She’d learn soon enough.
“I’m a lucky man. I’m a man who has more love than I know what to do with. But a year ago… that wasn’t the case. I was nothing more than a man sitting on a plane, more than a little PO’d at the woman who was holding up the show.”
Laughs sounded from the crowd. Everyone there knew the story of how Piper and I had met.
I started again once the laughter had subsided.
“Everything changed that day. I met the woman I’d fall in love with, and events were set in motion that all led to today, the day our family officially became, well, a family.
“But… that’s not true, is it? We’renotofficially a family. Sure, we’ve signed all the paperwork to make Piper and I Gage’s legal parents. But there’s more to family than paperwork. There’s a home, parents, kids, and… a couple who love each other like crazy, a couple that’s married.”
I reached into my pocket, gasps of excitement sounding from the crowd as they realized what was going on. I stepped over to Piper, got down on my knee, and opened the box to reveal the diamond ring inside. Piper’s eyes went wide, her free hand shooting to her mouth.
“Piper King, will you marry me?”
The tears in her eyes said it all.
Mom stepped over and took Gage as Piper threw her arms around me and yelled “Yes!”
The crowd cheered.
I was the happiest man alive. There was nothing but love around us, a love that would no doubt grow with each passing day of all the wonderful years ahead.
Epilogue II
PIPER
Six months later…
Iwas still in such a daze from the wedding that I could hardly believe that we were actually on our honeymoon.
It’d been a beautiful ceremony, more than I ever could’ve hoped for. The original plan had been for an intimate little event in the backyard of our home. While we’d kept the location the same, everything else had just expanded and expanded, more and more people being invited until the guest list was in the hundreds. Thankfully, the backyard had the space for it.
“How’re you feeling over there?” Valentino asked from behind the wheel of our Land Rover as we drove up the winding road that led to the cabin where we’d be spending our honeymoon.
We’d considered something grander than a weekend in the Rockies just outside of Aspen. However, the more we’d talked about it, the more we realized that, while our family would be more than happy to watch the kids, we didn’t want to leave them alone for more than a bit of time.
So, we’d made a compromise. The honeymoon would be quick and nearby, but together we’d made a list of all the places around the world we wanted to see, making the promise to one another that we’d check them all off—with the kids. What was a vacation without the whole family?
“Still processing everything. And already missing the kids.”
He took my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Same here. Glad we decided on just the weekend. I’d miss Mads and Gage too much for anything longer.”
I smiled, letting him know I felt the same way. It was autumn, and the trees that blanketed the mountains were wild colors of orange and red and brown. I loved this time of year and was so happy I’d be able to spend it with the man I loved.
We drove for another half-hour, and I tried my best to not think of work. Valentino, however, knew me too well.
“There’s a reason we didn’t bring our laptops, remember.”
“I know, I know. I’m just thinking about the new client, and how if we take them on, we’re going to have to hire a dozen people instead of just four or five. God, I never thought when I’d decided to run a small business it’d actually be a business with a real staff instead of just Britt and me.”
“Well, Britt’s got it covered. You’re partners, remember?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Work had been great for Valentino, too. He’d been made the on-call ortho for the Denver Broncos, his work with Clay Johnson having served as the best possible resume. It paid crazy-well, and most importantly, gave him plenty of free time. He’d divided up his time between home and his new pro-bono job as the ortho for a local Pitt Medical clinic for low-income patients.
Another ten minutes later and we were there. The cabin was huge—three stories high and nestled in the trees at the base of one of the many towering mountains, the air fresh around it and a small pond on the property.
