by Angel Devlin
"I know you and Angela have only just got together and I also know it's absolutely none of my business, but you look good together, and she's an amazing person to do what she did for Eli. That's all I'm saying. But thanks for being an amazing dad where I couldn't be an amazing mum." My mouth was getting dry now, but I was near the end.
"So there you go, my thoughts whether you wanted them or not. But it feels good to have written them, so I'm going to say my final goodbyes to you right now. Live without regret because life passes quickly. She signed it Alice/Mum." I finished, picking up my glass and taking a drink.
I put my glass back on the table as Lisa's arms came around me. Then she backed away and stepped aside and Finn stood before me.
"I'm sorry, for what I said before. I just saw she'd gone and—"
I pulled him towards me, and we hugged it out.
The rest of the dinner passed with conversation about the letter, life, and was accompanied by both tears and laughter.
But the most important thing was we were all together.
Epilogue
Lisa
Sixteen months later
"I'm so nervous." I said, holding the glass of bubbly, my hand shaking.
"So get that down you and then I'll let you have mine too," Juliet said, wiggling her glass at me.
My brows narrowed in suspicion. "You've not taken a single sip of that drink, Juliet Waite. Spill… and I don't mean the drink."
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Given she couldn’t look me directly in the eyes, that was an outright lie.
“Jules, spill! Right now!”
"God, okay, but do not tell a soul. We want you to have your day and not impinge on it, okay?”
“Okay. Get on with it, woman. What’s going on?”
“Quinn and I are… having a baby." Jules’ grin almost split her face.
"Oh my god," I squealed. "Shit, I nearly spilled champagne down my dress!"
Quinn and Jules’ relationship had not run smoothly. Jules continued to have issues around commitment. But she'd moved in with him three months ago and now it looked like she might finally accept he was the one.
"And you’re well?" I asked her. “Everything is okay?”
She nodded. "I almost shit myself when the test was positive, but I can tell you now, I'll be the best mother in the history of mothers. Not like the ghost."
"Jules!"
Juliet had morbidly nicknamed Alice Waite 'the ghost' after she'd died seven months ago. They'd all attended the crematorium, though Juliet had declared it 'awkward as fuck'. Then she'd started calling her 'the ghost' because she'd ghosted her family in life and was now dead.
I'd learned you just let Juliet Waite get on with things in her own way.
The door opened and in walked Becca, Laurel, and Violet, who’d got ready in the room next door. Laurel made the sweetest little flower girl with her mother an accompanying bridesmaid. After they’d made a fuss of me, Violet looked at everyone and then down at her extremely obvious six-month-pregnant belly.
"It's typical. Here I have a chance to have looked utterly gorgeous and that guy's sperm decides to be super swimmy," she huffed.
"You still look utterly gorgeous, Mrs Waite."
Violet had been the first to tie the knot. The moment she'd told Milo she was pregnant, he'd told her she could take her summer of 2022 wedding plans and stick them where the sun didn't shine. Then he'd driven her to Gretna Green.
"Oh be quiet, you're pleased as punch really that you're Milo's missus and having your first baby," Becca countered.
"Yeah, I am. I wasn't interested in a big wedding. It was why I'd tried to put it off. I thought he'd want to do something grand and dramatic."
"Driving you to Gretna was grand and dramatic." I laughed.
"Oh you know what I mean."
"My daddy says that I can marry him when I'm older," Laurel said.
My hand swung to my mouth, "Oh my god." My eyes went straight to Becca.
"She asked him yesterday if she could call him Daddy, and of course he said yes."
"It's a bloody good job we all have waterproof mascara on," Juliet said dabbing at her eye.
Becca and Violet looked at the weepy young Waite sister with suspicion.
"Are you actually crying? I didn't know you had tear ducts." Becca smirked.
"Oh piss off."
"Oh yeah it's still you, not an alien." Becca sniggered.
Another knock came to the door and my mum walked in. "It's time, honey, and your dad's waiting to meet you at the top of the staircase." She mimed an 'eeekkk'.
"I'm ready."
"Okay, honey. I'll go take my seat. Oh and your husband to be looks like he might actually pass out."
"Let's get moving then. Bridesmaids, please get into position."
Mum left and I headed to the little alcove at the top of the staircase of the wedding venue we'd chosen. Dad took one look at me and I saw the pride in his eyes before his shoulders shook and tears filled his gaze. "You look utterly stunning." He gathered himself together. "Okay, this is where I officially have to say you don't have to go through with it."
I laughed and put my arm through his. "Come on, Dad, give me away."
We walked down the staircase and onwards through the lobby until we reached the garden room where the ceremony was being held. My eyes rested on Ezra who was nudged by Cal, his best man. He turned towards us, although I wasn't yet near enough to see if his knees were knocking. I knew mine were, but I also knew that this day would be one of the best of my life, nerves or not.
I smiled at the guests as I walked up the aisle and then Ezra’s and my eyes met and that connection between us zinged through me. He smiled, and I smiled back.
At the top of the aisle, I stood next to the love of my life and an officiant asked if we wanted to be man and wife.
We said yes.
That evening my husband and I stood on the lawn as fireworks lit up the evening sky.
"Well, Mrs Waite. I can now officially say I'm looking forward to being a stay at home husband."
"Yeah, you sit at home while I go out and work," I mocked. Carlos’ had been very understanding about my brain injury and had still taken me on when a new vacancy had arisen. "I think I'm going to have some of the words from your speech made into a sign to be hung up in our hallway so we can always be reminded of them," I told him.
"You can do whatever you like, especially with my body." His eyes were hooded with lust. "So please can we now get out of here and go home?"
We escaped in a tin can decorated old Morris Minor, with a 'Just Married' sign on the back.
I had the sign I’d talked about with Ezra, taken from his wedding speech, made up and hung while we were on our honeymoon.
As we returned from two weeks of romantic bliss that I felt sure must have me in the same predicament as Violet and Juliet given Ezra's insatiable demands, we walked through the door and looked at the sign on the wall next to the staircase.
In the final act of the movie called life, my happy ever after will always be with you.
THE END.
Want more Angel Devlin romance? Check out the single dad series I co-wrote with Tracy Lorraine. Start with HOT DADDY SAUCE:
geni.us/HotDaddySauce
Read on for the description.
Hot Daddy Sauce
ANGEL DEVLIN & TRACY LORRAINE
Description
Leah
My next-door neighbour, Jenson, is a chef and a successful businessman. He’s also a single daddy to the cutest six-year-old girl.
I’m only here as long as it takes to get my parents' old house ready for sale. Then it’s time for me to make a fresh start, away from the tragic events of late.
Trouble is, now I’ve had a taste of this hot daddy’s sauce, I want more…
Jenson
When I see Leah in the garden next door, at first I think she’s barely out of school. But she soon reveals she’s all
woman.
My daughter loves her and it’s not long before my own feelings are heading the same way.
Are we a mouth-watering combination or a recipe for disaster?
About the Author
ABOUT ANGEL
Angel Devlin is the contemporary romance penname of paranormal/suspense writer, Andie M. Long. She lives in Sheffield with her partner, son, and a gorgeous whippet called Bella.
Newsletter
Sign up to Angel/Andie’s newsletter here for exclusive content.
www.subscribepage.com/f8v2u5
FIND HER OTHER TITLES HERE:
www.amazon.com/author/angeldevlin
THE WAITE BROTHERS SERIES
Fix my Heart
A Second Spark
Acting on Love
