Epilogue Meg: The Best Surprise

We decided to delay our honeymoon trip so we could oversee the beginning renovations at the inn. It stretched into almost three months, but the time was not lost to us as we united as a couple deeply in love.

Drew made those months so special as he and I wandered around town and the local areas nearby, getting to know people and settling into what is and will be our community.

We talked about where we would have our first picnic as a family of four… yeah, long term planning at its best. And we made plans for having just the right number and kind of pets that would suit us best.

Those of course include the cats, but we agreed that Lizaardo would be happiest remaining at the cottage with Mia where he can continue to bask in his favorite spot on the porch facing the ocean.

Meg agreed that the dog of my childhood should be replicated for our own children, so a black lab it will be. She even suggested that his or her name will be Lucy, like my childhood best friend.

We finally board the plane to soar away for our three delicious weeks in a different world than I have ever seen before.

Looking back, I never thought our first date talking about places to see would end up helping to decide on a honeymoon destination. All the places Drew insisted I see he guided me through himself. I felt so spoiled that we had our own private adventures rather than being a part of the bustling tourist crowds that were guided by a single tour guide, a stranger, someone they shared no connection with.

I was able to walk through a new kind of paradise. It's one filled with art and culture and cuisine to die for, all while holding the hand of my husband, who surely knew far more than the tour guides themselves.

He took us to places off the map. Hidden treasures, he called them. There were secret places to find the best wine, the most romantic paths to walk through at night, and the most breathtaking views tucked away just off the beaten paths.

There were so many moments I wanted to bottle up and save forever, but photos and my travel journal will have to suffice. I never thought another paradise, a different paradise, could exist outside of Seaside, but it was Drew's turn to prove me wrong.

***

It seemed like no time at all, but soon we are back standing in front of Seaside Inn again. "It's so much better than I pictured," I say to Drew, as we return from our honeymoon in Italy.

The inn has never looked better! I didn't think it needed so many renovations until everything was completed. Now it's still recognizable…but in the best way. What looked aged and faded before has been given new life with vibrancy and color. The brighter walls in the lobby make it seem more spacious, while the rooms have been given remodels that still fit the beach theme, but with a more modern style.

It's no coincidence that Mia has had to turn people away when they hear just how long the waitlist is for available rooms. Word spread so quickly that at one point, I wondered what the cost of an expansion would look like to accommodate more people.

Bringing me back to the moment, Drew comments on the updates to the inn. "I told you it would be great." He nods in approval. "I made sure the integrity of the place stayed the same. I knew she just needed a good sprucing up."

"I still can't thank you enough." I kiss him on the cheek before I continue to explore, but he takes my hand and pulls me back to him.

"I also hired contractors for the house too, remember?" He grins. Just before we left for our honeymoon, the realtor gave us the keys so we could see the house and make notes with the contractor about the changes we wanted to make.

Like the inn, it didn't look terrible or dilapidated. It just needed some extra love to bring it back to life. It mainly looked a bit dull and weathered by time, but if you looked close enough, you could see the magic that still resides within its walls.

"Which do you want to see first?"

Smiling broadly, I ask him to guess.

"Okay, it's off to the house!" He can already read my mind it seems, and I roar with laughter as we put the top down on Sunny and take her to see her new parking spot, well, her new gorgeous garage, that is.

As incredible as it was to finally see Italy and all it has to offer for a couple of newlyweds, there is something special about getting to come back home. I felt a sense of pride returning when I saw the inn return to its former glory. But seeing the renovations on our house - our home - is something else entirely.

I drove past this house so many times growing up and have admired it for just as long. I imagined what it would be like to live in it but never thought of who would live there with me, apart from Mia.

The once empty and chipped exterior cluttered with fall leaves and dust is now shiny and new. The pale federal blue house, like the inn, has been brought back to life. Now the wrap-around porch is decorated with potted sunflowers and daisies, with big windows just behind them to let in the light of each day. A white porch swing, big enough for two, sways softly in the breeze on the side of the house, overlooking the waves coming into the shore just beyond the property line.

Living here is no longer just a dream. Now I can see Drew and I coming out with our morning coffees, taking in the first glow of the morning sun before starting our day and ending it in the same spot over a glass of wine.

Inside and to the left, the images of kitchen dancing and wholesome meals at the table paint the scene. In the living room to the right, our cozy space is filled with decorations for holidays and family visits with siblings and nieces and nephews. The thought of Christmas hot cocoa and matching pajamas for everyone fills my heart with a joy I never knew existed.

The three bedrooms in the back of the house are now furnished and complete our home. Inside the fourth, our master bedroom, I'm in awe of the view of the ocean through the windows. It's the beginning of lazy weekends spent in bed, cuddling with a cup of coffee, and no plans on the agenda.

Drew's messy curls are the cutest things to wake up to when he brings me that first cup with a kiss on my forehead. And now it will be in our very own home.

"I had the contractors add the back door in our room along with a patio so you can walk directly out onto the beach first thing in the morning if you want to." Drew points to the new addition.

"It's perfect." I'm still taken by my new surroundings that I never thought I would call mine. I walk to the door and take in the sight of the ocean, our piece of paradise, and the new memories we're going to make.

It's still so odd to me that before Drew, my future looked so much emptier and duller than it does right now. Having him in my life has brought this new kind of abundance that at times feels overwhelming, but in the best way.

I'm no longer alone, reaching for someone across an empty bed. Instead, my hand always meets the man who stole my heart so quickly and loves me so deeply, that now I can't picture my life without him by my side. There's a new light that follows me, and I pray it never dulls out.

He walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my chest as he leaves kisses on my neck and cheek.

"You still haven't told me the surprise you have for me," he whispers in my ear.

It was just yesterday, the day before we returned home, that I discovered the surprise myself. I assumed it was just a stomach bug, or something I must have eaten, to make me so sick. When I knew for sure what was going on, I told Drew it was a surprise and I would tell him once we were back home. I wanted to see the house for the first time, so I could envision the love that was destined to grow here.

When I hear his "Well?" again, suddenly I'm so giddy that I struggle to think of the perfect way to tell him.

Instead of saying it, I move his hands to rest over my tummy, gently pressing them into me so he can feel where soon there will be the flutters of a new chapter, a new beginning. I turn to see his eyes widen, then a goofy grin follows when he asks, "Wait, really?"

I nod as I turn to kiss him, my husband, and soon-to-be father of our child.

"We're having a baby!" he gasps, as he picks me up off of my feet, spinning me around with an excitement that takes my breath away.

The empty beach just outside our bedroom no longer remains empty in my mind. It will soon be the place where Drew and I will be running after little munchkins of our own, making sand castles and eating ice cream cones to cool off after adventure-filled days in the sun.

When I saw the positive test, the only way I could picture our future kids was with all of Drew's features that I absolutely adore. They have his curly blonde hair and brown eyes with little flecks of green in them. They share his smile and the one dimple on his left cheek. But if they have all of that, they will also have his stubbornness. But I'll love that too. I'm almost giddy thinking of the joy ahead of us.

But what I can't wait for is to hear the sound of their little laughs for the first time. To witness those first moments of pure, innocent joy in their tiny eyes.

"I know babies, especially firstborns, are supposed to end up looking like their dads despite the work put in by moms." I'm thinking of Mona and her baby. "But I want all of our kids to look like you."

"You do?" He's grinning from ear to ear. "What if I want them to have your blue eyes?"

"Too bad, they're going to look like you,"

"As long as we're a family, I'm happy," he replies, kissing me until I'm dizzy.

There are times I wonder if I'll wake up from this perfect dream, and realize it's not real. Thankfully, I'm wide awake in a fairytale ending that I get to call a reality.

Though no love story is perfect, ours is definitely my favorite.

I know paradise is something few get to experience, but I'm lucky enough to actually live in it. And somehow, my paradise is growing into something far greater than I could have ever imagined.

With my husband's arms around me and a new life growing inside me in a place we call our home, I can put this down to only one thing.

Just another day in paradise.

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