The Next Chapter - Epilogue
As Danny Wheeler stood fixing his tie in his hall mirror, he couldn't help but think what a good life he had. Beautiful wife, amazing son, and he was getting ready to go be a witness at his mom's second wedding to her boyfriend, who was almost his age. Okay, granted maybe a little unorthodox, but great none the less. He finished perfecting his look, just in time to see Riley emerge from their bedroom. He turned and faced her, admiring her perfection.
"Okay, ready to go?" she asked him.
"Yeah, and may I just say Mrs. Wheeler, you look beautiful."
"Why thank you Mr. Wheeler. And may I just say you look pretty great yourself."
"Is that a new dress?" he asked, hoping to earn some good husband points for noticing.
"Actually, you know this dress very well."
Now he was confused. Until she continued.
"This is that maternity dress I showed you in the store, the one that you loved on me so much you couldn't keep your hands off me. I saw it sitting in the back of my closet as I was getting dressed, and it just looked so sad. So I thought, why not wear it. I mean just because it's a maternity dress doesn't mean I can't wear it when I'm not pregnant. I put this belt on to try and do something with it. Be honest, does it look like a circus tent?"
Danny couldn't help but smile, Riley always looked so cute when she rambled.
"Like I said, you look beautiful." was his reply. All she did was smile back, then double check her hair in the mirror. Danny would never understand why Riley was always so hard on herself about her appearance, in his eyes she always looked perfect.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road. The last thing I want is to be late and ruin another one of your moms weddings. Danny can you put Jamie in the stroller please." Danny walked over to his sons playpen and picked him up. Danny would never admit this out loud, but he the sight of Jamie in his baby suit made him want to explode with a cuteness overload. This was definitely his kid, barely 3 months old and already rocking a suit and tie.
"Okay little man, no spitting up on you nice suit … or mine." he said as he place Jamie in his stroller and strapped him in. A minute later they were out the door and on their way.
It was a beautiful day in the city, bright and sunny but still breezy, a perfect day for a wedding. When they got to the courthouse, they were surprised to see Ben, Emma, Tucker, and Brad, but no Bonnie.
"Where's mom?" Danny asked his brother.
"She wouldn't get out of the car." he answered.
"What? Why not?"
"I don't know, you're her favorite. Can you go talk to her please?"
Danny turned to Riley.
"Why don't you go Riley. One bride to another."
"Me? What would I even say? Ben's right, you're her son, and her favorite, go talk to your mom, I'm gonna go park Jamie in the shade."
Danny made his way around the corner and saw the taxi double parked. He walked up to it and tapped on the window.
"Mom? Please come out. It's your wedding day." She rolled down the window.
"I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore."
"Are you kidding me? You love Brad. You couldn't wait to marry him yesterday, what happened since then?"
"I don't know. I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."
"Well can you get out of the car? The toll is up to $50 and my neck is getting stiff."
At the mention of the fee Bonnie practically hopped out of the car.
"Okay, start from the beginning, what's this feeling you have?"
"Well last night I was in my apartment and I realized, that's the last time I was going to be sleeping there. I mean I just started my brand new exciting life in the city, I just got my independence back and now I'm getting married. I'm going to be living at Brad's. I'm afraid I'm going to lose myself, like I did when I was married to your dad."
"Well for starters, you're crazy if you think Brad is anything like dad. And also, you love him, and you know in your heart that you guys are meant to be. I know how weird it can feel to take such a big step in your life, I felt that same way when Riley and I got married. I mean yes I wanted to marry her more than anything, but when we first moved in together, I was terrified. The only girl I've ever moved in with was Emma. But once Riley and I found our way to each other, I wasn't about to let that slip away because of my fears. I'm still not, and neither should you. You love Brad right?"
"More than anything."
"Then let your love guide you, not your fears." That seemed to do the trick. Bonnie got a determined look on her face and charged towards the courthouse.
"Hey, what about my money!" The cabby yelled out.
"Oh right I'm so sorry, Danny can you take care of that for me, oh and leave a generous tip he was very nice." Danny paid the guy and then ran to catch up with his mom.
Once inside the courthouse they found out that because they had missed their appointment with the judge, they had to wait in line for the judge to see them. As they sat on the uncomfortable wooden benches, Danny thought back to when he first moved in across the hall.
(Flashback)
As he finished packing up the last box, Danny took one last look at his now empty room. With all of his stuff packed away, it looked smaller somehow. He was pulled from his thoughts when Ben knocked on the door.
"Hey man, you almost done here?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to double check, make sure I didn't leave anything."
"Dude, I cant believe you won't be down the hall anymore."
"Yeah I will, just a different hall."
"No, down the hall and across the hall are two different things."
"Yeah well, I'm a married man now. Think it's time I started living with my wife."
"Please, you've stayed at Riley's ever since you got married. The only difference is now your stuff is there too."
"Yeah well, I better get across the hall before riley starts throwing out my stuff she doesn't like."
As Danny walked out into the living room, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. He helped raise Emma in this apartment. He'd had breakfast, lunch and dinner here for almost 2 years. He's brought countless dates back here, and that reminded him of exactly why he was moving across the hall. With one last look, he closed the door behind him and never looked back.
He opened the front door of his new home, to find Riley going though one of the boxes.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, knowing she knew she'd been caught.
"Nothing, I just thought I'd give you a head start unpacking." Riley had a lot of great qualities, but lying wasn't one of them.
"Uh-uh, you sure you weren't just going through them to get rid of the stuff you don't like."
"No, it's just there's a smell coming from one of them, and I was trying to figure out which one it was." Now he knew she was telling the truth, especially since he could smell it too.
"Danny do you still hide sandwiches in your bedside table?"
"No," he lied.
"Danny,"
"Okay, maybe once in a while."
"Well you won't be doing that anymore, and eww! I think I found the culprit." she said as she pulled out a moldy sandwich out of one of the boxes.
"Who would even pack this?" as Danny looked in the box, he knew exactly who.
"Ben would, his version of helping me pack was to literally dump out the contents of my drawers into a box and then close it. I asked him to stop helping me after I found out what he was doing. This must be one of them."
Riley went into the kitchen to throw out the sandwich and came back with the garbage pail.
"What's that for?" Danny asked.
"Just incase Ben packed any more of your midnight snacks."
"Good idea."
After that incident, the rest of the packing went pretty easily. Sure he and Riley got in the occasional fight about where things went, but eventually they found a way to compromise until they were all done.
"Well that only took, five hours." Riley said as she looked at the clock on her wall.
"Yeah well, at least now it's all done. We officially live together."
"That sounds so weird to say." Riley commented. "We live together. I live with Danny Wheeler. I'm married to Danny Wheeler. I guess I'm still just getting use to it."
"Yeah well it is an adjustment." Danny added. "But one I'm very happy to make."
"Me too."
"At least there was one thing we didn't have a problem with, melding together our DVD collections. How bout a movie and some pizza?"
"Oh my god Danny, that sounds incredible. I'll go order the pizza."
"And I'll pick out the movie. You feel like watching our favorite?"
"Always. It's inconceivable how much I love that movie."
"I do not think that word mean what you think it means" Danny quoted as Riley laughed.
Halfway though their movie and pizza Danny got up to get another beer. As he did he took a look around his new place, and thought he was most definitely home.
(Flashback End)
Danny's daydream was interrupted by the announcement of his mother and Brad's names. They all made their way into the judges chambers as he began the proceedings.
"We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."
Danny watched as his mom and brad exchanged their vows and rings, smiling at Riley from time to time. Before he could blink, it was over.
"By the power vested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Danny couldn't help but watch his mom and Brad kiss, but only because she looked so happy. As they left the courthouse to head to the restaurant for their reception lunch, Danny hailed a cab as Riley went to the bathroom to change Jamie. When she came out, they hopped in the cab and were on their way.
"So, your mom and Brad are finally married. Things are sure gonna be different now." Riley said.
"Yeah, but I know it's all gonna be okay. Its her next chapter, and it looks like a good one."
"Yeah it does." Riley said as they rode off into the … traffic.
THE END
*AUTHORS NOTE: THANK YOU FOR READING MY SECOND STORY 'THE NEXT CHAPTER'. I HAVE ENJOYED READING YOUR REVIEWS AND CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR MORE. AND DON'T WORRY THIS IS NOT THE END, STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT STORY IN THE DANNY AND RILEY TRILOGY. THANK YOU*