Love Untold

Love Untold: Epilogue

Love Untold: Epilogue

As it turned out, there was no waiting period to be married in the state of Colorado.  And since neither of them could keep their hands off of each other -- and of course, they were destined to be together forever -- they decided to tell their families that night and get married in the morning.

Yes, it was insane.  Yes, they’d only known each other a few hours, but their lives had been intertwined for so long before that.  And they planned to keep it that way.

In the resort’s private dining room later that night, Chrissie smoothed her hair as Reese led her to her mother and sister who were waiting for them and Chrissie’s big news.  She’d not said anything to them about Reese, wanting it to be a surprise, and she prepared for the fight of a lifetime.  She envisioned more forced trips to a psychiatrist and more crazy pills crammed down her throat, but her family amazed her with their complete understanding.  Dolly and Dena Hill took the news very well, under the circumstances, demonstrating their unique characteristics from the start, and Chrissie was glad Reese was exposed to that now.  If he loved her -- truly loved her -- then he’d have to learn to tolerate her insistent mother and pushy sister.  

Chrissie introduced him, explained that he was “the one,” and that he’d been dreaming of her, too.  They welcomed him with open arms.  Her mother grew misty-eyed when they explained about getting married in the morning, and said, “I’ll get my grandbabies!”

Reese looked very pleased with that prospect, and Chrissie loved him more for it.  Was it crazy to fall in love with a man she never met until that day?

Was it crazy that she felt she already knew everything -- the important things -- about him?

Or was it crazy that they were the only ones lucky enough to find the love of a lifetime in their dreams and then have those dreams come true?

Reese kissed her forehead as they were joined by his family.  “Sweetheart, I want you to meet my brother,” he said.  Ha! she shouted at herself and giving Dena a triumphant smirk.  He did have a brother!

But then, Chrissie looked over, saw David Elliot standing there in the doorway with a sheepish grin, and her vision turned red. “You!” she snarled.

“Hello, Miss Hill,” David said, walking closer with his hand outstretched.  “It’s nice to see you again.”

Before he could cross half the distance between them, she growled low in her throat, and he came to a dead stop.  “You told me you didn’t have a brother.”

He rubbed his hands together while his wife watched with an amused smile.  “Yes...I’m am truly sorry about that, but surely Reese told you about his publicity fears.  Only the people in this room -- and our mother -- know we’re brothers.”

Reese, already conscientious of her perchance at throwing things when she got angry -- he described her dream fits to perfection and found them just as amusing as Race did in her dream -- stepped between them as Chrissie balled up her fists by her side.  Give me something to throw!  

“Wait a minute?  You two really know each other?  And she asked if you had a brother and you lied?  Did you know about her dreams, too?”

David’s wife -- Chrissie later learned her name was Jennifer -- patted her husband’s shoulder.  “And you never listen to me,” she said.  “Didn’t I say they needed to know about each other?”

“You knew, too?” Reese asked his sister-in-law.  “And all that talk this morning?  You couldn’t tell me any of this?”

Chrissie reared back.  “Wait a damn minute,” she scorned, and Dena smiled at her cursing, giving her a thumb’s up, and Chrissie went on, “So, Reese and I are the only ones who didn’t know about each other?  How could you keep that a secret?”

“I didn’t know,” Dena said, smiling at everyone, as though eager to see a fight, and Dolly nodded, adding, “Neither did I.”  Dolly glared at David, looking like an older, equally pissed-off Chrissie.

“I was threatened to stay silent,” Jennifer commented calmly.  “But I warned him that note was a bad idea.”

Chrissie took a threatening step towards David.  “So you did send that note!”

“Note?” Reese asked.  “What note?”

Dena piped up, “Chrissie got a note a few weeks ago.  It said, ‘He dreams of you, too.’  It made her a little crazy for a while.”

Reese turned to Chrissie.  “What happened?”

Chrissie unhinged her clenched jaw.  “I couldn’t find you, and then I found your brother, but he said he didn’t have a brother, and so I stopped looking and I kind of stopped living after that, too, and then his note came, and...well, I lost it.  I passed out on the front porch.”

Reese cradled her face in his hands, staring worriedly and lovingly at her.  “Are you okay?  Were you hurt?”

“It just broke her heart all over again,” Dena said, and Chrissie hissed at her, “Shut up, D.  I’m fine.”  She drew her gaze back to Reese, saw the fury and love and worry in his eyes and repeated, “I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and kissed her tenderly.

“Aw...that’s sweet,” David said behind them.  “See?  It all worked out.”

Reese broke off the kiss, turned to glare at his brother, who only grinned back, and then he turned to Chrissie and said, “Let them have it...but don’t hurt the kids.”

Chrissie pecked Reese quickly under his chin, grinned, grabbed a cannoli from the nearby dessert tray and flung it toward the married couple.  It smashed into David’s nose, smearing custard slime down his suit as it fell to the floor.  David’s kids thought this was great fun, and from that day forward, Mom’s Annual Snowball Fight was accompanied by an Annual Food Fight during the summer months -- outside, of course, and Dolly opted for foods that were safe for the wildlife to munch on when it was all over.

*****

The following day, Chrissie Hill became Chrissie Jackson, and Reese Jackson became the happiest man on the planet.  No one thought they were crazy for not waiting.  They honeymooned in the Love Nest for the rest of the week, not poking their heads out of the door unless it was to scurry to the main kitchen for nourishment.  And just like from her dreams, Reese spoiled his wife rotten, and Chrissie loved every minute of it.  Furthermore, she got pregnant right away.  Dolly was overjoyed...she could barely speak a whole sentence without including grandbaby or grandma with every other word, and her smile was permanently frozen on her lips until the day she died -- which was quite a long time away.  

Reese loved the Rocky Mountain area, so Chrissie moved her business to Denver, bringing Brian along with her.  Everything important to her was here anyway.  She didn’t have much to go back to.  The newlyweds built a log cabin a few miles away from the resort, which finally got a remodel, and they raised three very healthy, very active children -- though they still had to listen Dolly’s repetitive question, “Where are the other three?” during every holiday, birthday, and the occasional weekday.

So, was real life just as good as the dream?  Chrissie and Reese didn’t think so.  It was better...so much better.  And many might be curious about how they lived their reality together.  Well, we kind of already got a glimpse of the first two years.  It wasn’t much different after that.

Only...real and alive and awake.

*****

Dena...sigh...the pride and shame of the Hill family, according to her sister, Chrissie.  Dena went searching for her own dream now that she knew it was possible...

It didn’t take long.  She had a feeling she’d already met him.

*****

(This story is a finalist for the Non-Teen category of the 2011 Watty's.  Vote and support if you love it.)