Spring Break Secret by Holly Rayner
Epilogue
A Year Later: Louisa
“Everything ready to go?” Ellen poked her head into the back room where Louisa was getting into her wedding dress while Rei ran around in her own dress, which was already damp at the hem after an ill-advised trip down to the water.
“Yep,” Louisa told her. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“Perfect.”
Ellen disappeared, and Louisa marveled at how many things that woman was still able to do. She ran the La Vega Sea Turtle Conservation Center, plus the Eco Scouts, and she’d still managed to pull off a gorgeous wedding. They were having it at the conservation center itself, with the ceremony in the main museum room and the reception party on the beach just outside.
Louisa was grateful to have her mom and Ellen helping out with wedding planning, because life had gotten pretty busy since she and Tom had decided to start a life together. After leaving Palmco Development, Tom had started a wildlife foundation with Louisa, kickstarting it with a significant chunk of his family fortune, and they ran it from their new beach house in La Vega.
With Rei approaching teenhood, it was great to have more space to themselves, and Louisa loved the house Tom had bought for them. It wasn’t part of the newer developments, but an older house in the classic beach style that had fallen into disrepair. Together, they fixed it up, with Rei’s crew of friends helping out for pocket money and trying out their new ideas for sustainable building practices.
And the house had a big yard for their golden retriever puppy named Sunny.
Still, even though they were on their own, Tom and Louisa still made sure to have dinner with her parents at least once a week at the old bungalow. Tom talked often about how much he enjoyed spending time with Louisa’s family, watching ball games with her dad and helping her mom clean up in the kitchen. Louisa had always taken the closeness of her family for granted, but it seemed there was something there that Tom had been missing his entire life, and he fit right in with their lives in La Vega.
“Rei, honey, help me out with this, would you?” Louisa was trying to unclasp the silver squid necklace she wore every day, but struggling with the delicate chain. With her nimble young fingers, Rei easily undid the clasp, and Louisa dropped it into its velvet pouch.
“Is that your pirate gold?” Rei asked as Louisa pulled the coin from its own pouch.
“The very same.” Louisa handed it to Rei, looking at herself in the mirror as Rei fastened it around her neck. Ellen had fashioned one of the conservation center’s storage closets into a makeshift dressing room, complete with an old-fashioned vanity and mirror.
“Dad says it’s good luck,” Rei said, leaning over her mom’s shoulder to look at herself in the mirror. “Is it really?”
“You tell me, little dolphin.” Louisa turned to give Rei a kiss on the cheek, making the girl wince and pull away. “I think my life has been pretty lucky ever since I found it, don’t you?”
“I guess,” Rei pouted, rubbing her cheek where Louisa had kissed her. “Mom, you know my friends are going to be at the party today. Promise you won’t embarrass me, okay?”
“Me? Embarrass you? On my own wedding day?” Louisa pretended to be hurt, and Rei just rolled her eyes. This kid was certainly going to be a handful once she was a full-fledged teenager, Louisa knew.
Ellen called back for them, and Louisa knew it was time. Rei zipped off to take her place as the maid of honor, and Louisa linked arms with her dad as he walked her down the aisle, which was made of recycled white taffeta fabric laid down on the carpeted floor of the conservation center.
There, under the newly repainted model of the giant squid that hung from the ceiling, stood Tom, looking sharp in a crisp new suit, his eyes misty as he watched Louisa walk down the aisle. Beside him was Nick, still his best friend, and now CEO of Palmco Development. Nick had initially been furious with Tom’s decision to back out of the development plan in La Vega and walk away from the company entirely, but after seeing how happy his best friend was, he’d come around.
Now, Nick ran Palmco, and donated a portion of their profits to Tom and Louisa’s wildlife foundation.
Louisa made it to the altar, standing beside Rei, her maid of honor, looking resplendent despite the mishap with her dress earlier.
Ellen officiated, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Tom and Louisa finished their vows, telling the story of how they met, first and then again, finding each other despite an ocean of time and the initial conflict of their reunion. Tom promised to cherish each day with Rei, and Louisa vowed to care for her family and their marriage with the same fervor she brought to her research and environmental work.
The reception was held under twinkling fairy lights on the beach, catered by Joseph of Fins ’n’ Fishes. Rei ran around with her friends, teasing seagulls with their French fries, and Nick was already king of the dance floor, leading a number of Tom’s business school friends in a rowdy rendition of the electric slide.
When it was time for the toasts, Rei rejoined Tom and Louisa, sitting beside them as Nick gave a speech about Tom as a kid, his romantic tendencies, and the spring break trip he spent mooning over “turtle girl.” Ellen spoke, sharing her best wishes for the couple and giving plenty of advice that Louisa knew was based on her own hard-fought wisdom.
Rei’s turn came, and she told the whole crowd about the sea otter Tom had brought her when they first met, and the night they spent watching baby sea turtles emerge from the sand. In order to complete her toast, the waiter had given her a small champagne flute, and when she rejoined her parents, she offered it to Louisa.
“Actually, sweetheart,” Louisa said, nudging both Tom and Rei in close as she whispered, “I won’t be drinking that.”
An astonished look was beginning to dawn on Tom’s face, and Louisa confirmed his suspicions with a little nod, then continued talking to her daughter.
“You’re going to be a big sister, little dolphin!” she said to Rei.
The three of them hugged, excited at the wonderful news. They were officially a family, filled with love and happiness, and a new baby would only add to their joy.
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed Tom and Louisa’s story! Keep reading for a peek at the previous book in this series, The Boss’s Mile High Baby
Happy reading!
Love, Holly x