Chapter: 14 - Epilogue....

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Carly said from the other room.

"What?" Angel came back from the bathroom, into her bedroom where Carly was had unzipped the bag around the dress hanging on her closet door.

"This is a real dress." She pulled out a part of the skirt to reveal the lace and sequins.

"I had Charlie bring it in from Italy." She said, colour rising to her cheeks. She remember what it had cost her for that expense and would gladly pay it again.

"See, this is what you should have had in the first place."

"The first time, we weren't getting married; we were concluding a business deal." Angel said simply. She started to take the curlers out of her hair and Carly got up to help her.

"Are you sure that you want me as your maid of honour."

"Yes. Carissa is a bridesmaid. It's all I needed."

Carly started to pin up some of the curls so that they created a halo around Angel's head.

"My cousin is such a dumb shit you know." She said.

"Why?"

"Because he was in love with you the whole time you were in love with him and if had just been a man and admitted it then, we could have avoided this whole fiasco."

"Ah, but you love weddings."

She titled her head. "Okay, yeah I do. At least this one is the wedding you deserve."

She smiled at her and Carly's reflection.

"How's it going in here?" Carissa asked from the doorway. "Everyone's getting anxious."

"The Ceremony doesn't start for another 35 minutes." Carly said, double checking her watch.

"Yeah but everyone is here already and Charlie is pacing back and forth at the gazebo like a nervous Nelly."

Carly's eyes bugged out and Angel laughed.

"What?" Carissa said.

"I haven't heard anybody use the phrase 'nervous Nelly' since my grandmother was alive." Carly said.

"I'm old fashioned. The classics never die. Speaking of which, your grandfather asked me to get you to come down as soon as you were ready. He wanted to speak with you in private before you went out."

Carissa and Carly helped her get ready quicker and once she was in her dress she was floating down the stairs toward her grandfather.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Her grandfather pulled her into the living room.

"Just in case you got all sentimental and didn't want your girlfriends to see you cry, I have something for you." He walked over to where a white box was sitting on one of the chairs. There was an envelope on it.

He came back and handed her both.

"Before your mother died she wrote this."

"How could she have known she was going to die?"

Danny grimaced. "Your mother initially survived the accident. She was in intensive care for a few weeks but she didn't want you to see her. She knew she was going to die and she wanted you to remember her the way she was, not all burned and broken. I'm sorry I listened to her because maybe you needed to say goodbye her, as young as you were. Anyway, she wanted me to give her some paper and a pen and she wrote this for you and wanted me to give it to you on your wedding day."

"Why didn't you give it to me a year ago?"

"Because I just had this feeling that there was something else you needed to do… that it wasn't going to be the last time I walked you down the isle." He shrugged. "Told you I should have been one of those readers you see on TV. I have a gift."

Angel smiled and opened the letter.

My dearest Angel,

I wish I could be with you today, to smile and see how happy you are. To see the handsome face of the man about to become my son in law but unfortunately I will not be and that breaks my heart. Even though right now, as I'm writing this, you are very young, I know you're a good person Angel, and whoever this man is, he has to be very special to be able to have you. I want you to know that your father and I love you so very much and maybe we're there in spirit right now, watching over your shoulder as you read this letter… who knows. Your grandfather is a lucky man and I'm envious that he'll get to see you grow up but I know that he will raise you right.

I want you to have this gift from me, so that a little piece of me is with you as you tell the man your about to marry how much you love him and how you want to spend the rest of your life devoted to him. It was mine when my mother gave it to me and her mother before her. It's special, just like you. Please make sure to pass it down to your children until it's no longer able to withstand it.

I love you so very much my lovely little Angel. Please remember me always and that I loved you more than life itself.

Your mother, Olivia Baxter-Robitaille.

She put the letter down, tears starting to trace lines down her face and opened the white box. She moved the tissue and then put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god."

Danny had something else in his hands when he approached her.

"Is that Mom's veil?"

Danny nodded and handed her the picture in his hand. Angel looked at it. It was her parent's wedding picture. Her parents looked so happy.

She called in the girls and they both looked as though they would cry, then helped her pin the veil in her hair.

"I remember your mom on her wedding day. She was beautiful. Not to do her justice, but you're more beautiful." Danny kissed her cheek.

"Thank you Grampa."

"Raising you was one of the best decisions I've made in my life."

She smiled and then took his arm as they left out the back doors.

The backyard was full of people. Mostly Charlie's business associates and such but it was nice. Much nicer than the wedding in the park a year ago. So much had happened in a year… once of which was her flourishing flower business.

Angel Flowers was doing tremendously well. As Charlie had predicted, with the right advertising, people came all over to get arrangements made specifically by 'the' Angel of Angel flowers. She now had another store open closer to the city. Charlie had promised her that although they were already legally married, he would give her the wedding of her dreams, the wedding she deserved and a honeymoon in Turks and Cacaos, where Charlie did not have any business associates of any kind.

She insisted on having the wedding at her grandfather's house, where her parents had also married. Everything was exactly the way she had imagined it should be. She smiled as she passed by some of her friends and clients and then smiled a little wider when she saw Caleb. He waved a little and the strawberry blonde beside him waved also, flashing the diamond that was almost hers.

Leo and Lisa has split almost 2 months after their wedding. Leo couldn't handle the fact that Lisa had a man on the side so they spilt amicably, but soon she and Caleb realized that their love of the best side of life was enough to make them a match. Although Caleb had promised that he would be faithful, she knew it would not be a promise he would have kept. Caleb currently had another girlfriend in the City. Lisa and her regularly got together to dish and get their nails done. Lisa wasn't seeing anyone currently but she was not against hooking up with some bachelor at Angel & Charlie's nuptial celebration. Lisa had commissioned Angel's shop to do her flowers again, only this time, she didn't need to see 2 sets of samples.

Lisa and Angel weren't the closest of friends, but Lisa would call occasionally to talk and gush about her wedding and how it was going to be even bigger than the last.

Caleb avoided making eye contact with Charlie but still had business dealings with him.

Carissa was manager at the new city location of Angel flowers and she was quite happy there. She was currently seeing someone from her floral arranging class. It made Angel laugh. Who knew that floral arranging classes were a good way to pick up dates?

Charlie was beaming but Angel could tell that he was nervous. He always seemed to be nervous now because he didn't know if at any given moment Angel would run away. He loved her and She tried to prove every day that he was worth everything to her, he just didn't know it yet. She had a little surprise for him.

~*~

"I love you." Charlie whispered to her as Carissa was recounting the tail of when she and Angel had first met.

"I love you too. Don't go anywhere. I'm up next and I have a little surprise for you."

"A little surprise? How little?"

"Oh… pretty little right now, but it will get bigger with time."

"Okay?" he looked confused and a little scared. "I'll be on the edge of my seat."

Angel knew he didn't have a clue because his eyebrows moved together in confusion.

Angel got up and re told the story of her and Charlie. There were laughs and sighs from the crowd and then everyone clapped when she told them about Charlie's heroics. Caleb turned a little red but he took it in good spirits.

"I just have one other thing to add. I told my husband that I had a surprise for him and I thought that by saying it here, I would kind of kill two birds with one stone sort of. I would eventually have to tell everyone but it saves me from losing my voice. My life has never been as good as it has been since being with Charlie. Although we didn't start out perfect, it all sort of fell into place. Well, I'm happy that I can say that it's only just the beginning and in 6 months… give or take, there will be a new little Dwight joining our family."

Charlie started to choke on his water and one of the groomsmen started to pat him on the back. The crowd started to roar with laughter. When he had recovered he stood, walked to the podium and took the hand of his bride.

"We'll be right back folks. Enjoy your dessert." He pulled her toward the house and into the kitchen.

"Are you mad?" she asked.

"What? Hell no." He smiled wide. "I'm ecstatic. I just didn't expect to hear that today, that's all."

"I know we said we wanted to wait a little longer… get the new store in the city established before thinking about babies but it sort of just, happened…."

Charlie suddenly realized something. "Oh… that weekend in New York…. We weren't really thinking much about consequences were we?" he smirked.

"No. the bottle and a half of Wine made that decision for us." She smiled. "Charlie, I know in the back of your mind, you still think I'm looking for excuses to bolt but I thought that by me telling you and all our guests this news that it would put your fears to bed."

He laughed. "There's only one thing I'm thinking about taking to bed…" he pulled her roughly against her and caused her to let out a little squeak of surprise.

"Not here Charlie…"

"Oh I know, later." He winked and kissed her, deeply and the way someone should kiss the woman they love.

"I might regret saying this later, as I know you will continuously tease me about it, but I'm glad that you didn't sign the papers and give up on me."

He smirked. "And I'm glad that you're a stubborn but oh so gorgeous little Angel." He laughed and kissed her again.

"Now, do think my grandfather suffered a stroke at that news? It does mean that he's going to be a Great Grandfather." They looked out the kitchen window to where Carissa was handing Danny a glass of water.

"Naw… because he's already a great grandfather. He raised you didn't he?" Charlie smiled. He opened the door. "After you Mrs. Robitaille-Dwight."

"No… just Dwight."

He smiled wide. "So I've finally worn you down have I?"

"Yeah, well. He or she might not want a large hyphenated name." Charlie smiled, placed a hand on her stomach before kissing her again.

"I never get tired of doing that."

"Me either. Why did you stop?"

He chuckled. "Maybe I can't wait for the end of the night."

"You wanna do up all those buttons again?" she indicated the buttons going all the way down her back.

"Good point." He took her hand. "Ready?"

"For anything."

He took her hand and they left the kitchen and went back into the frenzy of guests. They all clapped and cheered as they made their way back to the head table.

"A toast." Everyone looked around and saw that it was Caleb with his glass in the air. "To Angel and Charlie and their soon to be little one. All the best in love and life."

"Hear, Hear." Danny said and everyone drank, except Angel who had filled her glass with water.

A/N:

Well Hope you enjoyed this story. Not as long as some of my others but I got the idea of how to end it while having a shower yesterday and kept writing it until the very end (which drove my hubby crazy because he wanted to check out some sports crap or UFC or something... never will understand the craze but to each their own)

Anyway... thanks to the loyal readers and I truly hope that Cosmoplitan got to finish reading all the chapters!

Keep your eyes open for more stories, my head is full of them, just itching to put them to WP...

~Kahlan~