LXVIII. Dreams by the Shore

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Matthew sat on the porch of Hope's family cabin. Even though all the kids were grown, and almost all their children were moved out, Hope's parents still allowed their children to come up to the cabin on weekends with their own families, which he thought of as rather kind and generous. He had always liked his in-laws. They were good people.

The sunset was spectacular, the sun lowering below the sparkling water of Lake Winnipeg, the colors reflecting the oranges and reds like a rippling mirror.

"It's beautiful, eh?" Canada questioned, glancing over at the woman sitting next to him on a cushion bench. It was Hope, only slightly older, with her brown curls tied back in a messy bun and her lips set in a relaxed smile. Older, but still just as beautiful as the day Matthew met her in Starbucks.

The most noticeable change wasn't in her face, but her torso, where she stomach was round and plump. She was around 6 months pregnant by the look of it, and Matthew, reaching out gently, placed a hand on her stomach. She giggled slightly, placing her hand over his. "Saying hello to Dean?"

"No, I'm saying hello to Madeline." Matthew teased. "It's definitely a girl."

"Sorry to disappoint, Mattie, but it's a boy."

"No, dear, it's a girl."

"Yes! I want a baby sister!" A shrill voice shouted, and from the shoreline, Canada could see a pair of young children racing towards the shore. The one speaking, a little girl with wildly curly, blonde locks and multicolored brown eyes beamed brightly, stumbling over her feet slightly due to the fact that her legs were moving faster than her tiny body. The boy she ran with was slightly ahead, given he was a good couple years older. His skin was slightly fairer, with faint bags under his violet eyes. He was tall and lanky for his age, with a wavy head of lighter brown hair, with a strange curl sticking out from his part line.

"No, May, I need a brother to play with. Konner's too young!" He complained, referring to his two year old cousin.

"I can play with you!" The girl, May, argued, grabbing her brother's arm and clinging to him. "You never pay attention to me!"

"Stop ignoring your sister, Leo." Matthew scolded gently, although the way he said it made sound more like a request.

The pair arrived in front of their parents, and Leo hung his head slightly. "Sorry, dad." He muttered.

"I never thought I would find myself surrounded by people who were more Canadian than me." Hope muttered, smiling. "This is so perfect."

"Canadians are perfect." Leo nodded in agreement.

May smiled. "Yeah, we're fun! Especially when we come to the cabin, or when we visit Aunt Annalise and Uncle Kiku, or Uncle Francis and Uncle Arthur in Europe, or Uncle Alfred and Aunt Shel-"

"We get it." Leo muttered. When his sister looked up in dismay, he instantly muttered an apology.

Hope laughed softly as Leo sat down on her legs, leaning his head on her shoulder. May followed his lead and crawled into Canada's lap, burying her face into his neck as he watched the sun begin to finally disappear over the horizon.

"I love you, daddy." May whispered softly to Matthew as Hope's fingers intertwined with his.

He smiled, his entire being completely at rest as the sun slipped below the horizon, his sight darkening completely.

"I love you too."

The room suddenly lit up with a brilliant flash of lightning, thunder crashing not too far from above the maple leaf-schemed house. Matthew's eyes flew open instantly, and he shot up from where he laid in his bed, his breath caught in his throat. He gripped the side of his head, running his fingers through his wavy blonde locks, sweat beading on his forehead.

A dream... But it had seemed so real. He took a deep breath, collecting himself and getting out of his bed, slipping on his glasses, and leaving the room. Canada ventured to Hope's room as rain pounded the side of the house, opening the door and peering inside. She lied still in her bed, her long curls spread out behind her on her pillow as she breathed shallowly in her sleep.

He sighed, walking forward and gently caressing her cheek with his hand, leaning forward slightly. "What are we doing to ourselves?" He muttered quietly, placing a soft kiss on her cheek as a small tear rolled down the side of his face.

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Yay 100 parts! I mean, I've already technically posted 100 parts, but this is literally the 100th chapter, so yeah, that's cool. 100 more to go! I decided to save the much delayed Truth or Dare chapter for the last part (surprise, I haven't forgotten about that). I don't intend on stopping after one book, as of right now I'm willing to do a second one, but I think it's too early to predict whether or not I'll still have inspiration that far into the future.

Anyways, love you guys. Thanks for sticking with me through this crap for so long <3

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