A Day in a Life

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Sydni

E LIJAH IS SLOWLY walking down the aisle toward me. He’s not using his cane. He was dead set on not using it during our wedding.

Even though his face exudes happiness, I know him well enough to see the strain from the pain he endures without being able to lean on his cane. Of course, he’s in pain while using his cane as well. I admire his tenacity. He’s determined to walk, to exercise, to keep his mobility. He refuses to resort to life in a wheelchair, even though he’d be, for the most part, pain free.

As he approaches, dressed in a tux that could rival James Bond any old day, tears leak from my eyes. I’m ruining my perfect make-up. But I’m too caught up in the emotion of the moment to care.

This man has stood at my side through everything. He’s my support, my rock, my encouragement, my boost, and my champion.

We waited six months to marry, just to be sure. After all, we had only known each other for a short period of time when he asked me to marry him. It seemed like the wise choice.

We didn’t need those six months. Every single day, our love for each other has grown through surges and highs.

He’s my match. I have not one single doubt. I’m pleased we waited. It was the right decision for us. But truth be told, I could’ve married this man after knowing him for two weeks. That’s how sure I was and how sure I am. When you know, you know. He’s everything good and happy in my life.

When Elijah joins me, we clasp hands. Yes, we’re doing this backward. Normally the bride walks down the aisle to the groom. But Elijah had something to prove. He wanted to walk to me. He said it proved how much he wanted to marry me, that he was willing to do whatever it took. The unconventional twist struck a chord in me. I loved the romance of it all.

His former police coworkers hop to their feet and give him a standing ovation. He’s worked hard to get where he is today, much harder than I’d realized.

I love the huge smile that breaks out on Elijah’s face.

Emotions are already running high as the ceremony begins. We decided to write our own vows. Elijah chose to go first.

“All right, everyone,” Elijah says to the audience. “Thanks for being here and supporting us on our special day. But be warned, you’re about to hear the cheesiest thing you’ve ever heard in your lives. Go ahead and laugh if you feel like it. Just let it out. Don’t be shy. It won’t bother me a bit. It’s bad, I admit it.” He faces me again. “But this is what’s in my heart,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “And it is what it is. I call this…

Elijah’s Cheesy Unwritten Love Song for Sydni that’s Now Written, but it’s a Poem Instead. ”

A wave of laughter settles over the guests after Elijah announces his title.

As for me, I’m stunned. He’s taken me by surprise as usual. It seems to be his modus operandi.

“This is what’s in my heart,

it doesn’t compare to your amazing art.

Please bear with me,

as I describe my feelings by decree.”

Oh my gosh. What is he doing? There’s no saving me now. I’m about to be a blubbering mess. My wedding pictures are going to look fabulous with my red-spotted face.

“I left the force and became a PI,

people called me Magnum—I didn’t know why.

I found I was good at insurance fraud,

I don’t know why, maybe I’m odd.

I received a case about a girl who’d had a bad day,

it was the worst ever, in every way.

No one had seen her—they thought she was dead,

it was my job to find her, I was determined and said…

I’ll find you, if it’s the last thing I do,

I need to know what happened to you.”

The way his voice breaks on the word “dead,” the way he flashes me a tender look, the way his eyes fill with tears—I actually release a sob. I can’t help myself. I’m embarrassed by my emotion, but I’m also caught up in Elijah’s words. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.

“They gave me a picture of this beautiful girl,

I couldn’t stop staring, she was bright as a pearl.

I retraced her steps through a horrible day,

I lived the day with her, finding it gray.

My heart broke for what she’d been through,

and I fell in love with a girl I never knew.”

Our guests are not laughing. I hear an awful lot of sniffling, though. It echoes my own state of emotion. Elijah fell in love with me before he ever knew me. I wonder if he realizes how much that means to me. Nothing compares to that type of love. I’m about to be a puddle on the floor.

“When I found she was alive and well,

I rushed to see her, my heart in a swell.

All I can say is my mind became Hallmark,

inside me, she ignited a great big spark.

My brain turned to mush as it was taken over by thoughts,

like, oh my gosh, her smile is practically a million watts.

It grew worse by the day, as though I wasn’t in control,

even though she said no when I invited her out for a stroll.”

I half cry, half laugh at that. I should’ve taken him up on his offer for a walk that first day. It doesn’t matter, though. Everything worked out in the end just as it should.

His poem is so awful, it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. It was written just for me, and that makes it a literary masterpiece.

“Still my mind was thinking of words like lovely and radiant,

angelic and luminous, as I slipped down a steep gradient.

Yes, I was falling in so many ways,

my thoughts were, quite frankly, hot and ablaze.

Who was this person falling in love?

I didn’t know him, but I knew she and I fit like a glove.

I’m not usually a guy who adores from afar,

but this girl was from heaven, a glowing star.

I swear an alien had taken over my brain,

my thoughts had boarded the crazy train.

Her soft voice did things to my inside,

it made me want her as my bride.”

And here we are. I’m his bride. It’s the best thing in life I’ll ever be. Besides the mother of his children. Tears are streaming down my face, and I no longer care what I look like. It doesn’t matter anymore. Because tears are now running down Elijah’s face as well. I’ve never seen him cry. As far as I’m concerned, he chose the perfect moment.

“Her glowing skin fascinated me,

I started to think in terms of we.

Even though she’s shorter than me,

I knew we’d fit together perfectly.

Her hair was like sparkling gold,

the fluffy thoughts were increasing tenfold.

I couldn’t stop thinking of little girls and boys,

all with brown eyes, playing with toys.”

I release another sob. Having his baby is everything to me. Surely, he knew what his words would do to me, that he’d leave me mentally curled in a ball on the floor. A ball of happiness, that is.

“What’s a guy to do when love takes hold?

Go with the flow, and be quite bold.

Tell her you love her, a day can’t go by apart,

hope she feels the same, give her your heart.

So how did this moment come to be?

Because, Sydni, you inspire poetry in me.”

Elijah’s eyes are swollen with tears. His voice cracked on so many words, I lost count.

He shrugs, revealing slight embarrassment for exposing his soul. “Too long?” he whispers.

Too long was not the problem. My husband will never become a famous poet, that I know for a fact. Yet I’m shocked by his heartfelt cheesy poem. It was unexpected, telling me just how deep his feelings run. “Not at all. I loved it. Every word. It was perfect.” Thank goodness for waterproof mascara.

The thing is, not one person in the audience is laughing. Not one.

A quick glance shows the opposite. People are sniffling, wiping at their eyes, and a few are sobbing.

Mainly my father. He can’t seem to get himself under control.

Ryan and his wife, Marni, are comforting each other tightly, overcome with emotion.

Penny, Brook, Sissy, and Randall are all crying as well. I’m so happy they’re here for me. My sweet Emma is here too, looking frail, but smiling at me with a delighted twinkle in her eyes. Her cheeks are wet too, but her smile wins out.

Elijah’s mom and dad, his sister, Emersyn, her husband, and their son, Chas—they’re here for us too. Emersyn and my father seem to be in a contest for who can cry the hardest. They’re my new family, and I’m in love with them already.

An ache in my chest reminds me how much I miss my mom and Hannah. I suppose I always will, in spite of their horrific behavior. But they’re toxic, and I won’t allow them into my life again. Not ever. They’re dead to me.

I shake my head to rid myself of sad thoughts. Today is a happy day.

It’s my turn to speak. Everything I planned to say goes out the window. “I can’t top that, Elijah. Nothing I say will say it better than you just did. It was beyond beautiful. You mean everything to me. I don’t know how I ever lived without you. I can’t even imagine life without you. The truth is, you saved me. You saved me from imminent danger, you saved me from a life of loneliness, you saved me from dangerous relationships, you saved me from myself, and you saved me by loving me. I can’t ever repay you. All I can do is shower you with all my love for the rest of our lives. I love you, Elijah. Now and forever.” I can’t say more. My tears are overwhelming me, and I can barely speak without sounding like a squeaky mouse. I doubt anyone understood a word I just said.

Elijah wipes away my tears, his fingertips soft and gentle. He takes me in his arms and kisses me aggressively as the preacher pronounces us man and wife, then says, “You may now continue kissing the bride.”

This merits clapping, whooping, and hollering from our guests.

As we walk down the aisle together with huge smiles, Elijah whispers to me, “Time for babies. Lots of them.”

He knows my heart. I’ll never forget my precious Saige.

But it’s time she had some brothers and sisters.

Yes, it’s time for babies. Lots of them.

With Elijah Garret at my side, loving me more than anyone has ever loved me.

Except myself.