Page 128 of Once Upon a Fake Date

The love of my life.

And, as of a few hours ago… My beautifulwife.

Her white lace dress showed just a hint of cleavage at the top, hugging the top half of her body before the fabric spilled down around her waist and hips. When I’d seen her walking down the aisle towards me, I’d lost my train of thought. Everything. She was my everything.

“This place is beautiful,” she finally agreed. “I’m glad we picked it.”

I looked down at the gold band on my finger, wiggling it. “I’m just glad I finally get to call you my wife.”

On her finger was the ring I’d proposed with last year, when I’d almost made a fool of myself begging the director of the Broadway show she was working on to let me propose there, setting up the whole scene and even roping her twin sister in to help.

“I love you,” she murmured, leaning her head against my chest.

Ella and Cam had gotten married last summer, and they were now expecting a baby boy. She was six months along, though she still insisted on wearing her favorite pair of heels to serve as Audrey’s matron of honor today.

We were some of the last of our friends to tie the knot, though it wasn’t for a lack of wanting. We’d both known since graduation that we’d end up here one day but had wanted to be secure in our jobs. After Audrey had landed her first leading role in a musical, I knew it was time.

And here we were. She was doing amazing things, and I was so proud of her.

“Love you too, my Rosie Girl,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Audrey’s cheeks were pink when she looked up at me. “Do you think we should head back up there?”

“Probably.” I gave her a little smile, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. She’d worn it down, all curled and pretty. “I’m sure they want us to cut the cake.”

“Oh, Ella definitely does.” She laughed, weaving her fingers through my hand as we started walking. “She’s been craving cake since this morning.”

I hoped that would be us soon. Though if she wanted to wait while she continued being an absolute star in her show, I didn’t mind that either. But I liked the idea of having a little girl who looked just like Audrey. Could already imagine taking her to Central Park Zoo, to the New York City Ballet, and carting her around on my shoulders wherever she wanted to go.

“What are you smiling about?” Audrey whispered. We’d almost gotten back to the tent.

“Our future,” I replied.

The way she looked at me made me feel like I had butterflies inmychest.

We cut the cake, everyone cheering as Audrey pressed a large forkful to my lips. No smashing it in each other’s faces here. The strawberry filling was sweet and perfect, and the cake was that perfect consistency—moist and light, perfectly melting in your mouth.

When it was my turn, I dug the fork into the cake, getting a small bite and bringing it up to Audrey’s lips. Her lips closed around it, sliding slowly off the utensil, her tongue darting out to lick the frosting off. But I used my free hand to wrap around her waist, tugging her in closer to me and kissing her deeply, tasting the cake and frosting from her mouth.

God, it was heavenly. The taste of her—of strawberries and champagne—flooded my tongue, and I was content to stay just like this.

“Get a room!” Samuel shouted. He and I were still close now, even after graduating, and I was grateful to have a friend like him.

“That’s the plan,” Audrey said, winking at me.

I could feel the warmth spread up my neck and over my ears, and I was sure the tops of my cheeks were pink.

She giggled. “Should we dance, husband?”

“I’d like nothing more, wife.”

And we danced, the sky a beautiful mix of pink and blue. A crown of gold eclipsed my bride’s head as I twirled her around the dance floor, the familiar steps from the musical in my mind.

The Happily Ever After waltz.

It was fitting because it was ours.

Our Happily Ever After was finally here, and it was beautiful.

The End.

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