Chasing Freedom {Book 3: Chasing Butterflies}

Chapter 33: A Promise

Hey everyone! I am currently on vacation in Florida. Husband has a conference for work, so here I am at the hotel catching up on my writing. My goal is to finish this story before we head home on Thursday, but I'm not sure if I will be able to get that much written since I'm not 100% sure what the plans are after my husband gets back from the conference this evening. I know we have some sort of fancy dinner tomorrow evening, so I won't have that time to write. The good news is that I am off through the 22nd, so hopefully even if I don't finish this story before Thursday, I'll have it done before then somehow. It's been a good vacation so far, but I really, really miss my cats and puppy... Anyways! Two more chapters after this one: one wrapping up this story, and then the alternate ending. The end is near everyone. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)

Also... as I have stated before, if you do not like what I have written (especially if it's just because Draco isn't in it) feel free to skip this chapter and the next one. Draco comes back in the alternate ending which will follow them. Thanks. :)
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"Look at the two of you dancing that way, lost in the moment and each other's face. So much in love you're alone in this place, like there's nobody else in the world." ~ I Loved Her First, Heartland

Their wedding took place only a month after Audrey accepted Artemis' proposal. After talking things through, it was revealed that neither of them wanted a large, elaborate wedding so they figured why hold off on the ceremony? There was little to be done in the way of planning so there was no reason to pick a date so far off in the future.

It had been simple, much unlike her first wedding with Draco. There were no crazy bachelorette parties, no super fancy dress (Audrey opted for a more toned-down dress than her previous one), no bridesmaids and groomsmen. Audrey would've felt obligated to have Nicole, Ginny, and Hermione in the wedding, while Artemis would've had Ron, Harry, Fred and George. The sides would've been uneven, and since they were hardly inviting anyone else, it would've been silly to have them in the wedding. In fact, if it wasn't for it being Artemis' first marriage, Audrey would've been more than content with eloping. So instead, they opted for a small ceremony at a nearby botanical garden. They held the ceremony itself in a private alcove in the garden, with only their parents, immediate family, and few close friends invited. There was a decent sized reception hall at the garden as well, so the after party was held there.

Everything had been perfect up to that point. Honestly, Audrey never imagined being remarried after Draco's passing. For a while she had imagined she would raise Scorpius as a single mother, playing the role of mother and father to him. But then that never actually happened. Artemis stepped in immediately to fill the void, although at first there were no romantic inclinations at all. As time went on, that obviously changed, and now Audrey couldn't imagine things being any other way.

She and Artemis sat at a small table at the front of the hall, Scorpius sitting happily on his mother's lap stealing bites of food off her plate even though he refused to eat his own. Audrey glanced down at her son, a smile on her face as she shook her head before she looked back at Artemis.

"Hard to believe a few minutes ago he didn't want to eat any of his dinner," she started, hardly hiding a laugh.

Artemis glanced at his new wife, and then at the plate in front of her and Scorpius. "Right, considering he's eaten a large majority of your food."

"He's so silly with his food sometimes," Audrey agreed, hugging her son gently with the one arm she had wrapped around him while he squirmed, trying his hardest to grab food off of his mother's plate.

Before Artemis could reply to that, the song that was playing came dwindling to an end, and another with a slower tempo soon took its place.  A small smile appeared on his face as he asked, "Should we go and have our first dance?"

"We really should," she answered, smiling back at him. "I don't think I'm eating much more anyways."

Artemis stood and offered her his hand. Audrey took his hand in hers, allowing him to pull her, as well as Scorpius up away from the table. Audrey went to set her son down back in the chair, but Artemis stopped her before she even pulled Scorpius away from her body.

"Don't put him down," he stated calmly. "I want to share this moment with both of you."

If Audrey hadn't been more conscious of the fact she was holding a small child, she probably would've dropped Scorpius. Artemis wanted to share their first dance with Scorpius too? Really? She blinked a few times out of confusion. "You really want to dance with him too?" she inquired in disbelief.

Artemis nodded. "Of course I do," he assured.

Audrey said nothing more as he led her and Scorpius to the middle of the dance floor. Artemis took Scorpius, resting him mostly on his hip so he could pull Audrey in close too. Audrey wrapped one arm around him, and the other underneath his arm that was holding Scorpius to help hold him up. The three of them swayed in tune with the music, none of them speaking. Audrey looked up at Artemis leaning his head slightly on Scorpius' and she couldn't help but smile up at them. She felt truly lucky to be in this situation. Almost three years ago, the world as she knew it came to an end, and she wasn't sure how things were ever going to be okay again. And now she danced with her son- a spitting image of his father and completely healthy, and her new husband- a dear friend who had been with her every step along the beaten path she walked for so long. It was never how she pictured her life to be once she had married Draco. She never thought he would pass not even a year into their marriage, and she surely didn't think she would be remarrying anyone- let alone Artemis of all people.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Artemis spoke up. "I know this isn't exactly a traditional first dance, but I didn't think it was fair to not include Scorpius. I'm making a promise to him just as much as I am to you. I didn't just gain a wife when I made those vows to you; I gained a son too- a boy who I have always viewed as my own from the moment he was placed in my arms," he explained quietly before placing a quick and gentle kiss on the top of Scorpius' head. "This is our first official day as a family, and I want to include Scorpius in as much of this day as I can. I know he won't probably remember any of this, but I want him to be able to look back on all the pictures taken and see how involved he was. I want him to be able to see all three of us together, you know?"

Audrey nodded, understanding exactly what he meant while she fought to hold happy tears back. "I'm really glad you feel that way, Artemis," she replied. "And I'm sure Scorpius is too. He has always adored you. You two have such an amazing relationship, and that alone makes me so unbelievably happy."

Her husband smiled back at her before pulling her into a tight embrace. "Me too. I love you both so much, and words cannot explain how happy I am to be starting our lives together. This is only the beginning, and I'm incredibly excited to see what the future holds for us."

"Me too, Arty," Audrey agreed, the smile on her face growing the more he looked at the two men in her life. They made her life complete, and she was sure with the two of them by her side, the future was bright.