Page 112 of Love Resurrected
“I told you first.” He winks, making me smile. I melt into him, turning my head to the side so I can stay in his embrace and watch the party. All these people, who have become such a huge part of my life, who I never thought I would grow close to, and now who I can’t imagine ever living without.
Especially the man holding me tight in his arms.
I look to the sky and mouth athank youto Kat for helping me pick up the pieces of both our lives and turn them into something whole again.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
BRAD
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Ethan asks as he helps me adjust my tie.
“I am. I feel good.”
“That’s all I need to hear.” He smiles and steps back, patting me on the shoulders with the palms of his hands. I check my reflection in the mirror.
This is as good as it gets.
Baby Audrey gurgles from her spot on the floor. Ethan leans down and swoops her up, peppering kisses along her belly. She giggles and shrieks, spouting nonsense.
Then she sees me and holds her arms out. I step forward and take her. She immediately grabs my tie and shoves it in her mouth. I don’t care. I’m now convinced this is the best part of life. Slobber on your tie right before you get married.
Ethan and I are on baby duty while Sadie assists Tenley with whatever it is brides do on their big day. It didn’t take long for me to propose to Tenley after I admitted I loved her. But it took a while for her to agree on a date. I wasn’t taking any chances this time. I had the girl, she was wearing my ring, and I was tying that shit down and making it official as soon as possible.
I wasn’t getting any younger, which Tenley liked to jokingly remind me as gray started to pepper my sideburns this year. And, as I know all too well, life is short and not to be wasted. Tenley went with me to tell Kat we were engaged, and she admitted how she sometimes talks to her too.
At first, I was conflicted on that, but then I decided that I liked that my girls were close and accepted one another. I am so thankful every day for Tenley, for her patience and enormous capacity for love. Not a lot of women could live with my remaining attachment to Kat, let alone accept it.
She’s not only done both, but she’s also embraced it.
I return my attention back to Audrey after she whacks me on the nose with a screech, and plant kisses all over her chubby little cheeks while she screams with laughter. She makes me want a baby, sometimes. Tenley and I have talked about it, and agree we’re just about ready . . . for a dog. We’ve been to the rescue a few times but have yet to connect with one. I’m hoping to remedy that after our honeymoon.
“It’s time,” Ethan says looking at his watch.
“Let’s go.”
The three of us make our way down the hallway to the large garden backyard hosting the wedding. The home is mine and Tenley’s, which we bought recently after selling Kat’s. We kept hers and mine as rentals and went in together on this one. It’s a sprawling ranch-style home on an acre of trees and native plants. The yard has been a dream come true for me, and I’ve planted my ultimate gardens, both flower and vegetable.
E and I make our way to the front of the small crowd, just fifty of our closest friends and family. I hand Audrey off to Mavis and return to stand under the arch where Nessa waits, newly ordained, to lead us in reciting our vows. She reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing it.
I lean in and whisper, “Thank you for being here.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Bradley. I am so very proud of you.”
Her words make my chest swell. If my mom were still alive, I imagine she’d be exactly like Nessa. The music starts, and I stand straighter, clapping my hands in front of me, and prepare to watch the second love of my life walk down the aisle.
* * *
TENLEY
“I don’t rememberyoubeing this nervous,” I say to Sadie as we make our way through the house to the backyard.
“That’s because I wasn’t,” she says.
“Why not?” The closer we get to the French doors leading to the outside, the faster my heart beats and the sweatier my palms get.
“For one, I wasn’t afraid of marriage.”
