EPILOGUE

"Your mother would be beside herself," Luther said to his daughter as he stood next to her. Reid's decision to wear her mother's wedding dress was the right one, even though she'd had to battle through alterations. The fabric had aged, but overall it was in good condition. She kept it mostly the same, except for the neckline. While her mother had preferred a higher neck, Reid went with a swoop neck and had the removed fabric turned into her garter and used in her bouquet.

The bouquet was courtesy of her father. He had taken Melanie's advice and created an indoor greenhouse, growing the flowers Reid wanted on her wedding day. The bridal party carried flowers Reid's mom had planted many years prior. The pink, white, and orange arrangement of peonies, dahlias, and roses couldn't have turned out prettier.

In the past year, so much had changed between her and Grayson. When their lives could've turned everything upside down, they hadn't. Reid chalked that up to communication. So many things could've gone wrong, such as Nadia thinking Grayson was lying about having Rafe's heart. That day had been an emotional one, but therapeutic. They cried a lot, laughed a little, and vowed to be a family. It didn't matter if anyone on the outside understood why former exes became incredibly close; it was what it was. Everyone was happy.

When all was said and done, Grayson sent his letter to UNOS, and Nadia reached out. It wasn't that they needed confirmation, because they already knew what Grayson had suspected. It was because they eventually wanted to be able to tell the girls and didn't want anyone saying otherwise.

Nadia approached in her pink off-the-shoulder gown. She gripped Nadia's hand, smiled, and then kissed Luther on his cheek. He'd become an honorary Pop Pop to two very rambunctious, fun-loving girls who doted on him. For his part, he'd opened his home and heart to Nadia and the girls and happily spent the holidays at the Boltons' place in Arlington. It was the biggest celebration any of them had been to. The same went for Sydney and Gilbert. She reveled in her new title as Pippy, while Gilbert happily wore a T-shirt that read M Y GRANDDAUGHTERS CALL ME P OPPY . With four sets of grandparents, the girls were loved unconditionally.

Over the past year, Nadia and Reid had grown close, almost like sisters. Nadia had confided that she loved Kiran but she wasn't sure if she could love him the way she'd loved Rafe, and at one point she'd encouraged him to move on. He refused. Their relationship hit a new level after Kiran ran in and won the Rafe Karlsson Memorial Cup, to honor Rafe. This year, he'd been assigned Rafe's number, which Nadia took as a sign, and she finally let the last wall she'd put up crumble to the ground. Kiran spent the night, for the first time, that night. In the new bed and newly painted bedroom at Nadia's. She called Reid the next morning and told her all about it. Being like sisters and all.

"He's one lucky guy," Nadia said about Grayson before heading down the aisle. Reid watched Kiran Dunlap never take his eyes off Nadia. He was a patient man, waiting for the woman he was madly in love with to love him back.

Melanie walked next. She kissed Luther and then Reid, telling her she loved her. When she got to the end of the aisle, she stood there, waiting for her best friend to finally walk down the aisle to wed the man she loved.

Gemma was next to walk. She gave Reid a kiss on her cheek, hugged her Pop Pop, who promised to dance with her later at the reception, and then rushed toward the front of the altar, despite everyone telling her to slow down. Gemma hated the attention and had told Reid a time or two that she wasn't sure she wanted to be in the wedding. No one was pressuring her to do so. She'd decided this morning she would.

From behind the false wall, Reid could see Grayson. This was important because she wanted to see his reaction to the girls walking down the aisle. After Reid had met and fallen in love with them, asking Nadia, Gemma, and Lynnea to be in the wedding was a no-brainer. Reid and Grayson wanted them there on their special day, and in their lives.

Lynnea stepped forward. Reid crouched to hug the young child. "You are so pretty."

"So are you," Reid said as she touched the replica of her dress. "Do you remember what to do?"

Lynnea nodded. Reid kissed her, and Lynnea made her way to the aisle. Everyone oohed when she started dropping more cherry blossoms onto the ground. When she got to the end of the aisle, instead of standing next to her mom and sister, she stood with Grayson, tucking herself around his leg. Their bond was unbreakable.

The music shifted, and Luther reached for his daughter. "I'm only loaning you to him," he told her. "You're still my baby girl."

"Always, Daddy."

After the reception, Grayson, Reid, and Nadia took the girls to a private room. On the table sat two boxes, wrapped with a giant red bow.

"Why do we get presents?" Gemma asked.

"It's a party," Grayson told her. "Everyone gets something." He wasn't wrong. All the guests would go home with some sort of gift or party favor representing the bride and groom.

The girls approached the table, each taking the box with her name on it. Gemma opened hers slowly, while Hurricane Lynnea tore into her package.

"A bear!" Lynnea said happily.

"Press his hand," Nadia told her.

Grayson sat on the ground next to them. He helped Gemma take hers out of the box and showed her where to press.

"It's not doing anything."

"Oh," Grayson said as if he'd forgotten to tell them. "Put your ear to his chest."

Lynnea did, but Gemma eyed him warily and shook her head. "I know what this is."

"Yeah?" Grayson asked.

She nodded. "Maybe I don't want this."

"It's okay if you don't," he told her. "You can keep it in the box. Save it for later."

"Why does my bear have a heartbeat?" Lynnea asked.

"It's Daddy's," Gemma said as she fought back tears. "You can listen to his heart whenever you want now."

"Oh." Lynnea pressed the button again and put her ear on the bear. She smiled from ear to ear.

"Why are you giving these to us?"

Grayson's eyes watered. Reid came over and put her hand on his shoulder, while Nadia went to her oldest.

"Sweetie," Nadia said smoothly. She reached for Lynnea and held her as well. "Do you remember walking down the hall with your daddy, and all those people were there?"

Gemma nodded.

"When your daddy died, he was so strong and healthy, he had a chance to help others, even though he was no longer going to be with us. He gave others the gift of life. He lives on in others out there."

Gemma looked at the bear, then her mother, and finally at Grayson. With her eyes full of tears, she asked, "Do you have my daddy's heart?"

Grayson nodded as he wept.

"Why did you give us the bears, then?"

"What do you mean?" Grayson asked.

Gemma shrugged. "I guess what I'm asking is, Why do we need a bear when we have the real thing right there?" She pointed at Grayson's chest.

"No thanks." She put the bear back in the box, much to everyone's surprise, and then crawled into Grayson's lap. Lynnea did the same, although Reid was sure Lynnea had no idea why. "This is much better."

Reid agreed. Hearing the real thing was much, much better.