EPILOGUE
Alix
“Well? What do you think?” She stalked out of her design room confidently, shoulders back and head held high in the gown she’d spent the past six months working on. It was her final project, the last one she’d ever do at school and so, it was the most bittersweet of all.
It was also the gown she was going to marry Ross in, though he didn’t know that yet. Oh, he knew he was going to marry her. He’d asked her six months ago, after three crazy amazing years of living their crazy amazing life, and she’d said yes. He just didn’t know that she was going to wear her own dress. Since it was green silk- which was, by the way, the biggest pain in the butt to sew- and honestly, too sexy- nothing that a few stitches here and a couple alternations there couldn’t fix- he likely wouldn’t guess in a thousand years that she’d be walking down the aisle in it.
If he didn’t like it, it wasn’t the end of the world. He’d probably tell her that he was happier with her wearing nothing at all.
“I like it.” He let out a low whistle. As usual, he was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He classically and stoically refused to wear anything else. It was funny, her in fashion and design, him with a closet full of the most ordinary clothes a person could own.
She loved that about him. She loved pretty much everything about him.
“But?” She knew there was a but coming by the way his lips twitched.
“Well, honestly, I think it would look better in a heap on the floor.”
Alix snorted. She punched Ross lightly in the shoulder, but she let him catch her hand as it struck and whirl her into his arms. They twined around her waist and she looked up at him. At the man she loved more than anyone in the world.
He drove her crazy. He snored. His jokes were mostly shitty. He was annoying. He liked to butt in on her showers and ruin their breakfast by throwing her up on the table and making her breakfast instead. He thought it was funny to make her late for class by giving her a workout, but only once in a while. He took her school as seriously as she did. He did a lot of things that annoyed her and drove her wild. He did all the things that any good fiancé should.
And she loved him.
More than anything.
“I knew you were going to say that,” she laughed. “You say that about all of them.”
“Well, it’s obviously true.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think my instructor would agree.”
“I think she might. But you’re mine. You’re all mine and I don’t share.” He bit at her earlobe and laughed darkly.
“So seriously? You think it’s okay?” She twined her hands in his hair.
“I think it’s amazing. You’re beautiful. The most beautiful woman alive in the most beautiful dress ever created. You’ll pass and graduate and your family will be here and my parents will be here and Chance and his fiancé can be here, as hard as it is to believe that someone is willing to put up with him, and as extra hard as it is to believe that he came around to the idea of us, all for our wedding, and then we’ll decide where we’re going to put down our roots and get down to the business of having some babies for our parents to spoil.”
“Oh, you think so?”
“That was the plan. School. Wedding. Babies.”
“It was the plan, wasn’t it?” She winked at him. “I guess you had better get busy making good on it then.”
“You mean it? Really? You don’t want to work for a few years first? It’s seriously up to you. I know you’re just going to be graduating and this is what you’ve always wanted-”
“I didn’t realize that I’d have to give that up,” she cut him off. “I was under the impression that I could have the best of both worlds.”
He grinned at her, that wicked, mocking, full of life, laughing, sexy smirk that she knew and loved so well. The one he’d invented just for her and saved just for her.
“Right. My bad. You can definitely have it all, the future Alix Rivers. I really like the sound of that, by the way. Only six more months until it’s official.”
“I love you, Mr. Ross Rivers. If you want to start calling me Mrs. Rivers a little early, I don’t think I’d mind.”
“Then, Mrs. Rivers. Your dress is simply stunning. Care to show me how it comes off? Just for utilitarian purposes?”
She grinned at him. “You make me so happy, Mr. Rivers that I think we should celebrate. Bake a cake maybe…”
“No, not a cake,” Ross moaned. “Anything but that.”