JMBB Epilogue Contest Entries
Below you'll find three excellent epilogue's, written by three of our very own DN's! Please take your time to read all three of them, when you're done take a moment to vote for the one you think should win!
NOTE: Voting will end on Wednesday, Nov. 25th at 12 midnight PST.
NOTE: Voting will end on Wednesday, Nov. 25th at 12 midnight PST.
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1. Night Whispers Epilogue II
“A toast to the bride and groom!” Noah and Sloan lifted their fluted champagne glasses in a celebratory toast along with the hundreds of other stylishly dressed guests aboard the floating Taj Mahal. Noah’s yacht was the ideal location for the most anticipated high-society wedding of the year. Thousands of twinkling lights adorned the deck of the Apparition. Hundreds of tuxedo-clad servers, with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres, unobtrusively met the needs of every prominent wedding attendee.
It was a who’s who guest list. Well-known people from all over the world were in attendance, from Industrialists Matthew and Stacy Lynn Farrell and Mitchell and Erin Wyatt; Hollywood ’s Zackary and Cindy Benedict; to London ’s elite families the Thornton’s, Fielding’s, Townsende’s, and Westmoreland’s. It was the most anticipated wedding since the Palm Beach scandal almost five years ago.
As Noah took a sip of his champagne, Sloan put her glass on the elegantly decorated cake table and leaned over to hug the glowing bride. “I hope you will be as happy as Noah and I are.” she murmured. As she held on, Sloan felt relief that the paparazzi, who had tried their hardest, had not been successful in finding out the location or day of this joyous event. For months, once word got out that the Reynolds’ heiress and her hero FBI agent were finally going to tie the knot, the murder, kidnapping scandal returned to the headlines of all the local and national news reports. For Sloan, it seemed a lifetime ago that her own father was involved in the scandalous activity. Something she wanted to forget.
So much has happened over the past five years. The Maitland’s and Reynolds’ could not go anywhere without cameras flashing in their faces. The on-again, off-again relationship between Paul and Paris also fueled the media frenzy. Noah and Sloan had to escape onboard the Apparition whenever they needed to get away.
These past few months of planning this wedding were actually relaxing therapy for Sloan. Helping Paris with creating a menu, designing the dresses, and auditioning bands has kept Sloan exhausted and exhilarated. While she was relieved to finally see this day come, looking around the brightly lit ballroom, Sloan thought she would miss the time she spent with her sister while planning the big day. Although, a smile formed on her lips, as she thought; there is going to be something that Paris can help me plan, soon.
The party guests ate, drank, and danced until the early morning hours. After a long and busy day, Sloan whispered to Noah that she was going to retire. Noah wrapped up his business conversation with Matt, Mitch, Royce, Ian, and Zack quickly so he could follow his gorgeous wife to their room. He had been waiting all night to have her alone.
While Sloan was gazing out the picture window of the master stateroom, Noah came up behind her and started unbuttoning her satin chocolate gown. “You still take my breath away.” Noah whispered while kissing the side of her neck.
Sloan tilted her head to the left giving Noah better access, as she said, “It was such a beautiful wedding. Wasn’t Paris absolutely stunning?”
“Humm humm,” Noah replied continuing to move down her throat while slipping her thin straps off her shoulders.
“Darling, remember when we had our anniversary party last year?” Noah made some sort of affirmative grunt while slowly easing Sloan’s bodice downward. His gentle kisses were twisting her into knots of desire but she surreptitiously continued on. “Everyone seemed so disappointed when we gave our speech inviting them to join us on a cruise. Do you remember what they were hoping we were going to announce?” Noah paused, sensing that Sloan had more on her mind than love-making. He slowly lifted his head giving her his full attention while resting his hands around her tiny waist. Smiling, Sloan looked into Noah’s piercing gray eyes filled with love. “My love, I know we thought that Ashley would always be our one and only little angel, but . . .” Noah gasped, then swept her up off her feet and swung her around shouting with excitement.
“I am the happiest man on Earth. I love you very, very, very much!” Noah murmured while carrying a laughing Sloan to the opulent king-size bed.
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2. An Epilogue to Once And Always
Dorothy Seaton looked about the ballroom in search of her sister. She had returned the day before from months of studying music abroad and hadn’t been able to visit Victoria and Jason. Her golden hair swept in an abundance of curls framed her lovely face but she was too busy adjusting her soft pink gown to notice the glances men kept throwing at her. She’d rather be at home and practicing her violin skills than here, but since her great-great grandmother had finally relented and let her study music, it was better to please Grandmama by coming to the ball with her. She was still trying to persuade her that she wished not to marry and while Grandmama hadn’t given in to that, she had dropped her efforts to see her married. Which was odd actually, but Dorothy wasn’t complaining.
Hearing the murmur of voices that accompanied the arrival of an important couple, Dorothy turned to see Victoria come down the stairs, holding Jason’s arm. Her sister’s titian hair was slightly pinned back and was parted to the side letting her long hair fall over her shoulder. Settling herself close to the staircase, she waited while Victoria spoke to the host and hostess of the ball. Glancing around the room to make sure Grandmama was still talking to her friends, Dorothy was caught off guard when her sister engulfed her in a tight hug.
“Dorothy, I’ve missed you so,” Victoria exclaimed. “When did you get back?”
“I’ve missed you too. I wanted to come and visit you but I only got back yesterday. How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well. You must come to Wakefield and stay with us for a while. We have so much catching up to do. I’m afraid I must visit with some of the guests, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll come back so we can talk.”
“Take your time, I cant leave until Grandmama does anyways.”
Giving her sister one last hug, Victoria walked off with Jason as Dorothy found her way back to the refreshments table. Drinking some of the punch, she tried to stifle a yawn when a deep voice behind her made her jump.
“Will you honor me with a dance, Lady Seaton?”
Dorothy’s breath caught as she looked at the tall dark man in front of her. He had called her by her name but she was certain she had never met him. Not sure what to say, she laid her hand in his outstretched one and tried to smile as he led her onto the dance floor. Glancing quickly, Dorothy noticed Victoria watching them but she relaxed as Victoria smiled encouragingly. The man swept her around the ballroom, his strong hand at her waist, his amber eyes watching her as emotions she has never felt before flowed through her and Dorothy couldn’t resist the thought that maybe, just maybe, Grandmama was right after all.
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Dorothy Seaton looked about the ballroom in search of her sister. She had returned the day before from months of studying music abroad and hadn’t been able to visit Victoria and Jason. Her golden hair swept in an abundance of curls framed her lovely face but she was too busy adjusting her soft pink gown to notice the glances men kept throwing at her. She’d rather be at home and practicing her violin skills than here, but since her great-great grandmother had finally relented and let her study music, it was better to please Grandmama by coming to the ball with her. She was still trying to persuade her that she wished not to marry and while Grandmama hadn’t given in to that, she had dropped her efforts to see her married. Which was odd actually, but Dorothy wasn’t complaining.
Hearing the murmur of voices that accompanied the arrival of an important couple, Dorothy turned to see Victoria come down the stairs, holding Jason’s arm. Her sister’s titian hair was slightly pinned back and was parted to the side letting her long hair fall over her shoulder. Settling herself close to the staircase, she waited while Victoria spoke to the host and hostess of the ball. Glancing around the room to make sure Grandmama was still talking to her friends, Dorothy was caught off guard when her sister engulfed her in a tight hug.
“Dorothy, I’ve missed you so,” Victoria exclaimed. “When did you get back?”
“I’ve missed you too. I wanted to come and visit you but I only got back yesterday. How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well. You must come to Wakefield and stay with us for a while. We have so much catching up to do. I’m afraid I must visit with some of the guests, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll come back so we can talk.”
“Take your time, I cant leave until Grandmama does anyways.”
Giving her sister one last hug, Victoria walked off with Jason as Dorothy found her way back to the refreshments table. Drinking some of the punch, she tried to stifle a yawn when a deep voice behind her made her jump.
“Will you honor me with a dance, Lady Seaton?”
Dorothy’s breath caught as she looked at the tall dark man in front of her. He had called her by her name but she was certain she had never met him. Not sure what to say, she laid her hand in his outstretched one and tried to smile as he led her onto the dance floor. Glancing quickly, Dorothy noticed Victoria watching them but she relaxed as Victoria smiled encouragingly. The man swept her around the ballroom, his strong hand at her waist, his amber eyes watching her as emotions she has never felt before flowed through her and Dorothy couldn’t resist the thought that maybe, just maybe, Grandmama was right after all.
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3. A Perfect Thanksgiving
Keaton, Texas
Zack had only been on his cell phone for a matter of seconds, but that was all the time Nicky had needed. Zack could not believe his eyes! His son had disappeared. Luckily the baby’s babble led him to the kitchen where he found Nicky crawling into the cupboard under the sink. Just in time, Zack was able to extricate the little guy before he could get into any more trouble.
“How does your mother do it? You have been running me ragged since she left two hours ago!” As he juggled the struggling little body he thought he would rather deal with a temperamental actress or haggle over a new script than try to keep up with his son. His respect for Julie was immense.
It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Nicky was now ten months old. Zack and Julie had kept her small house here in Keaton. It was the perfect retreat for them. It wasn’t the luxury Zack was used to, but Julie loved staying here. They had made several trips back home to visit Julie’s family and this house gave them the privacy they craved.
As Zack blew bubbles on Nicky’s tummy, he thought he detected a familiar odor. Briefly, he considered waiting for Julie to take care of it, but then decided he was man enough to change his son’s diaper.
When Julie opened the door she was greeted by the sight of Nicholas Alexander Benedict cuddled in the protective arms of his father. They were “reading” a cloth book that was a favorite of Nicky’s. Just seeing them together made her and Zack’s ordeal two winters ago worth every moment of the agony they had put each other through.
Julie hated to break up this warm moment, but she couldn’t wait for the surprise she had arranged for Zack.
Very softly she said, “Hello, loves!” And just like that, Nicky deserted Zack to lunge for his mother.
“Hey!” Zack cried softly.
While Julie hastily swung her son up into her arms, she also settled herself in Zack’s lap.
“How about a group hug?” Julie asked as she gave Zack a kiss that showed she was happy to be right where she was.
Just then the door swung open again.
“Oh, good! Missing tomorrow at Mama’s was gonna be hard. But hugging Zack’s Julie will make up for it!” grinned Dominic Sandini.
Zack’s head shot up. “Dom!” Julie stood with Nicholas, so Zack could greet this very wonderful friend.
A quick glance at Zack’s face had Dominic injecting an “…or maybe not!”. However, Sandini was not intimidated, and he grabbed Zack up in a bear hug. Slapping his former cell mate on the back with one hand, he produced a greasy bag in the other.
“This is from Mama, “the wiry Italian offered. “She sends her love.”
Zack accepted the gift with a grin, even as his stomach did a slow roll.
This morning Julie had been to her former school to have a reunion with Katherine’s literacy group. It was heart warming to see familiar faces and to see many more new faces. Katherine was a natural teacher.
Julie had arranged for Dominic Sandini to meet her at the school and follow her back.
Dom had seen the Benedicts just a few times since their marriage. He was now the proud owner of an upscale used car business. Legitimate.
After a lunch that Julie had prepared for the three adults, and playing with Nicky, Dominic announced that he was expected at the Reverend Mathison’s home. He was delivering a car that he had sold to Julie’s parents. With his good-by he said he would see them later at her parent’s house.
Nicky had by this time become fussy. All three of them moved to the chaise lounge in a familiar pattern. Zack sat propped against the back of the chair and Julie reclined against him. That way Zack could also participate in Julie nursing their son.
With his arms and legs bracketing his family, Zack experienced such profound contentment and joy that it rendered him speechless. He wanted this moment to last forever. It would certainly last forever in his memories. He was so blessed.
His son’s small fingers kneaded his mother’s breast as his eyes slipped into sleep. Gently, Julie walked into the baby’s bedroom and placed him on his back in the crib. She tiptoed back to Zack.
Zack was still sitting on the chaise lounge with a worried expression on his face.
“I just discovered that I was a little jealous of my son!”
“Whatever for?” asked Julie.
“I wanted to be doing what Nicky had been doing at your breast. Isn’t that a little bizarre? I am a grown man!” Zack cried out in confusion.
There was a moment’s silence before Julie began to chuckle.
Extending her hand to Zack she said, “There is no reason to be jealous. This Mommy knows how to take care of both of her men! We are going to indulge in our very own nap time.”
As Zack took her hand in his and led her into their bedroom, he eagerly declared, “Oh, man! I love these naps!”
That was the beginning of a perfect Thanksgiving. One of many.
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Keaton, Texas
Zack had only been on his cell phone for a matter of seconds, but that was all the time Nicky had needed. Zack could not believe his eyes! His son had disappeared. Luckily the baby’s babble led him to the kitchen where he found Nicky crawling into the cupboard under the sink. Just in time, Zack was able to extricate the little guy before he could get into any more trouble.
“How does your mother do it? You have been running me ragged since she left two hours ago!” As he juggled the struggling little body he thought he would rather deal with a temperamental actress or haggle over a new script than try to keep up with his son. His respect for Julie was immense.
It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Nicky was now ten months old. Zack and Julie had kept her small house here in Keaton. It was the perfect retreat for them. It wasn’t the luxury Zack was used to, but Julie loved staying here. They had made several trips back home to visit Julie’s family and this house gave them the privacy they craved.
As Zack blew bubbles on Nicky’s tummy, he thought he detected a familiar odor. Briefly, he considered waiting for Julie to take care of it, but then decided he was man enough to change his son’s diaper.
When Julie opened the door she was greeted by the sight of Nicholas Alexander Benedict cuddled in the protective arms of his father. They were “reading” a cloth book that was a favorite of Nicky’s. Just seeing them together made her and Zack’s ordeal two winters ago worth every moment of the agony they had put each other through.
Julie hated to break up this warm moment, but she couldn’t wait for the surprise she had arranged for Zack.
Very softly she said, “Hello, loves!” And just like that, Nicky deserted Zack to lunge for his mother.
“Hey!” Zack cried softly.
While Julie hastily swung her son up into her arms, she also settled herself in Zack’s lap.
“How about a group hug?” Julie asked as she gave Zack a kiss that showed she was happy to be right where she was.
Just then the door swung open again.
“Oh, good! Missing tomorrow at Mama’s was gonna be hard. But hugging Zack’s Julie will make up for it!” grinned Dominic Sandini.
Zack’s head shot up. “Dom!” Julie stood with Nicholas, so Zack could greet this very wonderful friend.
A quick glance at Zack’s face had Dominic injecting an “…or maybe not!”. However, Sandini was not intimidated, and he grabbed Zack up in a bear hug. Slapping his former cell mate on the back with one hand, he produced a greasy bag in the other.
“This is from Mama, “the wiry Italian offered. “She sends her love.”
Zack accepted the gift with a grin, even as his stomach did a slow roll.
This morning Julie had been to her former school to have a reunion with Katherine’s literacy group. It was heart warming to see familiar faces and to see many more new faces. Katherine was a natural teacher.
Julie had arranged for Dominic Sandini to meet her at the school and follow her back.
Dom had seen the Benedicts just a few times since their marriage. He was now the proud owner of an upscale used car business. Legitimate.
After a lunch that Julie had prepared for the three adults, and playing with Nicky, Dominic announced that he was expected at the Reverend Mathison’s home. He was delivering a car that he had sold to Julie’s parents. With his good-by he said he would see them later at her parent’s house.
Nicky had by this time become fussy. All three of them moved to the chaise lounge in a familiar pattern. Zack sat propped against the back of the chair and Julie reclined against him. That way Zack could also participate in Julie nursing their son.
With his arms and legs bracketing his family, Zack experienced such profound contentment and joy that it rendered him speechless. He wanted this moment to last forever. It would certainly last forever in his memories. He was so blessed.
His son’s small fingers kneaded his mother’s breast as his eyes slipped into sleep. Gently, Julie walked into the baby’s bedroom and placed him on his back in the crib. She tiptoed back to Zack.
Zack was still sitting on the chaise lounge with a worried expression on his face.
“I just discovered that I was a little jealous of my son!”
“Whatever for?” asked Julie.
“I wanted to be doing what Nicky had been doing at your breast. Isn’t that a little bizarre? I am a grown man!” Zack cried out in confusion.
There was a moment’s silence before Julie began to chuckle.
Extending her hand to Zack she said, “There is no reason to be jealous. This Mommy knows how to take care of both of her men! We are going to indulge in our very own nap time.”
As Zack took her hand in his and led her into their bedroom, he eagerly declared, “Oh, man! I love these naps!”
That was the beginning of a perfect Thanksgiving. One of many.
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