Restless Hope

Epilogue

Beth

The four finalists are invited to a special filming at the Nantucket Project conference. Isaac escorts me to the event, looking devilishly handsome in his tux. Mingling with the others, I haven't enjoyed myself this much in a long time. I am overjoyed when investors at the event contact me later to fund my company. The app is going to happen!

I think the only one more excited about the news than me is Isaac. Father is thrilled for me. He is still convinced his business will take off in a month or two (his guru has prophesied it after all) and is pleased that his daughter has followed in his footsteps as a successful entrepreneur.

The only uncomfortable moment at the conference is when Peter congratulates me. After confronting him about his plans for the house, he claims that his conscience had bothered him once he saw my sentimental attachment to the house. He says he talked to his father about not going through with the deal. Either way, it doesn't matter. Once Father discovered Peter's betrayal, he immediately rejected his offer on the house.

Peter also claims he convinced Selena to quit sabotaging my app. I appreciate Peter's help in the filming and his apparent change of heart, but I don't trust him. I am fairly certain he would have gone through with selling our house to be bulldozed if he hadn't been caught.

The best news is my father has agreed to sell Malcolm Estate to Isaac and me. After searching extensively, we find a good private school near our home with a 1:5 teacher to student ratio and a strict bullying policy I am confident will be a good match for Olivia. Aunt Alice has convinced Mariah to let Olivia stay with us for a time, though Toby will remain on the island with his mother and grandfather. Aunt Alice has generously offered to fund Olivia's education.

To top it off, after lobbying for it for a few years, the dyslexic support group I am part of has finally has been instrumental in getting a bill in front of the Massachusetts legislature to define dyslexia as a learning disorder and require screening and treatment (similar laws have already passed in other states). Olivia and I were among many families that shared our experiences in front of the lawmakers. I can only hope that dyslexics in the next generation will receive the help they need and can avoid some of the pain Olivia has gone through.

After much discussion, Gran has finally agreed to sell the café. Having recovered from her ordeal at the hospital, she is still antsy to work. We plan to rent a few rooms out at Malcolm Estate as a sort of Bed and Breakfast. Gran, along with one of her former employees, will provide breakfast and dinner for the guests. It's not perfectly ideal. I think Isaac would prefer to have the house to ourselves, but he's willing to make accommodations for his Gran.

Ephram flew in to be Isaac's best man at the wedding. They discuss in length the future of his nonprofit. Isaac has decided he wants to take more a fundraising role. Being the face of his company is not something Isaac feels comfortable with, but he is determined to be near Gran for as long as she has left to live.

Our wedding is a simple affair. David and Heidi are there, along with my family, Gran, Ephram, Sophie, Cole and a few close friends. I wear a simple, fitted ivory gown and carry a bouquet of pale, pink roses from my gardens. My father gives me away in the beautiful gardens that I can now call mine.

I can tell Mariah is annoyed that my wedding isn't elaborate enough for a Malcolm. When she catches my bouquet, I know she's already imagining how much finer her wedding will be. Still, she's not completely immune to sentiment. When my father takes me in his arms for the daddy/daughter dance, I catch her wiping away a few joyful tears.

As a special gift for Isaac, I pulled out the garbage sack (fortunately it was still stuffed under the bed) and created a shadow box out of the memories. Isaac was touched when I gave it to him the morning of our wedding day. He's mostly relieved I didn't throw everything away after all, as am I.

My favorite part of the reception was dancing in the ballroom with our friends. As we glide around the floor in our wedding clothes, I am finally the princess in my childhood dreams, dancing with the boy who was my prince in disguise, the boy few thought would come to much of anything; the boy who surprised everyone and became my everything.

When the guests all clear out, we collapse on the couch. I've never felt so happy.

"Can life get any more perfect?" I ask.

"No," Isaac says, pulling me toward him. He puts his arm around me and I curl into his side.

"Ten years is a long time," I whisper.

"It is," Isaac says, feathering my temple with kisses.

I swallow hard. We haven't really talked about the past. I don't know why. Maybe I'm afraid of what I might hear. The thought of Isaac being with others sends a fiery and primitive possessiveness flooding through my veins. If only I had accepted him in the first place, I could be enjoying his company all these years. I know it's not fair to be possessive, though. Just because my heart never gave up on Isaac doesn't mean I should expect him to remain faithful to me. I pick up Isaac's hand.

"I just want you to know that you've been the only one I've loved. I don't expect you to feel the same way. I just thought you should know."

"I've never loved another the way I love you either."

I am clutching Isaac's hand tightly. My head swims. It's hard to wrap my mind around what he's saying. It's hard to fathom that all these years he's been as faithful to the memory of us as I have been.

"You mean ... you haven't ... there really hasn't been anyone else?"

He shakes his head.

"I dated here and there. In some of the places I was living, there weren't many options. Plus I was always moving on. I cared for some of the women, but something kept me from fully committing. Maybe I was a fool to even try. We had so much between us still, Beth; we were tied by our past. I suspect I wasn't even free to open myself up to someone else. It didn't matter who I looked at. I could only see the woman I left behind, the woman I knew was superior to any other."

I feel my eyes getting misty again. It's hard not to when he says such beautiful things. I put my arms around his neck.

"I love you, Isaac."

"And I love you, Beth."

The End

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