“Surprise,” Jack says, laughing as he jumps in front of her. “It’s for us,” he says, smiling. “I got a new room.”
We walk in as she takes in all the work that we’ve done over the past two weeks. Pictures of us hang on the walls, all of our furniture new and just delivered.
“What do you think?” I ask once we walk into the family room that is attached to the giant kitchen. “I know it’s a far commute, but we have the car, and the train station is a five-minute drive.”
“I think,” she says. Turning in a circle, she sees the whole back of the room windows open, letting you see the huge yard with an inground pool and play area.
“I think this is the most beautiful house ever.” She smiles at us, and I nod at Jack. “And is that all the furniture that I was looking at with you?” she says, spotting all the items I made her choose on Sunday while we lounged on the couch. It became a game of which one do you love better.
I grab her hand and get down on one knee, Jack following my position. Her mouth opens, and a gasp escapes her. “You came into our life at the dreariest moment,” I say, looking over at my son and thinking about how far he’s come since he’s been here. “You took us into your heart and showed us a love that is unconditional.”
“I love you,” she says, tears pouring down her face. “Both of you.”
“You taught us that being loved is something that makes you a better person, that when you have this love, you can take on the world.” I smile when her cries get a little louder, and she uses one hand to rub away her tears. “I want you to love us for the rest of your life. I want you to be by me when we have small problems and when we have huge ones.” I smile through my own tears. “Denise, would you do us the honor of marrying us and making us the luckiest guys alive?”
“Yes,” she whispers at first. “Yes, I will marry you,” she says. “I’d marry both of you, today, tomorrow, and every single day after.”
“She said yes, Daddy,” Jack says, throwing up his hands. “Everyone can come out now,” he says, getting up, and I see Denise look around while our family members come into the room, shouting with happiness.
“Congratulations.” Allison is the first one to hug her and then my mother follows.
“Can I put the ring on my fiancée?” I ask them, and they look at me as I slip the four-carat princess-cut diamond on her finger.
I lean down to kiss her, and she wraps one hand around my shoulder and puts one hand on my cheek. “I forgot one big thing,” I whisper to her. “She signed the papers.” Chantal signed the divorce papers; she tried to get the prenup to stand, but when we got confirmation from the tabloid that they paid her for the scoop, it made the contract null and void. In the end, she got the house in Arizona, where she lives by herself, and I got to marry the woman who was made for me.
“Even Jack?” she asks me, and I nod. She signed away all rights to him.
“He’s ours,” I tell her, and she leans in, and right before she kisses me and seals the deal, she says, “You’re both mine.”
Epilogue Two
Denise
Twenty-two years later . . .
“Would you stop that, Mom,” Jack says to me as I fix his bow tie for the hundredth time.
“I’m just making sure it’s on right,” I tell him. “You’re still my baby.”
“I know, Mom, but I’m nervous enough as it is. It doesn’t help when you are all over me,” he says, leaning in and kissing me. My son, that’s right, my son in every definition of the word, is getting married today.
“I’m so proud of you,” I tell him, this time fixing his jacket and dusting away fluffs.
“Dad!” Jack yells, and my husband comes in the room. I look over at him, and he still takes my breath away. We’ve been married for twenty-two years, and it feels like I met him just yesterday. “She’s doing it again.”
Zack laughs. “Just let her do what she needs to do, and it will make it that much quicker.”
“Why don’t you go and see if Joshua or Elizabeth need your help,” he says of his younger brother and sister.
“We are fine!” I hear my seventeen-year-old daughter yell from somewhere in the house.
“I don’t hear no one complaining about me when I’m making waffles,” I tell him, and Zack just laughs.
“The car is here,” Joshua, my twenty-year-old son, yells from somewhere in the house, most likely his bedroom.
“Come on, we can’t be late,” Jack says, kissing my cheek and walking out, leaving Zack alone with me.
“You going to be okay?” he asks, coming to me and moving the hair away from my neck. “You should be happy he found a girl who loves him to the moon and back.”
“I am happy. I’m just sad he’s moving out,” I tell him. “It won’t be the same without him.”
“Baby, just last week you said you couldn’t wait till he left.”
“That was different. I tripped over his shoes at the door,” I tell him. “He leaves them in the middle of the room. Is it so hard to put them on the side?” The only time Jack moved away from us was to go to college, but when he took a job at the Max Horton Foundation, I didn’t really give him a choice about moving back home.
He laughs. “Case in point.” He kisses my nose. “Now, let’s go before he has a hissy fit and becomes groomzilla.” I now laugh and walk out of the house, holding my husband’s hand.
We get to the church, and we stand here outside the doors. “We are proud of the man you’ve become,” Zack starts to say, and his voice trembles.
“Not you too, Dad,” Jack says, and the door opens, and we place our arms in his and walk him down the aisle. Our closest family and friends fill the church to the rim. I don’t even try to stop the tears from coming as every single moment from him growing up plays over in my head like a flashback movie. The good times, the bad times, the times we grounded him and he hated us, the times when he pushed his limits and we pushed back. It has all led to this point. When we get to the front of the altar, he turns and shakes Zack’s hand and brings him in for a hug, then he turns to me and hugs me, reciting the I love you forever poem.
“Thank you for being the best mother a guy could ask for,” he says, kissing me.
Zack puts his arm around my shoulder and leads us to the first pew as Jack walks up the altar and turns to stare back at the door. I feel a hand squeeze my shoulder and turn around to see Max smile at me.
We watch the bridal party walk down the aisle, and then the door closes once again. “This is it,” Jack says, and I watch him standing there in his tux with Michael next to him, his hands folded in front of him.
The wedding march starts, and we all get up, looking down at the closed doors until they open, and I think to myself who would have known that an innocent friendship that started so long ago would lead to this. My son waits at the altar with tears running down his face as Evie walks toward him.
The End
Acknowledgments
Every single time I keep thinking it’s going to be easy. It takes a village to help and I don’t want to leave anyone out.
My Husband: I love you, I don’t tell you enough. Thank you for letting me sit in bed most of the day writing, and for not busting my chops when I don’t cook. Oh wait you do!
My Kids: Matteo, Michael, and Erica, thank you for letting me do this. Thank you for being proud of me, I love you honey bunches and oats!
Crystal: My hooker and bestie. What don’t you do for me? Everyone needs someone like you in their corner and I am so blessed than you chose to be in mine. I can’t begin to thank you for the support, love and encouragement along the way.
Rachel: You are my blurb bitch. Each time you do it without even reading this book and you rocked it. I’m so happy that I didn’t give up when you ignored my many messages.
Lori: I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. You take over and I don’t even have to ask or worry because I know everything will be fine, because you’re a rock star, I’m
also scared of that whip!
Melissa: My cover girl, I have more covers than stories, but I know you won’t let me stop. Thank you for sending me covers while I sleep so I don’t yell at you before you go to bed. I love you.
Madison Maniacs: This little group went from two people to so much more and I can’t thank you guys enough. This group is my go to, my safe place. You push me and get excited for me and I can’t wait to watch us grow even bigger!
BLOGGERS. THANK YOU FOR TAKING A CHANCE ON ME. You give so much of yourself effortlessly and you are the voice that we can’t do this without.
My Girls: Sabrina, Melanie, Marie-Eve, Lydia, Shelly, Stephanie, Marisa. Your support during this whole ride has been amazing. I can honestly say without a doubt that I have the best Squad of life!!!!
And Lastly and most importantly to YOU the reader, Without you none of this would be real. So thank you for reading!
Books By Natasha Madison
Something Series
Something So Right
Something So Perfect
Something So Irresistible
Something So Unscripted
Tempt Series
Tempt The Boss
Tempt The Playboy
Heaven & Hell Series
Hell and Back
Pieces of Heaven
Heaven & Hell Box Set
Love Series
Perfect Love Story
Unexpected Love Story
Broken Love Story
Standalones
Mixed Up Love
Faux Pas
Madison Rose
Only His
Coming Soon
Hollywood Royalty
Hollywood Playboy
Hollywood Princess
Hollywood Prince
A SOMETHING SO spin off
This is
This is crazy
This is Wild
This is love
SOMETHING SO SERIES Page 90
