Page 142 of Rastor

Epilogue

Three months later, I was standing in a very different place, waiting for the girl I loved. Next to me, stood Bishop, dressed in a tux that wasn't much different from my own. He looked surprisingly happy, and not only for me.

It was because he'd finally done it. He'd finally taken my advice and tracked down the one girl he'd lost all those years ago. And if I wasn't mistaken, I'd be serving ashisbest man in the not-too-distant future.

I looked out, scanning the crowd, wondering how it had gotten so big, not that I was complaining. As long as I had Chloe, everything and everyone else here was just a bonus.

In the front row, I spotted Chloe's grandma, who was now working for me, even if she didn't realize it. Within the last few months, I'd replaced her old envelope-stuffing job with something better, anewenvelope-stuffing job for ten times the money and products she got a real kick out of.

In truth, I'd have paid her a hundred times her salary, without any work required, but just like her granddaughter, Grandma Malinski had a real independent streak, which meant that charity of any type was off the table.

She was still living in the same guest cottage, but things were looking up all-around. Loretta, the stepmother from hell, was also working for me, not that she knew that.

These days, Loretta is the official taster for a brand-new food magazine that reviews all kinds of crazy stuff – like fried rat and fish sperm, to name just a couple.

Loretta might not realize it, but I pick the foods personally and keep her travelling all the time, which means, surprise, surprise, she couldn’t make it to our wedding, and more importantly, she's not around to hassle Josh.

I glanced over at Josh, standing a few feet away in a smaller tux of his own. He looked good. And best of all, he looked happy. I was glad to see it.

We'd invited him to live with us, but to our surprise, he turned us down, even after we offered to move across town, so he didn't have to change schools.

I still remember what he told us. "With Loretta gone, things are actually pretty nice. And besides, Grandma really likes it there."

Well, I couldn't argue with that. And neither did Chloe. So instead, we made it a standing offer. If Josh ever said the word, we'd be there in fifteen minutes to pick him up, no matter what anyone else might say about it.

I took another look around. There were lots of people, but only one I was dying to see.

From the back of the church, I heard music, not the same tune Amber had been humming, but one that was leading up to the main event.

A moment later, Amber started walking slowly up the aisle in a bridesmaid dress that didn't look that much different from the one she auditioned in. As it turned out, Chloe couldn’t quite bring herself to say no, especially when Amber started chasing Bishop around like a kitten chasing a wounded wildebeest.

Amber was smiling like this was the most fun she'd had in a while. Or maybe she was just glad to see the end of Brittney, who'd moved to L.A. to pursue a film career after the whole catfight video went viral, thanks to footage from that Shaggy guy.

And then, there was the footage of me proposing. That went viral on steroids, which meant that if I wanted the whole world to know that Chloe was mine, well, I definitely got my wish.

About the restaurant, Chloe didn't work there anymore, and neither did her boss, who'd gotten fired for a whole slew of things, including screwing Brittney in the back office while a post-football game riot broke out in the main seating area.

As far as Chloe's non-waitressing career, it was really taking off. Turns out, she'd found a great use for her accounting degree – keeping an eye on all our money, professionally and personally. And as much as we have, it's a full-time job.

As my sister, looking happier than I'd ever seen her, started walking slowly up the aisle, I snuck a quick glance at Lauren Jane, who was slouched near the back of the church. She was scowling down at her cell phone, looking sulky as hell.

I knew why. Chloe had flat-out refused to make Lauren Jane a bridesmaid, no matter how much begging or threatening went on, from Lauren JaneorLoretta.

I could be wrong, but I had sneaking suspicion it was the crotch-grabbing that got Lauren Jane booted, especially after she tried to pull those moves one more timeafterChloe and I were engaged.

After the final bridesmaid reached the front, the music changed to the melody that I'd been dying to hear for months.

A moment later, there she was, on the arm of her dad, who at last night's rehearsal dinner had the misfortune to sit across from the wedding planner, a lady named Daisy who happened to be from Georgia. As of this morning, Chloe's dad was still saying "y'all."

As for Chloe's mom, she was a no-show. But the way it sounded, that's about what Chloe expected. And if it made her sad, I wasn't seeing any signs of it.

I watched, utterly hypnotized as Chloe practically floated down the aisle, looking almost as happy as I felt. There were hundreds of people here, but I only had eyes for one. And the way it looked, the feeling was mutual.

Her gown was white and hugged her tight curves in all the right places, while somehow managing to look almost innocent – a regular girl-next-door, which of course, had a ring of truth to it.

By the end of the night, I vowed, she wouldn’t be feeling so innocent after all, because I was going to rock her world in every possible way.

Always.

The End