Epilogue #2
Kayla couldn’t keep eye contact with anyone, but this conversation was far easier than the one she’d had with her mom the year before. “Mostly the treating Mack like shit part.”
Mack pulled her close and pressed a kiss against the top of her head, but she’d learned not to argue too much. She used to insist she understood, but Kayla was working on taking full responsibility for her actions. It wasn’t Mack’s job to lessen the blow.
Kayla said, “I went to tell her in person about the fake engagement as soon as we got back last year.”
“How’d that go over?” Amy asked in a quiet voice.
Kayla pushed back the tears the memories always caused. “She barely spoke to me for a few months.”
It was such a bland thing to say to describe such a difficult period in Kayla’s life.
The way her mother had cried when she explained.
The hurt and anger. It was actually really impressive that her mom hadn’t screamed at her.
Instead, she had very calmly told Kayla that her actions had been cruel and selfish.
She’d said she’d never thought Kayla could do anything to disappoint her, but that she had.
For a while Kayla had worried things would never be the same again, but they’d had a lot of good conversations since and things were on the mend.
Skye melted entirely and even had tears in her eyes. “Oh shit, Kayla. I’m sorry for joking. That must’ve been really hard.”
“Nothing I didn’t deserve.” Kayla shook the bad memories off and forced a smile. “But we’re okay now.”
Amy still looked a little concerned and Kayla couldn’t quite tell if she was worried about Kayla or about her wife bursting into pregnancy hormone-induced tears. “Then what’s she so worried about this time?”
Mack’s phone started to ring again, but she didn’t answer it right away. Instead, she told Amy, “She just wanted to be here early to make sure nothing went wrong this time.”
Skye looked skeptical. “What could go wrong?”
Mack shot Kayla a nervous look, then seemed to realize she had an escape route. “I’d better talk to her. Be right back.” She answered the phone as she walked away. “Hi, Mom. I know. I’m sorry.”
Her voice faded out as she walked away. Kayla watched her go, but it was less about watching her impressive butt and more about avoiding Skye’s penetrating glare.
But it didn’t last forever. Skye’s voice held a note of annoyance when she said, “Kayla. What aren’t you saying?”
Kayla turned around to see two sets of eyes boring into her. She’d thought she might at least have Amy on her side, but it might’ve been a tactical error to let Mack get away. As much as Amy liked her, she was far more partial to Mack. “It’s not that bad.”
Amy smiled sweetly. “Then it won’t be a problem to tell us.”
Skye and Amy just waited, and it was remarkable how Skye had gained so many of Amy’s quiet intimidation skills over the last year.
Kayla used to think she knew her so well, but the more she examined it, the more she realized she had attached a lot of importance to the way Skye reacted to her, rather than who she was as a person.
It took finding the same kind of safety in love that she had with Mack to recognize that in Skye.
Skye said, “Quit stalling. Just tell us what she thinks so we can decide if we’re mad at you or not.”
Amy said, “For the record, I probably won’t be mad at you, but I suspect I won’t have nearly as much reason as Skye does.”
Skye turned on her wife. “What do you know?”
“Nothing, honey, but I suspect quite a lot.”
Kayla winced, but fortunately, at that moment Mack returned. She put a hand on the small of Kayla’s back, and the supportive gesture gave her the strength to admit the rest. “I may have told her about the part where I asked you to marry me instead.”
Mack’s hand tensed against her back, and Kayla knew she was thinking about the awkward conversation.
Kayla squeezed her hand and turned to look at her fiancée.
The pale green eyes that met hers were full of love and understanding, and Kayla marveled again at how lucky she was to have a partner who loved her despite her faults. Or maybe because of them.
Amy said quietly, “That was a brave thing to tell her.”
Mack said, “Yeah. It was. She didn’t like it, I’ll tell you that, but she came around.”
Skye said, “If it were that easy, you would’ve told us before. What’s the bad part?”
Kayla’s cheeks heated up. “You remember how Mack felt about you before? Like it was your fault when I did stupid things and got hurt?”
Mack whispered, “What makes you think I don’t still believe that?”
Skye gave her a withering look but turned back to Kayla. “So, your mom hates me now? Is that it?”
Kayla said, “Yeah, but look, you’re super pregnant, and she would never yell at a pregnant woman.”
Skye deadpanned, “I will give birth eventually, you know.”
Mack said, “Thank God.”
Amy held back a giggle that Skye definitely heard but she smoothed it over with a gentle kiss. “Well, I guess we have a mission again, sweetie. If we make sure these two get married, then she won’t have any reason to be mad at you.”
Skye opened her mouth to argue, but the other three realized this was their best chance to end the conversation.
They all talked over each other about getting luggage and finding the shuttles.
It was enough to distract from Skye’s anger, but it was also enough to remind Kayla that she was heading back to Rainbow Sands.
She hung back as Amy and Mack wrestled suitcases and garment bags, and Skye barked increasingly sharper instructions.
Standing apart from the others, Kayla looked over to her ex-fiancée, her new friend, and the love of her life.
So much had happened in one short year, but it had all started right here, in this tiny airport in this hot, tropically scented air.
She’d arrived here a year ago, thinking she would leave this island with the love of her life and her best friend.
She ended up leaving with her best friend as the love of her life.
What an amazing future she had built for herself. What an amazing life she was living.
Amy was loaded down like a pack horse when she returned to Kayla’s side, grinning like she’d also won the lottery. “This is it. What do you say, Kayla? Ready for the end of the Honeymoon For Four?”
Mack strode up beside Kayla and wrapped her in a one-armed hug, pulling her close. Just before their lips met, Kayla said, “I don’t know. But I do know I’m ready for a brand-new beginning.”