Chapter 50: Epilogue, Part One

The sun shown brightly over the crystal blue water, bouncing on the waves and scattering flecks of brilliant light just like the facets on a diamond. The palm trees swayed gently in the beach breezes as the sunshine warmed the oil on her back; Lizzy felt delicious little prickly beads of sweat forming above the band on her fabulous white and bronze "revenge bikini". Adjusting her face down position on the blue and white beach chair, she appreciated the sensation of the gentle wind tickling the baby curls at the base of her ponytail and gliding over the curve of her back.

Lizzy draped an arm over the edge of her lounge chair and lazily traced her fingers in the sand like a pendulum. Almost out of nowhere, she once again felt the familiar waves of anxiety threaten to wash over her, but she actively forced them back. Closing her eyes, she let the sound of the waves crashing and the gentle hum of distant conversation ease her into a slightly zen state. Nothing was going to ruin her mood today. It had been a wild and chaotic ride, and although she had had the time of her life, she was glad that all the pressure and pageantry was finally behind her. It was her time to relax. In fact, she desperately needed to relax, because the impending conversation she needed to have with Will was about to require all the strength and focus she had left.

I thought that destination weddings were supposed to be the easy and stress-free form of wedding planning. That honestly felt more like being a contestant on Hell's Kitchen.

To be fair, the bride was radiant and glowing from beginning to end. The fact that her mother was a wedding coordinator tyrant from Hell had no effect on the gentle and serene Jane as she transitioned from fiancé to wife of her beloved Bingley. Indeed, there was no amount of flailing and fussing over a chic and elegant Monique Lhuillier gown, no amount of shrilling over absolutely not, no way could you imagine those to be wilted flowers, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MOM, and no amount of flat out berating the unassuming and probably under-paid wait-staff over the lack of a second intermezzo, that could get in the way of Jane's genuine and ever-present joy at marrying the love of her life.

For Lizzy, it had all but convinced her that her mother was being tied to a chair if she should ever have the opportunity to walk down the aisle herself. Serving as the seasoned go-between and bodyguard she had been since they were children, Lizzy had spent most of the day attempting to guide her mother to putting her nerves to more productive use, or more usually, thwarting her misguided zeal altogether. It really wasn't until the cake cutting that Lizzy could confirm that her efforts had been moderately successful, and the happy couple seemed blissfully ignorant of the majority of the tantrums the matriarch had been throwing.

Lizzy cringed as she once again heard the shrieking that had ensued for the greater part of the day before. She glanced up to see her mother walking down the path that led to the beach, arm in arm with Jane, gushing over the splendor of her daughters' wedding the day before and the supreme luck of having the opportunity to visit her home country. Lizzy briefly cringed as her mother tried to make a long shot connection between the resort beach and a beach her mother thought she vaguely remembered visiting at four years old, a recollection made all the more insincere considering she hadn't ever bothered to visit since that tender age. Squinting in the sunlight, she could see her father and Bingley walking a distance behind the two women, comfortably caught up in their own conversation of - she surmised - less enthusiastic, but more intriguing, topics.

A tall shadow fell across her view as a beautifully ombre Tequila Sunrise was placed on the table beside her. Small droplets were already condensing on the outside of the glass and running down under the brilliant orange umbrella sitting precariously on one edge.

"After yesterday, I'm sure you deserve several of these." His throaty rumble had become a familiar and welcome source of comfort the past ten months, and it was certainly welcome now. "I don't even think you got to taste your champagne yesterday."

"Will," she smiled. Sitting up, he greeted her with a deep kiss before taking the chair beside her. "Oh my goodness, thank you. I do. Please tell me they aren't coming over here."

"No, actually. I talked your mother into that shark excursion you and I had taken when we were here last. I told her that she was such a 'shark' in her eye for details yesterday that she had to enjoy the splendor of being among her equals in nature…I think she got a kick out of the compliment."

Lizzy chuckled and looked at him in amazement. "I don't know how you do it…You have magically won her over. If I ever said that to her it would probably become a family feud."

"I think it helps, who I am…you know, being her daughter's wealthy and famous boyfriend, and all. You know those paparazzi photos from the restaurant are the background image on her laptop?"

"You know what?" Lizzy paused for effect, "That's the sort of awkward detail that I probably shouldn't know about." She chuckled and nudged him flirtingly. "Does that mean we get to see the sharks too? I really did love that excursion when we took it."

"Actually," he paused, uncertain how to proceed. "I sort of signed us up for some waterfall climbing."

Her hazel eyes briefly flashed dark in memory. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Is that really something we should go back to? I thought we agreed to focus on the future and not dwell in the past," she bit her lip, their impending conversation ready to leap off of her tongue.

He looked at her in earnest. "I do. I think we need to reclaim it and I believe that we can. Aside from a certain misunderstanding that I barely remember," his voice was sticky with sarcasm, "I recall it being a rather memorable view."

Lizzy sighed at her own lack of confidence. Surrendering herself to the knowledge that the time and place had not yet been reached, she reached her hand to him so that he could lift her from her chair. "Well, my dear sir, if you insist. I would be happy to traverse whatever cascades may come our way together."

His smile reached from ear to ear, and the sun warming his grey eyes golden made Lizzy's heart skip a few beats. "That is all I needed to hear."

A large drop of water rolled down the edge of her untouched Tequila Sunrise, as the happy couple walked away, hand in hand, content in themselves and each other.

So, I am happy to report that although this is just part one of the epilogue, the entire epilogue is finished, with a beautiful, gleaming The End typed into the document. (Couldn't resist drawing it out just one last time, I believe the suspense is worth it.) I really can't thank you all enough my dearest, loveliest readers. You have seen me through my child's infancy, a divorce, job changes...and even a truly terrible 2020.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for championing me through some of my darkest times, rooting for me through every silence and seeing me off to the other side. I truly hope all of you and your families are healthy and safe. See you again soon!

~Warmest Regards, Janine