Epilogue
KYLIE
“I can’t believe this is what you Aussies call winter.” Seth squints in the July sunlight while he takes in the view of the city from Jake and Bri’s apartment.
“Why do you think I spend all my time inside when it’s snowing?” I reply, resting my head against his shoulder.
He puts his arm around me, holding me close while he accepts the beer that Jake hands him.
Two days after the Mounties won the Stanley Cup, we jumped on a plane and headed back to Brisbane. This is the first time Seth has met my Australian family and friends in person, and he was pretty nervous, but they’ve all made him feel welcome, and he’s settled in nicely.
Yesterday, Will, Dad and I took Seth for his first surf, and it was hilarious. It’s safe to say, his talents are best kept for frozen water, because he spent more time in the water than on top of it. But he’d enjoyed watching us, finally understanding why it’s my happy place. I’ve been spending as much time as I can practicing snowboarding when there’s enough snow, but nothing will ever beat the feeling of catching the perfect wave. Seth has promised to bring me home in the off-season every year, and I’ll do my best to come back on my own to join the others every February for the camping trip.
I moved in with Seth two months after I returned to Canada, and it’s been perfect. We’ve managed to find a balance between his schedule and mine, and my aunt allowed me to share the tour schedule with Adele so that I’m home when Seth is in town as much as possible. Working for family definitely has its advantages, and the fact that they are all obsessive Mounties fans has meant that they are keen to help me make the relationship work.
Chris and Morgan arrive along with Will, and it feels right being surrounded by my friends while I sit with my legs slung over Seth’s lap on the couch after dinner.
Tara sits beside me, chatting to Bri on her other side, and I’m relieved to see that, although she hasn’t been spending time with the entire group much, she doesn’t appear to be upset about everyone crashing her space today.
Will had introduced Seth and me to Kate, the woman he’s been seeing for a few months, but he says it’s not serious. That he didn’t even consider bringing her along tonight tells me she won’t be around for long. It’s hard seeing my brother pine after the woman who smashed his heart apart, but I’m glad he’s trying to move on.
Watching Seth talk to Chris about hockey, it’s hard to believe how much can happen in a year. It’s been twelve months since I met a hot, awkward Canadian at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and so much in my life has changed because of that chance meeting. When I’d started planning that holiday two years ago, I had no idea that I would find the balm that would soothe my restless heart, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Jake gets up and stands in front of the TV, tapping a pen against the side of his beer bottle. “So, Bri and I have some news we want to share with you all,” he says, waiting for all eyes to be on him .
I grin, anticipating what he’s about to say, but trying not to ruin it by blurting the words out. I’ve been working on my impulse control, feeling Seth’s calming influence on my chaotic tendencies. Bri winks at me, no doubt sensing my nervous energy.
“You guys are engaged!” Morgan shouts, and we all laugh.
“And here I was, trying not to steal Jake’s time to shine, and there you go, just blurting it all out,” I say, grabbing Bri’s hand while I roll my eyes at her sister.
The ring is a modest cut, a single solitaire diamond in a white gold setting, perfect for Bri. But that’s no surprise, because Jake knows Bri so well that he would have had no trouble picking it out.
We all gush over Bri’s ring and congratulate them both, and I feel Seth’s arm tighten around me, pulling me in closer.
I try not to notice that Will has been fairly quiet through the announcement. Tara shifts uncomfortably, her smile not quite making it to her eyes. I know how hard it is on both of them, for different reasons. It’s hard watching your friends’ lives move forward when yours feels like it’s standing still.
Sitting back down next to Seth, I turn to him with a smile while my friends all chat about the exciting news.
“Don’t worry, babe. I’m perfectly content with how we are.” I pat his cheek, worried that the announcement might have freaked him out.
He pulls me into his lap. “I don’t know. I think I’ll be ready one day soon.” He kisses my nose while I stare at him, wide eyed.
“One day soon?” I repeat, taken aback.
He laughs. “Don’t look so scared. I don’t mean now.”
I let out a sigh of relief, pretending to wipe imaginary sweat off my brow.
He shakes his head, laughing. “I love you, Kylie Anderson, you crazy woman.”
I grin back, kissing him quickly. “And I love you, too, Seth Davidson.” I snuggle down into his arms and close my eyes, just allowing myself to exist in this moment for a little longer.
I thought surfing was my happy place, but I realise this is it, with Seth and my friends by my side. This is the moment I will always come back to in my mind.
I smile to myself, grateful that, even with the distance that exists between us all now, we will always come back to together and celebrate each other’s milestones.