Page 19 of Cheesecake
I stand up and necks crane to see who this goddess of brains and beauty is going to marry. I have zero cares about what they think or who they are, I only care about the woman walking toward me, a smile on her face as each step brings her closer to our promised ‘I do’s.
There have been several moments over the years when I was tempted to say ‘fuck it’ and marry her before now. We were engaged, and we were certain that being together was what we wanted. But I’d made a promise to her and to her family all those years ago that I’d wait for her to graduate, and I stuck by it, helping to support her during her studies while also building a life together. It’s been a wonderful four years, and now that the time has come, I know it’s going to be even better forevermore.
When Penny and Rob hit the halfway mark, Tina and Billy join them, walking in front with Tina throwing petals and Billy proudly displaying the rings on a satin cushion. My chest bursts with pride as my little man marches toward me, the ring bearer and the ‘Best Little Dude’. He’s as excited about this wedding as we are. He’s nine now, and he wants nothing more than to have Penny be his mom officially.
For Billy, moving to Berkeley was the best thing I could have done for him. While I loved growing up on and raising him on Maui the same way I was, we had a lot of pain and grief attached to that little island. Leaving didn’t mean we forgot it, but it did mean we had a fresh start and a new mindset that made everything a little easier, a little brighter. We still go back and visit, especially for significant anniversaries and holidays to see the extended family, but ultimately, Berkeley is our home now. And it’s a home we built with Penny.
“You look so beautiful, sweetheart,” I say the moment Penny is close enough to touch. I take her hand and nod thanks to Rob before pulling her close and resisting the urge to kiss her before I’m told to. “I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
“Me too,” she whispers, smoothing her hand down the pale gray silk tie of my suit. “I’ve been dying to call you husband since you got down on one knee. Four beautiful years later, and I’m glad you kept your promise—not that I made it easy for you.” I laugh at that. She really didn’t. My beauty is rather forthright when she knows what she wants. It’s just one of the things I love about her. “But this…” She takes a deep breath and looks behind her as the entire graduating class watches in quiet awe. “Is the most perfect moment ever. I love you, Corey.”
“I love you too, Penny.” I lift my hand to cradle her cheek, and just as I lean in to press my mouth to hers, a throat clears behind us, and the priest looks on in amusement.
“Are we ready?” he asks.
“We’re more than ready,” I say with a grin, leaning in and kissing her anyway because I just can’t wait. We get a lot of cheers and whistles before I release Penny and turn to the priest who’s trying his best not to laugh. “OK. I can wait to the end now.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, checking his watch.
“Certain. Let’s do this,” I say, wrapping my hands around Penny’s as we stare longingly into each other’s eyes and listen to the time-honored words, repeating the holiest of vows until our final ‘I do’.
“I now pronounce you, husband and wife,” the priest says. “Oh, and graduates too.” He says the last part to the entire audience and they all cheer and toss their hats in the air. But I don’t hear much, I’m too busy kissing my wife, my love, my life.
Our beginning may have been slow and a little rocky, but it all led right here to this moment where we both have everything we ever wanted.
Epilogue 2 - Penny
ten years later
"Are we seeing you at home this weekend? Or are you staying on campus?" I ask Billy over the phone as I multitask by responding to an email from one of my team asking about the current project we're working on.
To say the last ten years have been wonderfully chaotic is an understatement. After Corey and I got married—and after a glorious two-week honeymoon where we barely left the hotel room—we came back to our house in Berkeley and settled into married life.
It wasn't much different from pre-married life because we were already living together while I was at college. But it was different in that I‘d started working full-time at the San Francisco Branch of James Tech, learning from the best in their app development team. After twelve months in an entry-level position, I moved up the ranks to game developing for PC and gaming platforms and loved it. It was my dream job.
But when I fell pregnant with our first daughter, I decided to start up a gaming design company of my own. Something about constantly being at work and missing out on seeing my baby growing didn't sit right with me. So Corey, being the glorious man he is, purpose-built an office for me in the backyard and I got to work.
Over the last few years, I have successfully launched two open-world story games the way I always wanted, as well as building my team by giving other stay-at-home parents the chance to work from home around their children's schedules. I have moms and dads working with me remotely who all need that work-life balance, and we’re growing all the time.
It's been a huge team effort, but the success has been worth it.
I'm even hearing whispers that our most recent game is being nominated for a Game Award for Best Open-World Storyline. The team and I are ridiculously excited. But I’m even more honored because my darling stepson, Billy, is currently at Berkeley doing a degree in digital design so he can follow in my footsteps.
That's not to say he didn’t want to follow in his father's too and learn his famous cheesecake recipe, actually, he’s a pro at cheesecake making already. In fact, he was just here yesterday afternoon impressing his father with his cheesecake skills while he whipped up a personalized one for a girl he has his eye on, which is why I feel fairly sure that his answer to my question is a no. No girl can resist a man who gives her free cheesecake. Whoever the recipient of that delicious morsel is, is already a goner.
"I actually have a date this weekend," he says, making me grin from ear to ear as I turn off my monitor so I can give him my full attention.
"Who's the lucky girl?" I ask, trying not to let this smile add too much excitement to my voice.
"Just a girl I met in my study group," he says. "But…she's a little…olderthan me. I know it shouldn't matter, but…you know?"
"I definitely know," I say, placing my hand on my chest as I remember all of the angst and longing Corey and I went through in the time it took between realizing we belonged together and actually taking the leap. It’s scary entering a relationship when you know the world isn’t going to fully understand. So, I repeat the same advice my wonderful sister-in-law gave me before I risked my heart with Corey, "Souls don't care about age, Billy. They just recognize each other and let you know you belong. So if it feels right, go for it."
"It does feel right," he says with a sigh, and I love that he’s grown into a man who knows his own mind and heart. "We’re just taking things slow and keeping it low-key until we figure out what is."
"I get it. And if you ever need to talk, you know that I'm here. And so is your dad. We both know a little about having a relationship with a big age gap."
"I know," he says. “And thanks, Mom. I'll see you next week?"
