Cheers To Comeuppance
Epilogue

Third person

*** One Year Later ***

“Baby Bear, are you ready?” Beau asked Annika as he entered her bridal suite. A year had passed since all of the drama finally ended. Seven months after everything had been settled, Annika gave birth to a healthy baby girl – Adelina Jasmine Von Doren.

It was finally their wedding day, and to say Leon went all out to give Annika the wedding of her dreams was an understatement. Although they opted for a smaller wedding in Santorini, it didn’t mean Leon didn’t pull out all the stops to ensure no hiccups in the plans. Leon reserved the entire Canaves Oia Boutique Hotel for their friends and family. The wedding venue was covered in red and white roses, much to Annika’s delight. She had mentioned in passing that if she ever had a wedding, she wanted to be a black and white wedding with red as the accent color, and sure enough, Leon had remembered this little detail. It helps that the hotel was 90% white.

“I’m nervous, Daddy. What if I fall?” Annika said as she clutched her bouquet with both hands and started to tremble.

“I would never let that happen, Baby Bear,” Beau cooed and kissed the top of her head. “Are you ready?” he asked again, and she nodded. Beau escorted his darling daughter down the hall towards the aisle. In front of her were Kenzie and Hunter. They were the only mutual friends that Annika and Leon had and the only friends that they needed at their wedding party. Although Leon had invited Janko and his wife and a few other friends that Annika met at the gender reveal party, they could still keep their attending guests below a total of fifty.

“Girl, that dress looks even better than when you first tried it on,” Kenzie said when Annika and Beau walked up behind them. When Annika, Micky, their mother, and Kenzie went wedding dress shopping, Annika tried on about a dozen dresses (without a budget, of course) and finally settled on a Pnina Tornai fit and flare that complimented their Santorini wedding. Before Annika could respond to Kenzie’s compliment, the music that cued their entrance started.

Kenzie and Hunter went through the double doors and down the aisle. Leon was already ready and waiting at the altar for Annika. The music changed as soon as Kenzie and Hunter reached their respective spots. Annika vetoed the traditional wedding march and went with her favorite love song, a more melodious version of “A Whole New World” from the original soundtrack of Disney’s Aladdin.

As Annika walked down the aisle with her father, everything that happened in her life to get to this point flashed before her very eyes. The moment she met Leon, how they became partners to bring down those who had cheated and hurt them. How, through their crusade to wreak vengeance, they found true love with one another. She reminisced on their first k**s. Their first time together. Their spur of the moment in her car. Finding out she was pregnant with their first child. Annika remembered everything until this moment, and tears flooded her eyes.

Leon was also reminiscing about everything when he saw Annika walking towards him like an angel from heaven. After his failed married to Sadie, he never thought he would experience true love. But that all changed when Annika entered his life seemingly out of the blue. Through all of their ups and downs, they came out on top together, and now they were finally getting the happy ending they both deserved. Leon also shed some stray tears for the first time in a long time.

Annika finally made it to Leon, who bowed his head to Beau. Beau kissed Annika’s head again and shook Leon’s hand before handing over his precious daughter. When they were in front of the pastor, the ceremony commenced. Thankfully, no one objected to their union, and the pastor gave them the go-ahead to recite their custom written vows.

“Doc, I’ll never forget the day that I first laid my eyes on you. The tears you shed that day tugged on my heartstrings, and it was a feeling that I would never forget. You were beautiful even then, and I knew I had to get to know you. Granted, I did things a little differently than most people and signed up to be your new patient,” Leon stated, with the guests chuckling and snickering. “But I knew I needed a doctor because there was no way what was going through my body was natural. I never felt my heart beat as rapidly for anyone as it did for you. Nor did I ever experience the suffocation of loss whenever I felt I would never see your beautiful face again. I knew I had to have you. Though you and I had gone through many hardships, trials, and tribulations before we were allowed to manifest our love for one another, there’s not a single second I wouldn’t change for the world. Because each second of every day since the day I saw you at Malloy’s office led me to this point in time. With you, in front of our gorgeous baby girl and all of those other people,” he said jokingly, making everyone and Annika laugh again. “I love you, Annika Noelle Silverton, with every fiber of my being, until death do us part.”

“Very well said, Leon. Annika, your vows, please?”

“Oh wow, that’s going to be hard to beat. I had this whole speech prepared, but now that I think about it. I don’t need it. I’m just going to speak from the heart. Leon, you drive me crazy,” Annika stated, making the crowd burst into laughter. From the moment you stepped into my clinic, I knew you would be trouble for me. You’re handsome, tall, and covered in tattoos. How was I supposed to fight against your rugged charm? You lied about your identity, then offered me a partnership because we had a common enemy. I knew I should have said no, but I couldn’t. There was something about you that just drove me absolutely bonkers, and it was something I had never felt before. You made me want to give in to every temptation I had ever fought against, and I even lied to my family for the first time in my life just so that I could be with you. But being with you also allowed me to feel for the first time in a long time. Feel every emotion that has ever existed; even though it was exhausting, it was all invigorating. I finally got to feel what it was like actually to be alive and not on autopilot. I was able to control my life the way I wanted, and it’s something that I will always be thankful for. I will forever be indebted to you as a human, but I will forever love you as a partner, a best friend, and, most importantly, as your wife. Thank you, my love, for saving me when I didn’t even know that I needed to be saved. I love you, Leonardo Von Doren, until death do us part.”

After their heartfelt vows, the pastor finalized the ceremony and announced them, husband and wife. Before he could even instruct Leon to k**s his bride, Leon had already grabbed Annika by the waist, brought her impossibly close to him, and crashed his lips against hers. The crowd cheered for the newly wedded couple, but they were stuck in their own world. Annika wrapped her arms around Leon’s neck as he wrapped his arms around her entire body.

Through all of the pain and suffering they endured, Leon and Annika finally got their happily ever after.

the end