EPILOGUE - FIVE YEARS LATER
—Emily's POV—
"My turn to hold her." I say and reach out for the baby. Mom hands her to me, she's so small. "Hi, Grace! Welcome to the Sterling family. God... She's so precious."
"She may be precious, but she can scream like hell broke loose." Asher says, yawning.
I laugh. "No sleep?"
"No, Oliver had a big day at work so I had to take her all night. Apparently, she's a night person."
"All babies are like this. You just have to get used to it. It'll be over before you know it."
"As you know, you're not the one who has to wake up every hour."
"Yeah, not looking forward to those moments. I'll enjoy my sleep as long as I can." I say, smiling. When they told us that they were going to adopt everyone was thrilled. And little Grace was just what they needed, they look so happy, all three of them. The process took some time but it was all worth it when she was finally here. I know it's impossible, but her eyes are just like Asher's, so beautiful. They're amazing fathers, no doubt. She's so lucky.
"Not getting any ideas are you?" Jake wraps his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder, looking over Grace.
"No." Lie. I am getting ideas actually. I even have an entire list of baby names on my phone. Nothing that Jake has seen. He never talks about kids, I think he wants them though, just by looking at his face while he watches grace. He's in love.
But then again, he hasn't proposed yet. I'm at that part of my life where I want a marriage and a family. And I want it soon.
"Where's my granddaughter?" Dad yells from across the yard. He immediately starts smiling when his eyes land on her. He's quickly by my side reaching out his arms. I carefully hand her to him. "Look at you! The first Sterling grandchild, don't tell him I told you this, but your other grandpa is a wanker."
"Hey! That's my granddaughter you're talking to. She loves me. Don't you?" He starts talking to the baby, the sleeping baby might I add.
"She will definitely love me more." Dad says.
"I think not. I will be her favorite." They walk away to the tables to join the others.
"She's just a baby, why are they already fighting?" Oliver says, laughing. "Where's Asher?"
"I think he went to get some water. He walked over- Oh, found him." I point over to the bench by the door where he's sleeping.
"Dear God, poor thing. He didn't get any sleep. I have to go and help him. What are husbands for?" We all start smiling as he walks over to him. I can see him waking him up and pointing to their house, probably saying that he can go to bed if he wants but Asher shakes his head. Of course, if there are guests, he's not leaving. I can see Oliver starting to talk back to him but quickly giving up knowing how stubborn Asher is. Instead, he takes a seat next to him and brings Asher's head to his lap. His eyes almost immediately close. They're so cute.
"Hey-" Jake tears me away from them. "Can I steal you for a moment?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Here-" He says and hands me a blindfold. "Put this on."
"What, why?"
"Just do it."
"If this is a new kink for you I don't know how to feel about it. Just saying." But I do as he says and he starts leading me away from the house. The voices are getting quieter and quieter until it's silent. I can hear the waves from the beach and feel the salt in the air. "Where are we exactly?"
"Wait, a little more." He says, my eyes are still covered but I smell smoke.
"Is something burning?"
"No, relax. Almost there." We take a few more steps then he stops. "Okay, open." I remove the blindfold to reveal a bunch of candles and rose petals.
"What's this? What's going on?"
"I think you know." Oh, the butterflies. So so many butterflies.
"This isn't- Is it? Are you-"
"Emily." He laughs. "Calm down sweetheart, look at me." I do as he says. It actually helps, he looks so calm. But why does he look so calm? If this is what I think it is then- "No, stop. No overthinking."
"How did you know?"
"Please. I know you more than yourself." My breathing is quickening with every passing second. It gets so much worse when he gets down on one knee.
So much worse in the best possible way.
"Emily Sterling-"
"Oh my God, you're really doing this."
"Emily..."
"Sorry, I'll shut up. Go on. Propose to me."
He laughs, shaking his head. "You're really something else, aren't you?" I laugh, tears forming in the corner of my eyes. I am not already going to cry. I can hold them back for a little while more. I think.
"Emily Sterling. My best friend, my girlfriend, my partner in crime, and hopefully my future wife. Our love story hasn't been the best but nothing in the world could make me change it. Every single decision has led us here, even if some parts were hard or heartbreaking, it led us here. It led me to you, and I will thank God for the rest of my life for that. He brought you to me, even if you thought I was an asshole in the beginning, that I bothered you like hell, I did all of that because I really liked you. I had no idea how to act around you, you would make me forget words, forget how to speak like a normal human being. I tried so hard not to let you affect me, not to let you notice the hold you had on me. But I think we both know that I failed." He stops to chuckle. The tears have now started to drop. "After our first kiss, I couldn't get you out of my head for weeks. You were on my mind all the time, and it only got worse after the first time we slept together. At that moment I knew that you were the one I wanted. You were the one I wanted to grow old with, but of course, I was a teenager and a fucking idiot, so I didn't act on it or share my thoughts or feeling with you. That's something I regret, but we're here now, aren't we? You look as beautiful as ever and I'm down on one knee, either absolutely crushing this or failing miserably. By your crying, I'm going to go with the first one." He laughs. "Emily-" He grabs a small box from his pocket and opens it. "I showed you this ring five years ago and told you that I was waiting for the perfect moment to use it. This is it. This is the moment. I've been carrying this ring with me for two years now, never finding the perfect time to propose. But tonight felt right." He grabs my hand. "Emily Sterling, you are the one I've been waiting for my whole life. Will you marry me?"
My throat is closing up, how the hell am I supposed to speak? I sniffle and wipe my eyes clear of any tears. "Mm... I don't know. Same ring?"
He chuckles. "Just say yes."
"Yes, of course, I'll marry you." I say, tears spilling again. He takes the ring out of its box and places it on my finger. A perfect fit.
I grab his face, pulling him up to my level, and wrapping my arms around his neck. "Looks like we have a wedding to plan, Mr. Jake Evans."
"Looks like it, Mrs. Emily Evans." He smiles. "I like the sound of that."
I lean forward and kiss him. It's a soft kiss with a million meanings behind it. "I love you." I say.
"I love you more."
You know, it's funny. There was a time in my life where I thought that Jake and I would get married and have the perfect life, then everything changed, and that picture was no longer there. But just because the picture wasn't there doesn't mean that the thought left me. I still thought about him. Still thought about our future, this moment even. And now that it's here... It's so surreal. My cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much.
This is the kind of love everyone is talking about. I always thought it was bullshit, or at least something that wasn't meant for me.
But it was.
It is.
I found my forever love.
And his name is Jake Evans.
YOU ARE READING
The Next Chapter (NEW VERSION)
Romance***SAME STORY BUT WITH NEW AND IMPROVED WRITING, ADDED SCENES, AND A WHOLE LESS CRINGE*** Emily has always been good in school, just like her mother was. But when Jake Evans walks into her life everything changes. New emotions she hasn't experienced...