𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤

Epilogue

Talia

27 Years Later...

The silverware clinks against the glass plates as everyone digs into the delicious meal Amorette cooked for us.

"This is wonderful, Amore." I say, using my nickname for her. I like it because it sounds like Amour, French for love.

"Oh, thank goodness." She titters nervously. "I was afraid you wouldn't like it."

"How could I not like it?" I ask warmly. "Lamb chops, green beans, fettuccine alfredo; all some of my favourite foods!"

"The lamp chops are especially good." Darryn grins.

"Of course you would say that!" I playfully swat him. "I've seen you at the dinner table. You're practically a carnivore!"

"What's wrong with being a carnivore?" He asks. "It makes me super buff." He flexes an arm muscle and everyone at the table bursts into laughter.

"Dad!" Rose groans. "I thought I told you not to do anything embarrassing!"

"And I listened." Darryn tells her. "Showing off my muscles is not embarrassing. In fact, you should be proud of your father."

"I know I am!" I squeeze his hand under the table.

He leans over and gives me a peck on the lips.

"Gah!" Rose covers her eyes as if she's blinded. "There are children in the vicinity!"

"I thought you were a tween." Amorette raises one dark eyebrow.

"I can be both." My daughter huffs. "Besides, Connor still counts as a child, right?"

"Yeah!" Little Connor nods his head, although I'm quite sure he wasn't paying attention to our conversation at all.

"I love your family." Amorette laughs. "You're all so cute."

"Thank you." Darryn does a goofy little bow. "I take my cuteness very seriously."

"I'm still cuter than you." Rose giggles.

"Where's the cake?" Connor suddenly demands. "I thought we were celebrating Mommy's birthday."

"Ugh, don't remind me." I moan.

"There's nothing wrong with getting a little older!" Amorette tells me.

"Speak for yourself." I frown. "I'm forty. That's four decades of living. I'm ancient now. At least you're still in your thirties."

"Barely." Amore sighs. "I only have a year left."

"Meanwhile, I'm already three years past forty." Darryn strikes a pose. "And still lookin' good."

"When does the arrogance STOP?" My friend rolls her eyes at him.

"Never." He flashes her a blindingly brilliant smile.

"Back to my problem?" I say.

"It's okay, mommy." Connor reassures me. "You only have a few gray hairs."

I bury my face in my hands and let out an agonized groan.

"Connor!" Rose scolds. "Don't make mom feel old."

"But she is." Connor points out, confused.

I groan louder.

"You're breaking her!" Amorette cries out in alarm. She snaps her fingers in front of my face. "Snap out of it, Tali!"

"I'm fine." I wave away her hand in irritation. "I'm just not a fan of birthdays in general."

"That's not possible!" Darryn gapes at me. "Everyone likes their birthday!"

"Not me." I inform him stubbornly.

"Not even when you were a kid?" Rose inquires.

"Maybe?" I wrinkle my nose.

"Oh, I LOVED my birthday parties as a kid." My friend states, thinking of old memories. "I used to invite the whole class to the bowling alley, and we would have a blast."

"I was pretty popular too." My husband brags. "All the girls always invited me to their parties."

"They must have been blind." Rose remarks.

He and Rose get into an argument as Amorette and I talk some more.

"So, what did you used to do for your parties?" She asks.

"As I said, I was never really a person who liked birthdays. So they weren't really all that special." I shrug nonchalantly. "I just invited a few close friends over, and we would do random things, like face masks or karaoke."

"How many close friends did you have?"

I scrunch my face up as I try to remember. "Well, it kept on changing. But I think it was usually three."

"Did you ever have a really good friend? One that you knew for a really long time?" Amorette leans back in her chair. "I had five very best friends. Vicky, Zarrha, Cassandra, Lellie and Celine."

"That's not possible." Interjects Rose, pausing her conversation with her father. "You can only have one best friend. Because they're supposed to be the best friend."

"No!" Amorette disagrees. "What do you think, Talia?"

"Rose is right." I say, nodding my head at the smug looking girl. "You can only have one best friend."

"Fine." Amorette sighs. "But you never answered my question."

"Right, my very best friend." I scan my mind for the slightest memory of a name, but nothing comes up. "I think her name was Nessa, or Nikki or something like that..."