As A Friend

Epilogue

Once we finish our meal, he insists that we go out to the deck and peer out at the ocean. "Guess who got married?" he starts as we lean against the white fence blocking us off from the water.

"Who?" I ask, only slightly interested. 

"Adrian and Raven," he says before wrinkling his nose. "Gross, right?"

I was not expecting that. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day," I mutter. "And before us, wow."

"Hey! You're the one that said you want to wait!" he reminds me.

"That was five years ago when I thought you didn't like me back," I mumble.

"Well, I brought it up because, like me, he thought he'd never get married," he explains. "Personally, I always thought marriage was bogus, you know? I always kind of thought that the only reason to get married was to legally proclaim you weren't single. But then I realized it was more than that. The day I met you, I thought that maybe being legally tied to someone for the rest of my life wouldn't be that bad. When I met you, I knew I had met the girl I was going to marry." My heart pounds loudly in my chest as he shifts so that he's facing me.

"Uh-huh," I encourage as I lean against the wall of the deck.

"And I know you said 28 was the ideal age to get married but you never mentioned anything about being engaged. So I figured I'd ask," he replies with a small smile.

"Dominic..." I trail as he drops to one knee. His hand dips into his pocket and he holds out a small box, which he then opens to reveal a shiny ring.

"Will you marry me?" he asks. I can't fight off the grin that grows on my face as he smiles up at me with a hopeful expression. "Give me an answer soon please; my shoes are creasing."

"Yes, you idiot," I retort as I give him my hand. He slides the ring on my finger before standing up and pulling me into a hug. I pull away and kiss him before squealing quietly. "It's perfect. I can't wait to tell Mari! And Kat! And my mom!"

"I told you I'd marry you," he responds with a smirk. "And I didn't even have to wait until we were 28 and single."

I grin up at him and pull him into a hug. "I love you so much," I mumble.

"Shut up, Nova," he chuckles against my hair.

+++ 2 Years Later +++

I stare at the small stick in my hand as my heart pounds in my chest. I take the Ziploc with the two other tests and drop the final one in there. I guess there's no avoiding it now. I exhale shakily before exiting the bathroom. Dominic is stretched out on the couch with Nox at his feet. When he sees me hovering at the end of the sofa, he turns to me with furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you okay?" he asks.

I toss the bag at him and watch as it lands on his chest. He picks it up and examines it for a second, gazing at each of the three sticks. "You're pregnant?" he whispers as he sits up. Nox perks up and looks between us before relaxing again.

"According to those little sticks, I am," I answer. I watch as a smile grows on his face.

"Really?" he says as his eyes fall to my stomach. He stands and approaches me, laying his hand on my stomach. "Our baby is in there?"

"Yes," I reply, holding his wrist and smiling up at him.

"Oh man, what are we going to name her? Or him, if it's a boy? Can we name him Dominic Junior? I didn't know I'd be as excited as I am. But we don't even have a room for a baby. We have to move into a bigger place before the little guy comes. Should I take paternity leave? We have to have a baby shower! You have to go to the doctor to see how far along you are. I hope he has your hair," he rambles nervously.

I place my hands on his shoulders to focus him. "Okay, calm down," I respond. "We can name it whatever you want. We can look for a bigger place to live at some point- we still have time. If you want to take paternity leave, I'll support it. A baby shower is a little while into the future, Dominic; I can plan that, don't stress about it. I will make an appointment at the doctor tomorrow. And I hope he looks like you."

Dominic grabs my face in his hands and kisses me. "We're having a baby," he says with a large grin on his face. He turns to Nox, who is waiting at our feet for affection. "Did you hear that Nox? You're going to have a baby brother...or sister. Hopefully a brother."

"I hope it's a girl," I say with a smirk.

"Dominique?" Dominic proposes, which gets an eye roll from me. "I just realized that your dad is probably going to kill me."

"Why?" I ask.

"He threatened me not to touch you. I touched you. Now you have my baby growing inside of you," he comments as he rubs my stomach.

"I think he'll be happy," I respond. "Not about the touching stuff but because he wants a grandchild. So does my mom."

"Our kid is going to be so cute," he comments as he continues to hold my stomach. "That baby is going to be a model."

"We're going to have a baby," I repeat again.

"In just a matter of time, we're going to have a little version of us crawling around," he announces in awe. "Let's start looking at baby stuff online."

He runs to retrieve his laptop from our bedroom and I watch as he sets it up at the kitchen table. If you'd have told me ten years ago that I'd end up marrying and starting a family with one of the cutest and funniest boys in school, I wouldn't believe you. Now, I can't see it any other way. I sigh and sit down beside him, taking his hand in mine. "I love you, Dominic," I tell him as I put my head on his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Nova," he responds.