Knightly in Shining Armor

Epilogue

Lourdes Knightly boarded the plane with pure excitement rushing through her veins. She had been working day and night to graduate over a year early, unbeknownst to her boyfriend, Lukas Emrys. As a surprise, she was flying back to Britain to finalize the purchase of her new home and her new job. She couldn't wait.

Lukas Emrys was pacing about his room, running his thumb over the small, velvet-covered box in his hand. He had plans to visit Lourdes next week for their two-year anniversary. Of course, it was tomorrow, but she was adamant about him not flying out while she was studying for a huge test. He sighed, putting the box back on his desk.

Eight hours later, Lourdes was loading things into her new flat, about three roads down from the Emrys estate. She would be moving there permanently in less than two weeks, once she walked at graduation. She had already had her car shipped over and it was ready to go in the lot. She had already brought in the rest of the packages that had shipped to her apartment full of furniture to assemble. That would be her task for the next week. However, she had big plans.

Lukas was reading Lourdes's newest novel, curled up in the sitting room when the bell for the door rang. He sighed, marked his page, and went to open it. It was 9 o'clock on a Saturday in January, so visitors were not expected. He pulled the door open and stopped short.

"Hi, Lukas." There she was. Standing radiantly in a tight black coat, his beanie, and a comfortable pair of leggings with boots, was Lourdes. Her hair was much longer than the last time he had seen her, tumbling down to nearly her waist. Her face was flushed by the cold, and she had that lopsided smile that he adored. "Can I come in?"

She had barely made it into the threshold before Lukas had swept her into his arms. He looked tired, his face scruffy and unshaven, bags under his eyes, and his hair a mess. But he was still her Lukas. She hugged him back, inhaling the scent of mixed spices and fire from the oven.

"Cooking again?" She asked as she slipped off her boots.

"Naturally," He smiled at her. She hung up her coat and wrapped his hands in her cold ones.

"I missed you," She admitted. Usually, he was the first to say it.

"I missed you too." He squeezed her hands. "Why are you back? I thought I was supposed to come next week." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket.

"I wanted to give you this in person," She replied, handing him the envelope. He raised a brow but slid his thumb under the lip. He pulled out the paper inside.

Lourdes Angela Knightly is extremely pleased to tell you that she will be walking at graduation from NYU on January 15th with her fellow graduates

"What?" Lukas exclaimed. "I thought you didn't graduate for a year and a half from now!"

"I maximized my coursework and accelerated my credits to be done earlier. Surprise!" She held her arms to her sides, clearly proud. "You're looking at a woman who just graduated with a double masters in Psychology and Women's Studies!" Lukas pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so proud of you," He whispered.

Lourdes heard the sound of little feet running across the floor. First came Sawyer and Toby's 2-year-old daughter, Lou-Lou Angela Emrys-Freemont, a happy girl with curly black hair and dazzling chocolate brown eyes. Her skin was a deep tan, like Lourdes's. Next came John and Lydia's son, Juno Knight Emrys. He was a wobbly toddler with short brown hair and lovely grey eyes like his father.

Lourdes scooped the two of them into her arms.

"Aunty Dez!" Lou-Lou exclaimed excitedly.

"Deh!" Juno attempted to repeat. Lourdes chuckled happily as she kissed them each on the cheek.

"How are my lovelies doing tonight? Why aren't either of you in bed?" She scolded teasingly. Lou-Lou's eyes widened.

"Because Papa and Daddy said... said we could see you!" She babbled.

"Wait, these two knew you were coming and I didn't?" Lukas frowned. "Why didn't you tell uncle Lukey?"

"Su-prise!" Lou-Lou pronounced carefully, echoed by a "Prise!" from Juno. Lukas scooped Lou-Lou up and held her upside-down.

"Don't keep secrets from your uncle, you silly girl," He teased. She giggled uncontrollably, yelling for Lukas to put her down. Sawyer came around the corner with a laugh, running towards Lourdes and scooping her into a hug.

"I thought you'd never get here!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"Well, I couldn't find the invite to my graduation. You're coming, right?" She asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Sawyer promised. Lourdes smiled, satisfied.

The next morning, Lourdes awoke to the two kids bouncing on the bed she and Lukas had been sharing. Lydia was pregnant with her second child and was casting the babysitting responsibility onto Lourdes. Not that she minded of course. Lukas was, surprisingly, already up at his desk, working rather hard on something.

"What're you doing, Luke?" She asked, pulling the kids down so they'd relax. He turned around with a smile.

"Just finishing up some homework," He replied. Lourdes furrowed her brow.

"Homework?" She asked. He nodded.

"I was bored while you were away, so I honed my cooking skills. I then enrolled myself in culinary school sometime around last year." He sat next to her. "I wanted it to be a surprise." Lourdes grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm so proud of you," She whispered.

"That's not all," He said. "I'm speaking to a few landlords about buying a location for a restaurant."

"Really?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah! Now all I need to do is find a place close to here to live, so I have a little more freedom." He laced his fingers thoughtfully.

"You don't have to worry about that," She promised. "I've already got us covered. I finalized paperwork on an apartment three roads from here for the two of us."

"Have I told you that I love you lately?" He asked, pulling her in for a kiss. Lou-Lou screamed, and ran out of the room, with Juno close behind. Lourdes laughed against Lukas's lips before pulling away. She ran a hand through her tangled hair.

"How can you be in love with someone who looks like this in the morning?" She asked. Lukas pushed her into a pillow, and she dissolved into laughter. Fortunately for Lukas, she was unable to see him grab the box he had been hiding down the side of his bed.

"How can I be?" He asked. "How could I not be? You're beautiful, smart, talented, kind, outgoing, caring, everything I could want in a girlfriend. But girlfriend isn't good enough for me anymore." Lourdes looked at him with a confused look. He pulled the box from behind his back. "Lourdes, you've changed my life so much in the three years I've known you. You've never given up on me, and you've given me the love I've so desperately needed. I hope to repay the favor. Lourdes Knightly, will you marry me?" He opened the box, revealing the simple yet ornate ring inside. Her eyes grew wide.

"Are you serious?" She breathed, looking up at him.

"As serious as I possibly can be," He promised with a smile. "What do you say? Care to become an Emrys?"

"I thought I already was," She threw her arms around him. "Of course, I'll marry you, you idiot. You only needed to ask."

***

A/N: Gods above, you have no idea how good this feels. After working on this as much as I possibly can, I'm finally finished! Thanks for all the support throughout the journey of this book. Comment or message me if you have any suggestions, art, covers, or even just wanna have a convo! Lots of love to all of you. Don't forget to share, vote, comment, and follow for more!

Lots of love, Lia