Epilogue

 

 

 

Two months later

 

Filipe flexed his fingers, then quickly relaxed them as he realized he’d been doing the same all day. He slipped his hand in his jeans pocket, curling his fingers around the ring he’d picked for Celeste.

He took another deep breath. It was silly, in a way, all this nervous tension about proposing to her. He loved her. That wouldn’t change. He loved Lucas as well and knew the boy reciprocated his affections. He even knew Celeste loved him—she’d said it to him plenty of times, in words, in kisses, in smiles and gestures he never wanted to forget.

There was nothing more right than the certainty of marrying Celeste and joining himself to her and her son. That he knew without a doubt.

The anxiety hiccupped inside him for the length of a flinch, then skittered away to make room for the conviction of their love. The nerves were only a kind of stage fright; nothing more.

When he arrived at the beach, Celeste and Lucas were already there, as they usually were on Monday mornings. The weekend guests at the hotel seldom lingered past Sunday night, and despite the calendar saying it was nearly the beginning of September, the weather felt more like early May—sunny, warm, with no signs of an impending change of season.

Lucas would start school one week from today, and Filipe wanted him to enjoy the last few days of summer vacation secure in the knowledge of their plans for the future.

The corner of Filipe’s mouth hitched in a smile at what he’d planned for this moment. He’d involved Lucas, even though the little guy wasn’t aware of Filipe’s real intentions.

Filipe stood at the edge of the wooden walkway and looked around, contentment rising in his chest. Celeste and Lucas waved at him, and he waved back as they walked in his direction.

Just a few months ago he’d stood on this very spot feeling quite differently. The calm he’d felt back then didn’t have the same completeness, not even an inkling of the happiness he carried today. He could hardly imagine more happiness after he married Celeste, but he also knew it would be there.

He turned to look at the hotel, another successful project, as he’d predicted. Surfing season would start in a few more weeks, and other than a few rooms they left open for special guests, they were booked out for the next eight weeks.

Peeking from behind the hotel, the lower building of the aquarium shone in the morning light. The license violations had been resolved, and the renovations had started in earnest to bring the aquarium to full activity, hopefully in the early spring, with new exhibits and tanks and lots of new animals. Much to Lucas’s relief, the male swan had made a full recovery.

“Filipe,” Lucas called out as he ran toward him. He stopped and took a couple of full breaths, then looked toward Celeste, who was still a few minutes from reaching them. “I did everything you asked for my mom’s surprise.”

Filipe bumped knuckles with Lucas. “Awesome. I sure appreciate your help, Lucas.”

Lucas chuckled. “Mamã will be so surprised.”

As long as she didn’t freak out at what the surprise was and said yes.

Celeste reached them and slipped her arms around Filipe’s middle. She leaned up for a kiss, and Filipe freely gave it, holding himself back from deepening the contact between them.

“You look mighty fine this morning,” she said with a smile, a casual arm around his waist. “Like the king of the castle observing his kingdom.”

“Do I?” He bent to brush another kiss. “Must be all this happiness I’m wearing. It looks good on me.”

She chuckled. “And such modesty too.”

“I don’t need to be modest.” He sobered as he pinned a steady gaze on her. “I know what I have and how lucky I am for it.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it. You work harder than anyone I know. What you have, you deserve.”

“I hope so,” he replied.

Her eyebrows raised for a moment, as she didn’t understand the full meaning of his words.

“Mamã,” Lucas called. “Come see this.” Lucas had walked off to a spot he and Filipe had prepared already. “You gotta come see this,” he called again.

Celeste raised her arm and waved. “I’m coming.” She turned to Filipe and took his hand. “Let’s go see what he found this time.”

Lucas had quite the collection of found objects he’d picked through summer, all kept in a shoe box he liked to call his treasure chest.

When Filipe and Celeste approached, a small corner of wood jutted up from the sand.

Lucas knelt beside it. “What do you think this is?”

Filipe suppressed a smile. The little guy was carrying out his role exactly as they’d rehearsed.

“Pull it out, Mamã.”

“Why don’t you pull it out? It’ll be more fun for you to find out what it is.”

He held up his palms. “My hands are tired from all the walking on the beach. You do it.”

Celeste shook her head and laughed, then knelt beside Lucas. “I bet you won’t be tired for dessert after dinner,” she teased.

Lucas widened his stance. “I’ll be all better for dessert.” He winked with both eyes at Filipe over his mom’s bent form, and Filipe winked back.

The exchange didn’t go unnoticed, and Celeste frowned. “You two are up to something.”

Filipe gestured at the small mound on the sand. “Aren’t you going to pull it out?”

Celeste grabbed the exposed corner and pulled out a wooden frame with three heart stones in a close horizontal row, the middle rock smaller than the other two, and the one on the left larger than the one on the right.

She shook the sand off it, “Did you put this here?” she asked Lucas.

“No.” His grin widened and Filipe grinned as well.

Celeste stood and read the caption, We are family first in our hearts. She looked between Lucas and him, her eyes already brimming with tears. “Did you make this?”

Lucas jumped up and down. “I helped Filipe find the stones,” he declared enthusiastically. “Are you surprised?”

“Very much, Lucas.”

As she turned her face to smile at Lucas, Filipe grabbed the ring from his pocket and dropped to one knee. “Celeste,” he started, taking a deep breath as all the nervousness from before momentarily threatened to overcome him.

When Celeste found him down in front of her, she gasped and covered her mouth with her fingers.

“I fell in love with you when I was seventeen, and for years I dreamed you’d come to love me as well,” he said to her. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve having you back in my life, but I know I don’t want to live without you and Lucas. I love you. I love both of you, and I want us to spend the rest of our days together.” Another breath. “Celeste, will you be my wife?” he asked in a steadier voice.

Her eyes filled with fat tears, and she wiped at them as they rolled down her cheeks.

“Are those tears of happiness, Mamã?” Lucas chirped beside them.

Celeste extended her hand, a wide smile on her lips, and Filipe slipped the ring onto her finger. “Yes,” she said firmly, her eyes never straying from Filipe’s. “Yes, I will marry you, and yes, Lucas, these are tears of happiness.”