Epilogue
Turning Pages was extraordinarily busy that summer, but Linney and Derek spent every spare moment together. It was soon apparent that they couldn’t keep their love under wraps. They thought they’d surprise everyone, but they were the ones surprised.
“I guess we were the last ones to know,” Linney said, when Anna and Kirsten hugged her and told her they’d been waiting for this news for months. “I blame my poor eyesight for not seeing what was right in front of me!”
“Congratulations, man,” said Danny. “It took you long enough.”
The KnitWorks group had disbanded for the summer, but a steady stream of members came by the store to tell Linney how pleased they were for the two of them.
MJ squealed with delight when Linney called to tell her. “Finally. A man your own age. A good man. I want to meet him the next time I am in Canada. Enjoy, mon amie.”
Linney told Jake when he and the kids came up for a long weekend. “I’m happy for you,” he said gruffly. “Derek’s had a crush on you for years. And I expect you’ve had one too, even if neither of you knew it! Even Gran thought the two of you should be together.”
Linney blushed and changed the subject. “How are things with you and Rachael?”
“Don’t mind about us. She’ll come around. She always does. Concentrate on your own happiness.”
Derek wasn’t surprised when Jake wandered over to his house before he left.
“So, you and Linney,” Jake said. “You’ve been really good to her this year. I would have said thank you anyway. But now I need to add something.” Derek raised his eyebrows. “Don’t hurt her.”
“You can count on me, Jake. The kids and I are totally in love with Linney. I’m not sure what she sees in me, but believe me Jake, this is the real thing. I just can’t believe we never saw it before.”
Derek and Linney took the kids for countless kayak rides that summer, and stone-skipping lessons for Leo were paying off. He could now occasionally get a stone to skip two or three times. Ivy was still satisfied with the “kerplunk” of throwing pebbles into the lake. She kept asking when Linney could sleep over.
* * *
When it was time,Derek talked to his mother first. It was fast, he knew, but it was right. He knew his mother wouldn’t recognize him, but he felt he needed to tell her. She was sitting in her wheelchair and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Mum? It’s Derek, your son. I hope you’re doing well today.” He knew not to expect an answer. It had been a long time since she’d spoken to him. Derek picked up one of her frail hands. “I’ve made a big decision. I’m going to ask Linney to marry me.” He was startled to feel her squeeze his hand. “I know you and Mrs. McDonnell always thought Linney and I should be together. It took us a long time to realize that for ourselves, but now we will be. I love her, Mum, and we’ll be a good family together.” They sat together quietly. “I need to get back to the office now. But I wanted you to know.”
There was no sign that she’d heard him or understood the words. But as he turned to leave, he heard her voice in a low whisper. “Good.”
Linney sat on the dock on a warm and sunny fall morning, listening to the loons call and sipping coffee from an insulated mug. She’d been home for a year now and the leaves were once again turning from green to brilliant reds and oranges, and pine needles were beginning to drop. Linney heard the school bus pick up the kids, and she knew Derek would come and join her shortly. She’d brought a second mug down to the lake for him.
Derek watched her as he walked down to the shore, his heart bursting. Some days he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have found love again—and that it was with his best friend made it all the more special. He picked up a smooth stone and expertly skipped it out over the almost mirror-like lake, thinking how much his life had changed in the last year.
“Well done, my love,” Linney said, as he joined her on the dock. The boards squeaked as he walked out to the end where she sat. Linney held up his mug of coffee and Derek took it, lowering himself to join her.
“Good morning,” he said, taking a sip. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself this morning.”
“Mmmmm.”
“Linney, I want to talk to you about something.”
Her eyes searched his face. Derek sounded serious. “First a kiss,” she said and leaned over to press her lips to his. “I love you.”
“I love you too. You’re beautiful and you’re fearless. You’re smart and you’re compassionate. I love us together and I love how you are with Leo and Ivy.” Linney was blushing now, he noticed.
“I never expected to find love again after Olivia left me. What she did almost broke me. And then when you almost died—” Derek took a deep breath. “When you came home, I never expected to fall in love with you, Linney. But I’m head over heels, like a teenager. And I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you.”
Derek reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. Linney gasped. She put her hand to her throat and tears leapt to her eyes. “Derek?”
“I should probably do this over dinner in a fancy restaurant, but the lake is where you’re most happy, and where we’ve built our lives. Linney, you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would be my wife.”
“Yes, oh yes!” Linney threw her arms around Derek’s neck and he almost dropped the box into the water. When she finally let go, he slid the ring onto her finger. It was a simple gold band with four small diamonds. “One for each of us,” he said, his voice threatening to break with emotion.
“The kids?” she whispered.
“They gave me their permission. They want us to be a family.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. “Me too. Me too.”
THE END