Broken

Chapter 8 - Epilogue

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the groom's father, I have been asked by D and Tom that I say a few words. Now, I'm not gonna stand up here and give you a typical sob-story of how perfect these two are for each other. I'm gonna tell you the backstory to the speech I'm about to make."

Dom stood between Tom and I. He put his hand on my shoulder, then Tom's.

"Tom and Darya met when they were five years old. They instantly became best friends, and were inseparable for the next twenty years.

"It wasn't easy, for either of them. Things were going wrong for Darya, and Tom had to remain her best friend without confessing his love to her, as he was scared this would push her away.

"I remember the day Tom told me he loved D as more than his best friend. He came home from school, looking really down in the dumps. This wasn't normal. He was usually so cheery and upbeat.

"I sat him down, asked him what was going on. He was about fifteen at this point. He turned to me and went:

"Dad, see when you fell in love with mum? Did it hurt you at first?"

"No, son. It was actually quite the opposite. How come?"

"Well, dad, I'm in love with someone, so deeply in love with this girl. She's so perfect, she's stunningly beautiful. She takes my breath away every time I see her. When I look in her eyes, I lose myself in them. They're this stunning shade of blue, like the sea on a crystal clear, sunny day. They sparkle every time she talks about something she loves. And her smile, god, dad, her smile is just-wow. It's breath-takingly beautiful. It lights up a room, honestly. She's the most amazing human being. And she's so brave, dad. She's going through all this crap but still turns up to school everyday, still puts on a smile and still gets on with her work. I love her, dad. So much."

"So why is it hurting, son?"

"Because I'll never be able to tell her, dad. It could cost our friendship. It could cost me the one thing I care about the most in my life."

"Although there were no names mentioned, I knew immediately that he was describing Darya. He thought I hadn't noticed, but I saw how he looked at her. I saw how careful and gentle he was with her. I saw how he comforted her if she ever got upset, or was hurting.

"He looked at her as though she was an angel, a  goddess, even. She took his breath away, and even I could see it. He was so deeply in love with this girl, and it was killing him.

"So, when Tom went upstairs the day he told me, I wrote everything he said down, and said to myself "they'll be married within ten years."

"And look where we are? Ten years later, they're newly weds, and here I am, making this speech I wrote ten years ago.

"Darya was completely oblivious to this, and it only took him five more years to finally confess it to her.

"Tom texted me the day he told D how he felt. He said that it was the best thing he'd ever done, and that he wished he'd done it sooner.

"Well, son, if you had, we might have been here a couple of years ago, and you guys would hopefully, no pressure, have a mini Tom or a mini D running around. I'm getting impatient, guys, I need a grandchild, sooner rather than later!

"So, if you'd join me in raising a glass, I'd like to make a toast. To Darya and Tom. May you both have a long and happy life together, and may you be blessed with nothing but happiness. To T and D."

Tom grabbed my hand, pulling me in for a kiss, making everyone go "Aww".

I stood up, hugging Dom.

"I would like to say a couple of thank yous before we go any further.

"Thank you all for coming today to help us celebrate this day. Tom and I love each and everyone of you, and we couldn't be more grateful to have you here on our special day.

"To Nikki and Dom - thank you for everything you've done for me over the last twenty years. I know for a fact that if it wasn't for you two, we wouldn't be gathered here today.

"Harry, Sam and Paddy - I love you guys to pieces, and I'm so thankful and grateful that you guys decided to be nice to me!" I laughed as the three boys giggled amongst themselves.

"And to Tom. My best friend. My hero. You saved my life, in a way, and I'm so thankful. If it wasn't for the fact that you decided to stick around, I never would have gotten through the last few years without you here. Thank you for being there for me, and for being such a great boyfriend/fiancé/husband." He laughed as he stood up next to me, his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close.

"And there's one more thing I'd like to say. Dom, your wish came true a little bit earlier than expected..." I smiled, my hand finding its way to my stomach.

"Darya?" Tom looked at me, his eyes glassed over with tears.

"You're gonna be a dad, Tom."

"Oh my god, I'm gonna be a dad!" He picked me up, spinning me round gently.

Everyone started clapping and cheering, Dom running up to us.

"I'm really gonna be a grandpa?" He asked.

"Yeah, Dom." I couldn't help but laugh when he pulled me into a hug, picking me up off the ground.

"This really is a happily ever after, isn't it?" Tom stroked my cheek with his thumb once we had all sat down again.

"It really is. Our little happily ever after."