Cassidy "Cassie" Mae Dylan, a childhood best friend to Aaron Hotchner. Best friends, but they both secretly wanted each other. While both went off to different colleges, they lost touch.
Ten years later, Aaron is the Unit Chief of the Behavioral An...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Epilogue
September 15th, 2009
It was a nice autumn afternoon that Cassidy and Aaron got married. They knew that they didn't need a big fancy wedding. All they needed was their parents, the team, and Jack. Dave hosted it at his mansion, as the trees in his yard hit the perfect autumn bloom.
It was perfect.
Cassidy's dream wedding coming true, the simple yet elegant lace white gown. Jack was in a black suit and tie, along with his dad and Henry. They decided since it was such a small wedding, they wouldn't need bridesmaids and groomsmen. The outdoor rustic feel of it all is what topped it for Cassidy.
"Momma! Are you ready?" Jack asks, walking into the room where all the girls were just adjusting the tiara placed on Cassidy's head.
"Yes Jack. Tell Uncle Dave to start." She replies, looking at her son. Cassidy didn't care that Jack wasn't biologically hers, that's her baby.
Cassidy watched the excitement on Jack's face before he ran to find Dave and Aaron. Dave was officiating the wedding, Jack the ring bearer, and Henry was the flower man.
"You look absolutely stunning." Cassidy's mother said admiring her daughter. Cassidy smiles, knowing that her forever was just about to happen.
"Thank you Mom. Alright, I got it from here guys. See you out there." Cassidy says to the girls.
Emily, Penelope, JJ, along with Aaron and Cassidy's mothers give a quick wave goodbye, before lining up Henry and Jack. As Cassidy was alone, she rustled around to find her paper that held her vows.
Just as she grabbed them, she heard a knock signaling her that it was time to head out. She had her small bouquet in hand and the folded paper of which her vows were placed.
She stopped to the side of the doorway she was walking out of, waiting for the music. She could hear the "aw's" from how adorable Jack and Henry looked, which made her smile more.
Slowly she turned the corner, seeing the petals Henry tossed down the aisle. Looking back up, she locks eyes with Aaron. Cassidy's face lit up, seeing Aaron's slicked back hair and him in a tight all black suit.
Cassidy walked down the aisle with grace, never missing a beat. Staring ahead, all she could picture was her future with Aaron. After this moment, all that's left is eternity. The rest of their lives, just them and their family.
As she reached Aaron, their hands intertwined. "Well folks, we are gathered here today to share this unity of Cassidy Mae Dylan and Aaron Christopher Hotchner." Rossi starts, as everyone sits down.
Cassidy mouthed an "I love you" to Aaron as they stood face to face. Aaron mouthed the same thing back, smiling at how gorgeous his bride is.
They were entranced in each other's gaze. This is a moment both of them have long awaited for.. Even as teenagers, they knew. Would they ever admit to their parents that they were right when they were kids? No, absolutely not.
"Cassidy Mae Dylan, do you take Aaron Christopher Hotchner to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and health, until death do you part?" Rossi states, looking toward Cassidy.
"I do." Cassidy smiles brightly. The soft tone of her voice, and the smile that could outshine the sun said it all.
"Aaron Christopher Hotchner, do you take Cassidy Mae Dylan to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and health, until death do you part?" Rossi states again, this time to Aaron.
"I do." Aaron grins, a big goofy grin. No one could tell who was more happy to say 'I do.'
"At this time, Aaron and Cassidy will exchange rings. They have both prepared a few words.
Everyone waits for a moment, but Jack didn't get the memo to give them the rings. "Jack, the rings." Rossi whispers, making Jack get up.
It was a silent laugh of adoration for Jack, a classic wedding moment. Jack presents the rings, as Aaron grabs Cassidy's first.
"Cassidy, I knew from the first day of first grade when I hurt myself on the slide and gave me a bandaid from your back pocket, you'd be special. You told me, 'Here, it might not fix you right away but this will help. My name's Cassidy, can we be friends?' I said yes then, and I knew this girl would change my world. One simple gesture, making the biggest impact. Then we found out we were neighbors, and I thought it was fate.
We had ups and downs, like best friends did. However, we would work it out. It took me ten years, our dream jobs as our occupations, and family later to meet again. Truth be told, if that heart-shaped necklace I had gotten you before we left college hadn't fallen out of your shirt, I don't know if we'd be here today. It only took that necklace, and me running to catch you, to fall completely back in love.
You were there through the toughest time of my life. Yet, you were the light shining at the end of the tunnel, not only for me but for Jack. Now, Jack calls you 'Mom' and today I get to call you 'my wife.'
I promise you today, tomorrow, and forever that I'll love you with my whole heart." Aaron finishes, putting the ring on Cassidy's finger.
Cassidy was in tears, along with everyone in the crowd. She's never been so happy in her life, then this moment. Her true love professing his undying love to her, for her, forever. Cassidy leans down, and takes Aaron's ring from Jack.
"Aaron, my best friend and the love of my life. Becoming best friends in first grade was just the start of our journey together. I had known since middle school, my feelings toward you had changed. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, so I never said a word. Instead, I locked myself in my room for a week begging myself to stop feeling this way. I had shut my curtain, and avoided you for all of one day. Which you allowed, because we had our so-called 'curtain code.' The code that told us whether we were home or not, and if we wanted to talk.
Even when I couldn't get my feelings straight, I couldn't go more than a day without you. A day without looking into your beautiful eyes, or seeing your true smile, or hearing you laugh. That being said, senior year came around and then nothing. Every day for ten years, I thought about you. I would hold the necklace you'd given me in my hand, not wanting us to be a memory.
Now, I'm standing before you, our family and friends confessing what I felt in middle school; I love you. This last year has been a whirlwind of emotions. I met Jack for the first time, and thought I was looking back at you from when we first met. Not only did I fall for you, but I got to love Jack. I'm thankful everyday that Jack calls me 'Mom' even though he doesn't have to.
I promise you and to Jack that I'll be the shoulder to lean on and cry on. I'll be there no matter your emotions. That I'll love you now, tomorrow, and forever." Cassidy says, her happiness overjoying her. Tears brm her eyes from the pure joy she feels as she slips on Aaron's ring.
"Now, with the power vested in me, by my online certificate, I now pronounce to you Mr. and Mrs. Hotchner. Aaron, you may now kiss the bride." Rossi says, as he gets out of the way.
Aaron immediately pulls Cassidy in, his hands cupping her cheeks. As their lips crash against each other, their family and friends cheer. They were all so happy that they had found their true love.
As they pull away, Cassidy connects their hands. Before everyone came to join in celebration, they looked at each other face to face. "Aaron, I've loved you since we were eighteen."
The End
AUTHOR'S NOTE thank you guys for reading this book! I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it! Stay tuned! I will have a new book out soon!
