Epilogue

Epilogue

"There is something I've been meaning to say to you, and I think this is perfect timing," Mermaid said, as she sat on the small couch in their cottage.

"What's that?" Holly asked.

She looked around the small living room. "We need a bigger house."

Holly laughed at her statement and nodded in agreement.

"I mean this is great. It's definitely cozy, but if we plan to have a family together, I think we'll need more room."

Holly nodded. "So what do you suggest?"

"Well, now that I have control of my inheritance, I've been thinking."

"Uh, huh."

"What if we bought our own ranch, some place close by? We could build a house, not the enormous size of the house you grew up in, but definitely something bigger than this cottage." She stood up and walked over to Holly. "What do you think?"

"I think that is a splendid idea," Holly said, clasping her arms around Mermaid's waist as she pulled her close for a kiss.

"What will you do with all that inheritance?"

She'd been thinking about that.

Most of it came from her father, but some of it had been earned through drugs and murder through Shawn. The only way she could use it for good was by giving it away for a noble course.

"I was thinking about donating it all to charity," she said, smoothing Holly's hair back from her face. "I've been thinking a lot about my father lately, and I feel sorry for him where before I felt nothing but resentment."

Holly's father was such a wonderful man Mermaid couldn't help compare.

"Why?"

She'd told everyone about Shawn's confessions and every now and then she still thought about his betrayal towards her father. "I choose to believe that his heart got so badly broken when my mom passed, that he was unwilling to let himself love again. That was why he was so devoted to his work. It was something that could never break his heart, something he could control.

"I'll never understand his reasons for marrying me off to Shawn, but I've forgiven him. I think deep down, he might have actually believed he was doing the right thing."

Holly leaned her forehead against Mermaid's, expressing her sympathy and Mermaid hugged her.

Everything that had taken place in her life felt like it had happened to someone else. That was what the love and care of a family did for her.

Allie was going to be part of her forever, but she was Mermaid now.

She had a family, she was in love and she had a future.

She opted to forget all the bad things that had ever happened to her, and chose to focus on the present, and the future.

Within a number of months, her entire world had changed. Her emotional bruises were gone, her scars had healed and her heart was completely full of love and happiness.

When Holly had rescued her from the beach, she'd not just saved her life, she'd given her a second chance and a reason to keep on living.

Because of that, Mermaid now had loving, supportive parents, a wonderful brother and sister, two adorable nieces that never ceased to make her laugh, and the love she found in Holly every time their gazes met.

If she'd known what the future had in store for her, she would've held on a little bit longer.

"What is that smile?" Holly asked.

Mermaid passionately kissed her and Holly instantly responded. Before they could indulge further, a knock came at the door.

"Are we decent?" Michael asked before he walked in.

The two women laughed as they pulled apart.

"Yes, come in," Holly said.

Michael walked in holding a picture album and a sitting chart.

"What is all that?" Mermaid took the picture album, and opened it to reveal wedding locations and settings.

"Are you ready to start planning a wedding?" He handed the sitting chart over to Holly. "Lisa is mad at me for assuming she was going to take care of the wedding preparations so in order for her to forgive me, I need you two to come up with a sitting arrangement, and choose the perfect wedding theme," he said and headed back towards the door.

"You're not planning to help?" Holly asked.

He snapped his fingers as though he'd just remembered something. "Oh, I meant to ask, will you two be my best men?"

They both looked at him in surprise.

"That amnesia thing seems to be going around."

Mermaid threw him a pillow at the statement, and Holly followed her lead as he ran out of the cottage.

"He's seriously not going to help?" Holly asked.

Mermaid laughed. "Don't worry. We'll make him plan our wedding too."

Holly raised her eyebrow and Mermaid walked up to her. "I want a full life with you, Holly," she said.

"I want a full life with you too, Mermaid."

"Are you sure, because I'm not planning on going anywhere," she said.

"I've never been more certain about anything else in my life," Holly said in a serious tone, and Mermaid closed the distance between them, recapturing her lips in a kiss.

Her life had started when she'd met Holly. Now that both their pasts were no longer a threat, they could start anew together.

End