Page 67 of Save Us

“Don’t be nervous, Beth,” Dad mutters, “you’ve actually got two guys walking you up the aisle.”

I stare at him in confusion, just as Bodhi links his arm through my other one.

“Holy moly, Bodhi! Are you wearing a suit?” I gasp and he smirks before looking down to his legs where I notice him wearing bright red board shorts instead of suit trousers. I laugh over the ridiculous ensemble just as Leo runs past with both Pru and his son in tow.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” he shouts out as they run past me with Pru who is now filling up with tears; happy ones, I hope.

“Ready?” Dad asks. I see Xander’s back standing nervously at the top of the aisle next to his best man, Rein, and nod my head with so much enthusiasm, I’ve probably set a few hairpins loose. “Then let’s go, baby girl.”

The walk seems to take forever and when we finally reach the beginning of the chairs, where everyone turns to look at us, I can’t wait any longer. I break free of both my father and Bodhi and run toward Xander who begins to laugh before catching me and throwing me around in the air. He brings me back down to the sand and starts kissing me. Rosie giggles next to Casey, but we stay glued to each other’s lips until a cough breaks us from our rather intimate display.

“Beth, Xander, when you’re ready,” a familiar voice says to us in a rather official-sounding tone.

When I look up to see his face, I almost fall apart at the sight of his warm, beautiful smile, one that saved me not so long ago. Kai grins widely before I look at Xander who is currently wearing the smuggest expression I’ve ever seen on him. I let him have it though because the boy has done good. He found my best friend and my savior.

Xander lets me up and I walk right up to Kai and laugh before throwing my arms around him. It’s where I stay until he asks me what I’ve been dying to do ever since I gave my heart to Xander all those years ago.

“Are you ready to get married, Rose?” I pull back and smile. “Because according to this piece of paper from the internet I can totally do that now.”

“Yes, I’m ready,” I beam at him and hold my hand out for Xander to come and join us. “Do it!”

Xander

The feel of Beth’s ring on my finger is indescribable, even when I see my sister fawning over Jonah Fox. I can’t even begin to try and feel angry about anything right now, I’m too busy gushing over the fact I get to take my beautiful daughter and wife home tonight, freely and openly. We can finally live happily ever after. When I think about it, the last time I was sat here on the beach at dusk, I was mourning the loss of Beth and begging her ghost-like apparition to stay with me. Now, here she is, in the flesh, leaning against me while we sway to a song I can’t even hear properly because I’m just that happy.

Rosie has already fallen asleep on top of Casey, who is still shamelessly flirting with Jonah. Unfortunately, he doesn’t look like he minds at all. Beth catches me glaring at them and laughs a little before placing a calming kiss to my temple.

“He’s not the same as them, you know,” she whispers, “he wants to change things for the better. He could have taken me too, Xander, but he told me to go to you.”

“Still not happening, Mrs Fenton,” I reply, smiling goofily when I say her new name out loud, “my wife.”

“I like that,” she smiles, but then yawns.

“Beth?”

“Hmmm,” she answers sleepily.

“Have you thought about my offer to have your tattoo removed?” I’m referring to the mark they traditionally used to put on all newborn babies who belong to Mayfield. The one they barbarically tattoo onto their wrists not long after they’re born. The thought of that possibly having happened to Rosie has me shivering with both fear and disgust.

“No need,” she smiles and holds it up to show me the small leaf has now grown into a rose. I press my lips to it before kissing her long and deep. “A surprise wedding gift.”

“I love it, so will she,” I whisper. “My beautiful family, together at last.”

“I love you, Xander,” she says and reaches up to look into my eyes so intensely, I decide it’s time for us to go home.

“You, me, Rosie, home; how about it?” I ask with a smile.

“With you, always.”

Epilogue

Mal

“Good morning, Mr Taylor…Mal,” Jonah smiles at me like we’re friends. Given the fact he helped free my daughter and put away the man who abused my mother, I’m more than happy to call him that. “I had to pull a few strings to set this up.”

“Well, I appreciate that, as well as everything else you’ve done for my family, especially for Beth,” I reply a little sheepishly. I will always blame myself for what happened to her.

“No need to thank me, Mal, but…” he looks at me in such a way I feel worried over what he’s about to say, “are you sure about this?”

---