She went to go stand next to her cousin Rory who was also a member of the wedding party. They held hands while holding their baskets and smiled big, mischievous smiles at each other. I knew Nora, Rory’s mother, wasn’t coming to the wedding, but I hoped one day, when she got better, that I’d be able to meet her.

The music changed, signaling that it was finally my turn to make an entrance. Dad and I turned the corner and started our journey down the pier. My nervousness instantly disappeared. I looked towards my cousin Kenny who was my best man. He beamed at me and I smiled back. I knew Cyril was somewhere in the crowd. I found him easily given he was the only guest wearing a cowboy hat. He’d stuck to his plans and bought the winery in Texas and to my surprise, Kenny had decided to join him after all. And as luck would have it, they were having a great time. They were making new friends and learning a lot about the wine business. It all seemed to be working out.

But life was full of surprises. Griffin had relocated his headquarters to Georgia, but had kept his apartment in L.A. so that we would always have a place to call home whenever we went to California to visit.

The only person who’d been upset by the move was Griffin’s now best man Jackson, who didn’t like the idea of having his big brother permanently more than half way across the country. Speaking of Jackson, he was up to his usual silliness as he stood across from Kenny giving me a thumbs up as my father and I slowly made our way in their direction.

Jackson suddenly caught the eyes of someone in the crowd and dropped his hands instantly. I could tell without looking who that someone was.... my future mother-in-law.

I passed by Mrs. Wallace who sat next to my mother. We were civil towards each other, but I sincerely doubted I would ever be calling her “Mom”. It didn’t matter though, she was building a relationship with Sadie and I would do anything for Sadie, even if that meant putting up with Christmas dinners with Loretta, which is what she now insisted I call her. She had warmed a little towards me when she realized I hadn’t spent $250,000 dollars on shoes and purses. I’d put it all in a trust fund for Sadie when she’d been about a year old.

And then I raised my eyes and looked at the man who watched me as if I were the only person in the world.

He looked gorgeous. He’d trimmed his beard and had grown his hair out a little. I liked his new look. It suited him. I liked to think of him as my corporate lumberjack.

What felt like seconds later, my dad was kissing my cheek and handing me off to him.

I looked up at my future husband and smiled. He smiled back at me and whispered in my ear, “Thanks for showing up.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” I whispered back.

As I stood looking at him, I knew I’d made the right choice. Our day had finally come and we would be united forever.

The officiant cleared his throat to get our attention and we promised forever to each other in front of all our family and friends. Before I knew it, the ceremony was over and Griffin and I leaned towards each other and sealed our vows with a kiss.

The crowd clapped and cheered. Mrs. Wallace, of course, clapped a few times and looked around for something more interesting to do.

We walked through the crowd of well-wishers, hand-in-hand. Somehow, Sadie had made her way to the beginning of the pier and started throwing rice at us, a bit too hard. I was starting to change my mind about signing her up for t-ball.

I stood next to the car where Griffin’s driver, Geoff, was waiting to drive us to the reception.

I knew I was supposed to wait until the reception to throw the bouquet, but in my excitement, I threw it then instead. I turned around and tossed it straight over my head. I turned just in time to watch it fly through the air and it landed with a smack in Mrs. Wallace’s hands. I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. She looked horrified. I thought terror was a good look on her.

“See you at the reception!” Sadie yelled to us, already racing to the car that would escort the wedding party to the other building where the reception was to be held. My dad and mom raced behind her, barely keeping up. Griffin and I concealed our laughter, but watching my parents chase down their energetic granddaughter was quite a sight to behold.

Once we knew she was safe, Griffin held the door open for me as I slid into the car. He then slid in next to me with a wide grin on his face. “Now that was a good time, don’t you think, Mrs. Wallace?”

“Mrs. Wallace is my mother-in-law, call me Nina,” I said jokingly.

He leaned forward and kissed me. He then leaned down and placed his head against my belly. “Hey, little buddy, are you ready for some wedding cake?”

I felt a little flutter in my belly and smiled up at Griffin. “I felt a kick, so I’m going to go with yes.” We were expecting our second child in a little less than four months. He had been a surprise… a very welcome surprise.

“I love you, Nina.”

“And I love you, Griffin. Or should I call you Grant?”

“Don’t you dare.”

I gave him a mischievous smile. “I feel like there’s a story behind that nickname of yours…”

“I’ll tell you another time… Right now, I just want to kiss my wife.”

And so, he did.