Epilogue 1
Juliet
SIX MONTHS LATER – brEST, FRANCE
Christmas lights stretch across the square near the port, glowing gold against the darkening sky as we walk home from visiting the Christmas market at Place de la Liberté. Tinsley walks between me and Blake, swinging our hands as she stares at everything like it’s a fairytale. For me, it is.
I’d lost hope of bringing my daughter to my homeland before she turned eighteen, convinced it would always be another thing Edward would control.
But somehow, the man standing here with us made my dream a reality.
When he and Everett told me to organise the paperwork for Tinsley’s passport, I’d just stared at them.
We’d been bracing for a custody battle against my manipulative, abusive ex-husband, and instead, for the first time, I had two men in my corner who weren’t afraid of him.
“It’s freezing,” Tinsley declares.
“It’s winter here, princess,” I remind her. “Not summer like home.”
She frowns at the concept of France and Australia having opposite seasons.
Blake chuckles, and I smile over at him, feeling the familiar swell in my chest. His blue eyes crinkle at the corners, and I love how at ease he looks in this moment.
The darkness that surrounded him when we first met has gradually dissipated as he’s moved on from the demons of his past and forged a future with me and Tinsley.
When we stop at a crêpe stand near the harbour, the man behind the counter greets us with a cheerful, “Bonsoir.”
“Bonsoir,” I reply. “Nous aimerions deux crêpes, s’il vous pla?t. Une au sucre, une au chocolat… et avez-vous des macarons sans produits laitiers?”
“Oui, madame.”
“Merci.”
The words come naturally. Speaking them here, in the town where my parents once roamed these same streets, feels important, like I’m carrying them with me.
Tinsley tugs on my hand. “What did you say, Mama?”
I crouch down so we’re eye level. “I ordered two crepes. One with sugar and one with chocolate for Blake and me, and some dairy-free macarons for you.”
She lets out an excited squeal. “Merci, Maman.”
“De rien. You’re welcome.”
When I stand up, Blake steps in behind me, presses his icy lips to the sensitive skin beneath my ear, and murmurs, “It’s incredibly sexy hearing you speak your native tongue, pixie.”
A shiver runs through me that has nothing to do with the cold. I spin in his arms, smiling up at him. “Je suis dingue de toi.” I’m crazy about you.
He winks. “Right back at ya.”
I shake my head with a laugh. “How do you know I didn’t just tell you I was going to chop you into little pieces and feed you to the fish?”
His brow shoots up, and he squeezes my hips. “That got dark fast. I think I need to ban you from watching Criminal Minds.”
“Don’t you dare,” I say in mock outrage. “That’s blasphemous.”
He laughs and presses a kiss to my lips. “Je t’aime.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper.
The man behind the counter clears his throat, a smile playing on his lips.
With heated cheeks, I accept our food, and we sit down to eat our sweet treats.
Blake’s phone beeps, and he slides it out of his pocket, smiling down at the screen.
“Tori sent another video of Jasper.”
He holds it out for us to watch his five-week-old nephew cooing and kicking his feet.
“Looks like he’s going to be a soccer player like his uncle,” I say with a laugh, loving the way Blake sits up straighter at the thought.
I know he’s torn about missing his first Christmas, but Tori was quick to point out he wouldn’t remember if we were there or not.
When we finish our dessert, we continue on towards the harbour.
“This is where Papa used to bring me,” I say softly, smiling at the memories. “He’d say the sea reminded him that the world is bigger than whatever problem you’re facing.”
Words that helped me through some of the toughest times in my marriage.
Blake squeezes my hand as if knowing where my mind had wandered to.
“Did Mamie like it too?” Tinsley asks.
“She loved it,” I tell my daughter. “She used to say the sea healed everything.”
Blake slips his arm around my waist. “They were wise, your parents.”
I swallow down the emotion clogging my throat, and lean into him, revelling in the way I fit against him. He’s my rock. My anchor. The speed at which I fell for him no longer worries me, because he’s proven time and time again that he’s nothing like my ex-husband.
“Teach me how to say Merry Christmas,” Tinsley says, bouncing on her toes beside us.
I tuck a stray curl under her beanie. “Joyeux Noel.”
She tries to repeat it, her tongue stumbling over the unfamiliar sounds.
Blake grins. “Joyeux Noel,” he repeats, his accent unmistakably Australian.
I laugh. “Not bad.”
Snow begins to fall, soft flakes catching in Tinsley’s hair. She gasps and tries to catch them in her gloved hands.
Blake’s lips brush over my temple before he steps away.
I stare out over the water, sending a quiet message to my parents that while my path back here was rocky, I’m finally at peace with where my life has ended up.
I have a resilient daughter, a man who loves me, and a stepson who will fight for his little sister’s happiness.
When Blake calls my name, I turn, expecting to see him and Tinsley waiting for me to make the trek back to my aunt’s house.
Instead, he’s a few steps behind me, down on one knee on the cold stone of the harbour.
For a second, my brain refuses to catch up.
He looks nervous, with one hand braced on his thigh while the other holds a small velvet box. His eyes lock on mine, steady but vulnerable.
Tinsley beams up at me from his side, her hand resting on his forearm. Warmth spreads through me at the close bond they’ve formed.
“Juliet Beaumont,” Blake says with a shaky breath, using my maiden name.
“I know we haven’t had the easiest road to here, but from the moment I kissed you, my life changed for the better.
You’ve given me the strength to make peace with my demons and believe in my future.
A future that I want with you and Tinsley.
This is forever for me, pixie. I’m all in. Will you marry me?”
He lifts the lid off the box, and my eyes drift from his face to the delicate, white-gold filigree ring with three small diamonds set into the lace-like detailing. One for each of us. Me. Him. Tinsley.
When I return my gaze to his face, he’s looking at me like I’m the only person in the world.
“Mama,” Tinsley urges, “say yes.”
He chuckles nervously. “What she said.”
I’m frozen to the spot, unable to look away from this perfect man. Snow settles in his hair, his cheeks red from the cold. My heart pounds against my ribcage as I watch them share a look.
“I think you broke Mama,” Tinsley whispers loudly.
Blake’s unsure expression turns to one of concern. “Juliet—”
“Yes,” I blurt out, finally finding my voice. Relief floods his features as I throw myself into his arms and kiss him long and hard. “Yes, I’ll marry you. This is forever for me, striker. I love you.”
“Yay,” Tinsley cheers as I pull back and hold out a shaky hand for Blake to slip the ring onto my finger. She barrels into us, knocking Blake off balance, and we all go tumbling to the ground with laughter.
I feel no uncertainty in this moment with Blake, despite the parallels with my previous marriage. Where Edward used my grief over my parents’ deaths to coerce me into a marriage where he could control me, Blake has spent the last nine months showing me that love doesn’t come with fear attached.
He’s never rushed me. Never made decisions for me. Every step we’ve taken has been a conversation. He always asked before stepping into our lives in bigger ways.
Edward saw a woman who was grieving and alone and moved quickly to secure her.
Blake saw a woman who had survived and made sure she knew she was safe.
The timelines might look similar from the outside—fast, intense, life changing—but the foundations couldn’t be more different. My life with Edward was built on manipulation. This one with Blake is built on choice.
That he risked everything so we could be here right now makes me certain I’ve made the right one.
It’s bittersweet. I know my parents would have loved him.
Just like Tinsley and I love him.