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EPILOGUE ONE

Getting engaged didn’t go as planned,but today everything needed to go according to design. Because Pria felt stressed about the wedding announcements, I concocted something special for her.

She had no idea, so it was likely everything would fall apart. While I might be successful in the boardroom, romantic gestures were not my forte.

“There’s no need to be nervous.” The blue-haired photographer smiled over at me. “You have me for the whole day.”

“Patience is not exactly my strong suit.” I tried smiling, but only the tips of my lips curved up. “Surely, you have better things to do with your day.”

“My husband is on a job today. While I could be there, I’d rather be capturing this special moment.”

Needing to distract myself, I decided to my conversation. Maybe then Pria would show up. “What does your husband do?”

“He’s a model.” A starry-eyed look came over her. One that said she was hopelessly in love with him.

Of course, he was a model.

“How long have you been married?” Maybe they were still in the honeymoon phase.

A smile split across her face. “Five years.”

“Really? I thought less than a year.” I wanted to look like Lexie did when I thought of Pria for the rest of my life.

“Why?” She laughed. I could see that Lexie was a free soul.

It was a little embarrassing to admit, but what did I have to lose? “I can see the love in your eyes for him.”

“Ryder.” She supplied.

Turning to look in the direction Pria was supposed to be coming from, I shielded my eyes from the sun with my hand as I spoke. “The way your face and eyes light up when you speak of Ryder, it’s obvious how much you love him.”

“I do love him. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. At first, I thought it was just a fling. Two lonely people having fun, but I fell hard. Then when he found out I was pregnant…” she shook her head, her blue hair flying. “He proved I picked right.”

“I know I chose right with Pria. Before her, I thought I was going to be a bachelor for the rest of my life, and now I can’t imagine my life without her.”

Lexie stepped over and patted my shoulder. “You have the same look; you just didn’t know it.” Sitting down cross-legged on the blanket that was spread out on the ground, Lexie leaned back on her elbows as she looked off to the entrance of the park. “You two will be together from now to eternity.”

I thought so too, but it was nice to have that confirmation from someone on the outside.

“Is that her?” Lexie laughed as she stood and started taking pictures.

Looking to my right, there was, in fact, Pria heading into the park with all three of our dogs. Orville and Sarah made Pria look smaller than she was. Even from afar, I could tell that Jimmywas staring up at Pria in love. Some days, I wondered who loved her more.

“Those dogs are…”

“A lot.” I supplied for her. As usual, Sarah was taking Pria for a walk, not the other way around. If I squirrel crossed their path, all bets were off.

Not wanting to see Pria dragged through the park, I ran toward them. Why she brought all three, I had no clue. I thought she was only going to bring Jimmy where our biggest worry would have been him humping everyone he encountered in the park.

Luckily, I reached Pria two seconds before Sarah darted off to the side and almost pulled Pria’s arm out of socket. Grabbing Sarah’s leash with one hand, I wrapped the other around my fiancée’s waist as I kissed the side of her head.

“Why did you bring all three of them by yourself?”

She swatted at my stomach. “I’m not an invalid, and you said it we were doing something special.”

“Me and you. Not all five of us,” I chuckled.