Chapter 53: Epilogue

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FEW YEARS DOWN THE LANE

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"Fucking hell, I don't think I'd be able to control myself if you keep looking at me like that."

"Sue me for looking at my handsome as hell boyfriend," I counter, and saunter inside the room and walk towards him. Ridge fixes his tie and whirls around to look at me.

"You look breathtakingly gorgeous baby," he whispers, wounding his arms around my waist to pull me close to him. I encircle my arms around his neck, a soft smile tugging at my lips. "I'm so privileged to be able to call you mine."

"Well, if you didn't already know, you look pretty sexy too, especially with that silver tie of yours," I bite my bottom lip, stroking my fingers against the nape of his neck.

"Can't we just skip the wedding?" he groans, pulling me close to him, "I'm sure they won't notice if we reach a little late."

"Ridge, I'm one of the bridesmaids, and if Trisha finds out that I'm late, she'll go all hulk on me and I seriously don't want that," I deadpan, ignoring the way his hands move lower until they rest just above the curve of my ass. He's so doing this on purpose.

"Right, Bruce has already called twice, since he's freaking out and is scared that Trisha will get cold feet and run away," he chuckles, licking his bottom lip. My eyes drift down to his lips, which he notices clearly.

"Stop giving me that look or we'll seriously not be able to get out of here any time soon," he whispers, his voice dangerously low and deep.

I swallow hard and lean forward to claim his soft lips, earing a groan of appreciation from him. He frames my face in his hands, kissing me back with equal fervour, making me feel weak in the knees. We've been together for six years and he still has the ability to make me feel thousands of butterflies in my belly.

Sweet Jesus.

He pulls away before we end up between the sheets, pecking my lips one last time. "We should really get going babe."

I glare at him, "Tease."

He chuckles under his breath and picks up his car keys and our phones from the dresser. Together, we make our way downstairs, carefully since I'm wearing pencil heels. And I don't want to fall down and break my neck.

Ridge locks the door to our home behind us, and then puts his hand against the small of my back to usher me towards the car. He opens the passenger side door for me. I give him a kiss on the cheek and slide inside.

He closes the door and then walks across the car. I can't help but notice how fine his ass looks in those black dress slacks. He enters in the car, and then peels the car out of our driveway.

"Your lipstick, it's a little smudged on the side," he glances at me for a second before turning his attention back to the busy roads.

"And who do you think I should blame for that?" I retort, narrowing my eyes at him. I look into the car cabinet for my lipstick so that I can reapply. I have a habit of keeping my regularly used shade in the car itself since you never know when you might need it.

"Blame yourself for looking so damn beautiful," he grins cheekily, drumming his fingers against the steering. Rolling my eyes at him I reapply the lipstick using my phone and smile at myself when it's done.

"Give me your hand," he says, setting right hand on the centre console. Shaking my head, I entwine our fingers together, placing it on my lap. He blows me a kiss, then gets back to driving. He's such a dork, but I wouldn't have him any other way.

We reach the venue in about ten to fifteen minutes. Ridge parks the car in the VIP section, and then helps me get out of the car. The venue looks mesmerising. Trisha and Bruce had decided to go with the colour white and blue for their wedding. And I must say, the wedding planner, Victoria killed it with her decorations.

The whole archway is lined with bouquets of while lilies on both the sides, the pathway has a white feathery rug the drapes are a combination of baby blue and white, with a big ass chandelier hanging from above. The tables for the guests have silver table cloth with a small lily flower pot in the middle. This place looks like heaven right now.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ridge murmurs from my side, squeezing my hand in his.

I'm only able to nod as my eyes take in this place.

"Lydia! Ridge!" I hear Tanner's voice yell for us, making me snap my head in his direction. He walks towards is in full strides, a big smile on his face.

"You guys are here! Finally!" he exclaims, running his hands through his hair,"Bruce has been freaking out all day. Come on."

"I know. He called me a while back," Ridge chuckles. "Where are others though?"

"All the guys are with Bruce, and the ladies are in Trisha's room," he tells us.

"Great, I'll see you guys afterwards, Trish might need me right now," I mutter, fixing the strap of my dress.

"Let's go together, their rooms are across each other," Tanner says, and tohether we walk up the stairs, and split apart when I reach Trish's room.

As soon as I enter, my eyes fall on Trish and my breath stills. Her wedding dress is absolutely exquisite. It is a form fitting lace gown with a low cut, deep plunging neckline and open back with long sleeves. Small shimmery pearls are embedded at the borders, creating an illusion as if the dress is sparkling under the light. She looks beautiful. Her hair is put in an updo, with a lily tucked between.

Trish had kept her wedding dress a secret from us, since she wanted it to be a surprise. And looking at her right now, it's all worth it. My best friend looks like an angel. I wonder how Bruce will be able to handle this beauty today.

"You look, wow," I murmur, causing a big smile to stretch on her lips.

"She looks like an angel," Erica smiles brightly, kissing her cheek.

"Bruce is going to die today, I'm sure," Em chirps, popping a Dorito in her mouth. I walk inside, and close the door behind me.

"Thank you so much," she laughs, then turns away to face the mirror.

"What took you so long?" Kiara asks, snatching the pack of Doritos from Em.

"Exactly, you were supposed to be here at least an hour ago," Faye chuckles.

"She must've been busy with Ridge, right?" Kels winks at me, resting her head against Em's shoulder.

"I got a little busy," I mumble and sit down next to Faye.

The sound of the door opening captures out attention. Trish's day, Robert, peeks inside,"Can I come in ladies?"

"Yes, dad," Trish answers,"you can come in."

He enters the room, a warm smile on his face when his eyes fall on his beautiful daughter, "You look beautiful honey, just like a princess. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks dad," she whispers, "where's mom?"

"Right here," her mom, Monica whispers, walking inside, a big smile on her face. She brings her fingers up to wipe away a stray tear, and envelopes Trish in a hug, "My baby looks so beautiful. Like an angel."

I can see Trish trying to hold back her tears as she hugs her back, laughing softly, "Thank you mum."

She pulls away, kissing her forehead, "It's time, sweetie."

"Are you ready?" Robert asks her, putting his hand out for her to take. She places her hand in his, giving him a firm nod.

"I think it's time for you girls to go to," Monica nods at us, "After all, you are the bridesmaids and the Maid of Honor."

"Right," Erica chirps, and then together we walk out of the room. Giggling to ourselves and trying to contain our excitement inside, we make our way downstairs where the guys are already waiting, and the guests are already seated. My eyes fall on Bruce, who's standing at the altar, fiddling with his bow tie. He looks nervous, like he's about to shit his pants.  Stifling a chuckle, I walk towards Ridge who's looking at me with a tender smile on his face.

When it's time for us to walk down the aisle, I loop my arm through and give him a nod. Together, we walk towards Bruce who's looking at us with one of his biggest smiles. I blow him a kiss, making him shake his head in amusement.

Then come Erica and Ashton, the Maid of Honor and the Best Man, arm in arm, smiling happily. After we stand at our respective places, the flower girl, Emily walks down followed by Whiskey, who's the ring bearer. A small basket was dangled from his mouth, while there was a white neck tie around his neck.

We had to train him for atleast a month so that he could master what he had to do today. Safe to say, looking at the awed expression on everyone's faces, he's doing a great job.

I spot dad and Cherry sitting in one of the front seats, smiling at each other. They are clearly remembering their wedding day. They look so happy and in love.

The sweet melody of Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud starts crooning through the speakers, indicating that Trish is about to walk down the aisle. My palms become sweaty when I see the big gates opening, and then everyone stands when Trish and Robert come in our line of vision, Trish holding a bouquet of lilies in her hand.

She looks phenomenal.

My eyes land on Bruce who's looking at Trish, eyes wide, mouth parted slightly. He blinks a few times, his eyes watering. He's about to cry, I can see it. Hell, everyone can see it. The love they have for each other.

When she reaches Bruce, her dad places her hand in his, patting his back affectionately before taking his place, next to her mum.

The priest starts the ceremony, doing his thing and then it's time to exchange the vows.

"Remember the day we first met?" he starts, earning a confused look from her, "you had kicked me because I had ruined your painting by mistake. You were yelling at me, but I was smiling like a loon. Ever since that day, I was a goner. But me being the coward that I am, I couldn't say anything to you. But Lydia, she helped me realise how much of a fool I was to not make you mine. She made me realise how much I love you. How much I want you in my life," he sniffles softly, holding her hand tight before continuing," You are the only reason I'm sane till now. Because of you, I smile more. Because of you, I dare to dream. I am what I am today, all because of you. I love you with all my heart. I promise to cherish you forever. You are, and always will be my best friend, my soulmate."

By the time he's done, most of us are in tears, especially Trish who's trying hard to suppress her sobs.

"You know, when I first say you, I thought you were a jerk because you ruined my favourite painting, but as we spent time together, I realised that you are the complete opposite what I thought you were. Honestly, I fell in love with you the day, Lydia locked us in that hotel room. I fell in love with you the day you disrupted my peaceful world, filling it with adventures and happiness," she takes a deep breath, "I promise to love you for as long as I shall live. I promise to annoy you to death. I promise to stuff your mouth with pizza whenever you start irritating me. And I promise to not yell at you when I get weird cravings because I'm carrying our baby inside of me."

The whole crowd grows silent when Trish indicates that she's pregnant. Everyone except for Bruce knew that she is pregnant. It was so damn difficult to hide it from him. But all of it is worth it!

"You-you mean to say, tha-that," he swallows hard, a tear falling down his cheek,"- you're pregnant? We're pregnant?"

"Yes," she whispers, her lips splitting in a wide grin, "yes."

"Patience my child, we still have one last thing to do," the priest stops Bruce before he can jump on Trish, "Do you take Trisha Powers as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

"I do."

" Do you take Bruce Cooper as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

"Yes, I do."

Ashton hands Bruce's ring to the priest and Erica doesn the same. They exchange the rings, all smiles and giggles.

"I take this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You may now kiss the bride." The priest doesn't have to say it twice because Bruce dives right in, picking Trish up as they kiss each other, sealing the deal for life.

My eyes lock with Ridge who's looking at me with a warm gleam in his eyes. He doesn't even know that I have something planned for him. His mind is going to blow away when he realizes what's about to happen after this.

Everyone congratulates the newly weds, passing hugs and kisses. Bruce was on cloud nine, hugging everyone who came in his way.

When it's time for the bride to throw the bouquet, we all stand in a line while Trish prepares herself. But according to the plan, she turns around and starts walking towards Ridge who's standing in the middle, looking utterly confused as he sees Trish approaching him.

From my side, Em hands me the box I had asked her to keep with herself. She squeezes my hand and pushed me forward. Trish hands him the bouquet, whispering something in his ear. His eyes widen slightly, as his adam's apple bobs up and down.

I had been planning this for weeks now. Looking for different engagement rings, to find the perfect one. Once I found the one, the next problem was how. I had been discussing with the girls, looking for different ideas when Trish suggested me this awesome way, to propose to him today. I didn't want to steal their light on their special day, but Bruce and Trish actually forced me to go for it.

The ring I had chosen was a simple silver band with a low cut diamond embedded deep in the middle. It looked absolutely stunning. And I just hope that he likes it as much as I do.

I try not to hyperventilate and take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I cannot freak out now. Slowly, I walk towards him and get down on one knee, holding out the ring in front of us. I hear collective gasps and whispers circulating around the hall. But I ignore them. My eyes are fixated on the man in front of me.

"Ridge-" I'm stopped when he gets down to my level, giving me shit eating grin.

"I was supposed to do that, baby." He counters.

"Shut up and let me propose," I hit his shoulder softly, "The first time I saw you, I swear my heart whispered that, 'You're the one'. Ever since the day we've met, your given me so much to laugh and smile about. You always know how to make me smile when I'm down, you always know how to handle my mood swings, you always know what I want. And I love you with every part of my being. You are the only person who's captured my heart, right from the beginning. And I want to belong to you forever. I want you to belong to me, forever. I want to wake up next to you. I want to build a home with you. I want you to be the father of our children. So, Ridge Meanders, will you marry me and make me the happiest woman on earth?"

"Yes, fuck-" he chuckles, wiping away a stray tear that had made it's way down his gorgeous face, "-I'll marry you, baby. Of course I'll marry you."

Smiling so bright that my face might split into two, I slide the ring onto his fingerand pull him in for a kiss. The crowd goes into a frenzy of cheers and claps, but all I think about this man.

The man who's mine, forever.

He pulls away, resting his forehead against mine, "I love you beautiful. I love you so fucking much. Thank you so much for this. All of this, it just feels too good to be true."

"Also, just keep one thing in mind, if you don't cry when I'm walk I'm down the aisle, I swear I'm going to walk back up and do it all over again! But other than that, I love you more," I whisper against his lips. "More than anything in this whole world."

He laughs and then picks me up, and twirls in his arms, making me giggle. After he lowers me down, he kisses me one last time, both of us smiling wide. Seeing him like this, laughing and happy, in my arms makes me realize one thing, that,

I want to make this man the happiest he's ever been.

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OH MY GOD! I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT IT'S OVER! I SWEAR THAT LAST NIGHT I WAS WRITING ABOUT THEM MEETING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!

BUT FUCK, TIME FLIES FAST.

BRB, I JUST NEED TO GET ME SOME TISSUES SINCE I'M CRYING SO HARD RIGHT NOW!

As for the sequal information, I'll be posting it soon! So stay tuned for that!

Stay Safe and Stay Happy! <3