A Rivalry of Hearts

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER

I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet as I wait to disembark the ship. My trip back to Faerwyvae—to my new home—was perfect. No storms, no delays. My citizenship has been approved and processed by all necessary means. I’m already cleared by customs. Everything has been so easy, I fear something will inevitably go wrong.

And if anything were to go wrong, it would be…

William.

Not that I have any reason to believe that will happen. We’ve exchanged letters as promised over the last six months, and even though his physical distance was a constant ache in my chest, our emotional proximity never wavered. Not once. If anything, we’ve grown closer. After three months of our correspondence, Will sent me a poem. It was a humorous limerick harkening back to the poems we edited in my annotated copy of A Portrait of June, all about the baby carrot in love with the redhead. In this one, the carrot asked his lover to share a home with him.

Which is when I realized…

That was Will’s way of asking me to live with him once I returned.

I’ve never kicked my feet so hard or squealed so loud as I did then.

That excitement hasn’t abated in the slightest, nor have William’s reminders of his affection and anticipation of our life together.

But I’ve felt this before, haven’t I? Certain of a man’s affection based on his words in writing?

William isn’t Dennis, I remind myself, and my anxiety eases. This isn’t the first time I’ve faced fears regarding our relationship, and it’s gotten easier to move past them. It helps that William has already seen and loved the real me.

His face is the first I see when I finally emerge from the ship onto the pier. He stands amongst all the other figures waiting to greet loved ones. Everything inside me yearns to race ahead, but that would break protocol. Not only that, but without the escort of a full fae immigration officer to usher me through the invisible perimeter of protective magic that surrounds the isle, I’d find myself slamming into an unseen wall. I do my best to maintain my composure as the officer slowly walks me down the pier.

William’s eyes lock on mine, his grin as wide as my own. As soon as the officer nods for me to proceed, I run the rest of the way to my beloved. He lifts me in his arms at once, pressing his lips to mine as he spins me in a circle. Our cheeks are wet with tears, my spectacles crooked as he sets me down on my feet.

“You’re really here,” he says, voice choked. “I missed you so damn much.”

“I missed you too,” I say, swiping at my cheeks and eyes to get a better look at him. He’s even more beautiful than I remembered, his dark hair in windswept disarray, his earrings sparkling in the midday sunlight, his eyes as bright as the sea behind us.

He pulls away and pushes an enormous bouquet of peonies into my arms. “These are for you.”

“Are these intentional,” I ask with a wry grin, “or are you just happy to see me?”

“Both.”

I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him again.

“All right, all right. You’ve had your sweet reunion.”

I recognize Cassie’s voice and angle my head to see her strolling toward us, cane in hand. My heart stutters as my eyes fall on the three other figures with her.

“Can we interrupt now?” Zane asks, a bright smile on their face.

“Welcome home,” says Jolene. She has her arm linked through an unfamiliar—yet incredibly handsome—man’s arm.

“Jolene!” I say. “This must be your husband.”

William and I aren’t the only ones who kept a correspondence while I was in Bretton. I wrote to Jolene too, sharing details of my romance with William—details I admit I may have laced with boasting—while she told me about the start of a very happy marriage.

“Edwina,” Jolene says, “this is George. George, this is Edwina Danforth, my dear friend and romance author.”

I greet him with a handshake, then pull the others into hugs one at a time. I’ve never been one for hugs, but I’ve also never really had friends either. Even with my college friends, I was always the odd one out due to my own choices, valuing writing over socializing. After we graduated, I never reached out to keep in touch with any of them.

Now, more and more, I’m learning to value other things aside from my career.

“It’s so lovely to see you all again,” I say, though my chest tightens at Monty and Daphne’s absence. We’ve kept in touch, but I doubt either could be here today. Both have been quite busy at Fletcher-Wilson headquarters lately. I’ll still see them plenty when I meet with my publisher.

With more passengers being escorted down the pier, the sidewalk is getting crowded. Zane links their arm through mine, and we make our way toward the heart of Port Dellaray, the busiest port town in the Summer Court. William and I will be staying here for a night while we wait for my luggage to be brought from the ship to our hotel. Then after that…

I glance over my shoulder at William. He walks with Cassie, his hands behind his back, probably to keep his overprotective tendencies at bay. “Where will we go after this?”

He knows what I mean by the question. We may have agreed to live together, but we haven’t finalized every detail. Since we couldn’t exchange letters while I was on the ship, he may have news I’ve yet to hear. Good news, hopefully. Last I heard, he’d auditioned for a part in a play. If he got the role, we’d temporarily relocate to Lumenas, where the play is set to premiere for three months.

Cassie elbows him in the side. “You didn’t tell her?”

“I haven’t had the chance,” he whispers back.

Hope blossoms in my chest. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I got the part,” William says.

“Tell her which part,” Zane says.

He gives me a crooked grin. “The villain.”

My knees go weak just thinking about my handsome beloved playing the role of a villain. “You’ll make the perfect arrogant asshole, Will.”

“Your faith in me knows no bounds.”

“Any kissing scenes?” I ask.

“None.”

William’s answer fills me with a flutter of relief. Not that I would stop him from taking on a role that had a kiss. We’ve even come up with some ideas for how he may be able to navigate kiss scenes in the future. We’re willing to bet if I stand off stage and he meets my eyes, he may be able to perform such a feat. First, it’s best he establishes himself in roles he can astound the audience with.

“So Lumenas will be our home for a while,” I say.

He nods. “Rehearsals start next week, so we’ll be catching a train north tomorrow.”

I could leap for joy. Of all the places we visited, Lumenas was my favorite. I’m so happy we’ll be returning sooner rather than later.

“Your stay will be extra comfortable,” Zane says, “considering you’ll be at my place.”

“You’re going to host our stay?” I ask. “Won’t we be a bother?”

“I won’t be there,” Zane says. “I’m headlining a three-month tour around the isle. I’ll have sung in every major city by the end of it. I’ll be sure to catch a train back for at least one performance, of course.”

“As will we,” Jolene says, and her husband voices his support.

“I’ll be there on opening night,” Cassie says. “For obvious reasons.”

Thanks to the funding I provided, Cassie was able to attend the Borealis School of the Arts, on the south end of Lumenas. It took some convincing to get her to agree to let me pay her tuition, but she relented in the end. Based on the weekly letters I got all about her college experiences, I know she’s grateful. And I’m grateful we’ll be so close to her, at least for a while.

“What I want to know,” Jolene says, arching a brow at me, “is if you finished your manuscript.”

“I did, on my way here.” I heave a sigh. “What a relief. My deadline is next week.”

Jolene releases an impatient groan. “I’m so eager to read it. I’ve already read through your backlist.”

“My wife is quite fond of your work,” her husband says. “I can’t say I’ve read any of it, but she’s always in a rather…exhilarated mood after she finishes certain chapters.”

I purse my lips to hide my smile. I think I know what kind of mood he means, and Jolene’s blush only confirms it.

“George,” she whispers, “not in front of others.”

“What do you mean?” His frown looks genuine, which gives him the aura of someone adorably dense.

Jolene rolls her eyes, but there’s a sweetness to the expression.

“Don’t worry,” I say to her. “I’ll let you read an early copy.”

Our party reaches the hotel William and I will be staying at, which turns out to be everyone’s place of lodging for the night. We settle into the public dining room, ordering drinks and food, and catch up on all that we’ve missed.

William squeezes my hand under the table, and I squeeze his back. I’m giddy over his touch, his proximity, the mere thought that he’s mine. I no longer shy away from that excited feeling, or even the spark of terror that comes with it. Excitement and terror often go hand in hand. I’m ready to face it all now that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. With the man I love. The people I cherish.

This is the start of our adventure. Our relationship. Our story.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, I’m home.