Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER…
D ella dug her toes into Bell Island’s white sand and sniffed the vibrant red hibiscus in her bouquet. They smelled like sunshine and happiness and hope. They were perfect for a beach wedding.
The setting sun painted the sky yellow, orange, and purple. The light ocean breeze played with the floaty blue bridesmaid dress she wore. It made her want to spin, just to feel the fabric play around her legs, but she reined in that impulse.
Today wasn’t her day.
Today, Mattie was center stage with her rock star, and Della had never been happier to be the backup.
The joy on her sister’s face as she walked up the aisle left Della with tears in her eyes. Her heart felt like it had grown too big for her ribs to hold.
The love and awe and utter happiness on Adam’s face put the sunset to shame.
“This really is the perfect place for a wedding,” she whispered to Piper. “I’m pretty sure he bought this island just so they could get married here. Does she look happy?”
“Shh,” Piper hissed back. “Of course she’s happy. It’s her wedding day.”
“Yes, but can you see if she’s actually happy?” Della leaned out to get a better view. “I can’t see anything.”
“Shhh.” Lizzie’s soft admonition blended with the whoosh of the next wave.
Della contented herself with studying the white lace butterflies that covered her sister’s back. The breeze made them move as if they were alive.
“I love that dress.” Della hadn’t actually meant to say that out loud.
“Me too,” Piper whispered.
“He’s not so bad in that suit either,” Della murmured.
Adam’s white suit played off his tan and made him, well, the rock star he actually was.
Lizzie half turned her head in Della’s direction.
Della zipped her lips and tried not to fidget.
The official, one of Adam’s uncles, cleared his throat. “Friends and family, we’re here on this beautiful evening to celebrate Mattie and Adam.”
Della found herself tuning out the speech that followed, distracted by the people in the front row.
Her warden sat next to Renic, Blake, and Carrie, the chef at Lizzie’s inn. Renic held Becca, Della’s baby niece, in his arms and rocked her gently back and forth. Mattie had delayed her wedding six months so that the next generation Bell Babe could attend.
Carrie dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and sniffed. Blake had eyes only for Piper.
Ward’s head swiveled slightly from left to right as he constantly scanned the area. It was an occupational hazard, she knew now. He did it everywhere they went, even when he knew there was enough security to keep an entire country safe.
He was always watching, always ready to leap into action.
She didn’t mind.
She could relax knowing that if anything happened—anything—he’d be there.
Besides, his attention always returned to her.
When his gaze met hers, she gave him a wink.
“You’re supposed to be watching the bride and groom,” Piper whispered.
“I am.” Della shifted her flowers so they hid her mouth. “Hey, I’ve seen you sneaking peeks at Blake, Pipsqueak.”
Lizzie frowned at them. She’d become much better at it now that she had a daughter.
Della dutifully focused her attention on the happy couple.
Adam took Mattie’s hands in his and started to sing. “Martha Lee Bellamy, I love you with my whole heart. I love you with my entire soul. Today. Tomorrow. Always. On this day, I promise to stand with you through the storms. I promise to catch you when you fall. On this day, I promise to share with you all that I am and all that I will be. On this day…and every day…from now and for always…I’m yours.”
Adam slipped a ring on her sister’s finger.
Della’s eyes welled up, and she saw Piper reach for the tissue Lizzie pulled from the bouquet she held for Mattie.
She couldn’t see Mattie’s face when she said her vows, but her sister’s voice carried on the evening breeze, clear and certain. “Adam Paxton Brooks, I love you. You are the song of my heart and the joy of my soul. On this day, I promise to be a light in the dark, a comfort in the cold, and a shoulder to lean on when life is too much to bear on your own. From this moment on, I stand with you. From this moment on, I am yours.”
Della could almost hear her sister singing those words. They were perfect.
The official smiled his approval. “Let no one and nothing come between you, and let the vows you’ve made to each other give you strength. Let the road rise to meet you. Let the winds guide you, and let your family and friends, witnessing this day, provide you comfort. You are, now and forever, husband and wife.”
“Hell yeah,” Adam said as he swept Mattie into his arms for a long kiss.
“You may now celebrate,” the official said with a laugh.
The audience leaped to their feet and cheered as her sister and Adam walked back down the aisle, radiating joy.
The groomsmen paired up with the bridesmaids and followed.
Della waited for Ward at the end of the aisle. It didn’t take him long to work his way through the crowd to her. She held out her hand to him. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
“Show me what?” His lips quirked. “I think that fancy dinner your sister put together with her chef comes before the party.”
“Wouldn’t you rather inspect the shoreline with me?” She wiggled her eyebrows just in case he didn’t get the implication.
He leaned in as if for a kiss, then bypassed her lips to whisper in her ear. “When I inspect something tonight, it won’t be the shoreline.”
His breath on her ear kindled a fire that promised all kinds of interesting things.
“Della!” Lizzie called out. “We need you for pictures.”
The fire winked out, replaced by a knot of frustration. Della groaned. “How long do you think that will take?”
She eyed the photographer, who was setting up cameras and lighting by the arch, and the people waiting for their turn in front of the camera, and groaned. It could take all night.
“Duty calls.” Ward put his lips against her cheek. The kiss was chaste, short, and entirely unacceptable. “Chin up, Lucy. Go be with your sisters. I’ll wait for you.”
She leaned her forehead against his. “I love it when you call me that.”
“I know.”
Della kissed him with the enthusiasm of a soldier going to war. “Don’t dance without me.”
“Della!” Lizzie shouted with a little more impatience.
Della left Ward standing by one of the unused dance floors and hurried back to the beach. “I’m here. I’m here. Where do you want me?”
The photographer, a tiny dark-haired woman in bare feet and white linen called Berenice, waved Della over. “Let’s do some sister shots first, then we’ll add the groom back in, then we’ll branch out to the rest of the extended family. Okay, baby sister, you go to the right, Lizzie to the left.”
Della dutifully stood next to Piper in the lineup. She peered around Piper at Lizzie. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the baby comment.”
Piper poked her in the ribs. “Get back in line.”
“The sooner you settle down and pose, the sooner we can eat,” Lizzie reminded them.
“I feel like we’re in a police station having our mug shots done,” Della muttered.
Berenice shot her a sharp glance, then broke into a grin. “You know, you’re right. This isn’t good at all. Come on, ladies, let’s get more natural with this. Loosen up. Kick off the shoes and let’s take a walk.”
They left their white sneakers in a pile near the arch and set out. They walked slowly, kicking sand with their feet, while the photographer and her assistant hovered with the camera.
Della impulsively grabbed Piper and Mattie’s hands and swung them like she did as a child. “This has been the best day ever. You’re absolutely radiant, Mattie.”
“You really are,” Piper agreed.
“I think we all are.” Mattie squeezed Della’s hand. “I love your hair that color. It suits you.”
“It’s like fire,” Piper said. “Burns hot and fast, and it’s all consuming. Just like her.”
“Hey!” Della nudged her with her shoulder. “Okay, sure, maybe I’m a little impulsive.”
“A little?” Lizzie asked.
They all giggled.
“Okay, a lot. And I’ve made some, um, bad choices.” She paused. “But that’s over now.”
“Oh I hope not,” Lizzie said. She stopped walking and the four of them formed a circle. “Della, you bring joy to our lives. You always have.”
“That’s why it hurt so much when you went solo,” Mattie said. Even now, after all these years, her sister’s voice held a note of sadness whenever she spoke about The Day.
“Well, that and you didn’t seem to get how much it was going to affect all of us.” Piper’s sardonic smile took the sting out of the words.
“I was a real little shit.” Della danced ahead so she could get in front of them. “I was selfish, and self-centered, and cruel.”
“Yes,” Piper said. “You were.”
“When you were taken…when we thought we were going to really lose you…” Lizzie choked up.
“That’s over now,” Mattie said. “All of it. It’s in the past, and it’s time for a clean slate. Today is all about beginnings. So from here on, we do better. Besides, somehow, it feels like it was all just…meant to be. Because you struggled, Lizzie and Renic came together. And because I was trying to figure out who I was without, well, us , I found Adam.”
“Good point. If we hadn’t been taking a timeout,” Piper said, “I might never have tried to branch out into movies. Then I never would have met Blake. So I think everything turned out…pretty good, actually.”
Tears filled Della’s eyes. Their forgiveness meant everything. “I love you all. So much. And…I guess I might never have met my warden if you all hadn’t forgiven me, despite everything. Probably not.”
“Definitely not, because you never would have met that asshole on our movie set.” Piper’s face darkened. “I can’t believe someone we trusted betrayed us like that.”
Della grabbed Piper’s hand. “Like Mattie says, it’s over. I get to be here with all of you on Mattie’s super-special, fantastically magical day. Everything really is perfect.”
Lizzie held out her arms, and they all fell into them. “We have each other. Always. No matter what. Bell Babes forever.”
“Bell Babes forever,” they all repeated. They huddled in the group hug for several long minutes.
All the broken places had finally been mended. Della didn’t even bother to stifle the tears.
“Ladies, do you mind if the groom gets some action here?” Adam said.
Their heads swiveled in his direction. Adam stood in the waves with a big grin on his face while the water soaked the edges of his pants. The groomsmen were scattered along the beach behind him. Della couldn’t tell if they had tried to stop Adam from joining the women or if they wanted to come too and were afraid to intrude.
As far as she could tell, Adam had never met a barrier he couldn’t cross.
Mattie beamed at him and beckoned. “Group hug. Everybody’s invited.”
The photographer madly clicked and circled and offered pose suggestions while they all rehashed the ceremony and the courtship.
Della found herself scanning the tree line for signs of Ward. He wasn’t in the wedding party, so he wasn’t supposed to be in this set of pictures, but it seemed wrong not to have him there. She wanted him with her.
Finally, she spotted him standing under a palm tree just ahead of them. Watching and waiting.
“Mattie? Do you mind if we get some group shots with Ward?”
“Yeah, I want some with Blake too,” Piper said.
“I want shots with all of us. Get everybody here. Carrie too.” Mattie waved at the rest of the men. “Where’s Renic?”
“He’s helping Carrie get dinner ready,” Lizzie said. She pulled her cell phone out from somewhere in her dress and started texting. “I’ll get them.”
Della ran to Ward. “Come on. The bride wants group shots with all the guys.”
“The bride? Or her bridesmaid?” He walked with her back to the group.
“Both.” She grinned at him.
“Okay,” the photographer said, “let’s wander back to the arch but this time with the guys. We can do one big, posed shot there with the lights.”
“I really feel sorry for her,” Della said. “It’s hard enough with a normal family to get people to sit still for photos.”
“We’re not normal, true, but we’re family,” Piper said.
“Yes, we are,” Adam agreed. “Though I think my parents are still too starstruck over Blake Ryan to consider him one of us just yet. Pretty sure they watched him more than me today.”
“No, they didn’t,” Mattie gave him a little nudge. “They both were crying during our vows. I saw your mother hand your dad a tissue. It was super sweet.”
“Piper, have you two set a date yet?” Lizzie asked. “It’s been months since Blake proposed.”
“We’ve been too busy to nail it down. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’re just going to elope.” Piper wrinkled her nose. “This is too much work.”
“No, it’s not,” Mattie protested.
“It’s a little work,” Lizzie admitted. “But it’s worth it. Don’t worry, I’ll help you put it together. That’s what I do.”
“Let’s just focus on this wedding for now.” Piper sounded a little panicked. “I don’t need all the people and the fancy stuff. I just need Blake and you three and maybe a cake.”
“Amen to that,” Ward muttered.
Della’s stomach grumbled. “Speaking of cake, is it time to eat yet?”
“Oh, we’re already late to dinner.” Lizzie laughed. “This is why I like to be running the wedding instead of being in it. It’s easier to wrangle. That’s okay. It’s our party. They’ll wait.”
It took another hour before the photographer and the bride were satisfied that every shot on the list had been taken.
They ate dinner on the deck, under the stars and twinkle lights.
Then it was time for speeches, and of course Adam sang a song he’d written just for Mattie. Della found herself swaying to the soft rhythm and sweet melody.
“This will go viral,” Piper said. “Especially if they use footage from actual weddings for the video.”
“Definitely,” Della agreed.
“Will they use this one?” Ward asked with a carefully neutral face.
Della wrinkled her nose. “Of course not. This is private. Just for us.”
“They should put it out there as a contest,” Piper said. “Win a surprise visit from the band for your wedding. It would be really sweet.”
“Don’t say that loud enough for Adam to hear,” Cooper said. “He’ll be all over that. We’ll be doing weddings for a year.”
Lizzie stood and clinked her champagne glass. “Let’s open it up for toasts.”
“Or roasts,” Brandon, Adam’s brother, said.
“Can’t we have both?” LT asked.
“Are they all going to give a toast?” A sudden thought struck Della, making her palms sweat. “Was I supposed to give a toast at this thing?”
Lizzie flashed her a smile. “Only if you want to, DellBell.”
As it turned out, after hearing a few speeches from Adam’s family and from Piper and Lizzie, Della did want to.
Two hours later, Della finally managed to lead Ward to where she’d been trying to go all day.
More twinkle lights lined the winding path from the pool deck through tropical gardens to the beach below.
“They really did turn this into paradise,” Della said. She squeezed his hand. “I can’t believe Adam bought her this island. It’s insane. Who owns an island? It’s like owning a castle.”
“Yeah, it’s a little much for me,” Ward said. “I could see getting married somewhere more personal. Like a sunflower field.”
Her heart skittered. He’d been thinking about getting married. He hadn’t mentioned it before, but maybe watching Adam and Mattie had inspired him.
She tried not to get too excited. If he was going to surprise her with something, she didn’t want to ruin it. “Sunflowers get pretty tall. It might be hard to see the bride and groom.”
“Depends on the time of year.” He gave her a quizzical look. “Exactly where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see.” She pulled him toward a group of trees with a swing suspended between them. She was happy to see nobody had discovered it yet.
Ward took a seat on the swing, then pulled her down next to him. “Are there fireworks or something?”
“No.” She leaned into him. “I just wanted to be here. With you. Looking at that.”
Ward pushed the swing into gentle motion with his feet. “You wanted to get away from the party to be alone with me?”
She nestled closer. “Is that bad?”
“No.” He kissed her hair. “I’m just surprised. I know how much you love a party.”
“I love you more.” Happiness rolled over her like the waves. “This is my new favorite place.”
“We’ve never been here before,” Ward pointed out, as unromantically practical as always.
“Not this beach, silly. I mean me and you. Sitting like this. I searched for this…us…for so long, but I didn’t know that’s what I was doing. I know that doesn’t really make any sense. I just knew something was missing. I made a lot of bone-headed decisions trying to figure it all out.”
“And now?”
“Now I have you.” She sighed, happy and content. “You’re my missing piece.”
“Yeah.” His arm tightened around her. “I think I was searching for us too.”
She imagined sitting with her warden just like this in so many different places. When they had children. When they had grandchildren. All the way to the very end. She didn’t want anything else.
She knew, with a quiet certainty neither of them had said out loud, that he wanted that too.
For the rest of her life, wherever she was, her home would be in his arms.