| Romance Fiction posted October 19, 2025 | Chapters: |
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Happy Endings
A chapter in the book Yesterday's Dreams
The Lighthouse Epilogue
by Begin Again
EPILOGUE — One Year Later
Evening lay a soft gold across the point. On the bluff below, a small wedding gathered—white ribbons flickering, two neat rows of chairs facing the sea, a string quartet spilling tender notes into the wind.
From the lantern room, Claire watched through clear glass. The beam had been set to a gentler sweep so it wouldn't steal attention from the ceremony. "They did it," she said, smiling. "Trudy and Lucy actually built something together."
David leaned on the rail beside her, following her gaze. "Love's True Story," he said. "Some days Lucy writes while Trudy shoots. Some days they trade. They argue over commas and camera angles and somehow make magic."
"It suits them," Claire said. "Two storytellers, one story at a time."
Below, the bride's veil lifted with the breeze. The officiant's words carried faintly -promises caught between sea and sky. When the kiss came, the guests laughed and clapped, and the sound washed up the cliff like surf. Lucy raised a camera for the last frame, Trudy tucked a pen behind her ear, and they grinned at each other like conspirators of joy.
Claire pressed her fingers to the glass. "Someday," she murmured, almost to herself, "I'd want something like that. Simple. Here. Just the people who matter."
The beam came around, touched her hair, and moved on. David's reflection found hers in the window. "Then let's not leave it to someday," he said quietly.
She turned, surprised by the tremor in his voice. "David--?"
He reached into his pocket and brought out a ring — no box, just the small band itself, warm from being carried in his pocket. A tiny compass rose had been etched flush with the gold.
"Claire Crandon," he said, his voice filled with emotion, "marry me — and the someday is yours."
Her laugh broke into tears in the same breath. "You couldn't even let me finish my wish."
"Didn't need to," he said, smiling. "I've been wishing the same thing since the day you walked back into this tower."
She held out her hand. "Then stop waiting."
He slid the ring onto her finger. The beam swept past, painting their hands gold before gliding on toward the horizon.
Claire rose on her toes and kissed him — slow and sure, a promise set to the rhythm of the turning lamp. When they parted, her forehead rested against his.
"Some stories end where they began," she whispered, "only brighter."
"Then let's keep the light burning," he said.
Below them, the newlyweds started down the aisle while Lucy and Trudy--writer and photographer, photographer and writer — walked backward, laughing, catching the last candid smiles. Above, another story had already begun, needing no camera and almost no words — a tower, a keeper, and the one who chose to keep it with her.
David ran his fingers across her cheek. "Promise you will always be the keeper of my heart."
She smiled and brushed her lips against his, whispering, "I promise to keep the light burning and never let our love go dark."
The beacon turned once more--out and back, out and back — steady as breath, sure as love.
And beyond the glass, the sea carried their promise into forever.
 Recognized |
Author's Note
Thank you to each of you who stayed and shared the lives of each of my characters. With this chapter, we close the circle on Yesterday's Dreams ó The Forgotten Dress, By the Sea, An Untold Story, and The Lighthouse.
I hope you'll join me for the next journey, After the Storm ó including Mending the Heart, Yesterday's Brushstrokes, High Water Mark, and The Reply.
I can't wait to share what comes next.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Thank you to each of you who stayed and shared the lives of each of my characters. With this chapter, we close the circle on Yesterday's Dreams ó The Forgotten Dress, By the Sea, An Untold Story, and The Lighthouse.
I hope you'll join me for the next journey, After the Storm ó including Mending the Heart, Yesterday's Brushstrokes, High Water Mark, and The Reply.
I can't wait to share what comes next.
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