Page 206 of Banter & Blushes

Maybe they won’t.

But we did.

We found what matters.

Each other.

Forever.

BONUS EPILOGUE

BRIELLA - ONE YEAR LATER

“Today’s the day!” Lacey sings, holding a curling wand in one hand and a banana muffin in the other.

I laugh, but the sound comes out a little breathless. “I know.”

My voice trembles even though I’m trying so hard to keep it together.

Aurora smiles softly from the other side of the bungalow, where she’s arranging a bouquet of white plumeria and pale pink orchids for me to carry down the aisle. “You okay?”

“I think I’m . . . excited. And a little nauseous.”

“Totally normal,” Lacey says, patting the spot on the bed beside her. “Getting married is kind of a big deal.”

She helps me curl the last strand of my hair while Aurora pins it back into an elegant twist, then tucks in a few fresh flowers. The air smells like salt and coconut oil and nerves.

Somehow, we manage to get me into my dress without smudging my makeup. It’s a soft ivory mermaid-style gown with a sweep of lace along the hem, and as I glance in the mirror, my heart skips.

It’s really happening.

The three of us share a quiet moment before the photographer knocks on the door. I take one last deep breath as Lacey hands me my bouquet.

“Let’s go marry your best friend,” she whispers.

The beach iswarm with late-afternoon sun, the waves slow and rhythmic like they’re calling me down the aisle. A ukulele strums gently from the beach behind the driftwood arch, and the scent of salt and flowers fills the breeze.

I take my father’s arm and step onto the petal-strewn aisle.

My mom’s in the front row, already dabbing her eyes with a tissue even though she swore she wasn’t going to cry. Reid’s mom sits beside her, smiling so proudly it makes a knot tighten in my chest.

Knox is trying to keep Matti from bolting into the ocean. Lacey stands to the side of the arch and gives me a thumbs-up and a misty grin.

And then I see him.

Reid.

Barefoot in a slightly wrinkled linen shirt, standing under that arch like it’s the most natural thing in the world to wait for me right here.

His eyes find mine and never waver. And just like that, the nerves disappear. It’s just the two of us in this moment. He’s all I see.

When we reach the front, my dad kisses my cheek and slips my hand into Reid’s.

“I can’t believe we’re back here,” I whisper. “Can you believe we’re getting married?”

“It was always going to be you,” he says, and I swear the whole island swoons.

The officiant begins, but all I hear is the rush of the tide and the sound of my own heart racing.

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