Epilogue
Three years later
Being a Harrison definitely had its perks.
Nick found that to be true when he had the funds needed to give his bride the destination wedding of their dreams. Marrying Amanda on the beach in Key West, following it with a reception at a luxurious resort, was like a fairy tale. But as he looked around the reception at everyone around them, he knew the perks were, of course, way more than financial. He’d gained a whole other family, filled with great people who had enriched his life for knowing them.
All of his family was there: his mom and dad, his two younger sisters, and his four older siblings with all their spouses and kids. Most of his aunts and uncles and cousins were there. Amanda’s parents and brother were there, and some of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. There were a few close friends too. Darin and Tom had made sure to be there for him, and Roni and Steph for Amanda, like anything would’ve kept them away. They were her wedding party.
And heartwarming as could be, his best man sat at a table, sipping soda as he laughed—Myles, now fifteen and a half, was strong and healthy. The journey after the transplant had been an arduous one, but he’d not only recovered, he’d gone into full remission. He had a good life, and a real future. Nick loved the kid like a little brother. Myles meant the world to him, and they were close. Even now, as he caught Myles’s eye, Nick tossed him a wink and a smile, which the teen returned.
The only direct relative not in attendance was his biological father, Charles Harrison II. The patriarch had passed away the year before, after suffering a massive heart attack at the office. He and Nick had barely spoken over the months in between, sharing only a few tense chats when Nick came to visit New York. Nick hadn’t felt a deep sense of loss. He’d never been sad that he and the old man didn’t have a relationship, and they’d at least gotten to a point of cold civility instead of open hostility.
And a week after the funeral, an attorney called Nick with the shocking news. Charles II had left ten million dollars to Nick, and a million to Maria.
At first, Maria refused to take it. Charles and Tess flew down to Florida and personally convinced her to do so. Nick wasn’t comfortable with his inheritance either. His four older siblings had had to persuade him to take it. He had, but he’d never get used to knowing he had money like that. He vowed that it would never change who he was. At least he knew Amanda loved him for who he was, not what had suddenly, fortuitously been dropped in his lap.
They’d dated long distance for eleven months. Amanda had been Myles’s private nurse from the day he got out of the hospital and went home, never leaving him as he fought through recovery. Nick had made trips to Long Island to see her for a weekend every two months, also seeing Myles and all the Harrisons when he visited. His relationship with Amanda had bloomed, deepened, and thrived. They’d made plans for the future. And two weeks after Myles’s medical team pronounced him well enough not to need any private care—a celebratory all-clear—Amanda had packed up her things and moved down to Florida to live with Nick.
Three months after that, he’d bought a diamond ring that was worthy of her, whisked her off on a surprise trip to Key West, and proposed.
Their life was full. She’d easily found work in Miami as a per diem nurse and transitioned well. His career as an investigator was as fulfilling as he’d hoped it would be. They bought a house with three bedrooms, thinking of filling them with kids in the future. Downtime was spent hanging out at home or enjoying time with his family and the friends Nick had, along with the new friends Amanda made. Each of the Harrison siblings came to visit him over the winter, and those relationships blossomed too.
Life was good, Nick thought as he looked around his wedding reception. He looked from one face to another, seeing people he cared about and who cared about him and his bride. His gaze came to rest on his beautiful Amanda, the love of his life. She looked radiant, a stunningly beautiful and happy bride. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face and held in place with flowers, but the rest of it flowed down her back in bouncy waves. The strapless ivory gown she wore was simple but gorgeous, and she looked like an angel, or a princess, or like magic itself. She laughed at something Roni and Steph said, and Nick couldn’t help but smile at her joyous smile.
He crossed the dance floor as the music played, as a soft, warm breeze blew and the palm trees shaded them from the sunshine. Eyes only for his bride, he moved in behind her to circle her waist with his hands. “Hey, Mrs. Martell,” he whispered in her ear. “Dance with me.”
She turned around, already smiling as she looked up at him. “I’d love to.”
They moved to the dance floor as a sweet ballad played. He pulled her close, dropping a light kiss on her lips as they began to move to the music together. Her arms looped around his neck as his slid around her waist.
“Are you having a good time?” she asked.
“The best ever,” he assured her. “Hope you are too?”
“Of course. I’m with the hottest guy in the place, and I get to go home with him. The food’s amazing. My dress rocks. . . .” She smiled brightly. “It’s a good day, yeah.”
He chuckled. “You know, I was looking around at everyone. . . thinking about the last three years. So many crazy turns. Unbelievable, some of them . . .”
“That’s for sure,” she agreed.
“But in the end, all good.” He kissed her forehead. “The best of it all, two things. Myles is alive and well, and I found you.” He pressed her closer. “I’m the luckiest man in the world because I found you.”
She smiled again. “I feel pretty lucky too.”
He gave her a little twirl, a dip, and yanked her back to him with a dazzling smile.
“Remember how when we met, it seemed too good to be true?” he asked. “Too right, too fast, too hot, too much . . . we tried to deny it.”
“I tried to leave you because it felt too good to be true,” she reminded him.
“No, you didn’t leave—you shoved me out the door. That’s a little different.”
She snorted. “Semantics, Miami Vice.”
“I think that’s an important distinction, Favorite Nurse.”
“I think it doesn’t matter now because we’re married.”
“Okay.” A wide, warm smile spread. He felt like he hadn’t stopped smiling all day. “Hey. We’re married.”
“We are.” She moved in and pulled his head down so she could kiss his lips.
“Te amo, mi reina bella,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Te amo mucho,” she whispered back.
While the Harrisons, Martells, Kozlovs, and their friends watched in enchantment, Nick and Amanda danced, kissed, and smiled as breezes made the palm trees sway and the sun slowly lowered in the sky.