Hell Without You

Epilogue

"Try not to get smacked in the face by a wave this time," Ricardo said as they crossed the white sand beach.

"No promises," Donovan replied, giving Clementine's hand a squeeze.

They were a casual wedding party – a bride and groom plus a best man and maid of honor, and the mother of the bride. Baby Isabel was the flower girl, though her father Steve had to carry her and make sure she didn't put any of the rose petals she clutched into her mouth.

Their attire was casual, too – a tea-length white gown and veil for Clementine and turquoise dresses for her mother, Jackie and Isabel. Donovan wore a white shirt and khaki shorts, as did Ricardo and Steve. It was December twenty-first, but in Miami, the sun shone and a warm breeze made dress hems and shirt sleeves flutter. A wedding so close to Christmas might not have worked for some, but for them, everyone who mattered was there.

The fact that Clementine had only been working her new job in Harrisburg for a month didn't matter either; the office was closed for the holidays, and she wouldn't need to return to Pennsylvania until after New Year's. There would be plenty of time for a beach honeymoon, and they'd spend Christmas day with Ricardo and – yes – her mother.

Clementine hadn't forgotten the past, but when she was face to face with her mother, she didn't seem like that woman anymore – the one who'd betrayed her. She was kinder and listened more – more like the woman she'd been before she'd met Robert. She'd even apologized to Donovan.

And Donovan hadn't objected to her attending the wedding, which, knowing him, was a big deal.

"Beautiful," Donovan said as they approached the surf, following in the footsteps of the minister who would officiate the ceremony.

"I know," Clementine said, staring out at the aquamarine sea, striped with whitecaps under a blue ribbon of sky. "I wonder if we'll see dolphins again." The sun hung high overhead, shedding light on the water below and rendering the shallows clear as glass. It was a beautiful day at the beach – a beautiful day for a wedding.

"I meant you," he said, leaning closer, so she could feel his breath on her cheek.

She smiled, letting the top of her head brush his jaw. A few strands of her hair – she'd worn it loose, with a single white flower tucked into one side – blew into her face, but she brushed them away. The scent of Donovan lingered in her lungs, combined with the aroma of sea salt and sunbaked sand.

"Ready?" the minister asked, stopping a few yards from the gently crashing surf and turning his back to the sea.

Clementine stopped too, facing Donovan, never letting go of his hand. The vows they'd chosen were simple; the ceremony would only take a few minutes, and then they'd be united by law as well as by fate. It felt right, but it didn't feel like a huge step – they never would've been reunited if it hadn't been meant to be. There was just no other way of explaining it. "Yes."

Donovan stared back at her, eyes more silver than grey in the sunlight. His voice was all but drowned out by the crashing surf, but reading his lips was easy. "I'm ready. I've been ready since the day I met you."

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The End

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Thank you for reading Donovan & Clementine's story. I'd love to hear what you think. :)

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