Epilogue Part 1
Aeris
One year later
“You said this was a happy story,” Oscar muttered, a little pout to his lips. “She drank poison.”
“Wait, did she die?” August added, his little eyes watering. “Or is she a fish again?”
“A mermaid,” Oscar corrected with all the superiority a six-year-old could muster. “She’s called a mermaid, Gus.”
Now it was August’s turn to pout. “This ending is sad.”
I closed the book slowly, tapping my finger against the cover while trying to think of how to salvage this disaster before Brooke banned me from bedtime stories permanently.
“It’s not sad,” I said carefully. “Not really.”
“But the prince married the other girl!” August yelled over the side of the bunk bed at the exact same moment Oscar demanded, “Does Mum know she dies? I thought this was supposed to be a nice story!”
Brooke was absolutely going to kill me.
“She doesn’t exactly die,” I corrected weakly. “The Little Mermaid wanted an immortal soul more than anything. By choosing to sacrifice herself instead of the prince, she was deemed worthy enough for a soul, something she couldn’t have when she was just a mermaid.”
Oscar narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “So … she’s not sea foam?”
“This story is stupid!” August declared, slamming his palm against his duvet in frustration. “A Kraken would have made it better.”
“Krakens aren’t real, you sausage face.”
“Oh my God,” I muttered. “Don’t call your brother a—”
“Krakens are fish! Look, I can be a fish!” August inhaled dramatically and held his breath.
Oscar burst into giggles before immediately copying him. They both lasted maybe ten seconds before collapsing into loud laughter and gasping breaths.
“I bet I can beat you both,” I said, pinching their chubby cheeks. “I can hold my breath for ages.”
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Nah-uh!” August protested.
“Uh-huh,” I laughed, then proved it.
I took a deep breath and held it, face perfectly calm while my nephews climbed out of their beds to poke my cheeks, tickle my sides, and try every trick they could think of to make me break.
Their giggles filled the room as they counted loudly, growing more impressed with every passing second.
When I finally exhaled after nearly four minutes, both boys stared at me with pure awe.
“That’s so cool,” Oscar whispered, eyes wide.
August’s face lit up. “Can you teach us?”
“Maybe when you’re older.” With a wink I kissed both their heads and tucked them back into each bunk. “Now go to sleep, otherwise your mum won’t let me come over again.”
“Does that mean you’re going now?” August asked, looking up to exchange a quick, excited look with Oscar, who hung his head over the side. This lasted only a moment before they both dissolved into another fit of giggles. “Is Uncle Caden here? Are you going on a date?”
I narrowed my eyes playfully. “What are you two plotting?”
“Nothing!” they chorused, which only made them laugh harder.
“Please don’t go,” Oscar said. “I want you to read the story again!”
“You said you didn’t like it!”
“The mermaid should have married the prince,” August added solemnly. “It would have made the story better.”
“I want to marry the prince!” Oscar declared, sitting up like he wasn’t tired at all.
I honestly didn’t understand how my sister did this every night. And this was only two out of the three!
“You want to marry the prince?” I laughed, completely giving up.
“Yeah.” Oscar’s brows drew together in thought. “Or maybe I’ll marry a dragon!”
“I hope you’ll wait until you’re older.”
“If the prince had chosen the mermaid, then it would have been a happy ending,” Oscar continued, clearly still caught on the story’s conclusion. “I thought everything has a happy ending?”
Something in my chest tightened unexpectedly.
“It’s just a story,” I said, having serious regret in choosing one of the original tales rather than a prettier retelling.
“Well, what about you?” Oscar asked, folding his arms over the safety guard.
“What about me?”
“Do you get a happy ever after?”
The question caught me off guard. I opened my mouth, but before I could answer, a deep, familiar voice came from behind me.
“She does.”
Both boys gasped dramatically as Caden leaned against the doorway, sleeves rolled up, dark hair still damp from the rain outside. He was dressed in a shirt and trousers, looking every bit the dangerous man the rest of the world feared.
Yet the moment our eyes met, heat curled low in my stomach.
“I love you,” I mouthed, and Caden’s lips curved into that rare, devastating smile meant only for me.
For the first time in as long as I could remember, I finally had a voice that belonged entirely to me. I wasn’t lying, wasn’t manipulating, or simply just surviving.
I was … happy.
And all it had taken was tricking one beautiful, dangerous man to be mine.