Chapter 165 A never ending story

Chapter 165 A never ending story
Epilogue

Dylan's POV

People always say your wedding day is the happiest day of your life.

I agree.

But I'd also say it's the most terrifying.

I've played championship finals with eighteen thousand people screaming my name. I've taken game-winning shots with my entire career hanging on a single swing. I've stood in front of cameras after the worst losses of my life and answered questions I didn't want to hear.

None of that...

Absolutely none of it...

Prepared me for standing at the end of a beach in a tuxedo, waiting for Emma Carter to walk toward me.

I adjust my tie for what has to be the hundredth time before Jasper quietly slaps my hand away. "If you touch that thing one more time, I'm cutting it off."

"It's crooked."

"It isn't."

"It feels crooked."

"That's because you're losing your mind."

"I am losing my mind."

A laugh slips out of him. "Good. I'd be worried if you weren't."

The music begins to swell, floating across the private beach as every guest rises to their feet.

I force myself to stop fidgeting.

The ceremony is exactly how Emma imagined it. White roses line both sides of the aisle, their petals dancing whenever the ocean breeze rolls in. Rows of ivory chairs stretch toward the back, filled with family, friends, teammates, and just enough members of the press to satisfy the headlines without turning today into another media circus.

Olivia walks first, elegant as ever, wearing the biggest smile I've seen on her face in years. Eloise follows behind her, looking impossibly proud, and then comes Carmen, who catches my eye long enough to mouth, ‘Don't screw this up.’

I snort.

Jasper leans closer. "I think she just threatened you."

"I think she fully intends to follow through."

Then the music changes.

A collective gasp moves through the guests when Dawn appears.

She's wearing the tiniest white dress I've ever seen, complete with little shoes she absolutely hated this morning until Olivia bribed her with strawberries. A flower basket hangs from her arm, and for about five glorious seconds, she does exactly what we practiced.

One tiny handful of petals.

Sprinkle.

Another handful.

Sprinkle.

The guests are already melting, but when she looks up and our eyes meet, her entire face lights up.

"Dada!"

Well...

There goes the ceremony.

She drops the basket without a second thought and takes off down the aisle, tiny legs pumping like she's trying to break a world record.

The guests burst into laughter.

I barely have time to crouch before she launches herself into my arms.

"There you are." I laugh, kissing the top of her head. "Your timing is absolutely terrible."

She giggles like I've just told the funniest joke she's ever heard.

Somewhere behind me, Carmen is laughing so hard she's probably crying.

Olivia walks over, already shaking her head. "I'll take the criminal."

"I don't know." I hug Dawn a little tighter. "I think she improved the ceremony."

"I spent twenty minutes convincing her not to eat the flower petals," Olivia deadpans. "Please hand her over before she starts another rebellion."

Reluctantly, I pass my daughter into her aunt's arms.

"Dada!" she calls, waving enthusiastically.

"I'll still be here in five minutes, peanut."

She seems satisfied with that answer.

Then...

I look up.

Everything else disappears instantly.

The music. The ocean. The guests. Even the breeze.

It's just...

Her.

Emma.

I've seen her wearing my oversized hoodie while making pancakes at seven in the morning.

I've seen her in old university sweatpants with mascara smudged beneath her eyes after pulling an all-nighter.

I've seen her laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

I've seen her crying in my arms.

I've seen her furious enough to throw a pillow at my face because, honestly, I deserved it.

Every version of her has been beautiful.

But nothing...

Nothing prepares me for this.

She isn't just beautiful.

She's the answer to every prayer I was too stubborn to admit I'd been making.

She walks toward me with that smile I've spent years falling in love with, and every speech I rehearsed immediately abandons me.

"You are..." I laugh because apparently my vocabulary has decided to disappear too. "Wow."

One of her eyebrow lifts. "That's your compliment?"

"Give me a break." I grin helplessly. "You completely stole my ability to form sentences."

She laughs softly, shaking her head. "I'll accept it."

"I was really hoping you would."

The officiant clears his throat, smiling knowingly. "I suppose we can begin now?"

Another wave of laughter ripples through the guests and finally, we start.

The ceremony passes in a beautiful blur and when it's my turn to read my vows, I don't even bother unfolding the cards I'd spent weeks writing.

None of them feel right anymore.

Instead...

I just look at her.

"I used to think love was something people eventually lost," I say quietly. "You proved me wrong."

For the first time all day, my voice doesn't shake. It's steady.

"You gave me a family before I believed I deserved one. You made me a father. You made me a better man."

A quiet laugh escapes me. "I can't promise I'll never annoy you." The guests laugh. "In fact, I can promise I definitely will."

Emma laughs through the tears already shining in her eyes. "But I also promise I'll choose you. Every ordinary Tuesday. Every exhausting Sunday. Every impossible day. Every beautiful one in between."

I squeeze her hands gently, unable to stop smiling. "I'll keep falling in love with you for the rest of my life."

My throat tightens. "I love you, Emma. I always will."

“Dylan…”

Emma lets out the smallest, shakiest laugh before taking a steadying breath. Her eyes never leave mine, and somehow that makes me even more nervous than I was five minutes ago.

“When I first met you, I had no idea what I was walking into. All I knew was that getting involved with you was a terrible idea because Olivia would've killed me.” The crowd laughs. “Thankfully, I'm still alive to tell the story.” More laughter ripples through the guests. “But even then, something kept pulling me toward you. I was young, and I didn't know much about love, but somewhere along the way, I realized one thing with complete certainty... my future had to have you in it. Who would've thought what started as our little secret would lead us to a moment this beautiful?”

She sniffs a deep breathe in before meeting my eyes again. “God, we were stubborn. We hurt each other. We let fear speak louder than love more times than I'd like to admit. And somehow… We still found our way back.

Looking at you now, I don't see the hockey star the world fell in love with. I see the man who rocks our daughter back to sleep for an hour and acts like he's won another championship because she finally closes her eyes.

I see the man who remembers how I like my coffee, who pretends not to notice when I steal his hoodies, and who somehow manages to make me laugh even when I'm trying very hard to stay angry at him.

I see my best friend. The father of our daughter. My safe place.

Thank you for never giving up on us, even when you had every reason to. Thank you for choosing to grow with me instead of growing away from me.

I promise to keep choosing you too. On the easy days, when life feels perfect. On the difficult days, when loving each other takes a little more patience.

I'll remind you to rest when you work too hard. I'll cheer the loudest at every game, even if Dawn ends up embarrassing us both by shouting 'Dada' across the entire arena again.

I'll laugh with you, cry with you, pray with you, and build every version of home beside you.

Because home was never Minnesota. Or New Jersey. Or Montreal. Or whichever city life takes us next.

Home has always been wherever you are. And if I get to spend the rest of my life waking up beside you, then I already know I'm the luckiest woman in this world.

I love you, Dylan. Today, tomorrow, and every ordinary day we're blessed to grow old together.”

She smiles through her tears as she finishes, and I swear I fall in love with her all over again.

By the time her vows are over, I'm barely holding myself together. My vision blurs, my chest aches, and I don't even bother pretending I'm not emotional. Those are, without question, the most beautiful words anyone has ever said to me.

We slip the rings onto each other's fingers, and the officiant smiles warmly.

“By the authority vested in me…” My heart pounds so hard I can barely hear anything else. “…I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

He looks between us, grinning. “You may kiss your bride.”

Finally.

I don't need to be told twice. I cup Emma's face and kiss her, not because everyone is watching, not because it's tradition. But because she's my wife. The woman I almost lost. The woman I found again. The woman I'll spend the rest of my life loving.

The applause around us is deafening, but for one perfect moment, none of it exists. There's only her, smiling against my lips, and the tiny diamond on her finger catching the afternoon sunlight.

When we finally pull apart, we turn to face our family and friends, still smiling like complete idiots as cheers echo across the beach.

My gaze drifts over the crowd and stops when I catch a familiar face standing near the back.

It's my mother, watching us as though she belongs here.

She doesn't. Especially not today.

Without taking my eyes off her, I lean slightly toward one of the security guards stationed near the front.

“The woman in the navy dress.”

He follows my gaze immediately. “Yes, Mr. Sterling?”

“Escort her outside quietly. Don't cause a scene.” My voice stays calm. “If she resists, remove her anyway.”

He gives a single nod. “Right away.”

Emma's fingers tighten around mine. “What was that?”

For a brief moment, I'm tempted to tell her. But when I look at my wife. At the happiness shining in her eyes. In the future, we've fought so hard to build.

I tell myself that today isn't about old ghosts. It's about new beginnings.

I smile, lean down, and press a gentle kiss to her forehead before intertwining our fingers again.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” I murmur. “Today's ours, baby.”

Author's note:
Hi, my lovely readers! 💕

We've reached the final chapter of The Bad Boy Is Totally Off Limits.

Thank you for reading this story and for spending time with Emma and Dylan. Every comment and every bit of support have meant a lot to me.

I know many of you wanted more, and I'm really grateful for all the messages. At the moment, my schedule is quite busy, and I don't want to drag the story out with slow updates or risk making it lose what made it special.

So I hope you can understand my decision, and I sincerely apologize if this ending came sooner than you hoped.

That said... I am considering writing a sequel! 👀💕 Nothing is confirmed yet because I'm still discussing it with my editor. The original outline was never meant to continue beyond this point, but if there's any news, I'll be sure to let you know.

Thank you again for being here from beginning to end. I hope you enjoyed every chapter.

See you all in my next story. ❤️