Epilogue

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"Where are you taking me?" Derek's laughter carried on the sea breeze while he ran, hand in hand with Ashlyn, down the boulevard.

The smile in Ashlyn's cheeks was enchanting, her heart swelling beyond its confines until it illuminated every facet of her expression. A childlike joy danced upon her lips, her giggles falling back to meet him as she turned to glance his way.

'You'll see,' the glint in her eyes said. Squeezing his hand tighter, she continued to run, every fragment of fear and every splinter of doubt falling behind her, the remains of the walls she'd nursed for years crumbling like dust beneath her canvas shoes.

Her steps continued to carry them through streets lit by twilight, the breath in her lungs escaping with a giggle when she stumbled on a crack in the pavement. Catching her waist, Derek pulled her back against his chest, his hands resting on her hips.

"Are you going to tell me why we're in such a rush?" His breath was hot, his lips teasing as they brushed the side of her cheek. Her next breath was a stutter, her legs weakening at the knees, just as they always did. He didn't fight fair.

Twisting out of his hold, Ashlyn turned to face Derek with a grin.

"Nope," she said, relishing in the sound as the 'p' popped on the surrounding air. After seven months of speech therapy, she'd finally recognized the sound of her own voice, and it was sweet music to her ears. "Come on."

Passing a brief glance over her shoulder to make sure he followed, Ashlyn continued running until her feet crossed the threshold, and she stepped out onto the boardwalk. Counting each pillar she passed, Ashlyn came to a stop between the fifth and sixth.

Turning, she glanced up at Derek, who watched her with curiosity, pride marking the espresso of his eyes upon his recognition of the place she'd brought him. He reached up with his free hand and brushed his finger down the side of her cheek, capturing one of the curls that had escaped her ponytail. Tucking it behind her ear, he ran his thumb along the pulse beating at her throat.

Ashlyn's lashes fluttered at his gentle touch, her heart sighing within her chest. A year had elapsed, but each day felt like the first, falling in love with him all over again.

This is where my world fell apart, twenty-one years ago. The corners of Ashlyn's smile were tainted by deep sorrow, as she glanced over his shoulder towards the diner turned auto repair shop, then turned and gazed out towards the horizon, the setting sun magnificent upon the calm sea.

Derek's arm brushed against hers as he stepped to her side, his fingers weaving through hers. Together, they looked out to sea, the world that awaited beyond the horizon, while a cormorant glided overhead.

The corners of her smile lifted, and she turned to Derek, releasing his hand. It made sense that my new beginning started here too. She watched his gaze soften, the significance of that day dawning with the setting of the sun.

"April 28th. The day we first met." Derek whispered, his hands cupping her cheeks while her palm splayed against his chest. Nodding, she raised herself to the tips of her toes and kissed him, soft and slow, savoring the familiarity that was his touch. 

A wave of warmth spilled over the walls of her heart and rushed to every corner of her body, until his love, and hers saturated them.

Pulling back, she sighed at the drunken smile poised upon his lips.

I want to show you something, she signed, eyes wide and alight with the promise of magic as her hand fell to clasp his. In silence, they walked hand in hand towards the end of the pier where a blanket and some throw pillows glowed amidst the candlelight.

"It's beautiful," Derek whispered, his gaze scoping the small picnic and the quiet waters that shone with beads of gold and yellow.

Quietly, as though a single noise would disturb the balance and shatter the fragility before them, Ashlyn and Derek lowered themselves to the blanket, their feet hanging over the edge of the pier. Reaching behind them to grab one of the extra blankets, she draped it over his shoulder, then shuffled closer to his body so the other end would cover hers.

My father used to bring me here the night before he'd go out to sea and tell me stories about the mermaids and the lights.

Derek watched her hands move, the flickering flames from the candles casting shadows across the back of her hands and across his cheeks.

Do you see the way the ocean glows with all those little lights dancing upon the water's surface? She pointed out towards the stars reflecting upon the water, and Derek nodded.

"The stars. They're beautiful," he said, following her hand.

"No," she whispered, leaning forward to smile at one that twinkled with the rippling of the gentle waves beneath her feet. "They're mermaids, made from all our memories," she croaked, her arm brushing against his.

She turned to look at him then, her child within coming alive with awe and wonder. The look that glowed within Derek's eyes was one of complete adoration as he hung upon her words, enchanted by the magic that she spoke of.

"Mermaids." Testing the word on his tongue, Derek breathed a chuckle. "How does it work?"

Ashlyn closed her eyes, her father's voice whispering through her mind as she relayed his story to Derek.

Each night, while everyone is sleeping, the mermaids awaken. They then swim up to the surface where they collect all the happy memories that made that day. With each memory, every smile, and every laughter plucked from the surface, magic fills their hearts, creating that golden glow you see shimmering down below.

Opening her eyes, Ashlyn gasped. Derek's face hovered before hers, his lips turned as he admired her.

"And what about our memories?" His voice was a caress upon her cheeks, his fingers creating a warm spark that ignited within her chest as they trailed up her arm, leaving tiny little tingles in their wake.

"Ours will be the happiest of them all," she whispered, breathless. Lashes fluttering, she tipped her head just enough that his lips brushed over hers. He tasted of apples baked in the sunshine and the salty mist from the ocean, as she kissed him slow and deep, with all the love and the joy she could muster.

Derek's mouth curled against Ashlyn's in an adoring smile, his fingers brushing down the side of her cheeks.

"They already are," he breathed against her lips. 



A:N I can't believe I just typed those two words that I've been dreaming of writing for almost a year and a half now. I'd be lying if I said that writing this last chapter didn't have me feeling a cocktail of bittersweet emotions. But, one thing I cannot lie about is how much I have loved sharing Ashlyn and Derek's journey with you, and how much it has meant to see so many of you getting behind these two with your love, support, and understanding.


Y'all are the best readers a girl could ask for, and I cannot thank you enough. I hope you have loved this story as much as I have, and please, don't be strangers. I would love to hear your thoughts or what this story has meant to you in the comments below ♥ 

Thank you for embarking on this journey with me, and for filling my ocean with all the happiest memories and mermaids that glow. 

Love and hugs, 
Bri. Xx

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