Page 69 of Blue Moon

Epilogue

The San Francisco fog blanketed Mount Tam, but I wasn’t chilly. My body was burning up from nerves—I was about to see my bride.

Beck punched me in the arm. “Never thought I’d be standing here next to you on your wedding day. You’ve come a long way buddy. I’m happy for you. And not to sound like a condescending prick, but I’m proud of you too.”

I hated to admit it, but those words meant the world to me. I didn’t have a father figure, no one to call me out on my bullshit. Beck was the closest thing I had in my life to a strong male role model. Had Beck not forced me to take Sol on that first flight, I wouldn’t be here today.

Our son, Neil, stood by my side. The adoption still wasn’t finalized, but the judge had signed off on him living with us. Since Sol and I were getting married, she was going to adopt him as well. And Sol was amazing with him. So patient and loving. Seeing her with him made me love her even more.

Even so, it had been a hard adjustment for Neil. He was quiet and scared at first. We’d enrolled him in the best preschool in our area, and he was also seeing a therapist. I hadn’t heard from Lila, but that was unsurprising. She’d thanked us for adopting her son and had just wanted to move on. I felt bad for Neil when he asked about her, knowing how conflicted I’d felt about my own mother at that age. But I knew that with time and love, he would thrive with us.

I was now stationed in San Diego, and Sol had moved down to live with me. The SoCal beach vibe suited her well—plenty of beautiful beaches to take pictures of sunsets and waves. Though her business model had changed—instead of just posting pictures of avocado toast all day, Sol had switched the focus of her blog and social media to finding happiness through real connection. She had also been accepted to graduate school and would start next fall. I was so damn proud of her.

Now, where was she?

After an agonizing wait, Sol walked down the aisle, escorted by her father. We hadn’t spent too much time with her family—they were always gone. I was shocked by how distant they were, but maybe that would change in time. At least Sol and I both knew how we wanted to raise Neil and any other kids we planned to have one day.

Once Sol was in focus, I melted at the sight of my beautiful bride. She was simply stunning. And I couldn’t believe she was mine.

We recited our vows, and I held her hands and gazed into her eyes.

“I love you, Sol.”

“I love you, too, Sawyer.”

The preacher announced, “You may now kiss the bride.”

I gave her the most passionate kiss. Solana Roberts. My wife.

With Sol and Neil, I now had the family I craved, that I hadn’t even known I’d wanted. And for the first time in my life, I was complete.

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