After a whole lot of will they/won't they romantic tension and a bunch of last-minute reveals about the real story behind Amy's "suicide," our tale ends with a sweet moment between Jake and Dani:
"You knew all along that Amy hadn't killed herself."
I stared out at the empty pastures a moment thinking about the bond I'd had with Amy. Even the distance between us had not broken it. I looked back at Jake. "Amy was the other half of my soul."
He stepped forward and took hold of my hand. "Does that mean you're in the market for a new soul mate?"
"Could be," I said. "But I have a few prerequisites."
His heart stopping smile appeared. "Oh?"
I lifted his hand to my mouth and kissed it. "You must make me laugh at least three times a day, you can never take life too seriously, and you have to like lime Jell-O."
He leaned closer, and I couldn't pull my gaze from his mouth.
"We've got a problem then." His face lowered and he kissed my nose. "I prefer strawberry."
"Well, I guess I can make that one exception."
His mouth covered mine, and I thought Miss Austen could have her Darcy, and Miss Brontë could have her Heathcliff. I had my Jake. (36.11-19)
This is pretty much the perfect wrap-up for everything that's come before it. Dani can finally move on with her life now that she has proven to everyone that Amy didn't commit suicide. But there's also a bittersweet note there—Amy's still gone and Dani's really going to miss her. Bummer.
The good news is Dani also happens to have a super sweet and super cute boy to dry her tears. Jake is going to be there for her and be a friend to Dani just like Amy was. Well, not in the same exact way, but you get the point. The last line of the story reaffirms that Amy was right all along about real-life love stories: Romantic heroes do exist. Yay.