Series Epilogue - Skyler
(ONE YEAR LATER)
The twinkling lights on the beach make for a beautiful backdrop on this, a most momentous evening.
Leaning my head on Reed’s shoulder, I smile at the happy couple dancing slowly on the dock.
Ardsley’s dad rented out this beachside restaurant, complete with a small wooden boardwalk jutting out from the sand into the ocean.
It’s been a small event with a quick exchange of vows during the sunset.
We’ve been dining and dancing all night, and many of the guests have already left.
Still, with all the love on the beach, and the way Ardsley and Tyson have been smiling nonstop, I know it was the perfect wedding for my eel shifter buddy and his now-husband.
It was even more amazing with the monster of my dreams by my side.
Reed hasn’t gotten sick of me in the past year-and-a-half, and I thank monster god every day I get to wake up with him.
Sure, many days he has to leave extra early and comes home dead on his feet from hospital work.
But being an adult is about balancing work life and family life.
Aisen has grown to accept me as his step-parent.
I never thought I’d be the guardian of a teenager in my thirties, but here we are, and I couldn’t be happier.
I’m a part of the Sung family, through and through.
And Aisen hasn’t walked in on us having sex yet, so I consider that a win.
As the music winds down, the newlyweds plop on the chair next to mine. We’re one of the last occupied tables; Ardsley and Tyson are on my right, with Karlo and Razorjaw on their right.
“Whew! Who knew slow dancing would work up a sweat!” Ardsley says, and we all laugh.
He looks dapper in his black suit, and Tyson looks like a supermodel in his all-white outfit.
I don’t think he’s stopped smiling all evening, which means Karlo and I did our duties as co-best-men to make this the wedding of his dreams.
“That’s because you’ve been dancing all night,” I remark.
“Hey, you only get one wedding!” Karlo adds.
“And you two continue to look amazing,” Reed says.
Tyson shrugs and Ardsley cuddles into him.
“We will need to look amazing at our wedding,” Razorjaw says lifting up one finger. “Where did you get your suits?”
“We’ll take care of that later, babe. Their wedding isn’t even over yet,” Karlo says, patting RJ’s hand.
We all laugh at the adorable fish-out-of-water. He’s in his human form, just like the other monsters at the table. He and Karlo are engaged, Tyson and Ardsley are hitched, and I have no intention of leaving Reed.
I take a sip of wine and lean forward. “Can you believe this?” I ask.
“That the wedding is almost over? It has been a few hours,” RJ says.
I snicker. “No. Look at us.” Everyone pauses and I point at each of us. “Humans. Shifters. Love in the room.” Reed pulls me closer. “It’s just…amazing. Unbelievable.”
“I can believe it.” Tyson pulls Ardsley. “I had to shoot my shot when I met a certain eel shifter at my gym locker room.”
Tyson kisses him on the cheek and Ardsley giggles. “All because you’re bad at reading numbers.”
We all laugh, recalling their Valentine’s Day meet-cute. “But did you think we’d all end up with monsters?” I ask.
“Think? Not sure. Hope? Maybe.” Karlo lets out a mirthful chuckle and cuddles close to RJ. I’m looking forward to celebrating the shark man’s nuptials soon. “I’ve always loved marine life. I’ve always respected monsters.”
“Right. So it makes sense that we would end up with Maritime Monsters. Duh,” I say. Our group of six laughs again, and I cuddle closer to Reed. He gives me a meaningful look, but before I can say more, a little version of him appears at our table.
“Do you want me to take your guys’ picture? Your dad said it would be a good idea, Mr. Allen, so you wanna?” Aisen asks with an excited smile. He’s holding his DSLR camera, a boy after my own heart. He’s nearly outgrown his suit, sprouting faster and faster as most sixteen-year-old boys tend to do.
“Sure!” Ardsley says.
“How about on the dock?” Tyson points behind us. “Jumping into the water?”
We chuckle, and Ardsley carefully removes Tyson’s jacket. “Only if you take this off.”
“So that I don’t get the suit wet?” Tyson asks.
“No.” Ardsley pops open his shirt, exposing Tyson’s dark skin and pert pecs over a white tank top. “I just like looking at you.”
Our group laughs, and I take off my jacket. “Hey, keep it PG. The kid is here!” I say.
“I’m not a kid,” he mutters, half-smiling.
“Let us go take this photo, Aisen Sung,” RJ says. He taps Aisen’s shoulder and shifts. Our little group saunters to the dock, but Reed hangs back.
“What’s up?” I ask, toeing off my shoes.
“Nothing, I was…thinking about what you said.” He puts his hands in his pockets, and his demeanor grows shy.
“What?”
“About ending up with a maritime monster.”
I strip down to my undershirt. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I just realized we’re not technically engaged.”
My brow furrows in confusion. “Um, okay?”
Reed takes my hands and squeezes them. “I don’t want you to think I don’t want to.”
I shake my head. “I’ve never thought that, sweetheart.”
“I simply want the timing to be right. And we’ve been so focused on this wedding, then Karlo got engaged, and we’ve only been dating for one year, eight months, and two days, so like―”
“Reed!” I say with a giggle. He shuts up, and I take his face. I kiss him slowly, listening to waves cresting yards away. “I don’t question your commitment to me. We can get married or engaged when the timing is right. It won’t change my love for you.”
My boyfriend smiles and pecks my lips again. “Done deal.”
“Besides, if you take too long, I’m popping the question myself.” Our laughter is broken up by Aisen hollering in the distance.
“Stop being gross and come take this picture!” he says with a wave. Our friends are all lined up at the dock, Ardsley and RJ in their monster forms.
“Well?” Reed asks. I turn back to see him already in his kraken form. “Shall we?”
I put out one arm, and he wraps a tentacle around it. “Lead the way, sea monster.”
Seconds later, the six of us stand at the dock, ready to jump in. Aisen and Ardsley’s dad stands at a smaller dock, parallel to us, with cameras ready. We’re framed by the twinkling lights as well as the night sky.
“I love you, Reed Sung,” I murmur.
“I love you more, Skyler Dillinger. And I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with you, too, just you wait.”
I lift his tentacle and plant a kiss on it. He’s always known the right things to say. Reed makes me feel like the luckiest marine biologist in the world.
“On three, say ‘Sea!’ and jump into the water!” Aisen announces.
Turning to my left, I make eye contact with my two best friends. We grin at each other, knowing it was less than three years ago that we were all lonely and single. And now we’ve found our other halves.
“One…two…”
Holding each other, we leap, and the word “Sea!” echoes over the beach. We laugh, and it’s like slow motion as we land in the water, ready to take on a future filled with love and happiness by the ocean.
Splash!
The End