Epilogue
August
Elijah
“I should’ve worn sunglasses,” I mutter.
“You’re not wearing sunglasses. Can you imagine those photos?” Gabe hisses, tugging at my tie.
“You look more nervous than I do.”
“I worked on this all summer,” he says, straightening his jacket. “I want everything to be perfect.”
I beam hearing that. “Me too.” I agree. I take a moment to look around at all the adoring smiles looking back at me.
Rows of white chairs gleam beneath the sun, every seat filled with faces I love — grinning, tearful, waiting. The family we built together. Founded on our love.
On this warm sunny day, I’ve never felt happier than I do right now.
I take a look beside Gabe to see the poster of my father propped up on a stand. Right beside us, like he always was supposed to be.
Tears prick my eyes, letting all the emotions flow through me.
We’re here.
It only took my whole life, but I finally managed to get Tobias to marry me.
I give a quick wave at Claire who waves at me excitedly in the front row. Beside her sits the rest of Jude’s Place staff…my family.
I swallow hard, the summer sun beating down on us. This wedding arch above us adorned with bright yellow sunflowers, purple irises offers no canopy under this summer sun, but honestly, I don’t care.
Nature decided to provide us with the sunniest day as a gift. Tobias deserves nothing less than to be basking in golden rays.
He’s my angel.
“You can’t cry yet. He hasn’t even made it out yet.” Gabe nudges me in the shoulder.
“I can’t help it.” I laugh through the tears. “I’m just so happy.”
“I know…” Gabe smiles gingerly, his eyes floating through the crowd. I see him fixate on someone in particular and just like that, his cheeks redden.
“Oh, you’re so blushing.” I giggle quietly.
“Shhh.” Gabe looks away, the reddening getting worse.
“You’re not allowed to shush me. It’s my wedding day.” I nudge him again.
Suddenly, the music changes from the soft tunes, to an instrumental of Fade Into You by Mazzy Star. My stomach clenches as my breath catches in my throat.
I watch the glass doors to the lake house slide open, and everything in me goes still.
He’s here.
I’m vaguely aware of the stir around me, the guests rising for his entrance, but my eyes are locked entirely on him.
His blonde hair pushed back out of his eyes, he stands tall in his light brown suit, dressed to the nines.
I watch Gwen loop her arm around his as they make their way down the wooden deck.
His movements are slow and deliberate, as always, a vision gliding toward me, carrying the promise of our future together.
He licks his lips nervously, and I can see from here the way his eyes dart to his feet then back up to me again.
My heart hammers in my chest with every step he takes toward me.
Come to me, baby. I’m right here, Angel.
A smile tugs at his lips, that same irresistible charm I fell for all those years ago.
I attempt to look away to hide my bashfulness but it’s no use.
Memories of us as kids flash through my mind.
My eyes pull back to his, and I can feel it now. The weight of forever with my best friend. And it’s glorious.
A tearful Gwen kisses him on the cheek before moving to my other side, leaving Tobias standing there, staring at me with admiration in his eyes.
“Hey baby,” he says softly. His voice calms me instantly, warming me to my core.
“Hey Angel,” I breathe. “You look so beautiful.”
“Come here, you.” I grab his hand, pulling him in for a massive hug. He clings to me happily as I melt into his arms.
He even smells like sunlight.
“Okay, you two. Let’s get you married.” Gwen sniffs, dabbing at her eyes.
Pulling back slightly, I look into my fiancé’s eyes and whisper, “Can’t wait to marry you.”
A soft smile appears on his lips, making my heart flip a million times over. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Him. Just like this.
Gwen does a wonderful job being our officiant. Beautiful in a long silk golden dress, she looks like a royal queen. She barely makes it through her speech before tears are streaming down her face.
Tobias and I hold her hand, making sure she knows we’re right there with her. She explains how she always knew we were meant for each other—how, from the very first time she saw us in the same room, she could sense the connection between us.
For the record, I had no idea I was giving him eyes that night at dinner when I refused his salad.
This made the crowd chuckle, even Katelyn was cracking up beside her boyfriend, Jamie. She should know, she was there.
Gwen points out how much she knows my dad would want to be here to see this. Tobias squeezes my hand during this part. I bite my lip, the ache of his absence pressing in, yet find comfort knowing he lives on in the hearts of everyone who loved him.
“Okay, this is the part where one of you says something so I don’t continue to make a total fool of myself.” Gwen waves at us with her handkerchief before dabbing at her tears. The audience laughs, and I pull Tobias closer to me.
I open my mouth to start, but Tobias surprises me, covering my mouth with his palm.
My eyes widen as he cups the back of my neck, like he always does.
“Wait. Let me…” he says softly.
I nod slowly.
Out of the two of us, I’ve always been pretty forthcoming with how I feel.
But Tobias?
My heart picks up as he clears his throat, looking nervously at the audience but then as soon as his gaze turns on me, it’s like everything else fades away.
“I’m not sure if any of you know this, but Elijah’s pretty competitive.”
Laughter erupts from the crowd, and I pretend to look offended, even though I know he’s completely right.
“Late-night Crash Team Racing in the boathouse—he’d have to win, or he’d throw a full-blown fit. Popcorn everywhere. Accusations of cheating. The works.” More laughter.
“Hey, hey,” I tug on his arm, but I can’t help but add into the chuckles.
But then his voice softens. “The truth is, while you were so focused on coming in first… you didn’t notice that you had already won something even bigger.” He pauses, swallowing deeply. “My heart.”
My heart thuds. As the crowd goes silent.
“I fell for you a long time ago, E. And honestly, I can’t remember a single moment in my life where I wasn’t in love with you. Everything before you feels like a blur, not just because we were so young,” he laughs softly. “But because it was just a moment in time before my life really started.”
He takes a shaky breath, squeezing my hand.
“Life hasn’t always been kind to me. There were days, a lot of days, I thought I wouldn’t make it through.
Days I felt small, or broken, or like I wasn’t built for this world.
” He glances out at the lake, like he’s remembering flickers of his dark childhood.
The side he held in the dark. “But then there was you.” He looks back to me with glistening eyes.
“And you saw me…all of me…and you loved me anyway.” As his eyes stare into mine, I can see him thinking about all that we’ve been through.
I know because I am too. “Loving you… has never hurt. It’s never been hard.
It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” A tear drips down his cheek and I make fast work at wiping it clean, before I realize I’m crying too.
Tobias smiles at that and wipes my face too.
We’re both just a mess.
“You are…embodiment of my strength. When you thrive, I thrive. Every single time something huge or massive has ever happened in my life, you have always been right there and I want nothing less than that for the rest of my life. I love who I am when I’m with you, E.
” He squeezes my hand, reminding me to breathe.
I swallow deeply.
“I may never be the best person in the world… but the best person chose me. I’ll never stop trying to be worthy of you.” He nods slowly.
I blow out a heavy breath, wiping my cheeks off. “Oh wow. How am I supposed to go after that?” I laugh nervously.
Tobias bites his bottom lip, looking at me like I’m the dream. Huh, imagine that.
I look into his beautiful big blue eyes and the words come to me as easily as ever.
“T, you’ve always been my better half.” I begin, my voice trembling just slightly.
Tobias shakes his head, but I cup his cheek, holding him steady.
“No… listen. In the moments I’ve felt weak, you’ve been my strength.
When fear has tried to hold me down, you’ve been my courage to keep pushing.
You are my anchor, my pillar, the reason I keep standing in moments where all I want to do is fall.
You’ve been there without me ever needing to ask…
because that’s just who you are. Kindness.
Caring. Unwavering, selfless love. I’ve admired you since the moment I knew you. ”
I squeeze his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of him against me.
Pressing a kiss to his fingers, I breath in deeply.
“And I vow, from this day forward, to be the same for you. When darkness surrounds you, I will be your light. When you need to float, I will carry you. When you need to lean, my shoulder will always be here. With me, you will never feel alone. With me, you will never feel unloved.”
I pause, letting the words sink in. “I promise you this, with every piece of my heart. You are my home, T. And I am always, always, yours.”
A soft murmur escapes his lips as he wraps his arms around my neck, pressing a tender kiss to mine.
A flood of love rushes through me and I forget everything else as he holds my face in his hands.
“Oh! Yes, uh, you may now kiss the groom.” Gwen excitedly claps her hands.
I hear everyone else join in as the music starts to play, but it all turns to white noise as all I can hear is the love pounding in my chest.
My Tobias.
He’s always been my Tobias.
And now, he always will be.
***
Tobias
I crash through the cool surface, the water wrapping around me like glass.
Bubbles rise past my face as I sink, staring up at the light above — shimmering, distant, calling me home.
But this time… I’m not alone.
A hand breaks through the surface — reaching for me.
His dark hair floats like ink in the sunlit water. I reach back, gripping him tight.
His touch is warm, real. Alive.
We swim up and break the surface—
Together.
“Holy shit!” He laughs, shaking his hair out beside me. For a moment, I just stare at him — the sunlight glinting off his skin, the sound of laughter echoing all around us. Then the world comes back into focus — the lake, our friends splashing in the distance, music spilling from the deck.
This isn’t another dream.
It’s our life.
The sunset paints the water in gold, the air warm and alive around us.
I pull him close, his hands slipping easily around my waist.
“Congratulations,” I breathe, smiling against his lips.
He grins back. “Congratulations, Mr. Thorne.”
The name makes my stomach flip. I’ll never get tired of it.
I’ll want to hear it for the rest of my life. I get to hear it for the rest of my life.
Thorne.
It’s who I am.
It’s who I’ve always been.
And now — because of him, because of us — it’s who I’ll always be.