Epilogue Two - Ivy Thompson
I clap a hand over my mouth, eyes watering at the sight of our beautiful new beach house. My hands shake, but JJ tugs me to his side and presses his lips to the top of my head.
“I can’t believe we own this,” I mumble in disbelief.
“Well believe it, princess. It’s ours.”
The thought makes my eyes close in relief. Throughout the last four years, after finishing university and trying to find ourselves in the real world, we moved into some shitty apartment in the city.
It wasn’t our forever home, but at least we were together.
We’ve always spoken about moving back down to the coast, where we know our story blossomed. But houses by the sea cost buckets full, and neither of us were in financially stable jobs to be able to afford our dream home.
So we waited, and fuck, it paid off.
Our beach house is stunning with a white and baby blue exterior, wooden features and beautiful golden sand all around the property. It looks out across the glimmering sea, and the sun sets along the horizon.
A single tear rolls down my cheek at everything we’ve done to get here.
“Don’t cry,” he whispers and takes my face between his hands.
“They’re happy tears,” I whimper.
He wipes them away with his thumbs and then brings our lips together. “We’ve worked so hard for this, Ivy. We deserve this. It’s everything we’ve ever wanted.”
“I know,” I sniffle.
“I’m so proud of you.” His blue eyes soften. “You’ve honestly worked your ass off.”
JJ drops my face and takes my hand. “Let’s go inside.”
The moving vans aren’t coming until tomorrow, but we said we wanted to have our first night in the house as soon as possible. We have a mattress we can put on the floor and not much else, but it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
We walk up the steps to our perfect home. JJ digs out his key from his pocket and twists in my direction, his eyes lighting up. “Do you want to do the honours?”
“We’ll do it together,” I say before placing my hand over his.
He guides it to the lock, the key slips inside, and we twist it together. I glance up at him, but he’s already beaming down at me. “Forever, princess.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
Once the door is open, we step inside. It’s exactly how it was from the viewing we had, except all the furniture is gone. We’re more than excited to decorate and add our own little beachy touches. The house is fairly old with lots of features that give the house character and spark.
JJ’s arm wraps around my shoulder as we walk from the hall into the kitchen, then to the living room. It’s everything we wanted and more. “I know it’s not much right now.” He kisses my head. “But it’ll get there.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need convincing of anything. I know it’s going to be perfect. I’m so happy.”
He kisses my temple and I take a slow breath, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.
“How about we have a little evening on the beach? We can make a fire, cook some food, and have a few drinks. Celebrate,” JJ suggests, and I twist in his hold, nodding with enthusiasm.
“Yes,” I say excitedly.
Thirty minutes later, we head down to the beach, which is completely empty. It’s like our own private space. The sun is about to set soon, and JJ gathers some wood together to start a fire as I sit on a log and crack two bottles of cider.
Once the fire is roaring, JJ walks to his bag and removes his camera. I smile. “Are you documenting this?”
He looks at me with a soft smile. “Duh. This is an important memory.”
“True.” I smile before taking a swig of my drink. He sets up the camera on a tripod and aims it behind me and the fire. It’ll be an amazing shot of the sunset.
Since leaving university, JJ didn’t want to continue with engineering like his father wanted; he loved the idea of making his own art in the form of video production. Now he is a freelance filmmaker with a wide portfolio.
I adore his work. He has an eye for things some people just don’t have.
He’s talented, and sometimes I don’t think he even sees it. He blows me away every time.
And even though it wasn’t what his dad wanted for him, once he saw what JJ could do, he realised his son was super talented and to do what he loves most.
JJ slides onto the log beside me and takes the cider from my hands. I frown.
“I’ve got something better,” he says before removing a bottle of sambuca from his bag.
I release a laugh as he takes two shot glasses and pours us both a generous amount. “You don’t like sambuca,” I say, remembering the first night we met.
“I do, because it reminds me of you.”
My cheeks burn from how bright my smile is. “I don’t think I’ve drunk sambuca since the night we met,” I confess.
JJ shakes his head. “Me neither. Cheers, princess. From the beginning to the end, this is us.”
“Cheers,” I say before knocking back the shot at the same time.
The liquid burns my throat, and I definitely can’t drink like I used to at university, but this is a core memory that will stay with me forever.
“We did it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder.
I grin wider. “We sure did.”
He nuzzles his head into mine and then grabs a speaker from his bag to play music. I watch as he stands from the seat and holds his hand out to me. “Dance with me.”
I chuckle awkwardly. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “Come dance with me.”
I physically cannot say no to this man. I roll my eyes playfully. “Fine.”
He tugs me up onto my feet as we stand in front of the fire. His fingers lace through mine, and we move to the soft music. Behind me, I can hear the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and it’s one of my favourite sounds—that and JJ’s voice.
Our arms wrap around one another, and he stares at me like I’m the only person in the world—even after four years, and I still have his complete devotion.
JJ raises our hands above our heads, and I spin before stumbling into him as my bare feet sink into the sand. I press a hand to his chest and grin up at him, the fire illuminating our faces as the sun starts to set.
The sky’s the perfect shade of blue and yellow. My favourite kind of sunset.
His hands find my hips, and he twists me towards the sea, our backs to the fire. “I want to get the perfect shot,” he whispers in my ear.
I laugh as he steps away. “Okay…” I trail off. “What should I do?”
JJ is silent for a second. “Whatever you want. I want the silhouette of you. It’ll look perfect against the sky.”
“Okay.” I bite back a smile.
My hair flaps in the wind, and I raise my hands in the air, letting it flow through my fingers. After a few moments, I hear nothing from JJ. “Now what?”
Silence.
I twist my head to find JJ on his knees before me, a box open between his hands.
My eyes snag on the ring to find an aquamarine stone on a silver band with five circular diamonds on each side in different sizes.
I stumble back, a trembling breath leaving my throat.
My hand slaps over my mouth and releases a sob.
JJ’s eyes sweep over me patiently, but I can’t breathe.
“Ivy.” His voice is rough, as if he’s trying his hardest to keep it together. “You are everything to me.”
I don’t blink, but tears still manage to flow down my cheeks, my shaky hands lay on my face as I shift my gaze between JJ’s eyes and the ring.
“The second I laid my eyes on you outside that bar when your heel broke, I knew you were it for me.” He smiles, his eyes glistening with the reflection of the fire.
“I didn’t know how I was going to do it, I just knew I was.
I couldn’t let you slip through my fingers.
I wanted you, and I wanted nothing more than to love you.
And I’m so honoured you let me do just that. ”
My nose tingles at his words, eyes flowing endlessly.
“I’ve wanted to ask you this question for ages, but I wanted to find the perfect time.
I also didn’t want to scare you.” He releases a chuckle, which I copy, but it sounds like I’m drowning in my own tears.
“You make me so damn happy. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.
So, please would you do me the honour of marrying me?
I want to make you happy and make you feel loved for the rest of our lives. ”
I nod because words fail me, and I break down. My body turns numb from the surprise and the adrenaline that is pumping around my veins.
All I’ve wanted is to be happy.
JJ is my happiness, my sunshine, my soulmate.
“Yes,” I whimper after a few moments when I manage to take a breath. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
I lunge forward and wrap my arms around his neck. His arm closes around my back, and he stands up, lifting me off the floor completely. I’m still crying into his shoulder, sensing his nerves because he’s shaking.
After he puts me down, he takes my face between his hands and plants a delicious sambuca-flavoured kiss on my lips.
JJ takes my left hand and slides the ring onto my ring finger. I watch in awe as it fits perfectly, sparkling back at me like all the stars in the sky. “I love it.” I grin, admiring it for a moment longer. “It’s so beautiful.”
He tilts my chin and claims my lips again. “Yeah, you like it?”
“I adore it.”
“I adore you.”
I sniffle as I glance up and take his face between my hands. “I love you so much, JJ. I can’t wait to marry you. I’ve only imagined it a thousand times.”
He releases a raspy laugh and looks to the sand for a second. “Me too,” he admits. “This ring looks so good on you.”
I drop my gaze as he runs his finger over it delicately.
My arms clasp around his neck again, and he picks me up, my legs wrap around his waist, and I cling to him. I kiss him like it’s our last kiss on earth. I pour every inch of my love into him.
“Thank you for loving me,” I whisper against his mouth. “When I wasn’t able to. Thank you for helping me to learn to love myself.”
“Mmm.” He kisses me again. “My favourite part was seeing you fall in love with yourself. To see yourself how I see you.”
I grin, and he grins right back. “The number of times you made me tell myself that I’m beautiful.”
“Only stating facts.” He smirks at me. “I’m glad you agree.”
My eyes roll playfully. “You’re persuasive when you want to be.”
“Nah. I’m just right.”
I roll my hand down the back of his head. “This couldn’t be more perfect,” I say in awe.
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve been so nervous all day.” He releases a breath of relief. “But it was worth feeling like that to feel like this right now.”
My heart expands at the thought. I did think he was quiet earlier today, but I thought it was house nerves.
“Like I’d ever say no to you.”
“I wanted you to be ready.”
“I’ve been ready since we left university.”
JJ stares back at me, eyes softening. “Well, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got our dream house, and now we can have our dream life. It all worked out.”
“It did. And I will love you forever.”
“Forever doesn’t seem long enough,” he muses.
“Beyond the grave, then.” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip.
JJ nods, agreeing. “Beyond the grave.”