three years later
Rory could still remember the day she and Otis finally got together, the day which had started out as nothing more than another miserable one yet turned amazing the second Otis crossed over the threshold into her apartment. It felt like yesterday to her that he was begging her to stay, confessing his love for her and promising he'd spend the rest of their life together making it up to her.
Which so far he had, he'd spent the last three years doing nothing but treating her like a queen and she felt incredibly lucky to find a guy like him, one who she never thought she'd ever get a chance to be with and yet here she was, standing in a wedding dress just minutes away from marrying him.
Rory almost couldn't believe it when Otis had proposed to her. He'd taken her to the Chicago Botanic Gardens one spring evening, after a day spent doing nothing but lounging around in bed in their apartment, aka Rory's loft apartment that Otis had moved into not long before. He had dropped no hints that he'd even been thinking about marriage for the weeks beforehand but the second the two of them reached the middle of the bridge over the pond, he got down on one knee, with the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen and asked Rory if she would make him the happiest man in the world and of course, she said yes.
How could she not when he was so perfect in every single way? Rory couldn't have asked for a better guy, one who treated her with nothing but respect and was always doing little things here and there to surprise her, like buying her tiny animal figures and plushes when he saw them as Otis always told her they reminded him of her. It was almost hard for Rory to believe she was where she was given how their relationship had started, but over the years they'd fully forgotten about that and it was like none of it had ever even happened.
Standing in front of the floor length mirror, Rory took a good long look at herself, making sure her hair and make-up were perfect and that her dress didn't have any creases or stains on it. She'd always dreamed of a fairytale wedding when she was younger, mainly thanks to her Disney princess name, but she never fully believed she'd ever get the chance to have one, not when her last engagement tanked. So as she stood there, gazing at her dream dress that covered her body, she couldn't help but think that she'd become the luckiest woman in the world as after all the heartbreak and misery, she'd finally found her prince.
"Nervous?" Sylvie's voice met Rory's ears before she stepped into view, appearing in the mirror behind the blushing bride in her bridesmaid dress.
"A little." Rory confessed, nodding her head as a wave of nausea flew over her. Her hand went straight to her stomach, feeling the soft bumps of the embroidered flowers that covered the bodice of her dress, fanning out at her hips and spreading down the length of the train. "I just hope Brian isn't as I'd really like him to be at the end of the aisle when I walk down it."
"Don't worry." Sylvie chuckled softly, stepping towards Rory and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Your dad is in there and if there's one thing I know about Nick Madej, it's that he won't be letting Otis go anywhere."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is." Rory huffed out nervously, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down. She knew Sylvie was right, that her dad wouldn't be letting Otis go anywhere but she really didn't want it to get to that point, which is why she found herself in desperate need to see Otis before the ceremony, as a way to hopefully calm the both of them down as she knew he'd be on the verge of freaking out.
Rory waited until she was alone to go and seek out Otis, until her bridesmaids had left to double check everything was perfect before the ceremony as she knew they'd never let her see him, not when Sylvie was traditional in that she'd said multiple times that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. But Rory didn't believe in that, not when she and Otis had already had their run of bad luck in the beginning of their relationship, which is why she soon found herself outside Otis's room, praying that he was alone as there was more to her 'just checking on him' plan than she was letting on.
Knocking gently on the door, Rory waited until she heard his faint voice call towards it, telling her to come in and sending a wave of butterflies through her already fluttering stomach. She really hoped he wasn't as freaked out as she was picturing him to be otherwise what she had to tell him might push him that one step closer to the edge of being a runaway groom.
Stepping into the room, Rory quickly caught a glimpse of Otis, standing with his back to her as he fiddled with his bowtie, trying to get it straight but failing each time. She smiled softly to herself, lifting her dress a little as she began to walk slowly towards him, eager to surprise him as she knew she'd be the last person he'd expect to walk in here.
"You know..." Rory began, her voice making Otis's hands drop to his sides and his head shoot up, catching sight of her in the mirror as she approached him. "...for someone who wears bowties a lot... You sure are struggling with that thing."
"Rory." Otis breathed out, feeling her come up behind him as she leaned her head on his shoulder, her hand snaking up his back and landing on his other one, keeping him from turning towards him.
"Look at you, looking all handsome." Rory said softly, making a bunch of flustered noises escape the back of Otis's throat as he still wasn't used to being called handsome, no matter how many times Rory had said it to him throughout their relationship.
"You shouldn't be in here." Otis said once he'd composed himself, feeling as Rory's hand slid down his arm to take his. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."
"You sound just like Sylvie." Rory chuckled, using her hold on his hand to turn him around, his eyes widening when they landed on her properly. She'd never looked more beautiful as she did right now, standing before him in a dress that was so utterly perfect for her in every single way.
"Wow... You look... Wow, absolutely breathtaking." Otis breathed out, his eyes already watering and the wedding hadn't even started yet. "That dress is perfect."
"You think?" Rory asked shyly, blushing beneath her make-up as she glanced down at the ground, feeling as Otis used his finger to gently lift her face back up to look at him.
"I don't think... I know." He said softly, lightly brushing his fingertips down the length of her cheek. "You look beautiful... And I can't believe I'm the one who you'll be walking down that aisle towards."
"You better start believing it, because in a few minutes you'll be seeing just that." Rory whispered, leaning forward to place a soft kiss against his lips, the nerves she felt about him freaking out and running off vanishing the second he kissed her back. "But before that... There's something I need to tell you."
"Oh?" Otis questioned curiously, his eyebrow raising a little as he tried to get a read on Rory's face, the one she'd clearly been practising keeping vacant as he couldn't tell whether what she had to tell him was good or bad. "You've got me nervous now."
"Well I'm glad to hear you weren't nervous before." Rory said humorously, making Otis chuckle a little.
"I didn't say that exactly." He smiled, taking her hand in his and placing a kiss against her ring finger, feeling the coolness of her engagement ring on his lips. "What is it? What do you need to tell me?"
"Do you remember that night... In the firehouse? In the turnout room?" Rory asked, blushing heavily over the memory of the night she and Otis had had a little fun whilst the others had slept.
"God, how could I forget?" He exhaled, his arm slinking around her waist to pull her closer. "That was probably the hottest thing I've ever done in the firehouse."
"Mhmm, me too." Rory whispered, kissing him deeply and wondering if she should just wait until later to tell him the news and spend the time they had now recreating that moment. "But..." She began breathlessly, deciding that she needed to tell him otherwise he'd be wondering why she wasn't drinking later on that day. "Something else happened that night... Something I never would have expected to."
"Okay..." Otis said hesitantly, his palms beginning to sweat a little over her mysterious tone of voice. "I'm gonna admit, you're kind of scaring me a little." He added with a nervous chuckle, making Rory apologise before she gently cupped his face, running her thumb soothingly down the edge of his moustache before she ripped off the bandaid and told him plain and simple.
"I'm pregnant."
"You..." Otis sucked in a breath, a million different thoughts playing on his mind right now. He stepped back, his arm falling from Rory's waist as he brought his hand to his chin, scratching absently at it, blinking fast as he tried to absorb the two words he'd just heard. "You... You're pregnant?"
"I am." Rory nodded, holding her breath as well as her stomach, which Otis kept glancing down at, something that only had the knot inside it tie itself even tighter. "I know we haven't discussed having children, but..."
"I'm gonna be a dad?" Otis said in a voice so quiet and so timid that Rory very nearly cried. She stepped forward, taking his hand and placing a kiss against his palm, her eyes locked on his which she'd never seen as soft as they were now, and riddled with tears too.
"You're gonna be a dad." Rory nodded, smiling widely as a choked, breathy sob left the back of Otis's throat as he pulled her in for a hug, one so tight that Rory almost struggled to breath had he not realised and loosened his grip a little.
The next thing Rory felt was her feet lifting off the floor, Otis having picked her up and spun her around before dropping her gently back to the floor where the second her feet hit the carpet beneath her he kissed her, a kiss so gentle and loving that she almost melted beneath him. It's safe to say she hadn't expected this kind of reaction from him at all, if anything, she thought he'd have been a nervous wreck when she told him, but she honestly couldn't have asked for a better moment in telling him they were going to be parents.
"I love you so goddamn much." Otis whispered, placing kisses on every single inch of Rory's jaw and neck that he could reach, any part that wasn't covered by her dress.
"I love you too." Rory sniffled, kissing the top of Otis's head as he'd crouched down, running his thumbs down her stomach before he leaned in to kiss it, feeling the softness of the dress's material against his lips as they lingered there, his love for their unborn child blossoming quickly and he already found that he can't wait to meet them.
Otis straightened, taking Rory's tear ridden face in his hand before he kissed her gently on the forehead, her hands wrapping tightly around his biceps before he allowed her to pull him close, her face burying into the crook of his neck as he held her. The two of them had shared a lot of moments together, a lot of hugs and a hell of a lot of kisses, but this moment right here, the one where they found out they were officially going to become a family, was the best moment that either of them had ever shared, not just with each other, but in their whole entire lives.
The wedding begun quickly after that, Otis had escorted Rory back to her room so she could touch up her make-up and get her veil on, one thing she kept off when she went to see him as that way there would still be a surprise for him to see when she walked down the aisle towards him, something neither of them could wait another second for.
Otis had forgotten all about what Rory's dress looked like as he'd been too preoccupied in thinking about the baby that was currently growing inside her, which is why the moment he saw her step foot towards him, her dads on either side of her, he found that he had very quickly started to cry once again.
"You look absolutely breathtaking." Otis whispered as Rory came to stand in front of him, her thumb gently wiping the tears away from beneath his eyes.
"You don't look so bad yourself either." Rory teased, making Otis huff out a soft chuckle mixed with a sob as he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to be standing at the altar with a woman as amazing as Rory, one who would very soon become the mother of his child.
The ceremony went perfectly, the two of them standing hand in hand at the top of the aisle, the beautiful scenery of the Botanic Gardens behind them, vast amounts of flowers littering the shrubbery and making for the perfect backdrop as they said their vows. There wasn't a dry eye left in the audience by the time they'd both said what they needed to say, even the crowds of bikers who stood behind the main wedding party were crying, having shown up at the last minute to offer their congratulations to their little biker baby, who unknown to them happened to have a little biker baby of her own growing away inside her.
Eventually it came time for the rings and, of course, Cruz did the whole schtick about losing them and got a small laugh from the guests, but soon enough Rory and Otis were each sliding a silver band, engraved with the others name, onto each other's fingers, where they fit both perfectly.
"And by the power vested in me by the state of Illinois, I happily pronounce you, husband and wife." Chaplain Orlovsky finished, a wave of applause erupting from the guests as Otis pulled Rory in for what felt like the most passionate and most loving kiss the two of them had ever shared.
"Hell yeah, Rory!"
"That's our little biker baby!"
The happy couple pulled briefly apart from their kiss, just enough to share a quick chuckle over the reactions of said bikers before they were on each other again, Otis dipping Rory backwards like he'd seen many times in movies and never ever thought he'd get to do himself. Neither of them could fully believe that they were finally married and after everything they'd been through lately, between how their relationship started and the things they'd gone through as a couple, it was like a true dream come true for both of them.
And nine months later, an even better dream of theirs came true, as after hours of hard labour, Rory finally gave birth to their beautiful baby girl.
"Thank god she looks like you." Otis said tearfully as he looked down at their daughter, his hand gently stroking Rory's hair as she held the baby, whose bright brown eyes were staring back up at them.
"I think she looks a little like you." Rory whispered, leaning down to kiss their baby's forehead before she looked up at Otis, his eyes watering as he kissed her own forehead, which Rory knew was probably sweaty and sticky from the hours she'd spent in labour but it appeared as though Otis didn't care about that.
"You did so good, sweetheart... I'm so proud of you." He said softly against her hair, kissing it again before he simply rested his head next atop hers, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as the two of them gazed down at their daughter, unable to believe that this is where they were in their incredible life together.
"My mother... Her name was Eleanor." Rory began, chewing anxiously at her lip as she felt Otis lift his head from hers and she looked back up at him. "I'd like to name her after my mother, if that's okay with you?"
"Darling, it's perfect." Otis smiled, watching the relief and anxiety fade from Rory's eyes.
The two of them didn't know what they were having as each time they went in for a check up the baby was in too much of an awkward position for them to see, which meant they'd never gotten the chance to discuss names with one another. But Rory had known from the day she found out her mothers name that if she ever had a daughter she'd want to name her after her, which is why she was more than thrilled that Otis was on board.
"Little Ellie." Otis whispered, taking Ellie's tiny hand between his fingers and feeling a rush of warmth and love shoot across his chest.
"Little Ellie." Rory repeated, leaning into Otis and resting her head against his chest as the two of them basked in the new most perfect moment they'd ever spent together.
Four years ago the two of them had been nothing but strangers to one another until Rory joined fifty-one, the day which had changed her life. They'd been through ups and downs. From heartbreaks and misery to nothing but love and affection. Neither of them would have ever thought back then that this is where they'd been in such a short period of time, but as they sat there, married and with a daughter they loved more than anything, one thing was for certain and that was that Otis and Rory were right where they needed to be. Together.
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and there we have it! the end to the story that is Otis and Rory! i really hope you guys enjoyed this story and that you aren't mad for the abrupt ending, which i got into the reasoning behind in the last chapter and won't clog up this one with again
but i just want to thank you all for staying with me throughout this story, i know there were periods of time where you went without an update for ages so thank you sticking around and being patient with me... i came close to abandoning this story many times due to writers block and just mental exhaustion so it feels so so good to finally have it complete and with an ending that i personally think is perfect
this won't be the end of the Otis content from me, not by a long shot as i have two other stories ongoing (well one is and the other is on hold for the time being) and i have a few more planned for the future so yeah, i'll be keeping all you Otis fans well fed, trust me!
and so, for the last time in this book, if you liked this chapter, please don't forget to leave a vote and maybe a comment? always appreciated
and until next time, farewell my wonderful readers... farewell🥹