Friends often ask me which of my books is my favourite. I invariably fall back on the overused comment about choosing between our children. You’d think I could come up with something more original, but there you go…
I’ve been putting together a couple of ‘bargain bundles’ the past few days, which entails scanning through the formatting. While doing so, I found myself pausing here and there to admire a well constructed sentence, or an evocative turn of phrase. What’s that you say? I’m not supposed to admire my own writing? Too bad; every writer does it.
Where was I? Oh, yes. I love endings. Maybe because I write romance, and to my way of thinking, romance endings should be positive, if not an outright happily-ever-after love fest.
Let’s face it, you know within the first chapter or so, who’s going to get together. Rarely are we fooled about that. I prefer to weave the romance in and around an interesting storyline, but that’s just me, trying to give the reader her/his money’s worth.
I have a few movies I’ll watch just for the endings. I love the ending of the first part of the Bourne Trilogy, where Jason Bourne walks into the scooter rental shop. And I really love the ending of The Shawshank Redemption, where Red walks down the beach at Zihuatanejo.
This ending is one of the sweetest I’ve written. It’s from Fallen Angel, and I tear up every time I read it. There’s a lot going on in this book, so I won’t spoil that for you. But here’s the ending:
Epilogue
Ten months later.
“Do I have to wear this?” Mark tugged impatiently at his bow tie.
“Yes.” Bradley straightened it for the third time.
“But why?”
“Because your mother wants you to.” He checked his own reflection. “See…we match.”
Mark gave him a look that made it clear what he thought of that.
“Come on, we’re supposed to be out there first.”
They walked out into the sunlight. All of their friends and family were there, plus Candy and Matt, Faith and Jason, Fran Shaw and her husband, everyone from the law office; even Will and his new lady friend. Her father and his new wife were in the front pew, next to Laura’s grandmother, who had tears in her eyes when Bradley walked down the aisle with his best man, Mark.
As they approached the white tent a jet flew overhead and Bradley shielded his eyes to look up.
“What is it?” asked Mark. It was a game they played all the time.
“It’s a private job. A Citation. Nice ride.”
“Yeah, nice ride. Can you fly it?”
“Oh, I think so.” Bradley grinned.
“Would you teach me how to fly some day?” His hand crept into Bradley’s.
“Yes, I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Laura and Hayley appeared on the steps. Laura in a simple white sheath that touched the grass and Hayley in a pale pink chiffon dress that she had picked out herself. They both wore baby’s breath in their hair. They walked together up the aisle and Bradley bent over to pick up his daughter.
“Hey, Mom.” Mark tugged at her dress, and she looked at her son. “Dad says he’s going to teach me to fly! Can you believe it?”
“Sure can,” she said, looking at Bradley with love in her eyes. “He teaches me to fly every day.”
Fallen Angel is available as a stand-alone book, and is also included in my new Canadian Romance Collection #2. A real bargain, by the way!