Epilogue

Six Months later

Steffi

“You may now kiss the bride.”

“How long until they leave?” Noah whispers in my ear after a kiss that went on for so long one of the guests asked for a bucket of water to throw over us.

“We’ve been married only two minutes. I think the guests expect some food and dancing. Maybe a speech.”

“We’ll give them an hour. How’s the baby?”

His hand is splayed across my stomach. Three days ago I discovered I was pregnant. There’s no bump because I’m only nine weeks along. You’d think having a doctor for a husband, he’d be cool about it, but he’s not. He’s ridiculous, over-protective, and asking me every few minutes if we’re okay. We haven’t told anyone but I think the rumor mill will kick into action when people notice I’m drinking sparkling water instead of champagne at my own wedding.

Noah turns me to face the guests, the lake below and the mountains beyond. I’m so happy both of us wanted to get married at our home at Mount Isaiah. The day is perfect, with a crisp, blue sky and a lake color that matches my new husband’s loving eyes. Our mix of guests reflects what this place means to us. My parents are here, of course. Cam is Noah’s best man. I’m so pleased they’ve reconnected and firmly cemented their friendship. Terra, of course, is my bridesmaid. I told her the dress was going to be a sack, otherwise she’d outshine the bride. My beautiful friend needs a worthy man by her side.

Miguel, Pietro and Kata are here. They’ve never really left. Throughout winter we found work for them to do between skiing, and we’ve started work on our main house, the cave. They’ve become like an extended family and have helped turn Isaiah into a happy place.

For a wedding present, Mom and Dad have given us their medical rooms, complete with signing over the building to us. It’s more than we could ever have hoped for. We’re going to set it up as a family healthcare center. Noah will do free clinics, and we’ll have support services for young families, and the elderly, and anyone in between. There’ll be services for teenagers and we’ve been working hard, trying to get as many varied professionals in the area as possible to donate a few hours of their time.

Noah’s dream has become my dream, and I’m running it. How are we funding it? Through Noah’s and my writing. We’re quite a team. He showed me the last story he was writing, which had taken a more romantic slant. While recovering from my accident I was reading his manuscript and I added some more romantic elements. We would read through it at night and discuss where we thought the story should go, and shortly after, we published it as our first co-authored work.

It was a hit beyond our wildest dreams, so we wrote a second book, and a third, and we’re still writing together today.

I also help Noah with O-Zone. The other members have been told I’m Noah’s partner, and they call me H2O. We had a lot of discussions about it and, for a while, Noah wanted to close it down. But once I took a less emotive look at it, I convinced him not to. It does so much good for the people out there. We even have a writing section now, and a few budding authors are coming through the ranks.

It still gets pretty wild in there, but we’ve made firm friends with many of the members. They’re demanding a wedding photo.

NOAH

I’m so proud of my stunning pregnant wife. Today’s wedding is all her work, and it’s perfect. Tables are set up for our forty guests on the patio in front of our little house.

She’s beside me, sipping sparkling water from a champagne flute. We’re not having formal speeches, but I have important news I want to share, so between courses I stand and tap my glass with my fork.

“I have a few words I want to say.”

“You said no speeches,” Cam says.

“That was to stop you spilling any secrets. I want to thank all of you for coming today to help celebrate our wedding, and making this day even more special for us. Mostly, I want to thank Arch and Felicity for trusting me with their only daughter, and to assure them I’ll take exceptional care of her, forever. Also, Cam, thank you for putting up as many roadblocks as possible. It made me realize how important Steffi is to her family, and how determined I am to love her, no matter what. You may have noticed Steffi is drinking water.” She tugs at my jacket and makes a face at me. I take hold of her hand and give it a squeeze. “She didn’t want to tell you yet, but I’ve decided to stop the rumor mill in its tracks. We’re expecting our first child in about six-and-a-half months…”

A great cheer goes up and everyone claps. Except Felicity because she’s crying and trying to hug Steffi, who’s already being hugged by Terra. Arch is shaking my hand and Cam’s bro-slapping me on the back.

Looking at my wife never fails to stir something inside me that makes my heart quicken and fill with light the empty, dark place that was there for so many years. A breeze drifts up the valley and the table cloths lift at the edges and settle. There’s not a ghostly remnant of my early life remaining at Mount Isaiah. Steffi, me, and our baby will make new memories and create a home filled with love.

***

Thank you for reading Doctor O. I do hpoe you enjoyed Steffi and Noah’s story. I’ve included for your entertainment Crave, another hot romance set in New Zealand.