He asked me to move in with him while we were eating breakfast in bed this morning. One step at a time, I told him. I need to get settled at a new job and see how we are together as a couple first. But I already know how we are together, and I love it. I just don’t want to break Mrs. Pavlovsky’s heart again by moving out too soon. Maybe at the end of February, so Declan and I can take her out for Valentine’s Day dinner or something to soften the blow.
The wedding ceremony at the church was long and lovely. The reception and New Year’s Eve party is at a different hotel ballroom—all sparkly with black and gold decorations—and we’ve been dancing for about an hour now. It’s getting close to midnight. My date disappeared a couple of minutes ago and left me here on the dance floor with his cousins Nolan and Billy. I honestly don’t know if I believe what he told me about them—they’re so sweet and polite.
The Motown song segues to “Come and Get Your Love,” and I look around for Declan because I need to make fun of him immediately. As I’m craning my neck, I spot him. In that beautiful tux, his dress shirt unbuttoned, bowtie undone and hanging casually around his neck. The crowd between us parts to make way for him because he’s doing that ridiculous Star-Lord dance, headed my way. Same as he did that time in the hotel room, except he’s not naked. Nolan and Billy do the dance too, moving away from me.
Declan spins around with his arms in the air, and when he reaches me, he drops to one knee. It takes me a few seconds to realize what’s happening, because people have formed a big dancing circle around us, and I’m really into this song. But when he reaches into his jacket pocket and holds up a diamond ring, I nearly burst into tears again.
“Maddie Cooper…I want to live with you. I want to marry you. I want to make babies with you. I want to grow old with you. I want you to bury me and cry over my grave, and then I want to fall in love with you all over again in heaven. Or hell. We’ll see how good I am at atoning for my sins.”
“Wow. That is the most Catholic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“I just spent an hour at a Catholic wedding. What’d you expect? Also, I want to go to Ireland and Italy with you.”
“Anything else?”
“Everything, Cooper. Literally, everything else. Will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, Declan Sullivan Cannavale, I am going to marry the crap out of you.”
I hold my left hand out so he can slide the ring onto my finger. It’s a little loose, but it’s antique and stunning. Everyone around us, including the bride and groom, are cheering and applauding, and then they go back to dancing to give us some privacy. He stands up to kiss my hand. “Nonna let me borrow her engagement ring until we find the perfect one for you in New York.”
I look around for Nonna, who is sitting at a table at the edge of the dance floor. She’s frowning at me, but she gives me a thumbs-up. I blow her a kiss, and then I kiss Declan. The song fades out, and somewhere Declan’s parents are doing the countdown to midnight into a microphone, but we just keep on kissing into next year.
It’s the perfect way to celebrate our new beginning together—as a real couple, drunk in love. Partners who can take turns bossing each other around in and out of the bedroom. I’ll be sure to add a clause in our marriage contract that ensures he’ll dance naked for me at least once a month for the rest of his life.
Gold confetti is being dumped on us, and people are singing “Auld Lang Syne” by the time we finally pull away long enough to take a breath and say to each other, “Happy New Year, future wife.”
“Happy New Year, future husband.”
And then we kiss again, for auld lang syne.
Whatever that means.
EPILOGUE ONE – Piper
January 1st
Dear Diary,
I can’t believe it was only one year ago that Declan’s butt came into my life, and now I’m actually related to that butt by marriage. As of yesterday, he is my uncle. So I guess I shouldn’t be staring at or thinking about his butt anymore. Or not as much, anyway.
I’m sort of related to Eddie Cannavale by marriage now too, but I Googled it, and we could still legally marry each other. I know I’m only fourteen, and he seems to be really super in love with someone who isn’t me and will probably marry her—but I need to know my legal romantic options. Being around Uncle Declan has rubbed off on me LOL.
Anyhoo… The wedding. I think Maddie was a little nervous that Declan and the rest of the guys from the bachelor party wouldn’t even make it to the ceremony, but they totally did. Supposedly one of Declan’s cousins passed out on the Staten Island Ferry, and another one of them woke up at the zoo, but even they made it on time.
It was definitely the nicest one I’ve ever been to. Okay it’s the only one I’ve ever been to. But it was even nicer than most of the movie ones I’ve seen. I guess they are making New Year’s Eve weddings a tradition in the Cannavale family or something. Not that the Irish side of their family needs
