“Elena Maria Mendez, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife for a lifetime of tomorrows?”
“I do.” Her eyes shone even more now, reflecting the twinkle of the lights wrapped around the beams and so much love that Cora’s knees wobbled beneath her. When the pastor asked her the same question, she replied with breathless affirmation.
They beamed at the both of them before the final pronouncement of the ceremony. “I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”
Without a second’s hesitation, Elena pulled Cora to her. The movement nearly lifted Cora off the ground, but she just wrapped her arms around Elena’s neck and kissed her with reckless abandon.
When her feet touched the ground again, Cora couldn’t help but feel as if the world had shifted just a little. The air around them felt brighter and warmer, even though she knew nothing had really changed.
They turned to face their audience with matching grins and gave a short bow before their exit music began to play. Cora and Elena were finally married and everything was right in their world. That deserved the celebration of a lifetime, and that is exactly what the evening had in store for them.
***
Afterword
So much has happened since I hit publish on Learning Curves. It was my first ever fiction publication and the first time I had really put my queer identity out into the world.
Writing these characters, Cora especially, helped me to figure out who I was. It helped me to come out to my friends and family, and even though some of that didn’t go the way I wanted, I am so grateful for being able to do so. It helped me to make friends that have literally and figuratively changed my life in the best possible ways. It gave me the courage to leave my career as a journalist and try something new.
Since then, I have written more than a dozen separate stories - some under this name and some as Candace Harper. All of them have contained a little piece of me because I wrote Learning Curves.
I love these stories, every one of them. But I also know that these stories are not perfect. They need a thorough edit to be the best stories they can be, to give Cora and Elena the happily ever after they truly deserve. But I love them for what they are, and if you’re reading this, I hope you do, too.
I intend to rewrite this series into two novels in the future. It is already in the works, and I hope you’ll be willing to read them when they’re ready sometime next year.
For now, though, I’m just glad you’re here at all. Thank you for being a part of this series.
About the Author
Ceillie Simkiss is a queer and neurodivergent author with her found family and furballs in the PNW.
She loves nothing more than curling up in bed with a book and her many furry creatures, but playing silly video games is a close second, even though she’s terrible at them.
She also writes as Candace Harper. You can find all of her work on her website.
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