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Pastor Bowen says, “I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. West.”
Cheers sound up in the room and Danny starts to dance, but my eyes go to Marcus, and I lose all control I had. He’s smiling while tears fall down his cheeks. “Thank you,” he whispers, and I’m so glad we could give him this.
EPILOGUE
Logan
After the setback Marcus had, he’s been doing a little better. I know we shouldn’t get our hopes up, that it’s only the calm before the storm.
My wife is going to kill me though. She doesn’t think I know about the pole dancing competition she’s taking part in today. We’re all going to be there, front and center to support her.
When everyone is ready to leave, we take three cars. We find parking and get to our seats just as it starts.
When the first contestant is up on stage, Rhett leans over to me and whispers, “I can’t believe you let my baby sister do pole dancing. I give her to you, and within the first few months you’ve corrupted her.”
I laugh, but still manage to get the words out. “This is all Mia. I had no say. She’s been doing it for almost a year now. Wait until you see her.”
Watching all the performances, I have to admit they’re all good.
When they announce that Mia is up next, I sit up straight.
The lighting fades away, until we can’t see anything on stage. I take out my phone and press record, wanting to capture this moment for her. Piano notes open the song, and a blue hue grows brighter, until we can see her.
I lose my breath as she starts to move. She’s gotten so much better. Damn, that’s my wife up there.
There’s so much emotion in everything she does. I’ve never heard the song before, but it fits her perfectly. The first half I watch my wife, before I slowly turn my phone, wanting to capture the guys’ faces. I start with Carter, who’s frozen on the spot, his eyes taking in every move she makes. Jaxson has a huge smile on his face, which makes me smile.
At the same time, I focus the camera on Marcus and Rhett. The emotion on their faces is priceless. I’m so glad I get to capture it for her. I turn the camera on me and wink at her, before focusing it on her again.
When the song fades away, she ends her performance by sliding to the floor and lying still.
For a second the guys are still stunned, then Marcus struggles into a standing position, and he starts to clap. Mia’s head snaps up and when she sees Marcus, she gets to her knees and covers her mouth.
The entire audience is silent as Marcus says, “You were poetry in motion. With every beat of my heart, thank you for amazing me one last time.”
She leans forward and cries into the floor, but then she darts up faster than I ever could, and she leaps from the stage. She races up the stairs as Marcus makes his way down the aisle, using the chairs to hold him up. The last two people get up and move out of the way, just in time for Mia to throw her arms around him.
~
Mia
We never did anything huge for Christmas, but this year is different. No one is saying it out loud, but it’s our last Christmas with Marcus.
I’ve been helping Willow get everything right for today. I’m up early and softly crawl out of bed, so I don’t wake Logan.
I pull on a pair of slacks, a t-shirt, and my winter jacket, before sneaking out of the room. When I get outside, I’m not surprised to see Marcus sitting on the deck, with a blanket over him. He’s watching the sunrise.
“I never used to do things like this,” he whispers.
I walk over to him and pull a chair up right next to his. I sit down and take his hand in mine, leaning my head on his shoulder.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.
The sky is a breathtaking array of colors.
“I need to ask you something.”
I look up at him. “Anything.”
