Page 59 of Young at Heart

Epilogue

Effie

3 years later

“ I ’m so proud of you for not faceplanting on stage,” I teased him.

“You joke, but in that graduation gown it was a genuine concern.” I laughed and slipped off my shoes. We’d come straight home after the ceremony, not wanting to leave the dogs on their own for too long.

“I kinda loved that look on you, though.” My words were mumbled. We’d been together for three years but sometimes I still struggled expressing my feelings properly. I knew he would never make fun of me, or make me feel awkward about myself, but my anxieties weren’t something that could be fixed overnight and after hours of being in a crowd of strangers at Dexter’s graduation, I was feeling a little tense.

“Oh yeah, why’s that?”

“It made you look intellectual.”

He smirked. “Are you saying I look dumb the rest of the time?”

“Oh, God no, you always look smart. I’m sorry-” He cut me off with a kiss on the lips that shot sparks from my scalp to my toes. It was always like that when he touched me. I loved how much he affected me.

“I’m kidding, baby.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me backwards onto the sofa with him. “I wish we didn't have to go out tonight.” I snuggled into his embrace and closed my eyes.

“It's your special night. We have to go.”

“I know. I just want to be curled up with you at all times.” I never knew what to say when he said sweet things like that to me so I did what I usually did: I blushed like a tomato and buried my face into his chest.

We stayed on the couch together, watching Wren and Robin play tug-of-war. Like he'd always promised, Dexter had got me a puppy and the baby spaniel had given our older girl a new spring in her step. Everything was just the way Dexter had always said it would be. We were together, in love, proud parents of two beautiful dogs, and living our best lives in our cosy one bedroom flat.