Epilogue
February, a year and a half later
The Seychelles
Nessa
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Matt announced. Nessa’s heart soared whenever she heard those words, but now, seeing the beaming smile on his face sent a cascade of endorphins through her. She had to force herself to keep her gaze on the newlyweds.
And not on the minister.
The Trumpet Voluntary –the traditional wedding recessional–filled the air, the triumphant melody floating on ocean breezes. The same breezes carried the laughter of the audience, pure joy radiating from all attendees. The mothers of the bride and groom carefully patted their lower lids with fine linen handkerchiefs, then crossed the aisle and hugged.
When Matt agreed to perform this ceremony, he didn’t know that the bride and groom, Maggie Porter and Kyle Donovan, would also hire Wedding Protectors. He and Nessa were both working this event, of course, but together and at an island paradise, and as soon as Sunday’s farewell brunch wrapped up, they were both free for their planned vacation. They were hopping over to another, smaller island in the chain, where they’d rented a tiny house on stilts, on a secluded beach. One definite benefit of working at Wedding Protectors was that all you had to do was stand up in your cubicle and call out, “Anyone know a great place to stay in the Seychelles?”
Four different people would answer immediately.
Half an hour ago, when Maggie had arrived in front of him on her father’s arm, Matt had winked at Nessa. She cut her eyes away, embarrassed, but her cheeks flushed with pleasure.
“Ahem.” Archie cleared his throat. His demeanor never changed, nor did his professional wardrobe of dark blue suit and white shirt. The necktie was his only concession to his surroundings; today, it was a soft yellow.
“Yes?” Nessa asked, studying the assembly. This was a fairly decorous group, but you never knew.
“Winking from the altar? Is that some kind of signal? Something I should know about?”
“He’s my boyfriend, Archie, you do know about that,” Nessa said back with a smile.
“Well, don’t wink back. What if the groom’s dad thought you were winking at him?”
“I’m sure his husband wouldn’t appreciate it.”
Archie looked slightly bemused. “Fair enough.” Tinny words came through his earbud and he walked away, back straight, his attention elsewhere.
Thank goodness.
Nothing was going to put a damper on this fine day; Nessa was going to make sure of that. No unexpected weather events, no uninvited guests, no culture-warrior protests, and no viral videos if anything did go off script. No paparazzi. No pictures, period.
And once this event was over, it was just her and Matt. No followers, no social media of any kind. Their vacation was going to be about the beach, the sun, good food and drink, fun adventures, and each other.
Not in that order, and not shared with anyone.
Now, as the familiar music played, Maggie and Kyle turned, waving and smiling. Unconstrained by the formality of a church, their guests left their seats and surged around them like a tide of love. Nessa carefully scanned the rows of empty chairs, sharp eyes on the lookout for forgotten purses, wallets, and phones, anything of any value.
“Need help?” Matt asked, suddenly behind her. He wore a beige linen shirt, white pants, and a ministerial stole with embroidered shells in neutral tones. Nessa had designed it and had it made for him as a birthday gift, intended for officiating at coastal weddings but also for summer services on the beach.
Predictably, Liv had teased her: “When you were studying fashion at Parsons, did they have a class in clergy couture? Maybe you could be a designer at–what was the name of that website for ministers’ wives? Grace Notes?”
Nessa laughed, but she filed the idea away. Maybe Liv had something there?
“You did your job,” she told Matt now. “Shoo. Let me do mine.”
“Yep. I tied a good, tight knot.” His hand went to her hip, stroking softly.
She shot him a look. “A knot, huh? Well, I’m still on deck, racing for the finish line.”
“Surely you have time for a kiss before you have to trim any sails.”
“Not with a hundred people around us,” she said, moving away reluctantly. He settled for kissing her cheek, then faded into the crowd, shaking hands with the three proud dads.
She watched him from a distance. Who would have guessed a year and a half ago that she would feel the kind of deep, committed love that she’d seen–and envied–at the weddings she was assigned to? And for the minister who performed some of those weddings? Certainly not her.
They’d flown here to the Seychelles separately, Matt traveling by private jet, courtesy of the bride and groom. Nessa had flown commercial–bumped up to business class on miles, thank heaven–along with the Wedding Protectors staff assigned to the event. This was a relatively small affair, with six in the bridal party and seventy guests. It was family that swelled the ranks and filled the hotel rooms; included were two mothers, two fathers, three stepfathers, a stepmother, five half-siblings and six stepsiblings, along with their various partners, and three stepnieces and nephews.
Plus, because it was a modern family, there were two former stepparents and their spouses and children. Apparently, they all spent major holidays together, too, and no one found it the least bit uncomfortable. Or if they did, their misgivings didn’t last–everyone was matter-of-factly folded in, just another place at the dinner table.
Good humor helped.
Her own family situation wasn’t the worst she’d ever seen, not by any means, but you couldn’t call them blended. They were more like those layered cocktails that were flamed for serving. The different layers–Ranney and the Silver family, Nessa and now Matt, Carmine and Natalya and their girls–could be poured into the same metaphorical glass, but they stayed separate. They didn’t blend.
And occasionally, someone lit a match.
Matt’s family had welcomed her into their circle. He hadn’t had many serious girlfriends before her, and his evident happiness made them happy, too. As an only child of divorced parents, it was fun–and instructive–for her to experience a family dynamic she had mostly just seen on TV. They teased, bickered, sometimes fought but always made up, and generally took each other for granted, but in a good way. Matt was the eldest; one sister was a nurse in Denver and the other was still in grad school. All her life, Nessa had wished for a sister close to her own age, and while she couldn’t rewrite history and grow up with Martha and Laura Draper, she loved being, well… sister adjacent.
The two families at this wedding, though, the Porters and Donovans (and several other last names), all seemed to be having so much fun, it made Nessa wish she were an invited guest. She wouldn’t mind kicking off her shoes and dancing in the sand tonight.
Instead, she told herself, she and Matt would collapse on a king-sized bed with the sound of waves outside the open windows, and that was better than any dance party.
Seven days alone together stretched out before them. No lists or schedules to check, bare feet and no makeup, and the biggest decision she would have to make would be beach or pool? Pink bikini or blue? Make love before dinner or after–or both?
Bliss. Pure bliss .
“Whew,” someone said quietly, dragging her back to the present. Kari stood next to her, eyes scanning row by row, inventorying the scene. “No lost items.”
“No lost stuffies this time,” Nessa said with a smile.
Kari groaned. “Please don’t remind me. The Hall-Roper wedding, right? The lost Pikachu. Until I had my own child, I had no idea they could cry for three hours straight.”
“Me, either! I’m an only child!” Nessa exclaimed, adding, “Well, sorta.”
“Lucky the wedding was in Chicago and we could send you out to toy stores to find a replacement. You were just an assistant to the project manager then.”
“I went to, like, seven stores before I found one at Pumpkin Moon.” Nessa was laughing and wincing at the same time. “I was so proud of myself, mission accomplished, but when I gave it to her, she said, ‘It smells bad!’ and she cried even louder!”
“Those poor parents,” Kari commented, with her newfound understanding. “Archie was the one who figured it out. He had a heart-to-heart with little Ripley and she told him she threw it into the koi pond. To see if it would swim, she said.”
“Justin was new then, too, and Archie made him wade in and fish it out. When you and Katie say Wedding Protectors will fix anything, you mean it, don’t you?”
Kari just shrugged, apparently afraid to tempt fate.
“And it all would have just been forgotten,” Nessa continued, “if Octavian hadn’t told Nilly there was a Pokemon character called Nessa. And she’s a water type.”
“And she bought you the plush toy!” Kari laughed.
“And now I’m on stuffie duty for every wedding,” Nessa said, making a face.
“There are worse jobs in the world,” Kari pointed out, looking up at the clear blue sky, inhaling the ocean air deeply.
“Oh, Kari–I was absolutely not complaining, I hope you know that!” Nessa was horrified at the misunderstanding. “I love my job!”
“I know. And you’re good at it. Really good at it.”
Nessa was relieved, and touched. Exhausted from travel and three straight sixteen-hour days, she was more emotional than usual, the compliment making tears begin. Kari saw, and put an arm around her shoulders.
Being part of such a great company was something she did not take for granted, but the real privilege was working with such great people.
“Can I get in on some of that hug action with my girlfriend? When I tried earlier, she told me she was working,” Matt said, suddenly behind them.
Kari smiled at him as she pulled away from Nessa, though she held her arm. “Mine. Still mine.”
“I see you’ve fully internalized the toddler’s creed,” Matt joked.
Nessa knew Kari and her husband, Caleb, adored their son Teddy, and Kari sometimes talked about having another. Nessa wasn’t ready for kids–absolutely not!–but she could imagine maybe having some. Someday.
As she looked at Matt, she felt a kind of peace spread through her.
Yes. She could definitely imagine having kids.
“We’re done here,” Kari announced. “Off to the reception. Matt, you’re coming, right?”
“Of course. The hard part’s over now.”
Both women snorted, loudly.
”Well, for me, it is,” he clarified. “I can relax. I’m going to go get a cold beer, and I’ll leave you two to do what you do best.”
Leaning in to kiss Nessa’s cheek again, he whispered, “Second best, I mean.”
And so another happy wedding celebration played out under Kari and Nessa’s watchful eyes. Toasts were made, delicious food was served and savored by everyone except, as usual, the bride and groom who had selected the menu–they were too busy laughing and talking and kissing to do anything as mundane as eating dinner. When the dancing began in earnest, the bride changed into a shorter white dress with sheer layers that flowed as she moved. The cake was cut. Not a single crumb was smashed into anyone’s face.
The small children were put to bed, then the older children. Grandparents disappeared from the scene, then aunts, uncles, parents. Eventually, just the wedding party sat under the stars, ties loosened and shoes kicked off, sipping their drinks and chatting in a desultory way.
And then only the newly married couple were left. Nessa’s last glimpse of them was as they walked slowly across the sand, hand in hand, in the general direction of their room.
“Good night,” Kari said. “See you in the morning. And thank you.”
“Good night,” Nessa answered. “Thank you .”
Matt had left the reception around the same time as the grandparents. Carrying her wrap and her work tote, Nessa headed to his room and let herself in. His accommodations were nicer than the ones Wedding Protectors employees got, so the two of them were staying there, although she still had her own room for the sake of propriety. They might be fooling no one who really knew them, but it gave a better impression to the clients.
The room was dark and at first, she thought he’d gone to bed. She put her things down quietly on a bench by the door and tiptoed in, barefoot. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that he wasn’t in the bed, and that was odd–where was he?–but then she caught a flicker of light outside on the patio. She went to the big, open sliding glass door and there he was, stretched on a chaise, a pillar candle in a heavy glass jar glowing on the table beside him. The linen shirt was untucked now, cuffs rolled up to the elbows. His head was tipped back to rest against the back of the chaise, as if he’d been studying the stars.
“Hey,” she said softly, not wanting to startle him.
“Hey, yourself,” he answered. “Come on out. All done for the night?”
“Finally. I missed you.”
“That’s good,” he smiled. “I missed you, too. I just wanted to chill for a while.”
He drew his legs up and she sat on the end of the chaise, leaning against his knees. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, perfectly content.
“This really is paradise,” she murmured sleepily.
“And we have another week of it.”
“After the farewell brunch tomorrow,” she reminded him, trying not to yawn but betrayed by her body, which stretched like a cat.
Taking the cue, Matt got to his feet then bent down, sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her waist. He lifted her without apparent effort, as you might expect from the originator of the viral Honey Run. But this time, instead of letting her drop to her feet, he carried her inside to the bedroom, laying her down carefully.
Gently, he unzipped her dress and extracted her from it, sliding it down over her hips. When he tucked the covers around her shoulders, she smiled up at him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered ruefully. “I don’t want to waste a single night of our time here, but…”
“We have all week, remember?” he reassured her. “And a night that we’re together is never a waste.”
Then he stripped off his own clothes. Slipping in beside her, he spooned against her back, one arm under his pillow and the other wrapped around her waist. After a moment, he let out a long, luxurious sigh, the sound of deep comfort and contentment–and maybe a little exhaustion.
“See you in the morning.”
“And the morning after that, and the one after that…” she responded.
“Forever and ever, amen,” he finished.
And when morning did arrive, they awoke just where they’d fallen asleep. Well rested now, and with hours before they had to be on duty, paradise wasn’t the lush island outside their door.
It was right there, in that king-size bed.
“This is the most perfect morning of my whole life,” she told him, about an hour later. Not ready to speak yet, he just smiled, running one hand lazily up and down her warm thigh. “There’s just one thing that could make it better.”
She felt him jump a little, as if he were startled, and he raised up on his elbow. “How did you–you mean if I–”
“Got up and made the coffee and brought it to me in bed?” she laughed. “Exactly what I was thinking! I am in love with a psychic!”
“Oh! Right! I’m on it!” Throwing back the sheet, Matt picked up his boxers from the floor and padded out to the kitchenette. After a few minutes, Nessa followed him, pulling on a gauzy cotton coverup.
“I changed my mind,” she said when he looked up in surprise. “I’d rather have our coffee on the beach. Can’t do that at home.”
“Perfect. Let me get my shorts.” He disappeared back into the bedroom, and she picked up her steaming mug and headed for the door.
“Another benefit to being on an island off the coast of Africa,” he commented when he joined her. “This is where good coffee comes from.”
“But you still have to know how to brew it. Just one of many things I’ve learned from you. Thank you.”
They walked slowly down the path to the beach beyond.
“The brunch is at eleven, right?”
“Yes,” she responded. “Then it’s over. I mean, just beginning for them, obviously, but over for us.”
He didn’t answer, and there was a pause.
“This job,” she said slowly, “it isn’t what I thought my career would be. I always thought I’d be in the fashion industry somehow. That was my passion. But my mom was working at Wedding Protectors and she got me an internship, and one thing kind of led to another.”
“But you love it, right? You’re so good at it.”
“I do love it, and I feel really lucky, but I’ve been thinking I might try to do a little designing on the side? Maybe less influencing and more creating real value? It might mean I make less money for a while.”
“Ness, I support you in whatever you want to try. I always will.”
“That means everything to me. And I feel the same. I know your interim contract at First Parish is up soon, and you don’t know what’s next.”
“I–” He bit his lower lip and looked into the distance, as if making a decision. Then he looked down at her. “I do, as a matter of fact. I do know what’s next.”
“You do? You got a new offer? I haven’t heard about this!”
“Actually, it’s the opposite. I’m not receiving an offer. I’m making one.”
“Making one? What do you mean?”
“When I was sitting outside last night, I was thinking about when we met at the fundraiser. They had that silent auction, and I made an offer on the dinner that became our date. I was hoping to win a prize at the auction, and I did. But it turns out, the prize was you.”
“Oh, Matt!”
He knelt in the sand and all at once, she realized what was happening.
“The offer that I’m making now is to love you for the rest of our lives. Forever and ever. Will you marry me, Nessa?”
Reaching into the pocket of his shorts, he pulled out a blue leather box and opened it. There on the silk lining rested a ring that was neither Mame’s nor Nana’s.
It was hers.
And it was perfect.
An oval aquamarine, the color of the Indian Ocean in front of them, was held by a band of sparkling diamonds. It was her favorite color.
It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
“Yes!” she whispered, dropping to the ground beside him. “Yes!”
He slid it onto the third finger of her left hand, the sun turning it into a burst of light for a split second before she threw herself into his arms, kissing him with abandon.
And with that, Nessa and Matt were engaged.
Without a single soul watching.
Just the two of them.
THE END