Page 108 of Suddenly Entwined

Her fingers play absentmindedly at my jaw.

“If there’s one thing I can say about you,” she stifles a yawn, “it’s that once you decide to do something, you stick with it.”

“Only when it’s worth it, Caro,” I say, stroking her soft cheek while I stare into her powder blue eyes. “I hold on to the things that matter. My daughters, my friendships, the important memories from my past. And I’ll be holding especially tight to you, because I’m certain you’re my future and a fresh beginning for my family.”

“I’ve always felt at home with you and the girls, Berg. I’m so ready for a fresh start.”

Caro kisses me tenderly, but I sit up, lifting her into my arms against my chest with a grunt.

“What about the movie?” she laughs as I leave the living room.

“Fresh starts call for a little flexibility. Wouldn’t you agree?” I reply with a grin.

We tumble onto our unmade bed, limbs winding in the same way our lives are. Together.

THE END

Epilogue: Berg

Our party takes up a good chunk of row four, and it makes me smile to know that the woman I love has so many people in her corner. I’m in the aisle seat at the theatre, with Louisa on my right and Natalie next to her. Caro’s mom, Sharon, is on Lou’s other side with a tote bag full of snacks and kids’ books at her feet. Their dad is hanging out in the aisle with his new camera so he can ‘get the shot’ when Carolina walks across the stage. Anna, Chris, Isaac, Ashlyn round out the crew. These are all the people that made this past year possible.

“I see her!” Louisa whispers so loud several people around us giggle.

Caro is utterly beautiful, waiting her turn at the side of the stage. Anna styled her curls onto the crown of her head, securing them with tiny gold pins that glitter beneath the lighting.Somehow she did it in a way that the graduation cap still fits perfectly.

“Carolina Wolfe!”

Our row goes wild, both girls giving a standing ovation and clapping eagerly.

I lift Lou onto my hip so she can see better, sticking my fingers in my mouth to whistle as I watch her accept her degree with nothing but pride coursing through me. She pauses for a photo and the back of my throat burns at her self-assured smile, gown swooshing behind her as she descends the staircase on the other side of the stage. She worked her ass off this year to complete her psychology degree. With some of her classes being online, she didn’t have to waste hours commuting to class. And that also left her more time to help with the girls. But help isn’t the right word anymore, because Caro is part of our family now. And, soon, it will be official. The ring in the pocket of my slacks is impossible to ignore. I’ve probably checked on its safety a thousand times since we left the house. While Caro has technically been living downstairs to provide her with the space she’s needed to study, we spend most nights together anyhow. Each time we make plans to sleep separately, it never happens. Caro always said I never respected doors much. Natalie knows what’s in my pocket. I felt I owed it to her to loop her in and hear her thoughts. We’ve had some good heart to hearts lately, because the grief from a loss like ours never really ends. It just changes. So we’re handling those shifts together as they come. Natalie is wholeheartedly on board with us, me, marrying Carolina. Andeven though I can’t trust Louisa to keep a surprise that big, I know she’ll be ecstatic.

Epilogue: Caro

The crickets singing in the long grass quiet as we walk through a garden path behind the theatre. I’ve already ditched my heels and they dangle from my free hand, the other wrapped safely in Berg’s big palm. The interlocking brick of the winding footpath is warm beneath my bare toes.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me past a barely blooming rosebush. “Don’t we have reservations for supper?”

I’m happy to follow along if only to get a view of his bum in those suit pants. He bought a custom suit for this event and it fits him in all the right places. He’d never admit it, but he’s developed a taste for shopping, much to the girls’ excitement.

“I have a graduation gift for you.”

“Okay,” I say, slowly, hoping he didn’t spend too much money.

We’ve been talking about going to Disneyland in the fall and between flights and hotels, that will cost a pretty penny. The tuition money my parents saved was exactly what I needed to see me through my final year, and I even paid my brother back for the money he loaned me, although it took a lot of convincing to make him accept. A narrow stream flows beneath a stone bridge, and I pause at the centre of the structure to enjoy the view. It’s cooler here near the water with Japanese Maples filtering the later afternoon sun.

“I’m really proud of you, you know,” Berg says behind me.

I let a blossom fall from my fingers into the current. “I’m proud of myself.”

This last year my confidence has grown. I’m not letting the choices I made in the past overshadow my present, and they certainly won’t hold me back from my future.

When I turn, intent on giving Berg a big hug in such a beautiful place, I find him kneeling. My hands fly up to cover my mouth as I gasp. Clasped between his fingers is a gleaming gold ring with a beautiful oval diamond in the centre.

Oh, my god.

“Carolina. I had no idea when I asked you for your help with the girls that you’d fit into our family so seamlessly.”

“Berg,” I whisper through trembling hands.

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