Epilogue

Maddie

I was getting married today.

Me, Maddie Masterson, soon to be Maddie Masterson-Hamilton, which holy shit, what a mind twister that was. On top of that, I was five months pregnant with our baby girl. Who I now had a photo of to give to Jude as his wedding present from me, which hey, no shopping.

I could admit to being a bit shopped out now that we were outfitting a nursery too.

But our girl was super cute, even though in my mind, all babies were cute. But it was different when it was yours. I'd been told that over and over these past few months, and I'd smiled and nodded, not really believing it since Owen was now mine too, as much as if I'd given birth to him myself.

Until we'd heard her heartbeat on the monitor. That had caused many tears, and not all were even mine.

Then when I was given this photo, cue the waterworks once more. I'd bribed them to slip it to me on the side so I could share it with Jude at the time of my choosing.

Which was today.

Our wedding day. And my mother was currently fussing with the flower crown she'd made by hand and setting it just so on my hair. Though I had to admit my stomach got a little fluttery when I imagined Jude lifting a veil—if I'd had one—for our first kiss as a legally wedded couple.

But I didn't have one, so that would just stay a pleasant fantasy.

"Okay, stand straight, my girl. My only girl. Oh, dear." My mom started dabbing her tears as Honey knocked on the doorjamb of the room I was getting ready in—at Hamilton Realty, no less.

Nope, this wasn't weird at all. Right.

"I have a surprise," she announced, producing a gauze length of sheer material that at first I thought might have been a train. Which would not work at all with my knee-length pale yellow gown. I knew plenty of people wore white while pregnant, or post-baby like Honey, but it wasn't going to be me.

Not when my belly was already large.

"What is this?" I asked, rushing forward to give her a hug with the surprise between us. "Oh, wow, is this a veil?" I clapped a hand over my mouth as I looked at my still weeping mom. "Are you a mind-reader?"

Honey laughed. "Why? I knew it was kind of a risk, but hey, something borrowed since this is actually the one I wore. But that's supposed to bring good luck to you and your marriage and maybe even fertility. Although you're clearly good there, aren't you, baby Esmeralda?" Lightly, she patted my belly and got a kick for her trouble. "Oh, she kicked me!"

"Esme's very active today. Very."

She'd actually kicked for the very first time just a few days ago when her daddy had been on his knees kissing my belly, something he did very often. And just as often he'd keep going downward, which I had no problem with at all. He was beyond ecstatic to get to experience every stage of my pregnancy in a way he had not with Melissa, so I shared every possible bit with him down to the not-so-fun symptoms as well, like 3 a.m. cravings and swollen ankles.

I lived to serve.

Esmeralda had been a joke between Jude and I since I'd first thought I was pregnant and now the name was sticking, although probably as Esme, not the full mouthful.

"Even the littlest girls get excited at weddings. And I'm not jealous you're having a girl. No, I am not." Honey worked on attaching the veil to my flower crown without damaging any of the handiwork my mom had done. A moment later, she stepped back into Reagan and clasped her hands together. "Perfect. Do you like it? Look at how perfect it looks, Rea."

"It sure does." Reagan nodded, running her fingers over Owen's hair at her side. "He wanted to see."

"Aww, there's my boy." Crouching was a little precarious now that my belly was messing up my center of gravity, but I managed it to see my best boy eye-to-eye. "Why aren't you in your suit yet, Mr. Ring Bearer?"

"Daddy said I couldn't get it dirty, so I had to wait because I was eating a donut from Aunt Honey." He grabbed her swishy peach dress with his sticky hand. "Oops," he said, sticking the incriminating fingers in his mouth.

Which explained the chocolate frosting all over his lips and cheeks.

"You're lucky you're so cute, Owen, because you're a miscreant." Reagan dragged him back down the hall, where his father scooped him up as I screeched and slammed the door shut, nearly knocking over Honey.

"You can't see me! It's bad luck for like 50 years!"

Even my mom laughed at that one. "Not sure it's that many. Especially since most couples don't last for even ten percent of that."

I frowned. "Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, not saying it for you two, even if Jude will be in his eighties by then."

"Thanks, Mom!" he called through the door, making me get misty despite myself. He'd taken to my family with the conviction of the converted.

Lonely man to family man in several not-so-easy steps.

"Why are you out there? We talked about this."

"I wanted a peek."

"You can't have a peek, dammit. Though you can have this, since you're here. Might as well." Carefully, I pried the sonogram picture out of the photo insert from my wallet in my purse and slipped it under the door to more coos and gasps.

Evidently, many people were now seeing our unborn child. Oh, well, Esme was perfect.

"Okay, it wasn't me who wanted a peek, it was Owen. But not like I'd refuse another look at my beautiful bride. Or my beautiful baby girl. Look at her!" Jude sounded awestruck.

A chorus of awws rang out from the hall, along with two from the room—aka me and my mom. I didn't even know who all was out there at this point. But I did know the stolen glimpse I'd gotten of my husband-to-be had revealed some shocking details.

One—he'd grown back the better part of his beard within the forty-eight hours he'd been gone for his bachelor extravaganza with his brothers and his partners and other new friends he'd made in town over the last few months.

I'd even heard one of his friends from Seattle, Max Chapel, had been in attendance. Yet another insanely handsome, wealthy man, of course. I knew that because the single ladies in the Cove had taken one look at him and hoped he was single. Spoiler: he was not.

Two—Jude was not wearing a tux or a suit. On purpose. In fact, he was wearing tight jeans that would make me known as a very lucky woman in town, as if I wasn't already known to be that already.

In a truly shocking turn of events, I almost wanted to grab a length of the blue fabric Reagan had delivered earlier to wrap around his waist. She'd brought it so I could cut a piece from it to use as my something blue for the old wedding tradition thing of having something borrowed and something blue. He didn't need to be advertising how hot he was, since he was mine, dammit.

But I had to say his defiance about wearing jeans to get married in was, frankly, cute. Since his brothers had teased him for being an Oliver Hamilton copy with the suits, he was wearing jeans to get married in, so there.

I didn't have a problem with it. I would've been okay with getting married in jeans myself, considering snow was forecast by evening and it was below freezing outside. It was December, after all.

Jude had suggested us getting married on the pier so he could fully come full circle, since four years ago now he'd found his way to the Cove to spy on his brothers, and he'd ended up making Owen.

So, in a very real sense, his life had begun that weekend here in the Cove, even if he hadn't realized it. Now we were getting married, which was a new phase in our lives for sure.

At the knock on the door, I looked at my mom and made no move to answer it. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to say I love you. And so does Owen."

More awws , including one from me.

"I love you, Baddie," Owen said in his baby voice, making me melt into an actual puddle on the floor.

Oh, nope, that was melted ice. Close enough.

Giving in to my sniffles, I flung open the door and motioned my men closer. Then I closed my eyes and puckered up. "Okay, I want kisses, but I'm not looking at you, so it doesn't violate any long-standing wedding traditions."

A moment later, someone kissed me, and it was not Jude or Owen, more like Reagan. Who made me laugh so hard I worried my tearproof mascara was going to be sorely tested.

"Sorry," she said between giggles. "I couldn't resist."

"Wait until it's your turn."

"I'm going to take a vow of chastity. Besides, when I weaken toward babies, I can borrow yours."

She did have a point. She was great with children, and Jude and I would definitely need some kid-free alone time now and then.

"Okay, okay, let's get this wedding going. There's a blizzard warning for tonight, so snap to, everybody," my mom said, nudging me away from the door so she could bellow down the crowded hallway.

I didn't even know who all was there. I didn't have time to find out, either, since I had to get outside to get myself married by Father Dunn from the local Cove parish before we were snowed in.

A few minutes later, my mom bundled me into my fake fur wrap, since it was cold as heck outside and I was carrying precious cargo. Someone cued the wedding march on their old-school boom box, and the very small procession hurried across the road to the gazebo and the pier right beside it that extended out over the currently half frozen over lake.

I glimpsed Jude in his jeans and T-shirt with a black jacket that might've been leather or the nearest equivalent. At his side were his brothers and his father, every one of them in tuxedos.

Even Seth, which even I knew was as rare as Jude dressing down. I wasn't even sure if Seth had worn a tux for his own wedding.

Syd was also standing by his brothers, looking perfectly composed and regal in her off-the-shoulder dress despite the cold. She didn't even seem to feel it. We weren't super tight yet, but it was also early days and she was trying. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Nearby stood the expensively suited Xavier and Gavin, looking perfectly delicious, as always. I meant they looked nice. Yes, nice was what I meant since as an almost married woman, I didn't notice any other men except mine.

Though I did see Xavier sliding glances at Sydney while she looked anywhere but at him.

Okay, then.

On the other side of the narrow pier just in front of the 12-foot Christmas tree stood Honey and Reagan, since I'd wanted both a matron of honor and a maiden.

Hey, we could change the rules if we wanted to, right?

The final two of the procession besides me and my dad were Owen, the ring bearer, holding his spotted fish ring holder so very carefully as he also led Fergus on his harness across the pier.

Before they'd reached everyone, Owen tripped over his shoelace, and subsequently, dropped the harness. Then he cried out for his father, who broke from the cluster of men to help make sure our cat and our son didn't take a header into the icy water.

After that crisis had passed, it was our turn, and my father took my arm to walk me across the street. The pier seemed to be a million feet long—so much so they had to restart the wedding march not once, but twice—but I finally reached Jude and let out a deep breath that puffed icy clouds. He clutched my hand and murmured, "You are so beautiful."

Right then, I not only felt beautiful, I felt loved.

And happy.

Maybe I'd never have some high-powered career, but I had a direction right toward my family—and that was just fine by me.