Epilogue

I'm not sure if I'll ever fully understand how much this book had affected people, but I will say that it's had just as much impact on my life. So, to everyone who has travelled so far with Evianna and me, I hope this ending is fitting.

As Joe spoke, he lifted his venerable face to the sky, and the depth in his words gave his proclamation a strength that would see it survive the ages. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

As if they simply couldn't hold it in another moment, everyone gathered on the Kaivalya beach burst into wild, raucous applause. Shelley wolf-whistled with four fingers stuck in her mouth, while Joel and Jake whooped enthusiastically, their pretty girlfriends giggling at their antics. Taylor stood in front of Dr Blake, her eyes streaming, his arms laced over her swollen baby belly.

Beaming so widely, my cheeks actually hurt, I looked across at my new husband, gorgeous in his white linen shirt and bone-coloured pants. He still wore the Citrine bracelet I'd gifted him, but now, Matt's hand shone with a new piece of jewellery; a simple golden band on his ring finger, engraved with an intricate design of fiery suns.

It matched perfectly with the ring glowing on my left hand. In white gold, the threaded band looped and weaved around a cluster of diamonds, set to resemble the petals of a lotus bloom. I'd never imagined myself with diamonds at all, insisting to Matt that the money would be better spent elsewhere, but he'd designed the ring himself with the help of a talented jeweller and I'd adored it from the moment he'd popped the box open and dropped to his knee.

Saying yes then had felt almost as good as saying "I do," moments before. Now, there was only one part of the ceremony left to complete.

"You may now kiss the bride," rumbled Joe.

With the sun shining down and the white banners circling the altar fluttering happily, I allowed myself to rush into Matt's arms as he pulled me forward, like two magnet snapping together. His lips found mine as the curves of our mouths joined, and surging warmth passed between us. My eyes closed; I was swept away in a moment of wholeness as I showed the world the love I had for my husband and best friend.

Matt drew backwards, kissing me on my third eye and whispering, "I love you, Evianna."

"I love you too."

Again, our family and friends cheered, and we turned to smile at them, bringing them into the special moment. They'd all witnessed so much of our lives; having them there to see such a joyful occasion felt like our way to give something back.

As people began to pile forward with congratulations, I had someone I needed to see first. I called out, "Where is she? Who's got her?"

My mother appeared beside me, beaming as she always did when she cradled her grandchild. "Evianna! I think somebody's missed you!"

I lifted my daughter from her arms, cooing at her chubby, smiling face. "Oh, my beautiful baby! Did you miss me?"

She chortled, raising her plump fists and trying to catch strands of my long loose hair in her hands. Being only three months old meant her little white dress was definitely more adorable than mine, but I didn't mind at all.

Matt kissed the top of her dark hair. "Helllo, little girl. Daddy loves you, every inch of you, especially those eyes."

"That's because she has your eyes," I teased him lightly. While she had my hair and skin, our daughter had inherited her dad's ever-changing irises.

"Yep, but she's going to grow up looking like a clone of her gorgeous mother, and I get to spend the rest of my days surrounded by beautiful women." His eyes were a soft sea-blue as his arm snuck around my waist. "I'm the luckiest man in the world."

I squeezed his hand while cuddling my daughter closer, our little family, surrounded by our extended one, and felt the universe smile down upon me.

After an hour of chatting and pics on the beach, Patty clapped her hands, standing on a rock to gather everyone's attention. "Hello! Hello, everybody! If you'd like to make your way to the Heart centre, Eli has prepared a feast for you all! Please, wander up – the bride and groom will be following shortly after they complete their photographic duties."

She winked in my direction, knowing our plans, and then began to shepherd people up the rolling green grass towards dinner. With the late afternoon sun hanging low in the sky, and the promise of an evening of laughter and love ahead, I shivered in delight.

Matt wandered over with our little girl still wide awake and happy in his arms. "Are you ready, my wife?"

"I am, my husband."

Our shutterbug for the day was an internationally-renowned celebrity photographer – one who'd been a returning Kaivalya guest of many years. He'd offered to capture our wedding on film, and had readily agreed to the special photos I'd requested. When everyone was gone, Vin said, "Okay, guys – let's do this!"

The four of us padded up the beach, out of view from the Heart centre to where a beautiful wooden bench had been placed on the damp sand. Vin began playing with his camera settings. "I'll give you guys a minute to get ready."

Matt was already unbuttoning the tiny buttons on the baby dress, while our tiny bundle gurgled in delight. "I should have known you'd love this," Matt laughed, releasing her from her nappy. "You love being a little nudie-bum!"

She squeaked as if she understood and agreed, kicking her naked legs happily. Matt handed her to me. "My turn."

As delicious as the day I'd met him, Matt slipped out of his shirt, discarding it to the sand, and leaving me to ogle at his defined chest and bumpy abs. "Nice. I like what you're working with there," I said, flashing wicked eyebrows in his direction.

"Excuse you, madam, I'm not a piece of meat!" He dropped his pants, waving a taunt boxer-clad backside at me. Then, hooking his thumbs under the waistband, he shucked out of them, completely nude and at ease. "Alright, my beautiful bride - joining us?"

"I sure am." I'd always wanted to have a unique wedding photo with the three of us, something that celebrated the family we'd created and captured the spirit of liberty and love we encouraged in our lives. It had been my idea to snap a few natural pics privately, and Matt was fully on-board; we'd been at Kaivalya for a week before the wedding, and he'd well and truly embraced his own inner naturalist. For a while there, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get pants on him for our big day at all.

My wedding dress was a gossamer-light beach gown in white, which drifted around my curves. Sliding the delicate straps from my shoulders, I stepped out of the cloud of material, then unfastened my bra. My pretty lace panties were the last to go, and I took a moment to breathe and assess how I was feeling about my body.

Everything had happened at the right time in the last year; if I'd had a baby before my adventure, I would have been horrified by the silver stretch-lines that had appeared across my belly, or the way my breasts swelled and shrank of their own milky accord. Certainly, yoga and swimming had helped me find some body-balance, but my figure had been changed forever from bearing our daughter.

And I was at peace with it. Looking across at my husband, with his face full of wonder and love at the sight of seeing my bare form, I felt my heart unfurl. Perhaps I'd never walk a Victoria Secret runway post-baby like Miranda Kerr, but I'd decided my body was like a ship-wreck; it was beautiful because of everything it had been through.

Matt and I sat on the bench, facing out to the sea, with our daughter clasped firmly between us. The photo Vin captured that afternoon was my all-time favourite of the day; our glowing faces kissing the head of our baby as she stared into the lens of the camera, her eyes sparkling as if she knew a secret. The skin of our naked backs shone in the Byron sunshine and the ocean twinkled behind us, framing a flawless image of freedom and connection.

***

When we'd redressed, Vin headed back to the reception to capture the antics unfolding there. Already, the sounds of loud karaoke singing were echoing down the beach, and it brought a wry grin to my lips; I'd know that the extroverts would love creating their own music far more than requesting tunes from a deejay.

Sing Spice Girls for me...

I froze, allowing myself to sense what I'd been waiting for since returning to Byron Bay.

"Ready, Evianna?" Matt's face appeared luminous in the light of the sunset cast over the beach.

"You go ahead," I said. "I... I'm just going to take a minute down here."

He understood; he always did. "Do you want me to take her with me?"

I looked down to where my daughter slumbered peacefully against my chest. "No, I'll keep her. I'll see you up there, okay?"

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too." I kissed my husband hard, giving silent thanks for his eternal patience, perpetual smile and complete adoration.

Matt left, and it was just me and my baby. But hovering over us was the vibrant, joyful presence of a spirit I knew so well. I waded into the shallows, the warm water caressing my feet as a cheeky wind tugged at the hem of my dress. "Hi, Heather."

The week before, we'd driven along the road where the accident had occurred, and I'd asked Matt to pull over. I walked down the embankment and stepped quietly around the trees where she'd lost her life, hoping to feel something, anything.

But there was no sense of Heather there; after two years, all traces of the accident were gone, and it was just another stretch of bush. It wasn't so much that I wanted to pull out an Ouija board or anything, but I'd hoped for a moment of insight, a connection with the woman who'd shown me the way to live a life worthwhile.

And now, I'd found her. Standing in the water on my wedding day, I knew she could hear me, whether that was from another plane of existence, or within the part of my soul where she'd always hold a special place. Emotion flooded me and I searched for the right words to say.

"So, here we are. Matt and I promised each other that we wouldn't marry until the law passed and gay couples could too. That client of yours, Mrs Prime Minister, she's a great woman; I didn't think it was going to happen within a year, but she fought like hell to get it across the line. I'm glad she decided to come today – although I'm a bit worried Shelley's going to chew her ear off about giving her a tattoo...

"Good Day is doing really well; we're screened in twenty countries now, and we're looking at developing some side projects, like a true beauty magazine that doesn't air-brush the models and a free-to-air yoga TV series, so people have the chance to get active at home. We also have plans to tackle youth suicide, and launch Eli's whole-foods cooking show. Matt says we should just bite the bullet and start our own channel. Maybe next year; this year has already been pretty busy..."

In my arms, my daughter yawned in her sleep, and I had to quell the tears that threatened to spill out of my eyes and drop on her tiny face. "Sometimes, the random event in your life can be the best thing that ever happened to you. I couldn't work out why I was tired all the time and weirdly bloated. I hadn't even been thinking about babies; we were using protection! You would have laughed yourself silly, I bet, because you would have known in a heartbeat what the problem was.

"I didn't want to call her Heather; that would have been too close, too much like expecting her to live in your shadow. But I spoke to Andie, and asked her permission if we could use your middle name..."

I smiled down at my baby. "So, this is May. I love her name, your name, because it's a word that represents everything possible; whatever her dreams may be, may they come true. She'll be raised in light and love, and if she grows up to reflect even a little of your spirit, then you will live on through her.

"Andie was good about it. She's healing, slowly. She isn't here today, and that's okay, but she's working on her own path. She'll always miss you though. How could she not?"

I'd been trying so hard not to cry, when it occurred to me that tears could heal just as much as they hurt. Releasing the hot build-up from under my eyelids, I said, "I miss you too. Every day, my friend. That will never change."

A sad sigh echoed along the beach, a mournful wind ushering in the evening. I allowed myself a moment to grieve, giving myself over to the dull ache that had settled just beneath my ribs.

May stirred slightly, her little lips pursing. Soon enough, she'd be looking for a feed. It was the simultaneously frustrating and wonderful part I'd discovered about having children; they kept you firmly grounded in the present.

I shook myself a little, knowing it was almost time to head inside. "But I have such a blessed life to lead, and I plan to live it with as much joy, compassion and love as possible. I owe that to your memory, and I owe it to myself and my family, and the world around me."

I closed my eyes for a moment, and said, "Thank you, Heather, for everything. I love you, my friend. Good bye."

The peace I'd been hoping for descended on my soul, the knowledge that one day, when my own final sunset came, Heather would be waiting there for me, a gappy grin on her face and a new adventure waiting for me.

But for now, I had cake to eat, toasts to make, and a husband to waltz with. Sighing happily, I waded gently through the water and began to make my way back along the beach, towards the party celebrating my union.

As I reached the soft sand, a brilliant beam of scarlet light from the sunset broke through the trees and danced across the water, and I could have sworn I heard a faint giggle on the breeze, as if someone joyful I couldn't see wished me well.

THE END

Before you leave me a message saying, "Now, what am I supposed to do with my life?!?" I can offer some directions :)

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People always seem to suggest that I publish this book, as if I'd never thought about it before, or it was a super-easy thing to do.  I imagine myself thinking, "Hmm, I need to duck down to the shops for bread, milk and a publishing contract..."  I have had several offers on Curves, but at the moment, I'd rather the book stay here, free to the Wattpad world, and if the right print contract comes along, I'll let you all know so the people who want a hard copy of Curves have access to it.

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May love and laughter find you wherever you are, and until the next time we meet, much love, Kate.