Epilogue
Briar
Eleven months later
‘Hey,’ Alice said from the doorway. ‘When did you get here?’
‘About an hour ago,’ Briar said, stretching her arms over her head and snuggling deeper into the sheets. Alice had replaced the beds in the cabin with a plusher queen-sized mattress, which Briar often dreamed of sleeping on when she was home in DC.
Besides the bed, Alice hadn’t changed the director’s cabin much. It still had the same woodsy smell: old books, pine and honey. Nothing made Briar feel calmer.
Alice walked towards her, toeing off her sneakers and shucking her tank top over her head. ‘You didn’t come find me?’
‘Figured you’d be busy with closing week.’ Briar scooted over to make room for her.
‘Too busy for you?’ Alice said, sliding in. Her skin was sticky with sweat, but Briar hadn’t held her in over a week and was greedy to touch her. Alice’s fingers settled into the crook of Briar’s hip, pulling her closer. Her mouth ghosted over Briar’s shoulder.
Briar ducked her head for a kiss, sighing into it. ‘Missed you.’
Alice grinned against her lips. ‘Really? You didn’t answer my call last night.’
‘The guys took me out for a drink after my last shift,’ Briar said, sliding a hand up Alice’s spine.
It still surprised her how much being in Alice’s arms instantly pacified her, how the stress she didn’t even know her body was holding slipped away.
The whole world faded to the background and Briar could breathe a little bit easier knowing that Alice was there.
‘How was it?’
‘Good,’ Briar said, swallowing. She wanted to hold on to the stillness for a little longer and didn’t want to talk about anything serious.
Alice stared at her, eyebrows raised.
Briar shrugged, burying her face into the crook of Alice’s neck. ‘It’s weird to be leaving.’
Alice ran her hands through Briar’s hair.
‘Of course it is,’ Alice said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Briar took a deep breath in, sitting up.
‘It’s more than just the job,’ she said.
‘Okay,’ Alice said, sitting crossed-legged and lacing her hands together, waiting for Briar to continue.
Briar bit her lip, the unsettling feeling in her stomach that had been bothering her the whole drive to camp returning. She knew she needed to say something, that it was the only way Alice could help, but it was hard. Letting people in was still something Briar was learning how to do.
‘I’m worried about what happens when I go back to school.’
Alice nodded. ‘What do you think is going to happen?’
‘That we’ll break up,’ Briar said automatically.
The thought had been nagging at her since getting her acceptance letter from William & Mary into their education program.
Alice looked surprised. ‘Why would we break up?’
‘Because we won’t be together all the time.’ Briar had tried long distance with Riley, and it hadn’t ended well. She didn’t want that to happen with Alice.
‘We weren’t together this summer and we made it work.’
‘But this will be the longest time we’ll have been apart since you came back,’ Briar said, looking down at her hands.
‘Right.’
Seeing she had stumped Alice, Briar continued, ‘What if it doesn’t work? This program is going to be hard. I’m going to have to study a lot to catch up. That means long nights and working on the weekends.’
Alice took Briar’s hands and pulled them into her lap. ‘I can work out a schedule with Freddie, and I’ll come to you. It’s only three hours. It’ll be a little hard to start. But we’re trying to hire more staff soon.’
Briar stared at their intertwined fingers. ‘I don’t want to lose you again.’
‘You won’t.’ Alice said it so fiercely that Briar almost believed her.
‘You don’t know that.’
‘I do, because I love you and I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you happy.’ The look in Alice’s eyes dared Briar to refute her.
‘Oh,’ Briar said, flushing. ‘Is that all?’
‘Yes.’ Alice brought one of Briar’s hands up to her cheek. ‘And I’ll keep reminding you of that anytime you’re feeling unsure of us.’
Briar pulled her in for a kiss. ‘That might be necessary.’
‘Shall I start now?’ Alice asked, skimming her hands up Briar’s thighs. ‘Reminding you of my devotion?’
Briar leaned her head to the side to give Alice more access as she kissed down her neck, letting herself be pushed back into the sheets. ‘I mean, if you want.’
‘Where should I start?’ Alice mused, moving to straddle her. She picked up Briar’s hand, kissing the inside of her wrist and making Briar shiver. She mouthed down Briar’s forearm, biting playfully at the tender skin.
Briar gasped, her other hand reaching to grab at Alice’s shoulder. She pulled her down and kissed her desperately.
When they broke apart, she asked, ‘Are you going to seduce me every time I get nervous about our relationship?’
‘I don’t know,’ Alice said, pulling at Briar’s shirt, managing to get it and her sports bra over her head in one fluid motion. ‘Is it working?’
Briar swallowed, mouth dry as Alice reached behind her back to unhook her bra. ‘Maybe.’
‘Well.’ Alice lowered herself back down so that there was no longer any space between them. She brought her mouth to Briar’s ear. ‘I’ll just have to keep testing out this theory, huh?’
‘Gonna catalog my reactions?’ Briar said with a breathless grin, grinding her hips in a way that made them both groan.
‘If this is your idea of dirty talk…’ Alice said with a laugh. Her cheeks were pink, her hair matted from Briar’s fingers, and she was the most beautiful thing Briar had ever seen.
‘Classify me like one of your mushrooms,’ Briar deadpanned, and they both devolved into giggles.
They met Freddie the next morning, packing up the car together.
As it turned out, the annual camping trip hadn’t died with Susan, but had expanded to include more than just biological family.
This year, Briar and her family were joined by Alice, Cook, Noah, Harper, Sierra and Freddie.
Briar couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end the summer.
When they reached the familiar stretch of road that marked the trailhead, Briar was practically buzzing with excitement. She caught sight of identical blonde heads and practically leapt from the car before Alice had fully stopped.
She squeezed Hazel and Laurel tightly. ‘How was the flight?’
‘Good,’ Hazel said, struggling against Briar’s vice grip. ‘RJ and Dad should be here any minute.’
Briar caught sight of Sierra climbing out of the car she’d driven the twins in just as Freddie launched himself at her.
‘I’ve missed you,’ he cried. ‘Having no service has been terrible. Please tell me you have the recent Paul Mescal photos I requested.’
Sierra nodded, handing over her phone. ‘Have I ever let you down before?’
Freddie didn’t respond, furiously swiping. ‘Oh my god, where did he find even shorter shorts?’
‘How have you been?’ Briar asked Sierra. ‘How’s the vet’s office?’
Sierra shrugged. ‘I quit.’
‘Oh, why?’
‘I got into this art therapy master’s program,’ Sierra said. ‘I start in the fall.’
Briar turned to Freddie, who definitely should have mentioned this to her, but he missed her glare, still enraptured by Paul Mescal’s thighs.
‘I’m so happy for you,’ Alice said, patting Sierra’s shoulder.
‘I should be thanking you, actually. If you’ve taught me anything, it’s that higher education is a perfect way to avoid the real world,’ Sierra joked.
‘Can’t avoid it forever,’ Alice sing-songed back, opening the trunk of the car.
The final cars arrived together. RJ and Briar’s dad came in one car, Noah, Harper and Cook in the other.
Cook beamed at Briar and Alice, pulling them under either arm.
‘First summer under ye belt, hen,’ he said, shaking Alice by the shoulder. ‘How do ye feel?’
‘Accomplished, for once,’ Alice said, her cheeks were flushed in a way that Briar found adorable.
‘She really pulled it off,’ Briar said.
‘Couldn’t have done it without a lot of help,’ Alice murmured, glancing around the group. ‘You guys have supported me through a ton this past year. I’m so happy you could make it.’
‘Alright, alright, save the speech,’ Noah cut in, grinning. ‘We’re losing daylight.’
And they began down the trail.
The night passed catching up around the campfire. With how busy things had been in Briar’s life – fitting college applications and trips to camp in between her bartending shifts – she hadn’t seen her siblings since the spring.
The twins were back in California, working on a video game together.
They refused to tell Briar the concept of the game, since they were superstitious about sharing things before it was finished, but the illustrations Briar had seen in the background of their FaceTimes made her suspect that it took place in a forest. She had also caught Laurel furiously dictating a voice note as she studied some cool-looking moss on their hike to the campsite.
RJ was still in New York, still working on Wall Street, but Briar predicted he was only a few years out from quitting. His therapist agreed that the job was bad for his health, so thankfully Briar wasn’t the only one constantly reminding him to look after himself anymore.
At some point, Noah pulled out his guitar and started quietly strumming a tune Briar recognized but couldn’t quite place.
Harper leaned into his side, her head resting on his shoulder.
The picture the two of them made by the fire pit reminded Briar of the final hours of their wedding.
In the end, Alice had suggested having it at the camp, and they had gladly accepted.
‘Ahem.’ Cook cleared his throat, clanking a knife against his tankard of beer. ‘I’d like to propose a toast.’ They all dutifully raised their glasses. ‘To Susan.’
‘To Susan.’
‘And,’ he continued, ‘to the entire Elwood family.’
‘The Elwoods.’
‘And finally,’ Cook said, looking at Alice. ‘To Miss Alice Hughes, without whom our most beloved camp wouldn’t be what it is today.’
‘To Alice,’ they all cheered, the twins whooping and stomping their feet. Briar couldn’t stop smiling, reveling in everyone’s collective understanding of how great her girlfriend was.
‘Speech!’ Sierra called, hiccuping into her cup.
‘Speech!’ Freddie echoed.
Alice looked at Briar for help, her face glowing red, but Briar just grinned traitorously back.
Alice stood. ‘Um. When I came to the US, I thought I’d be back in London by the end of the weekend.
’ She glanced at the faces around the fire, her eyes resting on Briar.
‘I had no idea that I’d still find a home here.
I thought I’d lost it forever. Susan gave me a lot of presents over the years, but I think her best one was giving me a good reason to come home and face my mistakes.
’ Briar reached up to grab Alice’s hand, squeezing it.
‘I’m so glad to be back in your life,’ Alice said quietly.
Then she turned back to the group. ‘In all your lives.’
‘Hear, hear,’ Harper said.
The group raised their glasses and drank again, but Briar couldn’t stop staring at Alice, at the firelight flickering in her eyes. She was amazed by how much time the two of them had ahead, of how many choices they could make together to build the life that they’d always dreamed of.