Bodyguard by Melanie Shawn

Epilogue

Savannah– One Year Later

“Oh,honey, don’t you just look pretty as a picture.”

I turned around and smiled at Gage’s mother, standing in the door of my bridal suite as I adjusted my veil. Tears were shimmering in her eyes. “Oh, no! Mrs. Crawford, don’t cry! You’ll make me cry, and I can’t ruin my make-up!”

She flapped her hands in front of her face and then ran her fingers gently underneath her eyes, so as not to disturb her mascara. “You’re right. I know you’re right. And that goes for me, too. Even though I used the nuclear strength waterproof variety of mascara, I don’t know how well it’s going to hold up against all of the crying I’m sure I’m going to do today.”

I smiled, and it was from pure happiness that reached the depths of my soul.

Today was my wedding day. Today was the day that Gage and I were going to pledge our love to each other, make a commitment that would last forever.

Today was the day I had been dreaming of since I’d met a cute boy who gave me his pen in ninth grade homeroom. Today was the day that my name was going to officially become what I had scribbled on countless notebooks in high school. Mrs. Savannah Crawford.

Gage and Savannah Crawford.

Yeah. That had more than a nice ring to it. It sounded like it had always been meant to be.

She came over to me and wrapped me in a gentle hug, careful not to wrinkle my dress. “Sweetie, do you remember what I said to you, right before we left the cabin?”

I nodded, too choked up to speak.

“Well, I’m gonna tell you the same thing now. You take good care of him, honey. And you let him take good care of you. That’s all he’s ever wanted to do.”

I pulled back and dabbed at my own eyes. “I said you weren’t supposed to make me cry,” I said, a laugh bubbling up in my chest.

She smiled and looked over her shoulder. “Well, I don’t think it’ll matter. There’s somebody else here to see you. And I have a feeling you might shed a few tears. A few small, delicate tears that would never dream of destroying your make-up!” she hastened to add when she saw the horrified expression on my face.

I looked past her and saw that my father was standing in the doorway of the bridal suite. My heart beat a little faster. It did every time I saw him now. One day, maybe I could look at him without a little rush of adrenaline, remembering how devastated I had been during those dark days when I had thought he was dead, and the immense relief and elation I’d felt when I got him back, alive and well.

Maybe. Someday. But it had been a year, and it still hadn’t happened, so I wasn’t exactly hopeful.

Marjorie gave my hand one last squeeze and stepped out, heading down the hall of the small church to find her seat in the sanctuary.

I crossed the room to my father. He took both of my hands in his and held them out to my sides, looking me up and down.

Then he got tears in his eyes. It was like an epidemic of emotion. He shook his head, apparently thinking that would keep the feelings at bay. Judging by how thick his voice was when he spoke, I didn’t think it worked.

“My baby girl. You’re all grown up.”

I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to speak.

“He’s a good man, Gage. He’ll take good care of you.”

Thinking of Gage’s mother’s words, I replied, “I’ll take good care of him, too.”

My father smiled, a bittersweet look in his eye. “I wish your mother could be here to see this. But I know she’s looking down on you. So proud. Not just today, either. Every day. I know she’s proud of you every single day. Because I am.”

Holy crap, what was it with people and waiting until my make-up was on to try to make me cry ugly tears? It was almost working, too.

I opened my mouth to respond but just closed it again. I knew I wouldn’t be able to speak with the way my throat was tight with unshed tears.

My father must have gotten the message, though, because he just smiled, then turned to stand next to me and tucked my hand into the crook of his arm. “Okay, baby girl. It’s time.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. It was time to go to the altar and make it official that I would belong to Gage forever, and he would belong to me. Of course, that was only in the eyes of the world, and the law. In my heart, that had been true since I was fourteen.

My father and I walked to the doors that led from the foyer to the sanctuary and waited for the music cue that would let us know it was time to make our entrance—the opening strains of, “Here Comes the Bride.”

When those iconic chords sounded throughout the small building, I looked at my father, and he looked at me. I nodded at him, and he nodded back.

And then he was walking me down the aisle. And Gage was waiting for me, at the altar. His eyes widened when he saw me and a flush of pride washed over me. He had a certain look he gave me sometimes. One that said he couldn’t believe how lucky he was that I was there, and I was his. I recognized it because I gave him that look, too. And every time he turned it on me, it filled me with the most intense sense of pleasure, and pride…and just plain rightness. Now was no exception.

Even though I was almost entirely focused on Gage, there was still part of me that noticed the friends and family that were in attendance.

It was a small group. We still made it a practice to stay pretty low-key. But everyone important to us was there. Gage’s parents, and his grandmother. My father, of course. Bear. And even Crypt had made an appearance, looking even grumpier than normal as he fidgeted with his tie and collar.

When my father and I got to the head of the aisle, the music died down and the pastor asked my father, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

My father stood up a little straighter, I noticed, and his chest puffed out a little bit. “With the whole-hearted support of both her mother in heaven and me, she gives herself freely.”

My head snapped around in surprise. We hadn’t even discussed that. He’d just known that I would love it.

For the thousandth time that day, my heart filled with love and gratitude for my life. It would’ve been easy to focus on all I’d lost over those twelve long years in WITSEC. But somehow I never did. I was just too damn grateful for all I’d gotten back.

I stepped up next to Gage, and the pastor announced that we had written our own vows. I took a deep breath. I only hoped that I would remember what I had planned to say.

If not, though, I supposed it didn’t really matter. I could just speak from the heart. That was always easy when Gage was around.

“Gage,” I began, my voice trembling with the force of my emotions. “You are my rock. My heart, my soul. My only love. I thank God every day for giving me you, the rarest and most precious gift I could have ever received. You saved my life only a year ago. But, really, you saved it long before then. In a too-crowded classroom, just after second bell on the first day of freshman year.

“There’s a movie we both love. Say Anything. In that movie, Lloyd Dobler gets a break-up gift from Diane Court. A pen. And he says, ‘I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen.’

“Well, the opposite thing happened to me. You gave me a pen, and I gave you my heart. Right then and there, in homeroom. And I never got it back. And I never want to. I only want to spend the rest of our lives together learning how to give you a little bit more of it every day.

“I love you, Gage Crawford. I always have. And I always will.”

Phew. I’d made it through without crying.

Which was more than I could say for Gage’s mother, who I could see openly weeping out of the corner of my eye.

Which was more, actually, than I could say for Gage himself. His always-stony face, unreadable to most people but never to me, was soft with tenderness. And, yeah. There were tears shining in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, and then took my hands in his.

His voice was deep and raspy when he said, “My Savannah. My heart. My angel. My girl.

“You have no idea how grateful I am that the Universe brought you to me, fifteen years ago in homeroom. What would my life be like if that had never happened? I don’t even like to think about it.

“You are everything to me. You know I will always be there for you. Never doubt that. If you need me, I am right there. Because you are everything to me, and I would give you anything, and do anything for you, to show you that’s true.

“I love you.”

I froze, not able to move, or breathe.

I recognized those words. They were from the card he had given me on my sixteenth birthday. The one I’d thought was lost forever, except for the one tiny piece I’d torn out.

But while the card may have been lost, the words weren’t. And they were all that mattered.

It seemed like everyone I’d talked to that day had been trying to get me to cry. No one had succeeded. Not until now. My lip trembled and two fat tears rolled down my cheeks, probably taking streaks of mascara with them. I didn’t care.

Everyone else in the room would just think that I’d gotten emotional because Gage had spoken beautiful words to me. They would have no idea the true significance of his speech. And I liked it that way. It was just for us. Special.

Gage took my face in his hands, gently wiped away my tears with his thumbs. Then, before the pastor could even give us the go-ahead, he leaned down and kissed me.

The rest of the day—reception, dancing, wedding cake…all the normal festivities, just done on a smaller scale—passed in a blur of emotion and activity. I didn’t really come to my senses again until Gage and I were back at home that night, alone at last, changed into our comfortable clothes, and dancing in the kitchen to music that he had put on from his iPhone, streaming through our Bluetooth speaker. All the sweetest, most heartfelt love songs. I realized he must’ve made a playlist and sighed contentedly. He really thought of everything. He always took the most amazing care of me.

As James Morrison’s “Precious Love” played softly through the speaker, he kissed me gently on the lips and said, “I have a surprise for you.”

I glanced down to where his jeans were bulging, a playful smirk on my face. “Baby, while it might be impressive, it’s hardly a surprise.”

He shook his head, that little almost-a-smile-but-not-quite thing he did crossing his lips. “Not that. Another one.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Does this have to do with where you disappeared to this morning, Mr. Mysterious?”

He nodded.

I bounced up and down on the balls of my feet. “Well? What is it?”

“You’ll find out.”

I swatted at his shoulder. “You’re no fun.”

He glanced down, then, at his bulging jeans and said, “He begs to differ.”

I burst out laughing and then turned and ran up the stairs, knowing he would chase me.

This was why I’d wanted to stay here tonight, at our home. Gage’s parents had offered to pay for us to stay in the elegant honeymoon suite at the swankiest hotel in town, as a wedding gift, before we left on our honeymoon the next day. They had said it would be special.

But, to me, our home was special. It was where we made our life. It was the thing that had been denied to me for too many years, the chance to make a home with Gage. Now that I had it, I wanted to enjoy it. Especially when the occasion was special.

Gage caught up with me in our bedroom, snatching me around the waist and picking me up while I laughed and squirmed. He lowered me down onto our bed, and then I wasn’t laughing anymore. The energy had shifted dramatically, and suddenly.

He kissed me passionately and we tore at each other’s clothes, desperate to get them off. Desperate to be naked together, to have nothing between us, no barrier. To be as close to each other as two human beings could be.

When I pulled his T-shirt off over his head, that was when I saw it.

I reached out and ran my fingers over it, disbelieving. Already I could feel tears welling in my eyes.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Is that the surprise?”

He nodded. “Do you like it?”

The tears escaped, rolling down my face with abandon. “I love it. Oh, Gage. I love it so much.”

There, on his chest in roughly the same position as the words that were inked into my skin on my breast, was a tattoo. It said, “I love you.” And it was in my handwriting.

He ran his fingers through my hair. “I do, you know. Love you.”

I looked up at him. “I know. And I love you, too. And I don’t ever want to have to be apart from you again.”

He leaned forward and kissed me, then drew back and looked into my eyes. “Oh, my girl. My sweet girl. That’s something you will never have to worry about. Because I don’t care what happens. I don’t care what tries to come between us. Floods, tornadoes, pestilence…gangsters, or the federal government. I am never going to let you go. Never. Never again. That’s a promise.”

I knew that a promise from Gage was as strong as steel, and I was glad. Because him keeping that promise was all I wanted in life. To be with him forever. To have him never let me go. Because I was never going to let him go, either.

The End