Enamored, I approach her. The world I know fades away. The snow, the traffic, the cutting wind. Whatever this stench is. None of it matters. In front of me is the woman I want to spend my life with.
I smile and wipe the tears away. “Hi. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Can I buy you coffee sometime?”
Please say yes.
The silence is excruciating. Months have passed, but it feels like years.
I swallow the lump in my throat and search her eyes for answers. I don’t know if she’s staring at me because she’s repulsed or happy.
Remembering why she may have left, I clarify, “That was my sister back there, myidenticaltwin sister. Not me.”
Even though she hasn’t said a word, her relief is almost palpable, a beacon of hope that she believes me. What feels like years later, I see the tight grip on her phone loosen.
Our gazes hold. The only thing I can hear at this moment is her silence.
A shaky sigh escapes her lips, followed by a soft, almost incredulous chuckle. I can't help but laugh too.
I knowthis is a lot to take in. I take her soft hand into mine. “I don’t want a life without you in it. You showed me what true love looks like. I’ve spent the last seven months trying to build a new life, but I’ve come to realize that what was missing all along was you.” I hold out my other hand and open it. The now-crinkled strip of photos rests in my palm. “Caroline, we’re worth a million more pictures. I love you.”
Her big beautiful smile relaxes my shoulders. She pulls me into her arms and hugs me tight and my heart illuminates with joy and happiness. I never want to let go. “Two vanilla dirty chai lattes sound perfect.” She tilts my chin and presses our lips together for a tender kiss. “I love you too.”
EPILOGUE
CAROLINE
Eight months later.
“That’s way more than seven seconds,” Basil whispers against my lips and kisses me. Her smile widens against mine, making my entire body beam with love.
“Can you blame me?” I peck her again and pull back just enough to speak. “My wife is pretty hot.”
She giggles, a flair of pink on her cheeks. I love making her blush.
Seated beside me on the deck floor, she intertwines our fingers together and lets out a satisfied sigh. “This perfect weather is exactly what we needed. I missed this place so much.”
I inhale, filling my lungs with the crisp ocean breeze, and exhale slowly. My muscles relax when I drink in my gorgeous wife. “Me too.” I stretch my legs out on the deck floor while we enjoy our breathtaking view of the endless miles of crystal-clear water.
My cheeks are sore from all the smiling we’ve been doing since exchanging vows yesterday afternoon. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day, surrounded by an immense amount of love and happiness.
It was Basil’s idea to have a destination wedding. I smile to myself. We even gained an inside running joke that she married me on an island for a reason—that way I couldn’t get away. I was proud to be standing there on the beach, the sunset and our past heartbreak behind us. Everything about Basil makes me appreciate life more. Given our journey, I’ll take the feelings in my heart for granted. Not now. Not ever. I love Basil.
“Dinner at 6 p.m.?” I ask and bring her fingers to my mouth and plant a tender kiss across her knuckles.
She nods and snuggles up against me.
“Okay. I’ll text Kaydence in a bit and let her know.”
Since we have a few hours left until dinner, I reach for my bag and pull out a notebook binder and set it on my lap. Our itinerary.
Basil yanks it away, a playful curl in her lips. “I’m going to need to cross stuff out aren't I? You probably added more meal breaks so we have more of those than the other events combined.”
“Not unless you can get it.” I steal the binder back and chuckle at Basil’s failed attempts to reach up my long arms. She climbs on top of me and straddles my waist. Our eyes lock. Seeing hers full of emotion, the butterflies swarm in my belly. “I love you so much.” She dips down and brushes our lips together.
I deepen this kiss, my mind traveling back in time to all the intimacy shared between us on this same deck. My heart warms knowing how far we’ve come and how we didn’t give up on love. Our feelings for one another were real, even if the relationship status was not.
Held captive underneath her thighs, I pull her close and kiss her passionately. Taking advantage of my distracted state, taking two fingers, she pulls the binder from my hand.
Basil smiles and takes a moment to read the first page—the summary. Meanwhile I’m struggling to suppress a smile.
