47. Epilogue
”Where are we going?” Aurora asked when Sophia and I asked her to go for a walk with us on Christmas Eve.
The Rhodes Estate was lit up.
Christmas was Mama”s favorite holiday. We had parties, people, and enough food to feed two armies. Aurora was in awe of how we celebrated.
Aurora had moved in with us and I loved that we were all living together. I was also keen on getting started on a home for us. We hadn”t set a date for a wedding, but we would once I gave her a ring and made it official.
”What kind of wedding do you want?” I asked her the previous night after we”d made love and were still catching our breath.
”Ah…I don”t know. I mean, let”s settle down first.”
”You mean get a place of our own?”
”Yes.”
I shook my head. ”Stop being so cautious about us.”
”I”m not,” she protested and then sighed. She lifted her face from my chest and kissed my chin. ”I”m sorry. I am being cautious.”
”I know.”
”I don”t fit into your world. This house, your family…it”s all so awesome. I feel like an interloper.”
”You fit in just fine. I thought you”d piss Harrison off by cooking so often in his kitchen, but he worships you.”
The temperamental family cook was in love with Aurora and unabashedly told me so.
”You mess up with her and I”m going to sweep her off her feet,” he warned me.
”Not gonna happen,” I”d assured him.
Rafe had said the same thing. He thought Aurora was ”smart, good and lovely” the trifecta designed to wound any heart, even his miserable one.
But the truth was that they treated her like a sister, and I loved how they cosseted her and took her side against me. She”d never had that. My family was giving her a feeling of safety and security, wrapping her up in love and affection, so she could leave some of her insecurities and fears behind.
”Let”s get married here,” she suggested.
”At the estate?”
”Yes. Would Betsy be okay with that?”
”Okay?” I chuckled. ”She”ll be thrilled.”
”Not a big wedding.”
I”d had one of those; I was not into them. I didn”t need a whole lot of hoopla.
”Just us and a few friends,” she added.
”Done.”
”Really? You don’t want the big pomp and show?”
”Fuck no. I hate that. Just us and a few friends sounds just about perfect. So, when do you want to do it?”
She sighed. ”Can we discuss that another day? We just started talking about it.”
I laughed. She was open about how she felt, which made it easier for both of us to navigate our feelings. We still argued, and I think sometimes we did because the make-up sex was hot. But we”d gotten better at telling each other why we were saying something or behaving in a certain way.
If I came home and announced that I was in a fucking bad mood, she”d cut me slack. When she would tell me that something triggered her, I”d do the same for her. I”d never had a relationship like this before. A healthy one based on love and respect. What I had with Iris now felt even worse than it had before. There had been affection, not much respect and no love, nothing beyond obligation and duty. If I hadn”t found Aurora, if she hadn”t loved me, I”d have never known this bliss, this intense homecoming I felt just by being with her.
”So, where are we going?” she asked again.
Sophia held both our hands and was in between us as we walked. She was gushing with excitement. We”d planned it together; how we”d propose to Aurora.
She was already part of our family—the Rhodes family but we wanted a ring on her finger.
We occupied a wing of my parents” house, complete with a living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Despite having our own space, we often found ourselves in the family room and kitchen, spending time with my parents. Rafe also started coming over more often, drawn by the lively atmosphere of the estate. Mama was thrilled, and so was Aurora. Having grown up without a family, she felt, as she put it, like she had won the lottery.
She and Mama had gotten closer, and Aurora was starting to help her with some of her charity initiatives.
”We”re taking you to our Christmas present,” Sophia informed her.
”Our present?” she asked.
”Yes, a present that is for you, me and Daddy.”
Aurora grinned. ”I can”t wait.”
We”d decided to take the walk before we started the Christmas Eve festivities. The Isle of Hope was draped in its usual serene beauty, the Skidaway River glinting under the afternoon sun, framed by the majestic oaks and their Spanish moss curtains.
I led us through the familiar, lush greenery of the estate, and then we veered off the beaten path.
We ended up in a clearing that offered an unobstructed view of the river, the land gently sloping towards the water, creating a natural amphitheater to the serene flow below. The air here felt fresher, filled with the promise of something new and exciting.
”Wow,” Aurora said, looking around. ”This is so beautiful.”
”Ever thought about designing a house with a river view?” I asked casually, gesturing to the empty space before us.
She laughed. ”Which architect wouldn’t? Why?”
”Well,” I started, exchanging a glance with Sophia, ”how about designing our house? Right here.”
”Our house?” she whispered.
The words felt heavy and light at the same time, laden with meaning yet floating in the air.
Sophia smiled broadly, her heart in her eyes. ”Aurora, will you marry us and help us build our dream home?”
I held out my grandmother”s amethyst ring. Aurora”s eyes filled with tears. ”Oh my god.” She put her hands on her cheeks.
”I love you. All of you. Forever,” I told her.
Here, on this piece of heaven that felt suspended between the earth and water, the future seemed to unfold with limitless possibilities. The surrounding land, a blank canvas whispered of family barbecues, laughter-filled evenings, and quiet mornings watching the Skidaway flow by. The river was a constant, rhythmic presence, mirroring the steady beat of my heart, syncing with Aurora”s and my daughter”s.
”Yes,” Aurora said, the word feeling like a key turning in a lock. ”I”d love to marry you both and design our home.”
She held out her hand to me, and I slipped the ring on her finger. It fit like a dream.
I stepped closer and wrapped us in a hug that felt like a promise. I held out an arm for Sophia, who joined in, making it a group embrace that sealed our new beginning.
”So, I”m thinking of a wrap-around porch to catch the sunset over the river,” Aurora ventured when we broke apart, the practical part of her kicking in. The architect already looking at possibilities.
”And maybe a treehouse?” Sophia added, her eyes lighting up.
”A treehouse, huh?” Aurora mused. ”That”s ambitious.”
”But with Aurora as the architect, I think we can make anything happen,” I said, grinning as it felt like my heart might burst with happiness.
”Let me draw up some plans.” Aurora put her hands on her waist, looking around.
”I want to be an architect when I grow up,” Sophia declared. ”Like Aurora. Then Bianca and I can both work at Savannah Lace.”
She and Bianca had become friends thanks to Aurora and their Sunday sojourns to visit the great historic houses of Savannah.
”I thought you”d take over Rhodes Hotels,” I said in mock despair.
”I”m sure that any brothers and sisters I have in the future will be happy to step in,” she said casually.
Aurora looked at me in wonder. We hadn”t really talked about children.
”Well, I am not getting any younger,” Aurora declared, surprising me.
Sophia laughed. ”I”d love a younger sister. I”ve always wanted one.”
”Be careful what you wish for. You”re going to be her favorite babysitter,” I warned.
”I can”t wait,” Sophia said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. ”So, how many bedrooms are we thinking in this house?”
”God, give me a breather, will you both,” Aurora admonished. ”What do we think about a swimming pool with a slide?”
”Oh my god, Aurora! You”re my favorite stepmother,” Sophia declared.
”Your only,” I corrected.
The banter felt easy, natural, and full of the warmth of a family coming together. As we discussed ideas, laughed at the more outlandish suggestions, and envisioned a future on this very spot, the river bore witness to the moment we started to weave our dreams into the fabric of the Isle of Hope.
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