The Possessive Mr. Hyland

Epilogue

A/N: pay attention to the dates

enjoy~

Songs: I'm Not the Only One - Sam Smith
Sky Full of Stars - Coldplay

Epilogue

December 23, 2011

"Are you okay?" Charlotte whispered in my ear and I snapped out of my thoughts, flickering my eyes away from the beer label I'd been trying to peel off to her curious eyes.

"Of course love," I smiled.

"You're just awfully quiet," she hummed. "Are you tired from the airplane ride?"

"Don't worry about me, just enjoy yourself," I insisted, kissing her cheek and she hesitated before returning to her conversation with Tori. We were in Great Lakes, Illinois where Natalie and Luis owned a cabin nestled cozily in the woods five minutes from the town and they lent it out to us as a Christmas gift while the two were out traveling Europe as we speak for a week or two. It was our first night and we decided to spend it at a bar with live music and I was already a ball of nerves.

The ring in my pocket wasn't making anything better.

Charlotte's hand fell on my bouncing knee and she squeezed it without stopping her conversation with Tori. Instantly my body calmed down and I took a swing of my beer, focusing on the music the band was playing.

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December 25, 2011

It's tradition for the Montgomery's to go ice skating every Christmas and even though Charlotte wasn't with her parents she still insisted on all of us going skating on the frozen pond in the backyard.

"I want to open presents," Ashton whined, standing pigeon toed in his skates on the hard ice. Charlotte and Chelsea were giggling and skating in circles, ignoring Ashton and his whining.

"Oh hush up Ash," Tori sang, skating past him, her hands stuffed in mittens and wearing two scarfs and a parka and sweats over her pants, stuffed in skates. She's from the south and still isn't used to the cold.

I was still standing in the snow, still wearing my boots with the skates Charlotte bought me slung across my shoulder. I was born and raised in Queens, New York so I never had the chance to learn how to skate. Even after Luis recruited me and introduced me to the finer things in life I never bothered. I usually went to their house on Christmas around the time I knew dinner was about to start to give Luis his customary tie or watch, Natalie something from Tiffany's and Charlotte something that reminded me of her, usually Disney Princess themed. So I've dodged the ice skating tradition like it was a bullet.

Until now.

Charlotte twirled around and her eyes landed on me. She frowned, skating towards me, her hips swaying.

"You don't want to skate?" She asked meekly, her eyes growing wide.

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh, I-I don't know how," I said hesitantly.

She perked up.

"Oh, you should've told me," she giggled. "My first job was teaching kindergarteners how to skate, surely I can teach you."

"Charlotte, it's fine..."

"But it's our first Christmas together," she pouted, and suddenly I was sucked back into the day she finally revealed what was in the mystery bag.

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November 28, 2011

"Wait, Jay, I have to give you something," Charlotte rushed out, pushing me gently by my shoulders back on the edge of the bed where I'd been putting on my tennis shoes. We'd come back to the hotel to pick up our belongings since we were staying with Luis and Natalie for the rest of the week. Sure Luis finally calmed down after getting use to the idea that his friend was dating his daughter but I was kind of nervous about touching Charlotte anywhere near her father.