"I'm going to love you more than anyone, James."

Epilogue

James

I'm one lucky son of a bitch.

My hands are crossed in front of me and my tux feels like I'm wearing an extra layer of skin. There's a harp playing an Ed Sheeran song gently in the background, but it does nothing to lower my blood pressure, let alone soothe me. All I can hear is my heart pounding against my chest and feel the nervous bounce in my heels as I wait for Aubrey to walk down the aisle. If she doesn't hurry up, I'm going to start sweating any second.

I shoot a fleeting glance at my daughter, who's wearing a massive smile and dreamy eyes. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for Natalie's blessing. Those two years I was separated from the love of my life was hell on earth for me. Countless times I found myself looking for her everywhere I went, trying to catch a glimpse of her in the darkest shadows of my mind. I wanted to go to her and tell her to drop the shenanigans and be with me, but I respected my daughter too much for that. I wasn't going to come between them, despite how utterly alone and broken I was inside.

The world works in mysterious ways, though, and the day Natalie demanded I meet her at a specific time in Chelsea Park, I didn't question it. I fucking jumped.

In my gut, I knew this was my only chance.

Now she's watching and waiting for her best friend, my wife to be, to make her grand entrance. I follow her teary gaze and take in the room of guests. We opted for a small, intimate wedding of no more than fifty people in the heart of Manhattan. Tomorrow we leave for Aspen, again, because Aubrey insisted, and then we're off to Greece for a couple of weeks.

The music flows into a different song and the lighting in the private room lessens to cast a soft glow. Aubrey had told me when the lights change is when she’d be walking out. She had gone on and on about some special rose gold bulbs she needed to have that would set the lush, romantic mood and reflect her dress. I had no idea there was such a thing, but it didn't matter to me. I’d shrugged my shoulders and told her she could have whatever she wanted. I wasn't kidding either. This is our one and only wedding, and I want it to be perfect for her. I wasn't going to give her a reason to divorce me.

But now I understand why she needed these lights.

My lips part and I freeze while chills run down my tepid arms.

She's here.

Aubrey steps into the room and I feel like my heart is actually going to stop. She's unbelievably breathtaking. I've never seen anything so magnificent in my life. Our guests turn to watch her walk down the aisle, the photographers are snapping pictures, I can even hear Natalie sniffling, but all we see are each other.