Page 145 of Love or Tequila in Unexpected Places

“I love you, too, Angelo Taylor,” she whispered, before the man of her dreams leaned in and kissed her. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the warmth of his embrace and the gentle brush of his lips against hers.

In that perfect moment, nothing else mattered butthem.

Epilogue

ANGELO

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

“Fuck.”

That seemed to be the only word in Angelo’s mind at the moment.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”

This wasnothow the day was supposed to go. Everyone was running around, shouting in panic, and Angelo stood frozen, his mind a blank slate.

“Angelo!” His sister waved her hand in front of his face, her warm hazel eyes filled with fear. “Snap out of it! We need to run!”

He blinked, finally taking in the chaos around him. “Run? Why?”

Katerina grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Because, genius, the cake just exploded!”

Angelo’s eyes widened. “The cake exploded? How does a cake explode?”

Katerina threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know, maybe your groomsmen thought it would be funny to stuff it with fireworks? The real question is how we fix this before Allison sees it!”

Just then, Allison appeared in the doorway, her dress half-on, half-off, looking like a disgruntled fairy-tale princess who had just woken up. “What thehellis going on here?”

Angelo sprang into action, rushing over to her with a panicked smile. “Nothing to worry about, sweet girl! Just a slight, um, pastry mishap.”

“A pastry mishap?” Allison raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Do you mean the cake that’s supposed to be the centerpiece of our wedding reception?”

Angelo laughed nervously. “Yeah, that one. But don’t worry! We can fix this. Right, Katia?”

Katerina nodded vigorously, though her eyes betrayed her panic. “Absolutely! We’ll get a new cake, pronto. Just focus on getting ready.”

Allison sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, but if I find out there’s another surprise, I swear I’ll elope to Vegas.”

Angelo pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead. “No more surprises, I promise. Today is going to be perfect.”

Katerina clapped her hands. “Alright, team! Operation Cake Replacement is a go!” She pointed at Johnathan—Angelo’s best man—who was now covered in what looked like frosting.“Nathan, get to the bakery and beg for mercy. The rest of you, clean this up!”

As the groomsmen—Allison’s brothers—scrambled to comply, Angelo turned back to Allison with a sheepish smile. “Sorry about this. I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

Allison chuckled, brushing a strand of chocolate-brown hair from his forehead. “It’s okay. As long as we end up married by the end of the day, I don’t care if we have to eat Twinkies.”

Angelo laughed, feeling the tension ease. “I love you, Allison Pink Lockwood.”

“I love you too, Angelo Taylor,” she replied, pulling him into a kiss, frosting and all.

The ceremony took place in a picturesque garden, with rows of white chairs adorned with delicate pink flowers, all leading to a charming gazebo. Snow fell gently, fitting for early December, while a light breeze rustled through the trees. As guests took their seats, the sun cast a warm glow over the scene.

At the altar, Angelo stood fidgeting, adjusting his tie for what felt like the hundredth time. Johnathan gave him a reassuring pat on the back. “Relax, man. You’ve got this.”

Do I, though? What if I can’t make her happy? What if she regrets it and runs away? Or—

The music started, cutting off his spiraling thoughts. Everyone turned as the procession began. Amira walked down the aisle first, holding his beautiful daughter in her arms. Her dirty blonde ringlets framed her tiny face, and a pink bow matched her frilly dress. Wide-eyed with wonder, she looked around, while Amira gently soothed her.

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