There was tension in the air as I sat down in the sand beside my mother. She rubbed her eyes, obviously trying to hide the evidence that she had done something as sappy as shedding a tear. I reached down to grab her hand, and she glanced at me from the corner of her eye. Paul sat at my side, drawing his knees up to his chest. The air of melancholy that surrounded us was thick enough to cut with a knife.

While I was reluctant to take the blame for what had happened on the ship, I knew I couldn’t blame the entire situation on my mother. It was understandable that she might have been addled and flustered with the way I’d been acting. I wouldn’t apologize for wanting to take control of my future, but I certainly could have gone about telling her in a better way.

It was clear that Paul was suffering, too. I could see that the guilt of his charade weighed heavily upon him, and much as I wanted to reassure him that he had no reason to feel badly, I couldn’t find it within me to lie. He had played his part in this disaster just as much as my mother and I had.

I wished there was something I could say to clear the air, something to dispel the bad energy that surrounded us. My mom was looking a bit better, though it was obvious she needed to be seen by a doctor. The pain from my burned hand had abated slightly, due in no small part to it going numb. My mom examined the wound, her expression tense.

Suddenly, she breathed a laugh, leaning past me to look at Paul.

“I’ve just realized that your abilities as a performer might have more use than I originally thought,” she said, smiling. “After all, you couldn’t have saved us from the fire without your acrobatic tricks,” she continued.

Paul looked taken aback, eyes wide as he met my mother’s gaze.

“Th-thank you?” he sputtered out, and my mother rolled her eyes.

“Oh, just take the compliment. It’s not like I commented on your body or something. Granted, it is rather…pleasant,” she hummed.

Paul reddened, and in spite of myself, I couldn’t stop the laughter that erupted from me.

“God, Mom,” I blurted, admonishing her even though I was appreciative of her efforts to clear the air. She managed a little smile in return, turning her attention to me once more.

“As for you, young lady…I must commend you on your taste. I might not be one for circus folk, but if I were…” She paused, winking at both me and Paul. He looked mildly horrified, and another laugh spilled past my lips.

After a moment, my mom seemed to grow serious again; though the air of melancholy had dissipated, it was obvious that the three of us had a lot to discuss.

“I want to apologize, Ella. For…everything,” my mother murmured. She rolled her eyes, fidgeting uncomfortably. “I’m not the sort to admit when I’m wrong. I know that’s no secret. The way I’ve treated you, however, is entirely and unforgivably wrong. I’m sorry that I’ve been such a terrible mother to you, all these years. I’m sorry that it took the two of us nearly dying for me to see what…well, what a bitch I’ve been.”

My eyes widened, and shock washed over me in waves. Was my mother actually apologizing? My mother had never apologized to anyone in her entire life, and in spite of my desire to milk the situation for all it was worth—and God was it worth a lot—I knew it wasn’t the time to be smug.

I leaned in to grab my mother in a hug, burying my face in her shoulder. She gently stroked my hair, and for once it felt like we were a normal mother and daughter. It felt as if the years we’d been at odds were slipping away. I knew it would take more than a simple apology to make up for the damage done, but it was a step in the right direction.

“You’re not a bitch, Mom…you just wanted what was best for me,” I replied.

“Oh, please, Ella. Bitch is putting it lightly. While I wanted the world for you, it was never up to me to decide exactly what was best. For some time, I just thought you were stuck in some teenage rebellious phase. I thought you were just trying to hurt me. I see now that I was the one causing all the pain,” she said.

I drew away, smiling mischievously.

“Okay, well. You’re right about one thing: bitch would have been putting it lightly,” I teased.

She scowled, slapping me lightly on the shoulder.

“Don’t speak to your mother like that in front of your boyfriend,” she scolded, smirking at the deep flush that spread across my cheeks. “Granted, said mother has been a bit neglectful. I can’t believe it took nearly losing you for good to realize how skewed my priorities have been all these years.” She chuckled.

I remained silent, still unable to fathom that my mother had seen the light, so to speak.

“So…does this mean I don’t have to take your place as head of EBgen?” I inquired with some trepidation, worried that I would ruin the moment in one fell swoop.

My mother laughed, brushing her hand through my hair.

“I plan to sell EBgen as soon as we can tie up all these loose ends. I have no intention of forcing you to take over. From here on out, I plan to focus on being the mother I never was. And while it hurts me to think that your place won’t be at my side…you and this young man have my blessing,” she murmured.

She turned to consider Paul, who looked rather surprised at being brought into the conversation.

“Just know, if you ever hurt my daughter, I have connections of the like you could not begin to fathom,” she said coolly.

Paul looked taken aback, but after a moment, he rumbled a laugh.

“Aw, Martha. Don’t you worry your pretty little head. If your daughter will have me, I plan to spend the rest of my life treating her like the princess she is,” he soothed.

My mother rolled her eyes, but before she could get another word out, the paramedics arrived on the scene. I hid my hand within my sleeve, not wanting to reveal my injury just yet. I was more concerned about my mother being seen to, and truthfully, I wanted a moment alone with this man I loved but scarcely knew.

Showing an uncharacteristic level of cooperation, my mother allowed herself to be carted off by the medics, and I watched her until she disappeared into the ambulance.

“Aren’t you going to have your hand seen to? It looks pretty painful,” Paul murmured, reaching out to touch my shoulder.

I shook my head, bracing myself for the conversation that would soon ensue. There was a chance that I would learn things I never wanted to hear, that I would hear things I never wanted to know about the man who sat at my side. As much as I wanted to avoid it, it was a chance I had to take. If this was going to work out, and God did I want it to, we were going to have to be upfront with each other.

“Is your name really Paul?” I asked suddenly.

He hesitated, wringing his hands. I knew that it would be a hell of a risk for him to share his real name with me, but I had to know that he was willing to trust me.

“No. My real name…my real name is Joey Greene, but listen to me, Ella: I know this might be hard to believe, but my name is really the only thing I hid from you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were special. The conversations we had about fate? Those came from my heart.”

I hesitated, turning to face him with a tense expression.

“I could use your real name to put you behind bars for all you’ve done. I could press charges for your attempted theft, I could have you put through the ringer,” I said coolly.

He flinched, wringing his hands nervously again.

“That…that is true. And honestly, I probably deserve to be put behind bars for all I’ve done. I’m willing to take that risk, though. If it means there’s even the slightest chance you’ll forgive me, I’m willing to put it all on the line. I love you, Ella. I understand if you can never feel the same after all this, but…”

He trailed off, cupping my cheek in his hand.

“You’re my final destination. You’re the person I’m meant to be with, and nothing will ever change my mind about that. If I can’t be with you, then I may as well be in prison. There’s no other person for me,” he said gently.

I felt tears pool in my eyes, and damn him for being so romantic. I should have hated him; I should have had him put behind bars.

“Joey, huh? Joey Greene?” I said quietly, and he nodded his head.

I smiled gently, leaning in until there was but a breath’s distance between our lips.

“I suppose I can live with someday being Ella Greene. Has a certain ring to it.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “What I’m saying is I’m willing to give you a chance, Joey. After all this, as stupid and naive as it probably makes me, I still love you. I want to be with you. I just have one question…” I trailed off.

His eyes shone with unshed tears, and I could have slapped him silly for making my heart ache so wonderfully. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to drop down on one knee in that very moment, or kiss me until I had no sense left in me. He patiently waited for my question, his breath hot against my lips.

“Anything, little bird. I’ll tell you all I can,” he murmured, his tone earnest.

I smiled, looping my arms around his neck and drawing him closer.

“Is your mother half as bad as mine?” I asked.

He laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Aw hell, Ella. Your ma ain’t all bad. But to answer your question, my mother’s a saint,” he replied.

I giggled before pressing our lips together in a passionate kiss.

I knew, in that moment, that I had finally taken hold of my fate. For better or worse, my life was my own to live from there on out. Be it backpacking through Europe, or eventually giving birth to a troupe of little circus babies, I knew that my future was in my hands.

For the rest of my days, I could be beside the man who was meant to be my own. I finally had my fairy tale ending, my Prince Charming, my escape. Though it had been a hell of a ride to get there, I knew I couldn’t have asked for a better person at my side.

While Joey Greene wasn’t quite as much of a fantasy as Paul Drake had been, I could certainly imagine reading about my lover in some cheesy romance novel. A carnie who went and swept your average rich girl off of her feet... It seemed like the sort of thing you could only read about.

Ah, well, I wasn’t much of a writer, but it would certainly make a hell of a story to tell our kids.

I took Joey by the hand, allowing him to help me to my feet. First stop, the ambulance to see if they had some kind of cream for this burn—God, was it starting to sting. After that, we had the rest of our lives to figure things out.

All I knew was that our final destination was within each other, in our hearts, in our souls. You couldn’t ask for a better love story than that.