Epilogue
Sia
Two Months Later
Zach, Callan, Blaze, Sasha, Courtney, Nikki, and I are back in Seaville, something we’ve been doing at least every couple of weeks over the past two months. I’m in utter heaven. Never did I think I could have it all, but I do, and so much more. We spend about half our time between Seattle and our little heaven on earth, Seaville, California. I’m so happy I feel as if each day I could burst. I never want to forget how good this feels.
It’s a warm June afternoon, and we’re sitting outside at a table at our favorite place, The Mermaid Café, enjoying the sunny weather, a nice breeze, and most importantly of all, each other’s company. It’s like we were always meant to be together. We really are one big happy family, and we have plenty of room in our hearts for more members to join us.
Nikki is telling us a story when suddenly people start approaching our table, one by one. I’m confused as each new person lays a rose in front of me, giving me lots of smiles and winks.
“You look beautiful, Sia,” Aunt Eileen says.
“You’re glowing,” Martha says. Each person continues placing a rose on the table. There are red, pink, white, blue, and every color of the rainbow of roses placed before me, the pile growing and growing.
I turn and look at Zach. “What’s going on here?” He only smiles and suddenly my heart’s racing. I look up at each new person as they lay more roses in front of me. I look from Nikki to Sasha to Courtney, who are all beaming at me as they clap their hands, clearly in on this.
I hear a drum, then look up to see the high-school band marching down the street. They start playing Just The Way You Are, by Bruno Mars, and I no longer have a doubt about what’s going on. Tears fill my eyes as I look to Zach.
“Zach,” I say, my voice a husky whisper. He leans over and gently kisses me before he stands.
Blaze and Callan also stand, move to either side of me and lift up my chair, causing me to quickly hold on to the sides of it as I laugh. They gently set my chair back down so I’m out in the open, and Zach kneels in front of me as the band finishes their song. Everyone’s eyes are on us.
Zach reaches into his pocket, pulls out a black velvet box, and opens it, making me gasp as I stare at the most stunning and unique ring I’ve ever seen before. Tears spill down my cheeks. I already knew I was spending the rest of my life with Zach. I’d be happy to do so without marrying him. But as he gets ready to propose, I know how very much I want this, I want it more than anything else. I want to stand with him in front of all of our friends and family and vow to love each other for all time and eternity. I want this more than my next breath.
Zach takes a deep breath and then he speaks. “Sia, from the moment I met you, I knew you were someone special. I knew you’d forever change my life. I didn’t know how, and didn’t know what was good for me, but somehow our souls have always been aligned. I can’t imagine walking this journey of life without you. You’ve brought joy, love, and peace into my life. You’ve shown me what it means to truly love, and to be loved. We’ve been through many fires together, but we’ve come through unscathed and stronger because of it. You’re my rock, my confidant, my best friend.” He chuckles as he looks over at Nikki and winks, making me laugh through my tears.
“Okay, I’ll settle for second best friend.” Everyone in the crowd laughs at this. “I promise you that I’ll love you, cherish you, challenge you, and always stand by your side for the rest of our lives. Marry me and make me whole.”
I’m sobbing as I look at him, unable to speak for a moment as I nod my head vigorously. I finally get words past my tight throat. “Yes, Zach, yes a thousand times over.” He takes my hand and places the stunning ring on my finger, a perfect fit, and I launch myself into his arms. My belly is showing now, but it in no way gets in my way yet. It’s okay when it does, because we’ll both wrap our baby between us in absolute love.
The band cheers and starts playing The Final Countdown as they start marching away, making the crowd laugh all over again. Then all attention turns to us as all of our families and friends surround us, giving hugs and congratulations again and again. Each day I’m with Zach I think it’s the happiest of my life, but for sure this one is the happiest day yet. I have a feeling I’m going to feel like this for many, many years to come.
We celebrate and hold each other as I’m overcome with emotion. I see my mom who finally breaks through the crowd and pulls me into her arms. “I’m so happy for you, darling,” she says, before she pats my belly. “And for my grandbaby.”
“I’m happy too,” I tell her. She squeezes me tight. Then she turns and gives Nikki a look. Zach pulls me back to his side.
“Nikki, darling, you need to come with me now that the excitement is dying down. I want to show you where you’ll be doing your baking competition,” she says.
“Oh, I’d love to see it. I thought it was a well-guarded secret,” Nikki teases.
“It is, but the competition starts in a few days so you can now see your area.” She then gives Nikki a look that has me wondering what Mom’s up to. “You want to meet your competition anyway. He’s going to be hard to beat.”
Nikki waves her hand in the air, not detecting the undertones in Mom’s voice, and not worried anyone will beat her. I laugh as I look at Zach. “I’ve seen this look in my mother’s eyes before. I think she might be teaming up with the terrible threesome for some matchmaking,” I whisper.
“Oh, that’s good, that’s very good,” Sasha says as she appears at my side. “We’ve got to see this.” We gather and secretly follow Nikki and my mom. We stay back far enough for them not to know. The festival committee is keeping this year’s event under lock and key. In a town that can’t keep a secret to save a life, this is really impressive.
We peek around the corner just in time to see a man walking out of the building wearing a chef’s hat. He’s tall, handsome, and looks every bit the part of a calendar version of the world’s sexiest chefs. We all start laughing. I know this man. Oh, this keeps getting better and better.
“This is going to be so much fun,” I say through my laughter.
“This festival just got a lot more interesting,” Sasha says. We give each other high-fives as we see Nikki stop and gape at the man who’s now walking straight for her. My mom starts to turn, and we all jump back, hoping we didn’t get caught. We’re like naughty teenagers, and it feels great. We decide to make a graceful exit.
I wasn’t here for the beginning of this journey the three brothers were sent on, but I’m very glad to be here at the end. They’ve each gone through some hard times, but each of them are so much better off than they were before.
I look at them and see happiness on each of their faces, and I’m grateful to be a part of this beautiful family. We all walk together in a line, look up above, and say a thank you to the man who started it all.