Hey guys, here's the epilogue as promised! Enjoy and also... uh take a moment to consider the oceans maybe, there's so much pollution in them and it's devastating. Consider donating to a local charity that helps cleaning up our shores and oceans or maybe if you are near a coast or river donate some of your own time to help clean it up!

For example:

* https://theoceancleanup.com/

* https://oceanblueproject.org/

And if you are in Australia, there's kelp farm start ups there that will do a lot to help bring oxygen and health back to our oceans as well as help feed people! Keep your eye out for their products or a kickstarter or such ;-) (example: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seaweed/moonrise-seaweed-co/description)

Anyway, thank you for your time and enjoy this final bit!

Much love,

Robin

*

Epilogue

Seated at one of the tables on the Stonefish's terrace, shaded beneath a large parasol, I swirled my straw through the mango smoothie in front of me. With one hand I propped up my head while I contemplated the view, the marina stretched out to one side, the board walk and beach to the other with a the long pier bisecting the two directions. I remembered only too well my first look at Matt, kite-surfing, when I'd first come to Conningsby.

It was hard to believe it had been nearly four years since we'd first met. Nearly four years of dating that delicious, crazy bad boy. I glanced over my shoulder through the window where Matt was working behind the bar, wearing a black t-shirt that displayed his muscular physique. There was a good reason his bar was a local attraction, especially for bachelorette parties.

When I'd started uni, shortly after the whole Corenth debacle, I had struggled for a while with not being able to see Matt daily. Or, I had to admit, not to be able to run out to sea and go for a swim whenever I felt like it. At least my turning into a mermaid at the touch of water issue had been resolved. After that final confrontation I'd discovered I had finally mastered the shift, I couldn't even remember why it was so hard in the first place.

But my dad had finally convinced me to drop my software studies and pick up proper jewelry making classes instead. That had made me a much happier girl and Dev, Mitch and George had told me I was much easier to live with when I wasn't actively hating uni and missing Matt.

I couldn't blame them for saying that, I imagined I had been a tad of a bitch to be around for a while there. Especially with the pregnancy scare we had, stupidly neither Matt or I had realized we hadn't used protection during that full moon situation. When I did realize, I'd been on edge the entire time until Matt had driven over and we'd done the test together. After, I was a bit of a mess anyway, discovering I was a little sad it had been negative... As if I had been ready for a kid at nineteen.

Now I folded my hand around my flat abdomen and smiled. That was then, this was now though. I'd finished my classes and my internship with a silversmith, I'd finished a training course in smithing with Fletch too which had been fun. My seashell jewelry was selling online, thanks to a cleverly designed website and a little help from George who turned out to be pretty good at anything digital. My dad had taken to him in heartbeat and the two were thick as thieves.

Most importantly, I'd settled into life with Matt, back in Conningsby for good. We'd just bought our own place, with our own earnings and I was having fun decorating it. Good thing we'd bought a place with plenty of room to.

"I keep imagining what you look like in that sexy thong you put on this morning," Matt suddenly husked in my ear. One warm hand coming to fold around my shoulder as he leaned his head over the other one.

I startled, knocked over my drink and was only saved from a wet pair of shorts because Matt's quick reflexes caught my mango smoothie just before that fatal tipping point. "You!" I joked, once I'd gotten over my fright. It was a familiar joke, harking back to some of our first meetings and true to form, Matt responded, "You have got to stop greeting me like that, honey."

Coming around to my side he dropped into the nearest chair and then crowded me with his long legs, like he was want to do. "So, what's got you out here looking all pensive? Everything okay?" he asked as he eyed me up and down. Eyes lingering for a moment on the hint of cleavage at the top of my shirt.

Okay, as good an opening as I was going to get I guessed. Taking a deep breath I said, "You're going to be a dad." Then, with some amusement I watched as chaos erupted. First in the form of Matt floundering for what could very well be the first time in his life where he didn't how to respond, what to say.

His eyes went huge, his mouth dropped open, and then he leaned forward so abruptly that my mango smoothie teetered off the edge of the table on the other side with a crash. He pointed at my belly, tried to speak again and failed and then just grinned at me. "Eight weeks along right now," I said and then I smirked, "You okay there fishboy?"

Leaping out of his chair he picked me up and spun me around, finding his voice only to shout across the terrace, "I'm going to be a dad! Drinks on the house!" To the reception of wide scale amusement, clapping and cheering.

When Thorne came outside to check on the commotion he grinned and winked at me. "I see you told him." He tapped his nose and pointed at my belly, letting me know how he'd sussed it out and then came over to hug Matt and steer him inside, to the back office for a more private celebration.

I followed the two guys as Matt continued, in a rather stunned tone of voice, to tell Thorne that he was going to be a dad. I was grinning ear to ear and thanking the guests congratulating me as I passed them. At the moment, Matt was so overwhelmed with the news I wasn't even sure he remembered I was there.

Of course, Matt chose that moment to spin around and pick me up, raising me high enough so he could press his face to my belly. "Hey there little one, I love you already. Just like I love your mom." Then he shifted me and carried me bridal style into the Stonefish, and I could only smile, "I love you too Matt."

*

Hi! Liked it? I loved writing this happy bit of their future. In case you didn't realize, this is a good four years into the future and if I end up writing sequels, those likely take place before this scene. ;-)

I'm posting a poll still so you can vote who you'd like to see in a sequel and maybe even what you'd like to see happen.

Final question for now, who'd like to see a bit from Matt's pov as a bonus scene about when he disabled the bomb?

Much love,

Robin