Page 118 of Saving Wyatt

“You guys. Don’t make me cry,” Ari whined, and I roped him into the hug.

He might not have adopted Ari—not yet, anyway—but he was a part of this too.

Our family was complete now.

EPILOGUE

ARI

A few years later

The waves crashed at the shore, a tempo soothing and addictive all at once. A song I’d never tire of no matter how many years went by.

Purple and orange hues painted the sky and reflected on the sea, creating a work of art right before our very eyes.

I breathed in. Subtle scents of fish, sea salt, and sunscreen, eternally ingrained in my memories as vacation, but this was now my reality.

I leaned back on the porch and put my hand on Princess lying right next to me. He looked into my eyes, but it was still too hot for him to move or beg for more affection.

“I know, buddy. I know,” I said, stroking his fur.

Wyatt came out of the house, two cups of coffee on a tray in his hands, and he sat next to me, setting the tray on the other side.

“Here you go,” he said, offering me a cup of the Greek coffee he’d prepared.

He’d become an expert since we’d moved here.

So much had happened since we got together. The Outpost had been rebuilt. The island had healed. I’d gotten a job at the local hospital. It was good for a little while. We were happy. Always happy. But we also wanted to see the world together. So when Elliot decided to join the military and leave Mayberry, we used that as our excuse to go out, to travel everywhere. To take Wyatt to my hometown.

Little Heart Bay.

He fell in love with my small beach town in the north of Greece, and I fell in love with it anew through his eyes.

So it was no surprise that when we were done traveling, we settled here, in a beach-front house, with Princess by our side.

Elliot visited when he could. So did our family from Mayberry Holm. It had become a second base for them all when they needed an escape and a nice vacation with good food.

“Mmm, that’s nice,” I said and took a sip of my coffee.

Wyatt watched me the whole time. He always did. He never stopped looking at me.

“Make sure to save the cup. I want our fortune told,” he said, and I chuckled.

He might not have learned the language yet, though not for lack of trying; he had immersed himself in Greek culture fully. And he loved getting his coffee fortune told.

Sometimes, I thought he did so he could be ready for if something bad was going to happen. Which was why I had instructed the fortune teller to never tell us if she saw anything that would upset us, even if it didn’t actually come true. I didn’t want to worry about the future. I didn’t want him worrying about it either. I wanted us both to live for the here and now like we had done since we’d gotten together.

“You’re obsessed,” I said and rolled my eyes.

He shrugged and had a sip of his own coffee, looking out into the sea and the setting sun.

“So pretty. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it,” he said.

I nodded and leaned my head on his shoulder. “You also say that every day,” I said.

“I’m happy. Sue me.” He shrugged.

It was my turn to watch him. I smiled. He really was happy. Sometimes I remembered how he had been when I first met him. Closed off, grumpy, scared. He hadn’t been that way since we got together and he came out. It was amazing what life outside the closet was like.