EPILOGUE RIPLEY
Epilogue
Ripley
Garrick’s hand intertwines with mine. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he says solemnly, trying – and failing – to hide the hint of a smile and the giddiness that makes him unable to stay still as he bounces on the balls of his feet.
The hot sun shines on us, and I squint despite my Fairytale Gardens baseball cap blocking most of the light. I crane my neck to look at the top of the shiny green roller coaster.
Licking my lips, I push my shoulders back until I reach full height. ‘Yes, I’m sure. It’s time that I go on my first roller coaster.’
It’s early summer, and we’re done with school for the year.
Garrick and I have been going strong since his over-the-top display at the Beeloved party.
A few days after, in what I can only explain as a moment of weakness brought on by my love-sick brain, I made him a promise that I’d go on a roller coaster when Fairytale Gardens opened for the summer.
I’m kind of regretting my decision. But I did watch lots of vlogs where people went on this ride, and I think I can handle it.
Today, Garrick is wearing a casual look, in his soft white tee, shorts and black cap.
I don’t mind the off-duty outfits, but the knight costume will always hold a special place in my heart.
‘We could’ve gone for a smaller coaster to start with,’ he says as we get in line.
‘Ogre Escape is one of the biggest we have.’
‘I know! That’s why I chose it. Go big or go home, right?
’ I offer a shaky smile. No matter how much I’ve tried to prepare myself for this moment, I still don’t like heights or going super fast while strapped to a metal death trap.
But all the vlogs assured me it was fun, as did Garrick and everyone else I questioned about the ride experience.
Still, I’m not ruling out mass delusion as the cause of this reaction. I might be dating theme park royalty, but they’re still not in the top five destinations I’d choose to spend my time. Unless Garrick is there, then it doesn’t matter where we are.
The line moves up, and my hand starts to sweat in Garrick’s. ‘Don’t worry, you can close your eyes,’ he whispers. ‘I won’t tell anyone.’
‘My knight in shining armor.’ I don’t add that closing my eyes might actually make it ten times worse.
He quickly kisses me on the cheek, and my knees go weak. You would think after nearly five months together it would start to wear off – these excitable butterflies zooming around my stomach. But it just gets better every day. Is this how it is supposed to feel? Love? Is that why people do it?
I guess I’m one of the masses now because I am hopelessly, madly in love with Garrick Walton.
Despite the change in programming, by Garrick going entirely off script for the reality show’s finale, it was a hit.
Everyone loved the ending, and even though it didn’t exactly work with the Beeloved app’s promise of finding your match, it didn’t seem to matter.
When it debuted the next day, it was the most downloaded app that week and it’s continued to be successful ever since.
I guess Mom was right: people love love.
According to Garrick, FTG also experienced a fantastic boost in sales, both with this summer’s tickets and the events they hosted earlier this year before the park opened.
Plus, he’s got his fencing camp up and running – with a waiting list of kids eager to join.
Everyone wanted a taste of the magic Garrick displayed on-screen.
I knew the stress of Fairytale Gardens’ success weighed heavily on him, and now that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I think he sees all the possibilities the future could bring.
He even floated the idea of attending culinary school after graduation to level up FTG’s catering game.
I won’t hold him to it, but it’s been nice to see the change in his attitude about the future.
Mom’s been doing better since the success of the app.
So much so that she’s taking up new hobbies – including cooking.
Anna, Garrick, Molly, new baby Teddy (born absolutely perfect in every way four months ago) and I have been subject to several new recipes she’s learning in her Tuesday class.
It’s … interesting. But it has been cool to have Mom home and interacting with us on more than just a business level.
I wish I could say that now that I have experienced love myself I get why Anna and Mike are still together.
But I still don’t see it. Garrick supports me in any way I need him, and I offer the same in return.
We don’t have to spend every waking minute together, but we know that if we call the other person, they will drop everything to help.
Mike is just never going to give that to Anna.
But I guess what I learned is that you can’t make someone see something they aren’t ready to see.
I just hope that Anna realizes how much she’s worth and that if Mike wants to keep such an amazing human he’ll have to change his ways.
We get to the front of the line, and it’s now or never. I stumble a little, my feet stopping me from moving forward despite my brain insisting we can do this.
‘Juliet?’ Garrick raises an eyebrow. He’s back to calling me Juliet. And I don’t hate it – I love it, actually. I guess I just needed to find my Romeo.
Ew, gross. I can’t believe I just said that. But also even more gross is that it kind of made me swoon.
I shake my head, hair falling slightly out of my ponytail.
‘I’m fine. Let’s go.’ I pull it back into place as we slide into the roller-coaster ride vehicle.
It’s made to look like you’re on a cart pulled by horses as you try to escape the fearsome ogre.
They lower the metal safety bar, the restraints locking us in.
I give them a little jiggle to make sure they’re secure, and they appear to be sturdy.
‘Aren’t you glad I let you do a safety inspection this morning?’ Garrick smiles. I thought he gave everyone this same one, but I now realize that this one is special for me.
‘It’s called being thorough,’ I counter.
But mostly Garrick offered it because he knew it would make me feel better.
He does little things like this all the time, like helping me create a list when I have to make a decision about colleges, or giving me the pros and cons of where we should go for dinner.
I don’t think he’s into that, but he knows it means a lot to me.
Which is why I find myself on a roller coaster right now. Because I know it means a lot to him. And that’s what relationships are about: give and take.
Garrick takes my hand, linking it with his as the ride begins its upward ascent.
‘I got you, Juliet. I won’t let anything happen to you.’
And as the vehicle reaches its peak, ready to plunge into a thrill ride I’m not sure I’m prepared for, I know that no matter what, I’ll always have his hand in mine.
Another happily-ever-after for the storybooks.