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Epilogue
Six weeks later
Alex
“Stop it,” I say to Finn. “She’s already suspicious.”
He giggles, but bites his top lip as his mother approaches, carrying three ice creams.
She hands them out, giving us a suspicious look. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Finn offers his ice cream to Zelda, who eats some, and then he has a bite himself.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Missie scolds. “She might catch something from you.”
Finn snorts and continues eating, and I grin.
“It’s a beautiful day,” I say. It rained quite a lot in January, but February has been warm and humid, even in Queenstown, which is normally one of the drier cities in New Zealand. The three of us are on vacation, enjoying the beautiful town on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. It’s known for its outdoor activities like skiing and bungee jumping, neither of which Finn is up for yet, but it’s also holding this year’s New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, which all three of us were eager to visit.
We’ve had a great couple of days being nerds together, and we’re going back home tomorrow. Finn’s already started at his new high school, and so far things seem to be going well, helped in no small part by the fact that he’s worked extra hard on his physio in the New Year, and he’s made significant progress.
Now, as he finishes his ice cream, he gets to his feet, walks over to the rubbish bin, and deposits the wrapper. Missie watches him, then looks at me, her lips curving up. He’s not exactly running yet, but his movement improves every day, and she’s thrilled.
I finish my own ice cream and say, “Shall we walk down to the lake?”
“Sure,” she says. Together, with Finn holding Zelda’s leash while he talks to her non-stop, we walk down Queenstown Bay Beach to the edge of the lake.
Finn looks up at me, eyes dancing, and I nod. He stands back, holding Zelda, barely able to contain his excitement.
Missie’s looking out at the view across the lake and hasn’t noticed our exchange, and therefore she stares at me, startled, when I suddenly drop to one knee and take her hand.
“Don’t look surprised,” I say. “You knew this was coming.”
Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. “Oh my God.”
I nod at Finn, who produces the box from his pocket and opens it. The solitaire diamond glitters in the sunlight. It was a huge risk letting him carry it, but I wanted to show him that I trust him, and, bless him, he’s hardly taken his hand out of his pocket, making sure it’s there every five seconds.
“Mistletoe,” I say, “will you marry me, and make me and Finn the happiest guys in the world?”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she presses her fingers to her lips. I knew it would get to her if Finn was present when I proposed. He’s almost as much a part of this as she is, and I want her to see that he approves.
“Mum!” He glares at her.
“Yes,” she squeaks.
I laugh and get to my feet. “You had me going there.”
She throws her arms around my neck. “Yes, yes, yes!”
“Aw.” I hug her, then give her a long kiss.
“Don’t look, Zelda,” Finn says. “Mum, put the ring on!”
She laughs and moves back, and Finn takes it out of the box and hands it to her. She slides it onto her finger, then moves it around to watch it catch the light.
“Is it real?” she asks, breathless.
Finn rolls his eyes. “No, Mum,” he says sarcastically, “he got it out of a cracker.”
