"Are you ready?" Ethan asked.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him approach, something that hadn't happened since the change. She knew where he was all the time now, could sense him as easily as she sensed her fingertips. His mind brushed against hers constantly. The open stream of consciousness now connecting them was something she was getting used to, but it was so comforting and intense, she relished in the security and love enveloping her because of it.
"We are." Emma rose and grabbed her suitcase from the floor. She didn't make it to the door before Ethan took it from her. He kissed her cheek and took a step away.
She turned back to her friends as they gathered their bags and walked over to join her. Though they'd taken most of their things over to the other house, they'd still had a few things in Mandy's grandparents’ house they'd gathered before leaving. All the damage to both homes was repaired over the past couple of weeks by some handymen who would never remember they'd even been to either house.
She wasn't looking forward to separating from her friends, but at least they would all be flying into Atlanta together. From there their journey together would end. She and Ethan would continue to New York to spend a couple of weeks with her family before going to meet his.
Mandy was returning home to Boston until it was time for her to leave for Stanford, and Jill would return to San Francisco. Ethan's family planned to go back to Oregon and Brian had left the day after Tristan was killed. Even though Brian left without saying goodbye, Emma had a feeling he would be popping into their lives again.
Emma followed Ethan to the front door and paused to take in the home where she'd started this incredible journey. Her eyes lingered on the spot where she and Ethan first made love. There were some bad memories here, but most of them were good, and she wouldn't have changed one thing about this trip.
What started as a simple, fun-filled vacation had brought so many changes to her life and given her the greatest gift ever in Ethan's love. She didn't like leaving the place where it all started, but she was looking forward to starting the next journey of their lives together.
She didn't look back as Mandy closed and locked the door.
Epilogue
Three months later,
Emma laughed as Ethan spun her in a circle around the newly assembled dance floor. The flowing skirt of her wedding dress billowed around her before he pulled her back against his chest. A radiant smile lit his face and caused his eyes to twinkle in a way that warmed and melted her heart. She rested her hand against his chest and leaned closer to him as the music switched from upbeat to slow.
She inhaled his enticing scent as he slid his arms around her waist. Emma turned her head to take in the small crowd gathered around them. It had taken her a good week to get the names of all of Ethan's siblings straight, but they had all welcomed her with open arms. Their exuberance was a little overwhelming at first, but they'd also made her feel at home in a world that was still a bit strange to her.
She glanced over as Sera and Liam danced into view. It was amazing how much Ethan looked like his father and just how young his parents appeared. Thanks to Stefan’s abilities, her parents saw Ethan’s like a middle-aged couple.
Even still, her parents had thought she was marrying into some cult when they first saw all the homes on the property. After meeting everyone though, they decided Ethan's family weren't religious fanatics, doomsday preppers, or trying to kidnap her.
"Can I step in?"
Emma broke into a radiant smile as Ethan handed her over to her father and stepped away. She watched her husband as he weaved his way through the small crowd to where Ian and Mandy stood next to the dance floor. Mandy wore a pretty, yellow bridesmaid dress that emphasized her dark coloring and brought out her brown eyes. She sipped on a drink as she watched the dancing.
It was the first time Mandy was able to visit them, but Emma spoke to her every day through Skype or texting. Plus, she'd made it down to visit Mandy a couple of times when she was too swamped with classes and studying to travel.
Emma was also fortunate enough to have found a job at the historical society in town. The pay wasn't much, but she loved diving into the old documents, homes, and events they worked to preserve. Even if she didn't like lying to her family, and her job wouldn't last forever, she was the happiest she'd ever been in her life.
Ethan sipped at his champagne and smiled as he watched Emma and her father dance around the floor he'd built with Ian and Aiden last week. "It is beautiful up here," Mandy said.
"It is," Ethan agreed as he turned away to look over the lake.
The setting sun shimmered across the surface of the water and reflected the oranges and reds of the changing leaves in the trees surrounding it. The gazebo he'd built was ten feet away from the shore, and they were married beneath it. This place was his home, and by the middle of next month, the house they were building for him and Emma would be completed. Stefan and Isabelle's new home was being built next to theirs; Aiden
