Page 29

Twenty Eight

Epilogue

“ R eady?”

Alexa was ready like never before. She nodded at her mom and linked her arm through hers.

“Your dad would be so proud of you,” her mom whispered.

Alexa met her mom’s gaze and nodded again. Her dad did give Tristan his blessing to marry her, but she regretted that he wasn’t here to walk her down the aisle, and to dance with her after she’d shared her first dance with her husband.

She averted her gaze and blinked back her tears. She had been thinking about this daily since they began planning the wedding. What if Dad had been here?

But Dad was in heaven. And Jesus would keep him updated about her big day. ‘ I couldn’t be more proud of and happy for my little girl, ’ had been his exact words to Tristan. It was what made her smile even when his absence hurt.

Alexa thanked God that she had her mother to take her dad’s place today.

Cassie was already walking down the aisle. Now it was their turn. She took a deep breath.

When the music changed, Mom led her toward the curtained archway. Alexa tightened her hand around the microphone in her right hand. At her cue, she closed her eyes, lifted the microphone to her lips, and sang.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared,

The night was dark, no stars adorned.

I was in shadows, but you were the light,

Even though you say it’s the other way around.

The curtains parted. Alexa stepped into the aisle with her mother and opened her eyes.

She was barely aware of their guests. She knew the pastor was standing behind him and John next to him as his best man. But all she could see was him; the way his eyes widened and his lips parted as he saw her. The way he was fighting back his tears.

The way he stood like the sun in the early morning sky. Glorious. Handsome. Enchanting.

This heart… has been yours since you spoke my name,

And now… it’s yours to keep, forever the same.

The world said no, but God’s grace said yes,

This love has weathered the storm and the test.

She walked down the aisle one step at a time, continuing her song and not taking her eyes off him.

You saw past my walls and my masks,

You found the broken pieces inside.

You held my mess and in your heart,

I found the home I’d once feared to seek.

Tristan smiled, shook his head, and wiped away his fallen tears.

The walk down the aisle was torturously slow. If it weren’t for her mother’s lead, Alexa would’ve run down to Tristan the moment the curtains parted. Even though the slow pace was as per her request to match the rhythm of the song.

She was close now. So close to the future she had dreamed of since meeting Tristan. So close to forever. She could see Tristan’s hands, clasped together in front of him, already twitching to reach out for her.

This heart… has been yours since you spoke my name,

And now… it’s yours to keep, forever the same.

The world said no, but God’s grace said yes,

This love has weathered the storm and the test.

When they reached the altar, he stepped down. Mom took the bouquet from her and passed it over to Cassie before placing her hand on Tristan’s. She kissed his cheek and then turned to Alexa, bestowing a kiss on her temple as well.

Tristan squeezed her hand and gave her the most beautiful smile with tears in his eyes. Alexa squeezed back and let him lead her up to the altar, but she wasn’t finished with her song yet.

This life… is not enough to love you, my love,

So I’ll… love you in dreams and heaven above.

The world said no, but God’s grace said yes,

This love was written in Heaven’s golden glow.

A tear slipped from her eye. Tristan caught it and brushed it away. The notes of the music faded away. The crowd exploded into loud applause. Tristan’s grin widened, nearly splitting his face.

“That was…” He shook his head, seeming unable to finish the sentence.

“…supposed to be your twenty-second birthday present,” she said, passing the microphone to Cassie without looking away from him. “But God had another plan—a wedding gift instead.”

“It’s perfect,” he whispered. “And you look… every bit of an angel.”

Her smile widened. “And you look… every bit of the embodiment of my wildest dreams.”

“I’m honored.” He flashed her favorite crooked smile. “For the song, too.”

“Well, you call me a siren because of my voice, so you deserve a song that was about you,” she teased. “I only had a few lines down from two and a half years back, which I hadn’t returned to since, and I mixed them up with new ones. Thankfully, I had enough time to work on it.”

“No wonder you didn’t protest when Cassie asked for two months to plan this wedding.” His eyes widened in realization. “You were too busy cooking up a song to lure me in.”

“That I was.”

They shared a laugh.

“Shall we begin?” the pastor asked, a smile in his voice.

“Yes, please,” Alexa and Tristan said in unison, not looking away from each other, and laughed again.

“Then we shall,” the pastor said and cleared his throat.

Tristan leaned toward her swiftly, his lips grazing the tip of her ear as he whispered, “You lured me in three years ago, angel, and I have been lost to you ever since.” He pulled back and met her eyes. “And now, for forever.”

Before she could reply, the pastor began the ceremony. They exchanged vows and rings. Through it all, their gazes stayed locked, mesmerized by each other as seconds ticked nearer and nearer to being declared husband and wife.

When it did, their eyes brimmed with tears.

They had won. After two years, despite the separation, their love had come out ten times stronger. It was irrevocable and unconditional, one that stayed through the highs and lows and went through fire. Their love was fire itself that couldn’t be put out by many waters. It had stayed even when they didn’t remember each other. It had survived.

And now they had got to cherish it. Forever. Because God’s grace said yes when the world said no.

Tristan cradled her face in his hands and leaned in, kissing her tenderly and sweetly. Applause broke out around them. Alexa kissed him back. The salt of his tears added to the moment of triumph and sweetness, of surrealism and a dream come true.

“I love you, Alexandra Knight.”

She met his shining electric-blue eyes. “I love you too, my darling husband.”

He pulled her back in for another kiss, this one firmer, and swept her up into his arms as soon as he pulled away. He carried her down the aisle. He was aglow. He never stopped smiling. He was the happiest she had ever seen him.

He was an entirely different person from the Tristan she met at the bridge almost three years ago.

Love had changed him. While hers had a part in it, it was Jesus’ love that transformed him completely.

She watched him dancing and laughing with his sisters. And she knew that the moment she knew she loved him was when she realized she couldn’t live without him. That was what true love was—finding the one you couldn’t live without. And today was the beginning of that life.

Their flight was in a few hours. Alexa didn’t know where they were going for their honeymoon yet. Tristan had said it was a surprise, and she hadn’t tried to push it out of him. She loved being surprised by him.

When it was time for them to leave, Tristan took her hand, and they both ran through the midst of their family members, leading toward his car. They waved to them and got inside.

Tristan started the engine and looked at her, intertwining their hands. “Are you ready to go?”

She grinned. “Everywhere.”

“Everywhere?” he asked, returning the smile.

At least she knew they planned on visiting every country possible, so she said, “Anywhere. I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“Oh, Lexa…” he drawled her name, his eyes turning incredibly tender. “I’ll follow you anywhere too.”

— THE END —