Epilogue
JOSIE
ONE MONTH LATER
The wedding is small because Wendy threatened to elope if more than thirty people were invited.
The guest list, location, and time have been kept secret.
Not to mention, Dyson made everyone sign a pretty hefty fucking contract, saying we wouldn’t speak about it.
If anyone refused to sign, they weren’t allowed to come.
He was very serious about my sister having the perfect day. She’s so lucky to have him.
White chairs line the beach in two short rows, facing the water. The aisle is a path of crushed shells that Fallon and I spent three hours arranging this morning. The driftwood arch is covered with the same pink and orange hibiscus flowers that Dyson has been leaving on the front desk for months.
I’m standing by the arch in a teal-blue dress that Wendy picked because it reminded her of the water in Coconut Beach.
I never put my shoes on because wearing high heels on the beach should be an actual crime.
Fallon stands beside me, her dark bob perfectly in place.
Mia is off to the side with a camera—a favor she specifically requested from Dyson because he owed her.
My hands sweat, and I’ve already wiped them on the dress twice.
In about ten minutes, my sister is going to marry Dyson Banks on the beach where we built sandcastles as kids.
Afterward, I’m going to have to give a toast without sobbing.
The odds are not in my favor because I’m already emotional, and the ceremony hasn’t even started.
“You okay?” Fallon whispers.
“I might throw up or cry. Possibly both.”
“Do neither. This dress doesn’t have pockets, and I didn’t bring tissues.”
Dyson stands at the arch in a light-gray suit with no tie.
He’s also not wearing shoes. His brothers are beside him.
Asher is the youngest, with broad shoulders.
He’s handsome and arrogant, and I know he causes many headaches.
He shook my hand at the rehearsal dinner last night like he was closing a business deal.
Nick is the opposite. He’s the middle brother, leaner, with the same golden-brown-colored eyes as Asher.
He hugged Wendy the second he met her and told her she was too good for his brother.
I enjoyed chatting with Nick. Asher might take a while because he’s a cocky asshole. The three of them are a triple threat.
The guest chairs are a mix of two very different worlds.
Dyson’s side is filled with people I’ve never met and probably never will again.
Beautiful women in expensive dresses. Men in suits that cost more than my rent.
A guy with a jaw like a Greek statue catches me staring and gives me a half-smile that would’ve ruined me six months ago.
I look away because today isn’t about me, and I’m already red enough.
Our side is our friends from Coconut Beach.
The Bees have claimed the entire front row because Gran is extra.
Dorothy’s hat is so wide that Lucille has been leaning sideways with increasing hostility for ten minutes, trying to see around it.
Mariah and Ryder are next to each other, his arm across the back of her chair.
Beside them are Preston and Cora, chatting about something that can’t be too important because she’s laughing.
My parents flew in from Canada for the wedding of the century, and it’s been nice having them home.
“I heard you were moving,” Fallon whispers as we wait.
“Yeah, in a few weeks. I’m going to stay with my cousin Blaire in Colorado. She inherited this huge house. Supposedly haunted, but hopefully, they’re friendly ghosts.”
Fallon’s eyes widen. “Nope. That life is not for me.”
I chuckle. “Some people are meant to live on an island. Others are meant to be in the mountains. I need change desperately.”
“I’m excited for you,” she says as the string quartet begins playing.
A chill runs up and down my body. Everyone turns to Wendy.
My dad walks Wendy down the aisle, and I barely recognize my sister.
She’s beautiful in that white dress with thin straps and her toes in the sand.
Her hair is down, and the bouquet shakes in her grip, but the smile on her face is the biggest one I’ve ever seen.
Dad’s eyes are brimming with tears before they make it halfway.
Dyson watches her come toward him, and his whole face changes.
His breathing pattern does too. His eyes go glassy, and he blinks hard and presses his lips together.
Nick squeezes his shoulder, grinning widely.
This is the most vulnerable that I’ve ever seen Dyson. Asher glances at his brother and grins.
When they make it to the front, my father holds Dyson’s gaze for a second, nods once, and takes his seat beside our mom.
Gran leans over from her seat and whispers to Dyson, “Breathe, sweetheart. She’s not going anywhere.”
The crowd laughs, and it breaks the tension enough for him to exhale.
Wendy walks toward him, and they grab one another’s hands. He leans in and whispers something in her ear. My emotions already can’t handle the way they look at each other with such love and adoration.
The officiant keeps it simple because Wendy gave him strict instructions. No lengthy readings, no audience participation, no sand ceremony. Written vows and rings and done.
Dyson goes first, and his hands are wrapped around Wendy’s as if she’ll float away if he lets go.
“I’m not good at this.” His voice is already unsteady. “I run a company. I negotiate deals for a living. I’ve spoken in front of thousands of people without breaking a sweat.” He looks down at their hands and shakes his head. “Right now, I can’t feel my legs.”
Wendy laughs, and so does the crowd, and it encourages him to keep going.
“I’ve never been able to hide how I feel about you. Not from anyone.” He glances at Mia, and she shrugs from behind the camera.
“You didn’t fall for the version of me that the world knows. You fell for the real me, every part.” He swallows. “That guy is the best version of me that’s ever existed, and that’s because of you. I’m choosing you. And I will choose you until my last breath.”
He stops and inhales slowly, trying to keep it together.
“I’m not promising you perfection because I’m far from that.
But I will show up every single day for you.
With coffee. And patience. Adoration. And whatever else you need.
” His eyes are red, and he doesn’t blink the tears away.
“You are the love of my life. My anchor. The one person who makes all the noise stop. I will never stop loving you.”
Nick drops his head, and Asher stares straight at the ocean, trying not to blink away any tears. Half the beach is done for, and I stop pretending this isn’t the most romantic thing I’ve witnessed.
Wendy takes a breath so deep that her shoulders rise and fall. She blinks three times, and I know she’s trying to clear her vision enough to look at him.
“I had this whole thing memorized,” she says. “I practiced in the mirror this morning, and Josie timed me.”
“Forty-seven seconds,” I confirm from behind her, and the crowd laughs.
“Thanks, sis.”
Her voice steadies as she finds her footing.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life proving I didn’t need anyone.
I wore my independence like a badge of honor and was so damn proud of it.
Then you showed up, and instead of trying to rescue me, you just asked how you could help.
I told you I was broken, and you said you’d put me back together by August third.
And you did.” She squeezes his hands, sniffling.
“I’m not marrying you because you’re Dyson Banks. ”
Dyson laughs.
“I’m marrying you because you’re the first person who ever made me feel like being myself was enough. The messy, stubborn version of me. You didn’t want the polished Wendy that so many expect. You wanted the real me.”
“I’ve got her,” he whispers and smirks.
He lifts their joined hands and presses his lips against her knuckles.
“I look forward to spending every day until the end of time loving you.”
The officiant asks for the rings. Nick fumbles in his jacket pocket for a terrifying three seconds before finding them. The look of relief on his face makes Gran laugh. Dyson slides Wendy’s ring on with steady hands, and Wendy slides his on without looking away from his face.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Very happy to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Dyson Carter Banks.”
Dyson takes a moment to gaze into her eyes before he places a hand on her cheek and kisses her like the world is ending. I dream about being kissed that way.
The crowd bursts into applause.
The reception stretches across the beach under string lights as the sky turns pink. The sand fills with bare feet and swaying couples. We do speeches, have cake, and dance until our legs are tired.
As the sky darkens, the crowd thins. I find Gran at the water’s edge with a glass of champagne in one hand.
“Hell of a summer,” I say.
“Hell of a life,” she says back.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask.
“You can always ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”
“Did you know who Dyson was?”
She sips her champagne, and the last sliver of daylight catches her face. “The moment he walked through that door.”
“How?”
“Honey, I have my ways.” She takes another sip.
“Gran!”
“I’m seventy-two, not dead. I know how to use the internet and hire people to find out things for me.” She swirls her glass. “I saw who he was and who he could be for Wendy, and I decided to keep that information to myself.”
“For the entire summer? That might be a record for you.”
“Longest secret I’ve ever kept, and that includes your grandfather’s surprise party in 1989, which nearly gave me an ulcer.”
I loop my arm through hers, and the warm water washes over our feet.
“You’re still leaving?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “But I’ll come back and visit often, especially considering my sister is married to Dyson fucking Banks.”
She doesn’t react right away. She finishes her sip and watches the horizon. “You’ve had one foot off this island since you were sixteen, honey. I’ve been waiting for you to use the other one.”
“I love it here. But I need to find out who I am somewhere that isn’t home. Wendy found herself by coming back, and I think I have to find myself by leaving.”
“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said in years.” She squeezes my arm. “Does your sister know?”
“I’m going to tell her after all this excitement.”
“Good idea. She’ll cry, but she’ll understand. Sometimes, little birdies have to use their wings.” She pats my hand. “But you’d better call me several times per month, or I’m sending Lucille to check on you. Still staying with Blaire in Colorado?”
“Yeah, I am. I’m really excited about it.”
The music picks up behind us, and I glance back at the reception.
Dyson and Wendy are swaying together under the lights, off-beat as always because the Coconut Crush kills inhibitions. He whispers something in her ear, and she laughs. The sound carries across the beach to where I’m standing.
“You think I’ll find that?” I ask.
Gran smiles. “Without a doubt. Just don’t fall for the first good-looking guy who gives you attention. Bust some balls first.”
Laughter falls from my lips, and I pull Gran into a hug. “I love you. I’m so glad you’re my grandma.”
“Aw, sweetie. I love you too.”
We let go of one another and walk back to the party.
My sister found the thing that most people spend their whole lives chasing. She found it in the last place she expected—home.
I grab a Coconut Crush from the bar. The stars are out now, scattered across the sky as if someone threw a handful of diamonds across it.
Fallon walks over and orders a drink.
“What should we toast to?” she asks, smirking.
“To living the sweet life,” I say with a smile.
THE END