Epilogue
Kate’s visionof a wedding with her, me and Arya didn’t come true. But Arya and Percy, and Declan and I, were all married in a small double ceremony on the beach.
Kate and Michael flew back to Mariposa and Renee took a day off work. My parents were there, and so was Declan’s mom. Arya’s whole family came, and so did Percy’s.
Seagulls did make off with some of our wedding food, but none of us minded.
Kate’s happy. Her family missed her as much as she missed them. She says that Michael is a charming husband, and she may hold onto him longer than a year or two. The way she says it, and the way they look at each other, makes me think it’ll be a lot longer than only two years.
Renee finally made partner at her firm. She says that means she’s also officially married.
Arya and Percy have decided to split time between Mariposa and England so that they can work on the conservation of both boobies and puffins. Especially because both birds mate for life.
It’s a week after our wedding and Declan says that since I’ve nearly overcome my fear of flying, we can go wherever I’d like in the world. Live wherever I want. I tell him my home is my little cottage on Mariposa, but that I also really, really love his beautiful country estate.
“Of course you do,” he says. “All gold diggers love country estates.”
His eyes light with humor when he says this.
Unbelievable.
“Shut up and kiss me,” I say.
So he does.
“Do you like that?” he asks.
I do. I like it.
No.
“I love it,” I say.
“I love you,” he says. Which makes me think of last night, and apricots, and lying down in the soft sand.
“I love you too.”
Very, very much.
He must read the memory of last night in my eyes because he says, “I think we should stay on Mariposa a little longer.”
I grin at him. “I agree. It’s an interesting place.”
“Very,” he says.
We decide to forget about the future for now, instead we’ll go to the beach, for an ordinary, extraordinary walk in the moonlight.
We’ll hold hands.
It’ll be wonderful.
Really, really wonderful.
The End