Glitter Angel

Epilogue 2

Brady – Two Years Later

The ring nestled in my pocket feels heavy and my palms are sweaty. Tonight I’m going to ask Lexi to marry me. Even though we both have a year left before we graduate, I feel certain that we can handle being married while we complete our studies.

“Brady, there you are!” Willow exclaims when she finds me hiding out on the heated patio, sipping a cocoa, and enjoying one of Harper’s cupcakes. Lexi is over at Harper’s bakery. Together, they are filming a YouTube episode featuring a unique cupcake ingredient combination that Lexi concocted. Let’s just say there were several failures, and I had to taste every horrible one, before she hit on this delicious combination.

“Join me,” I say as I motion to the seat across from me.

Willow grins and elegantly folds her tall frame into the seat. “Is everything ready for tonight?” she asks.

Chuckling, I reply, “I guess so. You and Harper did most of the work.” These two women have become Lexi’s closest friends. They came up with a complicated proposal plan that a seasoned matchmaker would be proud of. Since Lexi’s latest movie was such a hit, I hope she reacts well to what we’re going to do. Can I pull it off without a hitch? That’s the million-dollar question.

Willow giggles. “There’s a lot of moving parts, but everything should work out.”

“Wow! Thanks for the confidence builder,” I tease. My heart is already pounding in my chest and we’re still a couple hours from the moment that I’ll show Lexi exactly how much I love her. The grandest of grand gestures, so to speak. At least Willow and Harper think so.

Willow reaches across the table and pats my hand. “You’ll be fine, just don’t forget your lines.”

We both laugh.

~*~

“The audience loved my cupcakes!” Lexi says as she strolls into my room at the Christmas Inn. I’m surrounded by snowmen, what appears to be hundreds of them. Lexi got the much more spacious Bells and Mistletoe suite, in honor of her first visit here three years ago. Even though she packs much lighter now than before, Willow still reserved a suite for her.

“Oh, you mean your weird ingredients didn’t turn them off?” I tease.

She sticks her tongue out at me. “Just because you didn’t think of it, doesn’t make the combination weird.”

A belly laugh escapes and I waltz over, tugging her into a bear hug. She fits so well in my embrace, as I snuggle her close to my chest. “I still assert that crushed green olives don’t belong in chocolate cupcakes.” My logical engineer’s brain can’t get over that this bizarre ingredient combination tastes good.

After I give her a quick kiss, I turn her around, and gently point her towards the door. “Okay, off to your room to get ready.”

“Why all the secrecy?” she asks with a pout of her tempting lips.

“We’re celebrating our three-year anniversary tonight and I want it to be special,” I reply.

Her eyes widen, and I watch as she mentally does the math. “Gosh! You’re right. Three years since you showed me how to have fun again. Remember our sledding adventure?”

I nod. “And remember how I nearly broke my back lugging all that luggage up the stairs.”

Lexi groans. “Please don’t remind me. I’m not that woman anymore.”

I point to the door, giving her a wave as she disappears down the hall. Three years ago, my initial impression of Lexi as a spoiled, entitled celebrity is nothing like the real Lexi—the person she was afraid to show to the world. She’s kind, caring, and smart. She’s still gorgeous on the outside, but I’ve come to realize how gorgeous she is on the inside, too.

This semester she’s student teaching, a requirement for her degree in early childhood education. Sometimes I meet her at the end of the day at her classroom. Her interaction with the students is amazing. They love her as much as she loves them. She’ll be the perfect mom when the time comes to have kids—unlike her own mom who took advantage of her daughter’s stardom and income for so many years.

I’m blessed to have Lexi in my life and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I had my doubts that it would happen when she returned to her celebrity life to make that cheesy film. I thought the long distance and her return to being a star would tear us apart. But we managed to get through it. In fact, the time we spent apart actually strengthened our relationship.

Pulling myself into the present, I see that it’s almost time for the grand proposal. I grab my outfit and start dressing.

~*~

Willow hustles Lexi’s co-stars, Lauren and Zoe, into the back office at the inn where I’m waiting. They both giggle when they see me.

“You must really love her, Brady, if you’re willing to dress like that,” Lauren says.

I grumble a few choice words about the stifling suit, then nod towards their clothing. “You did a great job recreating those outfits.” They’re both wearing skimpy outfits that resemble the ones they wore in the cheesy film they did with Lexi.

“We borrowed them. The production company still had these terrible clothes in the wardrobe department.”

“That’s because no one else would wear these,” Zoe adds as she gives Lauren a teasing jab with her elbow.

“Just remember that the inn caters to PG-13 guests, so don’t go flashing anyone,” I add, wondering how either one of them could possibly bend over in the extremely short, tight dresses.

They exchange looks and shrugs. “I guess we’re used to wearing stuff like this,” Zoe replies.

Knock! Knock!

“Come in,” I say.

Willow, with Harper in tow, walks in. They both grin when they see me and the two actresses.

“Wow, you all look exactly like the characters in the movie!” Willow says.

Harper nods. “How do you tolerate those tight dresses?” she says, leaning towards Lauren and Zoe to closer inspect the barely-there outfits.

Harper’s question breaks the ice, and the four women chat amongst themselves as if I’m not even here. When they start talking about the actress’s very expensive high heels—made by some dude named Louboutin—I clear my throat, and four pairs of eyes swivel my way. “Shouldn’t we get this show on the road?”

Willow claps her hands like a seasoned director. “Yes, it’s showtime!”

The women stroll out of the room to take their places at another hiding spot in the inn. Harper turns and says with a wink, “We’ll bring her down in a few minutes.”

I nod. Wearing this horrible get-up better be worth it because it’s hot and very uncomfortable. I shift in my chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. After what feels like hours, I hear voices in the hallway.

“Why are we going back here?” Lexi asks.

“Oh, you have a visitor,” Willow responds.