Authors Note:

Were almost at 100k reads! I could have never predicted this and I am so thankful to all of you who have stuck by my through this book. 

And for that reason, I have written them a happy ending. If you liked the way I ended it before, then you don't have to read this. But if your like me, a hopeless romantic, then I hope you enjoy.

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August 1st:

She stares at herself in the mirror, not recognizing the girl who stares back at her. Her electric blue eyes shine with a happiness she hasn't felt since that day they first met. Her lips are painted a muted red, a faint blush to contour her sharp cheekbones. Her wild blonde hair has been tamed, falling down her back in perfect spiral waves. Her skin is smooth from the several lotions, and she smells of flowers.

"You look perfect, Mara," Ryn smiles. She gives Mara a side hug, careful not to ruin her perfected makeup.

While Mara is still in her white robe, Ryn is dressed in a deep red fabric that hugs her bodice, revealing her slender curves. In her hands is a bouquet made up of pink and red flowers.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Mara chokes, her face turning flush.

"Don't do that," Ryn chuckles, rushing her best friend away from the mirror and towards the sofa. "Why don't we distract your attention."

While Ryn fumbles with the tv remote, the door into the dressing room is thrown open. Like a burst of air, he jets into the private room.

"Mama, mama," the little boy runs up to her. Bodhi is five now, dressed in a black tux, his disheveled curls tamed. He wears a toying grin as he gapes up at his mom. "You look pretty."

"Thank you, baby," Mara bends down to her knees, kissing her son on his soft cheeks. He squirms away from her, wiping the lipstick mark.

"Yuck," he groans, giggling.

"There you are," a panting Will says, running into the woman's dressing room. His chest is heaving, his gray eyes wild and frantic. He looks for the little boy who'd escaped his care. Stumbling into the room, he almost trips over his feet. He, too, is dressed up.

"Uncle Will," Bodhi giggles, "you found me."

"That boy is most definitely your son," Will groans to Mara, grabbing Bodhi's arm and dragging him out of the room. Will's voice fades down the hall as he explains to Bodhi why he needs to leave his mother alone.

It is her wedding day, after all.

"What if I forget my vows," Mara stresses after the door is shut, turning to Ryn with a frantic look. "Oh my god, what if I say I don't on accident."

"You will be fine, girl," Ryn laughs at her obvious anxiety, rubbing Mara's back in comforting circles, "you have me by your side up there. All you have to do is look that boy in the eyes and say I do. I mean, you do love him, right?"

"Well, duh," Mara rolls her eyes, "I think I've loved him since the day we met in the library, and he talked to me using book titles."

"Then you will be fine."

 The wedding is set outside. The air is warm, the sky clear of any tempest clouds. The day is perfect, with the sun beating warm over the venue. The outside is decorated with ivory whites and red accents. Beautiful flowers intertwined beneath the white arch at the end of the lined white path. People file into the folding seats that stripe the verdant grass. Their families are placed in the front rows, all of them anxiously awaiting the wedding they've been waiting for for years.

When the music starts, the crowd's murmured voices turn hush. They watch as Elias makes his way down the aisle to the end, waiting below the arch. He holds onto Bohdi's hand, who carries the rings in his other fist. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are already lined up at the front.

Mara emerges from the room she'd been waiting in. She clutches onto Mateo's arm, who mumbles under his breath to breathe. He holds her steady as she wobbles slightly, her hands shaking. The smile never leaves her face, though, her lips drawn upward so much it hurts.

Elias' eyes are burning as they drink her in.

The white dress is an A-line fit. Simple and elegant, just like her style. Her skin is golden, glowing beneath the sunlight that seems to shine a halo above her. She walks with unsteady steps. Hidden beneath her long dress, she wears her favorite Converse. The woman at the boutique had insisted she buy heels, but Mara is a force to be reckoned with.

When her eyes catch Elias's, she watches him mouth three words.

I love you.

At that moment, she can't wait to spend the rest of her life with him. Perhaps she knew this when he visited her in the mental hospital, not leaving her side until she forcefully pushed him away. Or maybe it was the day they reunited in the library, two years after their last encounter. Possibly it was even the first time they met that she knew it was he who would take her heart away from anyone else.

Elias would be her ruin, as she would be his.

So she smiles, the brightest she can. Silently wording back to Elias four words she would say to him every day and night for the rest of eternity. She'd never been so sure of anything else before.

I love you too.

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Authors Note:

And thus we come to an end. 

I know it's short, but I couldn't just leave you all hanging. Again, I am so thankful for everyone who has taken the time to read my story, you have no idea how much it means to me.

Love,

- nia