No Rain, No Flowers

Epilogue

Epilogue

Staring into the mirror at my perfectly sculpted eyebrows that framed my impeccably made up eyes and face, I thought about how I had never felt more beautiful in my life. My light brown hair curled loosely with half of it pinned back and cascading down my back. My ivory off-the-shoulder dress hugged every curve and hit right at my knees. All my accessories were rose gold and blinged out. Lizzy, Howie, and Azulay came running into the room "Mommy, they said they're ready!!!" Lizzie was fourteen and all grown up. Somehow, she was taller than me and prettier than me which I didn't mind at all. She looked like an adult which was the thing I had a problem with. Jack wasn't crazy about any of it either. He made it a point to let all of Lizzie's friends see him dressed for work with his badge and gun.

Howie was 11. He looked like a perfect mix between Jack and my Dad. We felt it was super appropriate to name him after both of our dads, so we named him Howard Randall. Hilariously funny, his entire life mostly revolved around playing video games. Tall and handsome to boot, he had no idea how popular he truly was. He received invites to a different birthday party every weekend.

Then there was Azulay. Jack and I had her two years after Howie. She was the baby of the family and she had such a huge attitude. But her heart was even bigger. She had her daddy's nose and the most perfect little body.

I looked at my babies and blinked quickly to get the tears away. I never knew this level of happiness could exist. I thanked God every single day for my life. The kids got the thumbs up that everything was in place. Butterflies looped and fluttered in my stomach. I hadn't seen Jack since 9 pm the previous night. I couldn't wait to lay eyes on him. I stepped out of the bedroom following my kids who were leading the way to the back-patio door. As Jack slid the door open, the song Turning Page by Sleeping at Last was playing. This meant that Amber and Joey were walking down the aisle. Jack and I had been married for years. But I was more nervous at that moment than I had been when we got married originally.

Sheer white curtains lined the way to the path leading out to our yard. I didn't even recognize my own yard, it looked so nice. Rose gold glittered pumpkins and fall leaves were scattered everywhere and lit up by votive candles. Lizzy peeked through the curtains and gave a thumbs up. You and I by John Legend started. I stood there listening to the music and tears welled in my eyes. I pulled my babies close to me and hugged them. The song reached a peak and the curtains opened on either side revealing the aisle. Everyone was standing at their tables waiting to watch me walk. Jack stood in the middle of the dance floor, handsome as I have ever seen him in a dark gray tux and rose gold tie. Freshly groomed beard and shiny bald head. Just the way I loved him. "Out of all of the girls, you're my one and only girl, ain't nobody in the world tonight. All of the stars, you make them shine like they were ours. Ain't Nobody in the world but you and I." 

I felt every single word he sang as the kids and I made our way to the center of the dancefloor. As I got closer, I saw Jack's face. It was twisted into the craziest smile I had ever seen on his face. Tears welled in his eyes, a few fell and he wiped them away with his thumb. "Why are you SO pretty?" he asked me for about the millionth time since we got together. We renewed our vows there in our very own backyard in front of our very own friends and family that we created together. This was what life was all about. Not chasing after someone who really didn't want to be caught. It was about finding someone who brings the same things to the table as you do. When you find that, you find exactly what life is all about. Every single horrible and hurtful thing you go through in your life all of a sudden seems worthwhile. After all, you can't appreciate the true beauty of a flower without experiencing a little bit of rain.