This epilogue is included in the hardback edition of Tangled Sails. And of course, it’s here for my newsletter subscribers. Make sure you read the book first, and enjoy!
Bonus Epilogue
LYRI
I lay out on the beach, utterly relaxed. My feet were buried in the warm sand, my eyes were closed, my dress fluttered in the wind around my bent knees, and my hand rested in Tavric’s, who lay beside me.
We were drying out after a swim while the twins—Bastian and Elinora—chased crabs and played in the sand, their toddler voices floating to us on the breeze.
Tav squeezed my hand and I rolled my head to look over at him.
He smiled even as he squinted against the sunlight. “I’m glad you aren’t feeling ill anymore.”
“So am I,” I said as one hand rested on my barely rounded belly. My morning queasiness had prevented any sailing for the past few months.
“Do you think it will be two again?” he asked, and I could hear the teasing in his tone.
I chuckled. “No, I think we’ll only get one this time.”
He rolled up onto his elbow. “I suppose that will do for now.” He took my hand and helped me sit up. “We’re going to have to get a bigger boat before long.”
“Or we’ll have to teach the twins how to sail.”
His face went a bit pale as he looked over at our two-year-old whirlwinds, Bastian with his mahogany-colored hair and Elinora with her gold curls. Bastian tripped over the sand, fell to his knees, and immediately jumped back up. “Can you imagine?”
I leaned over and distracted him with a kiss. “Yes, but not for a few years.”
He looped an arm around my shoulder and we both admired the view of our children joyfully playing with one another. “Years of childhood and freedom.”
I sighed into the knowledge that my babies would have that. Freedom.
“I think about her sometimes—Ethel,” I admitted.
His jaw tensed just a bit at the mention of my aunt, and he reached out and tucked a hair behind my ear. “And what do you think?”
“She used to tell me that being a mother was mundane and ordinary. She thought my gift made me too special to lower myself to something as normal as motherhood. And I have to wonder what in her life gave her that idea.” I watched as Bastian picked up two handfuls of sand, lifting them out in front of him before letting the sand slowly slip from his fingers while Elinora watched in delight, her little hands clasped to her chest. “I can’t think of anything more extraordinary than creating another human being. A tiny person who trusts you implicitly, who gives themself to your care, believing that you will keep them safe.”
Tav bent his head and kissed my shoulder. “It’s a singular gift, and a privilege. And you, my darling, are better at it than most.”
I smiled up at him, thrilled by his praise. It was all I’d ever wanted—to be a mother, and a good one at that.
An undignified “Oof!” burst from Tav’s mouth when Elinora plowed into him from behind, but he recovered quickly. “What is this?” He reached back and grabbed her, pulling her around to his front. “Is this my Ellie?”
“Spin me!” she demanded, throwing her arms out wide, her gold curls wild and wind-blown.
“Oh, you want to spin, do you?” Tav asked as he climbed to his feet with Elinora in his arms. He hooked his hands under her shoulders and spun her out, round and round as she giggled furiously.
Bastian plopped down on the sand beside me and looked up with wide eyes.
“You want to spin, too?” I asked.
He grinned and nodded, his tiny baby teeth shining in the sun.
“Let’s go, then.” I got up and scooped him into my arms, holding him on my hip with one arm and taking his little hand in an imitation of a formal dance position. “One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three,” I counted as I dipped and turned. Soon, Tavric stopped spinning and held Elinora much like I was holding Bastian, and the four of us continued to dance amongst the waves. Bastian giggled and leaned out, reaching for his sister. Tavric came close enough that the twins could grab one another’s hands, and Tavric slipped his arm around me, looking down at me with such admiration that I had to reach up and bring his lips to mine. The twins giggled as they were squished between us, and I was struck again by how extraordinary my life was.
The Very End.