Epilogue

Jana

“And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forth?”

“I do,” Megan said, sliding the ring onto Ryan’s finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the pastor said smiling.

Immediately I started clapping as Ryan bent Megan over backward and planted one right on her lips. Everyone in the audience stood from their chairs and clapped as the spring air warmed their skin. The scene was perfect. The peach and mauve accents draped over every chair with flowers bursting from every seam. On top of it all, the flowers in Ryan’s mother’s garden were in full bloom allowing a sweet fragrance to float through the air. I looked over at Jason who was staring at me with wide eyes, and I smiled, feeling love float through my chest. The reaction I wanted from my dress was exactly what I got and right before the music started Jason made the audience laugh, scooting across the platform and stealing a kiss from me.

Megan and Ryan held hands ecstatic that their day had finally arrived. They held their arms high, their hands intertwined as they danced back down the aisle and on to the reception. A reception, might I add, that would have made the Kardashian’s jealous. I looped my arm into Jason’s as he escorted me down the aisle and toward the garden where we would spend the next hour posing for pictures. I swore by the end of the wedding I would never take another picture again. After that, we joined everyone for dinner and feasted on lobster and steak as the sun began to set behind the horizon. The colors matched the wedding perfectly, and I thought to myself that even mother nature was down with this marriage.

I sat listening as Jason stood, making his toast to Ryan. I knew everyone was nervous as to what he would say, but he kept it classy, sassy, and humorous just like his personality. In the end, after toasting to the beautiful bride and life of love and happiness, there wasn’t a dry tear in the place, which was my cue to break out the heavy duty tissues. I had the planners dim the lights as I played a small video of Megan and I having some of the best times ever together. The music was sad, and at the end of it, I smiled knowing the best part was coming up. I had paid a video editor to create an entire scene around Ryan stealing Megan away as if he were an evil character in a fairytale. All in all, let’s just say it ended in crazy laughter and the vision of Ryan with a superimposed dress and evil staff burned into everyone’s minds.

We sat drinking champagne and talking as the bride and groom cut the cake and shared their first dance. I leaned my chin on my hands and sighed as the beautiful couple moved seamlessly across the dance floor, staring deeply into each other’s eyes as if they were in their own little world. When the song was done, and everyone was invited out, Jason grabbed my hand and escorted me to the dance floor. For at least three hours we dipped, dove, jiggled, and electrically slid our way across that floor, laughing hysterically at each other’s really bad dance moves. It was an absolutely amazing time, and for once it wasn’t alcohol induced. In fact, I was having such a good time that I couldn’t help but boo when the last song was announced.

“One last song for the night,” Jason whispered into my ear as he pulled me close. “Really glad it’s a slow song. Wouldn’t want to kill my chances later by having your last vision of me be some really bad country dance.”

“Don’t worry,” I whispered back. “Those images are there for eternity.”

We barely moved across the floor as he held me close, our bodies pressed against each other. I leaned up and kissed his lips and smiled as the warm spring breeze danced around us in tune with the music. As the song ended, he took my hand and twirled me around, bending me backward and kissing my lips softly.

And with that, the wedding was over…almost.

We all chased after the bride and groom blowing an absurd amount of bubbles in their direction as they ran out to the open yard. I shook my head as a helicopter landed in the grass and the two newlyweds climbed aboard. But just as they flew out of sight and we thought it was over, Ryan’s family really ended it with a bang. Fireworks shot high into the sky erupting overhead and fizzing down toward the ground. I leaned in and grabbed on to Jason, watching as the sparkling explosions filled my heart. It was absolutely the perfect wedding for the perfect couple. I could only imagine what it was like watching them from the helicopter, though I would imagine they were probably not worried about the fireworks at this point.

When everything was done, and we hugged Ryan’s parents, thanking them for hosting such an amazing event, we hopped into Ryan’s car and headed out. I watched as the countryside disappeared and the suburbs blew past me. Tiny little houses all lined up in a row, one not much different than the next. I used to think that was my dream, but after being in Martha’s Vineyard, I couldn’t get Massachusetts out of my mind. The weather, the people, the quiet, it all was so perfect with how I saw my future. The crazy thing was, Jason had started to talk about it too. I knew we would be near New York for a long time since this is where he planned to build his empire, but I was hoping to get to spend as much time in the Vineyard as possible.

As we passed by the exit for downtown, I looked over at Jason in confusion. Maybe he was taking a long way home, but that usually meant the other direction around the harbor. I looked over at him and patted his shoulder.

“Sweety, you missed the exit,” I whispered.

“I know,” he said smiling.

I looked at him strangely as that was all he said. I shrugged my shoulders and assumed he had something else in mind. I really hoped it wasn’t a bar or something because I was exhausted and really wanted to get out of this dress. I looked up as he started to slow, taking the exit to the suburban area on the other side of the city. He looked at me and smiled as he weaved in and out of traffic lights, eventually turning into a small neighborhood. Slowly we drove through the streets as I gawked out the window at the beautiful northern style homes with perfect lawns and soft, inviting lights. It was a gorgeous place, but I still couldn’t figure out why we were here.

“Honey, what are we doing?”

He still didn’t say anything, he only smiled. Finally, after pulling down a cul-de-sac, he drove into the driveway of a large white home with blue shutters. He got out of the car and opened my door, holding his hand out to me. I stepped out and looked up at the giant house, realizing it looked almost identical to the one he owned in Martha’s Vineyard.

“That’s beautiful,” I gawked. “Do you know the people that live here?”

“No,” he said motioning to the For Sale sign stuck in the yard.

“Okay,” I replied. “Are we going to do some shady shit because I didn’t wear the right heels to run from the cops.”

“No,” he laughed bringing me in close and pulling a small sign from his jacket and holding it up. “Welcome home.”

I blinked a couple of times trying to wrap my mind around what was going on. The sign he held read, SOLD, in bright red letters. I looked at the sign and back at him, hoping it meant what I thought it did. I reached out and took the sign from his hands.

“I think it’s time we took this to the next level,” he said grinning coyly. “So I figured this might make a really nice first home for us.”

“Are you serious?” I laughed nervously as I walked up to the front door and pushed it open. “This is beautiful.”

“You are beautiful,” he replied staring up at me. “And I love you so very much. Will you move in with me and make beautiful memories in our new home?”

“Of course,” I said jumping off the steps and into his arms. “Of course I will.”

As we stood on the step of our new home, holding the sold sign close to my chest. I knew I had found a home, and home was in Jason’s loving arms.

Forever.

Author Note: Whew! You might need a break to cool your ereader down. You might want to turn the fan on HIGH before you read Future Investment!