But Sam puts a hand on my shoulder and offers me the smallest of smiles. “Jaxson, I can see how happy you’ve made my daughter. And I thank you for that. But I also want to say I’m sorry...for everything. For years, I regretted turning down your offer to work together. I was angry that I’d been left behind. I was jealous of you and everything you had. And then seeing you again...those old feelings just resurfaced. I saw the way you looked at Stella and knew you loved her, and in my mind she was just another thing you were going to be able to have that I wouldn’t. I thought you were going to take her from my life.”
“Why would you think that?” I ask him, and he sighs.
“Because I thought that if I was angry, you must’ve been too...I thought you’d find some way to turn her against me. But over the past few weeks, I’ve come to my senses. I know now that you never wanted to take her away...you just wanted to love her. You’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” I growl. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I was never going to let you stand in my way. She’s everything.”
“I know. She’s my everything too. I guess we have that in common, at least,” Sam says. His grip tightens on my shoulder. “I was an idiot. I lost the best friend I ever had once...and now he’s marrying my daughter. I want to rebuild the friendship we had. I want to be on the same side, not facing off with one another all the time. What do you think, Jaxson? Can I have a second chance?”
It’s more like a third or fourth or fifth chance. But I already know I’ll forgive him. I’m still frustrated, but it’ll pass. And if he’s serious about fixing this then we will. We’ll build bridges and promise not to set fire to them. For as long as I keep loving his daughter, which will be forever, then he will be fine with me. And for as long as that’s the case, I’ll never have a problem with Sam.
I reach out my hand for him to shake. He looks relieved as he takes it, his palm a little sweaty as we do. He’s clearly nervous, maybe even intimidated by me, but it’s a good sign. At least it means he’s being sincere. At least he’s ready to put the past behind us.
Because right now, I’m ready to build my future with Stella.
EPILOGUE
THREE YEARS LATER...
Stella
There aren’t many days in the world that can be considered perfect. There’s always something going wrong somewhere. But today, I feel lucky enough to be preparing for my wedding day on the beach where I met Jaxson, and it feels like the most perfect day ever.
We waited patiently for this day, deciding that we wanted our daughter, Sapphire, to be a part of the wedding. She was born with my blue eyes and Jaxson thought it was the perfect name for our blue eyed baby. Now, she’s dressed in an adorable white dress, her dark curls falling around her shoulders as she prepares to be my flower girl. It absolutely feels worth the wait, even though I’ve been itching for this day to come for years now.
I can’t believe how the past few years have panned out. In that time, I finished my art degree, started selling my paintings and all while being a full time Mom at the same time. While still finding time to spend with my incredible man, making love each and every evening, spending time as a family and supporting each other. Jaxson is often busy with work and I devote a lot of my time to Sapphire and my art, but we still have plenty of time to devote to one another.
Even after all this time, our love is still as strong as it was the day we fell in love. We still dote on one another and make each other laugh and look at one another with lust in our eyes. In fact, we can barely keep our hands off one another most of the time. Tonight will be no exception. After the wedding, we will head to an exclusive hotel close by. My Dad will be taking care of Sapphire for the next two weeks as well while we travel around Thailand on a dream honeymoon. I’ll miss my baby girl, but it’ll be so perfect to get time alone with Jaxson. Being a mother makes it a lot harder to get private time, after all. Still, I know I’ll be so excited to get home to her and spend a few days just cuddling her close.
But before all that, we have today to face. I’m nervous in a strange way. It’s mostly the fact that I have to get up in front of everyone and say my vows. Jaxson doesn’t seem worried about it, but he’s much more confident than I am. Still, it’s going to be nice to put into words exactly how we feel about each other. Our bodies often do the talking when we’re expressing how we feel for each other, and he tells me he loves me every single day, but I know his vows are going to be deeper than that. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.
“Pretty hair, mama” Sapphire tells me. I pull her onto my lap with a smile as my stylist finishes up with my hair. It’s braided down my back and topped with a crown made of blue flowers. I have to admit, I’ve never felt this beautiful.
“Thanks, baby. Your hair looks pretty too. Look, we’re matching!”
She grins at me and my heart feels full. She’s just the sweetest
