It Started As a Deal

Epilogue

5 Years Later

"Imogen dear where are you?" Rosalinda called out from the first floor of her house.  "I found the sandals I bought for you to wear!"

"I'm up here in the bathroom!" I holler back down to her opening some drawers looking for more bobby pins.

"What are you still doing in here?" she asked as she walked in, shoes in hand.

"A piece of my hair is falling down, so I'm trying to pin it back," I say holding the three bobby pins that I found up in the air.  "Can you help me?"

"I'll do my best, but I don't want to mess up Astrid's lovely curls," she says blushing in modesty.  "You know I'm no good at these kinds of things."

"You're fine I promise.  Your dress is pretty," I tell her, and that's true because I helped her pick it out.  It's a simple blush colored dress that flows out at the bottom but has a turtleneck since she's a little self-conscious about her neck.  She wanted something that covers her up because she didn't want to outshine me.  (Her words not mine.)

"Oh but your dress is much more glamorous!  I mean it's a light fabric that looks sheer but isn't, has flowey sleeves that hang off the shoulder, and their are white flowers embroidered on the bodice and sleeves that make it different.  To bad they didn't have a dress like this back in my day because I would have worn it," she says with a chuckle.  "I won't look at good as you though."  She laughs again.  When she finishes with my hair, she steps back to admire her handiwork, but she makes a frown.

"What's wrong?" I ask her turning around beginning to feel anxious.

"I feel like something's. . . missing," she mutters studying my hair, "But I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Momma, I got a surprise for you!" Evangeline exclaims peeking her head into the bathroom.  "You have to close your eyes though!"  She stares at me with her arms crossed over her chest until I place my hands over my eyes.  I feel her fingers brushing my hair aside and sticking something in my hear.  "Okay you can open your eyes now!"

I move my hands away from my eyes and laugh loudly when I see what she did.  She stuck a couple of flowers in my hair and also put some glitter in it too.  She gave me a thumbs up being proud of herself.

"It's perfect just what I was missing," I tell her giving her a hug.  "You're being a good little flower girl."  I pinch her cheeks and pull her with me to look in the bathroom mirror.  She's grown so much in the last five years, and I've been able to see it happen before my own eyes.  Learning how to ride a bike, roller skate, start going to school, making her own friends, losing her first tooth; I've seen it all.  And I'm going to be here to see the rest of it.

"I think Eleanor woke up," Rosalinda said looking at the baby monitor I set up on the counter.

"Ok I'll go get her and change her diaper, and I'll feed her if she's hungry," I say moving out of the bathroom and going toward Kye's old room that we slept in last night.

"No no I'll get her.  You still need to put on your shoes!" Rosalinda says pushing me aside gently and rushing into the room.

"You're only doing this because you have a new grandchild," I tell her bending down to slip on my sandals.  "Evangeline, can you go tell everybody that we're almost ready?"

"Ok Mom," she says cheerfully hopping down the stairs, and I roll my eyes at her antics.  After I put on my shoes, I went to the room and see Rosalinda feeding my daughter and trying to put a baby dress on her.

"Just leave her be in her onesie," I say going over trying to snap the buttons back on.

"She should look pretty on her parents' wedding day!" she rebuttals swatting my hands away.

"Stop fussing over her!"

"I fuss over everyone in my family!" she retorts shaking her head.  "Just let me fuss over her so you don't have to.  It's your wedding day; you should relax."

"Why are y'all taking so long?  You don't have cold feet do you?" Kye asks coming into the room and kissing my forehead.

"Of course not," I say fixing the tie on his suit so that it's straight.

"It's bad luck for the husband to see his wife's wedding dress before she walks down the aisle!" Rosalinda cries out.

"It's fine Ma," Kye says rolling his eyes.  "Why are you trying to put Eleanor in a dress?"

"Because she wants to," I tell him tugging on his arm.  "I don't want her to be uncomfortable."

"I think she'll be fine.  Plus she is also the birthday girl," he says hugging my waist.

"Not for another week," I tell him booping him on the nose.  Eleanor lets out a high pitched giggle looking our way.  "I think she's saying the wedding should start."

"I'll take her sit with me," Rosalinda says picking her up and walking out of the room.

"You ready for this?" Kye asks taking ahold of my hand and leading me down the staircase.

"Of course.  Rosalinda, Evangeline, Eleanor, Vladimir, Astrid, Jess, Millie, and Josh are here with us, and that's all I need," I tell him with a smile on my face.

"We'll officially become a family of four," he says excitedly.

"Actually. . ." I say twisting a curl around my finger, "it's five now."

"Are you serious!" he asks twisting to face me with his eyes wide in shock.  I nod my head yes, and he picks me up and twirls me around.  He places a soft kiss on my lips before he places me down.  "I love you, you know that?"

"Of course," I whisper to him, "I love you too."

THE END