Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
Kiera
The late spring sun bathed Mission Beach in warm golden light, the scent of salt and coconut sunscreen in the air. Waves rolled lazily toward the shore, foaming white before melting back into the vast blue. Kiera lay on a beach towel, reading, digging her toes into the soft sand, listening to the distant sound of laughter and the rhythmic crash of the ocean.
Beside her, Quinn was hard at work on her sandcastle, tongue poking out in concentration as she carefully packed another turret into place. Quinn looked to her mom for encouragement as her sandcastle continued to lean precariously.
Further out in the water, Izzy bobbed in the shallows, Eliza on a bright yellow foam surfboard beside her. Kiera watched as Izzy adjusted Eliza’s stance, gesturing animatedly as she explained something, her body language brimming with confidence. Eliza, in contrast, was barely containing her nerves, her little arms flailing to keep her balance even before a wave approached. Kiera smiled to herself, looking around at all her favorite girls.
Izzy gave Eliza a final nod before stepping back, letting the small wave push her forward. For a second, Eliza stood, wobbling triumphantly — before immediately toppling over into the water.
Kiera winced, but when Eliza surfaced, she was already laughing, flicking water at Izzy.
"She’s really bad at surfing,” Quinn remarked beside her, deadpan.
Kiera stifled a laugh. “She’s trying, and that’s what matters.”
“Yeah, she’s trying really hard,” Quinn added, turning back to her castle. “Like how Izzy tries really hard at everything, like when she puts broccoli in the mac and cheese.”
Kiera let out a quiet laugh.
The past year had been a whirlwind, a mixture of quiet moments and milestones, of laughter, exploring their relationship and spending more and more time together. Izzy had fully immersed herself in Second Star, taking a leadership role alongside Pete, helping to launch new mentorship programs that had already started changing kids’ lives.
Kiera had found her footing too — after a year of paying her dues teaching life science classes, she’d be starting chemistry classes in the fall, and would add a physics course in the spring.
Watching the girls and Izzy get to know one another, to get comfortable with each other, had been the best part of the last year. The girls adored Izzy, begged for her to stay longer every time she had to leave.
Kiera had thought she would struggle with letting someone in, but with Izzy, after they’d confessed what they wanted, it had been easy.
So easy, in fact, that the girls had started a relentless campaign months ago, constantly asking if Izzy could move into the small townhouse.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Izzy and Eliza came trudging up from the shore, Eliza dripping wet and grinning.
“That was terrible,” she declared as she dropped onto the sand beside Quinn.
“No, it was great. The Izzy and Lizzie dream team,” Izzy said as she sat beside Kiera.
“No, it was bad,” Quinn stated. “You want to help me with the castle?”
Eliza nodded, clearly eager to escape the waves for a while, and the two of them fell into quiet collaboration, sculpting small towers into place.
Kiera took the moment of distraction and turned to Izzy, who was toweling off beside her. Izzy shot her a knowing smile, raising an eyebrow. “You’re staring.”
Kiera huffed a small laugh, heart racing. Don’t overthink it. Just say it.
“Iz,” she started, voice soft. “Move in with us.”
Izzy’s hands froze, her towel slipping from her fingers onto the sand.
“I mean it,” she said, reaching out and brushing a damp strand of hair away from Izzy’s cheek. “I want you to live with us. The girls love you and want you around, and so do I.”
Izzy’s lips quirking upward, mischief flashing in her eyes. “Kiera Phillips,” she said slowly, teasingly. “I cannot live in sin.”
Kiera rolled her eyes, laughing. “Oh my god.”
Before she could respond, Izzy turned toward the girls. “Hey, Lizzie? Quinn?”
The two of them perked up instantly, sharing a glance before nodding with barely contained excitement.
Kiera looked confused. “What?—”
Eliza and Quinn sprinted a few feet up the beach to their beach bag. They dug inside the bag, then ran to Izzy, depositing a small box into her hands. Quinn bounced with excitement while Eliza held her hands in a pleading gesture.
Oh , Kiera realized.
The world around them seemed to contract as Izzy knelt before her, her bright blue eyes filled with a deep and sure emotion.
“Kiera,” Izzy started, her voice shaky, and fingers tight around the small box. “I was going to do this later tonight, but since you kind of walked right into it…” She took a breath, shaking her head with a small grin. “You… and the girls… and this life we want to build together — it’s everything, and I don’t want to wait.”
The ocean blurred into background noise, drowned out by the rush of blood pounding in Kiera’s ears.
“I love you,” Izzy said, her gaze softening. “I have loved every moment I have spent with the three of you over this past year. And I don’t just want to move in with you. I want to marry you.”
Kiera let out a shaky laugh, barely holding it together. “You planned this with Eliza and Quinn?”
Izzy glanced sideways where the two pairs of wide eyes were watching them. “They’ve been very good at keeping this a surprise.”
“How long have you known?” Kiera said, turning toward her daughters.
Eliza and Quinn erupted into giggles.
“Wait, wait, we have a thing!” Eliza said, waving her arms frantically. Quinn began tearing apart the sandcastle. Kiera watched in amusement as the girls dug wildly, sand flying everywhere, before they unearthed a small seashell-covered box and held it up in triumph, grinning ear to ear.
“We made this!” Quinn declared proudly, holding it in both hands.
Kiera opened the lid, her heart stuttering as she saw what was inside — a piece of paper, decorated in Eliza’s loopy handwriting and Quinn’s very enthusiastic use of stickers.
Say yes, Mommy!!!
Kiera laughed through the blur of her tears, clutching the note to her chest as Izzy reached for her hand. “No pressure,” Izzy teased, though Kiera could hear the emotion in her voice. “But they worked really hard on this.”
Eliza crossed her arms. “Yeah, and we practiced!”
It felt impossible to breathe with how much she loved the three of them. “Oh, well, in that case…” She turned back to Izzy, eyes shining. “Yes.”
Izzy let out a breath before surging forward, pulling Kiera into a deep kiss, the kind that promised forever.
The girls whooped in triumph, launching themselves at Kiera and Izzy in a blur of limbs and laughter. They all collapsed into the sand in a tangled heap, breathless and grinning, the air ringing with giggles and shrieks. The tide crept closer, curling around their feet, the ocean a steady rhythm behind them. Sunlight spilled across their faces and for a brief, tender moment, Kiera found herself in awe that this beautiful, chaotic, and perfect life was real.