Epilogue Kai

Thursday, July 10, 2025

“ A nd may we raise a glass to our favorite lovebirds! Congratulations to the happy couple, and may you make the right decision on who your best man will be!” Liam says, raising his beer up high as he stands in the center of the private dining room my dad booked at Lea’s favorite French bistro.

“To Lea and Kai!” Liam shouts, and everyone follows.

“To Lea and Kai!”

I wrap my arm around Lea’s shoulders, pulling her into my side and pressing a kiss above her temple.

Liam takes his seat across from us, crossing his arms on top of the table and leaning in. “I'm still shocked she said yes. I totally thought she'd fuck with you and say no.” He chuckles.

Lea rolls her eyes at him, but a sly grin twists her pretty pink lips. “I thought about it,” she admits, chuckling.

Lea’s mom, Lorelei, mimics her eye roll and says, “I'm still shocked this is even a thing, but I couldn't be happier for you two.”

Her dad, Andrew, agrees, smiling brightly at me. “The way you two fought your whole childhoods, I guess we should've known there was something there, but you two were always just so damn mean to each other, we figured it couldn't have been flirting.”

“It wasn't,” we say in unison, and my dad and Jazmine chuckle along with her parents.

The rest of the night goes on in a blur of my dad practically begging Lea’s parents to share stories of our childhood with him, and just like I'd thought, they do exactly that. Getting to see how damn proud my dad looks as they talk about me growing up fills the gaps in my chest I hadn't really thought were still present after Lea had given me the greatest gift by agreeing to marry me.

Fuck, I love this woman.

“How's your mom doing?” Dad asks.

I give him a small smile, and gratitude fills my chest again and again. I'll never be able to thank him enough for the gift he's given me. My mom and I have a long way to go, but thanks to him, we actually have the time to mend the pieces of our relationship she’d fractured.

“She's doing really good, actually. Sticking with her meds, and she's home, but has a nurse come by every morning to help her out around the trailer and make sure she's staying on track.”

“I'm glad to hear it. You think she'll be able to make it to the wedding?” he asks, and his bright eyes look hopeful.

“Speaking of which, have you guys set a wedding date yet?” Lorelei asks, giving me an out if I want it.

She's always been good at doing that.

Except this time, I don't want the out. I'm thrilled as hell to be able to answer this one.

My dad's a good man. Better than I could've ever hoped, and getting to know him these last few months has helped me come to terms with so many things I'd previously questioned about my worth. Dad wants to see my mom get better and for her to be a part of my wedding because he knows it's important to me. He still cares about her, and it shows. It's not in the way I imagine he had when they were still together, and definitely not the same as his love for Jazmine, but he wants the best for her.

“We're getting married on Christmas Eve, and I'm pretty sure Mom will be there,” I say, though we still plan to volunteer at the hospital like we’d agreed to last year. My throat constricts as a wave of emotions hits me like a high tide.

“Oh my gosh, so romantic!” Mona all but screeches from her end of the table.

Lea laughs quietly beside me. “I'm not sure I'd call it romantic,” she admits, averting her gaze to where our hands are intertwined in her lap. “We just wanted to deter as many people as possible from coming since we really only want you guys there,” she admits.

“On brand for you guys,” Mona says.

We all spend the rest of the night eating and talking, and it really hits me: I'm surrounded by all but one of the most important people in my life, and I genuinely couldn't be happier.

And more than that, I finally feel like I deserve it all.