Five years later...
"Walker, where are we going?" I laughed as my boyfriend dragged me through a beach by the hand.
"The beach," he answered matter of factly.
"Why?"
"For fun." I rolled my eyes at his dry response but didn't say another word.
It was slightly chilly as it was winter, but it wasn't too horrible. Walker and I were in Hawaii for Christmas break with our families.
"Walker, look! It's a dolphin!" I pointed out, running toward the water. It seemed to be a family of them, two parents dolphins and two kid dolphins swimming together.
I turned back around to see if Walker saw them too, but instead, I let out a gasp. He was on one knee, ring box in hand. Happy tears sprang up in my eyes immediately.
"Aaliyah." Walker paused, taking a deep breath. "Aaliyah, you mean the entire world to me. I love you more than anyone else. Will you make me the happiest man in the world, and marry me?"
"Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!" I exclaimed, practically leaping at him and kissing him. His free hand wrapped around me and held me.
Once we broke apart, he stood up and slipped the ring onto my left ring finger. I looked at both of my hands, my promise ring on my right hand and my engagement ring on my left. Walker really meant it when he said he'd never break that promise. We were going to get married.
"So, summer wedding?" He suggested. I nodded, and he continued. "We'll invite all of our friends and family, and after the reception. The theme will be black and white, no, it'll be beached themed. Then, we'll hold an after party where we swim and hang out on the beach. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect," I breathed, standing on my tiptoes and kissing him again.
"Also, Leena might be hiding behind that bush over there filming," Walker laughed.
I chuckled. "I love you, Walker."
"And I love you too, Aaliyah."
Six months later, we held our wedding on a beautiful June day. My dress was simple, but still elegant. My maid of honor was Eva, and my other bridesmaids were Teagan, Eloise, Charlotte, Isa, and two of my other friends, Cathryn and Sarah. Walker's best man was Adam, and his groomsmen were Aryan, Dean, Trevor, Ryder, and Brayden.
At our beach venue, we had white chairs set up on the sand. There was an arch over the altar decorated with flowers.
Various celebrities were there along with our families and friends since Walker had worked with them, and so had I. I had booked a few acting jobs with Walker, one of them being the role of Bianca in Percy Jackson. In the audience were Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, most of the cast of Percy Jackson, and Jennifer Lawrence and her husband. I had worked with her in one of my movies.
The ceremony itself went by quickly. We put the rings on each other's fingers, we were pronounced husband and wife, and we kissed. Just like that, we were married.
The fun part came during the reception. Walker and I danced our first dance to Lover - First Dance Remix in honor of homecoming our sophomore year. It took place under a white tent, and the food and cake were served.
My mom was tearing up as she talked to Walker and I proudly. Through her tears, she managed to say a mix of things like, "My little girl is so grown up" and "I'd better get some gorgeous grandkids."
Someone tapped on the side of their glass to signal for a toast, and I looked up to see my maid of honor and Walker's best man (who had recently gotten engaged to each other) asking for attention.
Eva had the mic and said, "It is such a privilege to be here with my fiancée watching the marriage of two of my best friends. You know, I was there when their relationship started becoming a big deal."
"So was I!" Adam added, making Eva chuckle.
"Yes, you were. Anyway, it was at lunch one day when we were sophomores. Walker had some oreos. He gave one to Aaliyah, or should I say, Mrs. Scobell, but he wouldn't give one to me. That's when I knew he had a little crush."
Eva handed the microphone to Adam, and he said, "Then, Aaliyah had some pickles, and they looked pretty good. Eva and I curated a plan to both ask for a pickle and see if she would give us one. And what do you know she didn't." That resulted in a few laughs from the other guests.
Eva took the mic back and said, "So, in homage to the start of their relationship, we have a platter of oreos and pickles over there to add to the hors d'oeuvres if anyone's interested."
I glanced over at Walker. He was laughing and said to me, "You know I can't resist a good oreo. I'll be right back."
The next thing up was the bouquet toss. All of the unmarried women there lined up to see who would catch it and get married next. Teagan ended up catching it and ran over to Dean, waving it in his face. "I caught it, Dean! That's a sign! You'd better go get a ring," she pressured.
Dean simply laughed and kissed his girlfriend to shut her up. "Don't worry. It's coming."
After the reception, all of the guests went home except for Walker, me, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen. We changed into swimsuits and ran out into the water. We swam and played volleyball on the beach as the sun set.
Walker and I left around eight pm, as we had a flight leaving for our honeymoon in Bali at 10. It was a super late night flight, but it worked for our timeline. On the plane, I fell asleep on Walker's shoulder. My husband's shoulder.
I had the best time in Bali. We kissed and cuddled and hung out on the beach all day. I was finally married to Walker Scobell, the love of my life.
Fifteen years later...
"Jacob! Ivey! Let's go!" I called up the stairs.
"Coming, mom!" Jacob yelled back.
Jacob was a very responsible eight year old. He took care of his sister and never left too big of a mess. Ivey was the opposite. At six years old, she was very dramatic and untidy. Walker and I had a feeling she would follow in our footsteps and take acting as a career.
Today, we were going to the airport to take a flight to visit Eva and Adam. We lived in Boynton Beach, Florida, and they lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, now, after living in Colorado for a few years. They had two kids as well, Ezra, who was seven, and Emmeline, who was five.
Teagan and Dean were also flying in from Colorado. They had three kids, Grayson, who was nine, Sawyer, who was seven, and Sloane, who was six. The six of us had all stayed in touch even though we'd gone our separate ways.
We flew in on our private jet that we had bought with all of our money from acting. Ivey slept the whole flight, and Jacob watched a movie.
I sat next to Walker with his arm wrapped around me. "You excited?" I asked.
"Obviously," he said. "I haven't seen Adam and Dean in way too long. I would ask if you're excited, but I know you are. You've been talking about this trip all month."
"Well, Teagan and Eva are my best friends," I said. "And it's always nice to see the kids getting along."
"Yeah, maybe they'll leave us alone for once," Walker chuckled. "I'll be able to spend more time with you." He pecked my lips. I smiled, rested my head on his shoulder, and fell asleep.
We landed in the Grand Rapids Airport and drove a short distance to the Banks' mansion in Kalamazoo. They used to live in Detroit, as Adam used to play in the NHL for the Detroit Red wings, but after he retired, they moved to Kalamazoo.
Eva used to be a reporter for the NHL, and the two of them were the hockey power couple. Although, when Adam retired, Eva changed her job to a work from home sports journalist.
Walker and I grabbed the kids and our stuff as Jacob and Ivey ran to the door of the Banks' house. Ezra was already holding the door wide open for them excitedly. It appeared that the Teagan and Dean were already here, as there was an extra car in the driveway.
"Aaliyah!" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Eva and Teagan heading down the front steps toward me.
"Hey guys!" I said excitedly, hugging them both.
"How was your flight?" Teagan asked.
"Peaceful," I said. "Ivey slept the whole flight."
"That must've been a relief," Eva said. I nodded in agreement.
"Auntie Aaliyah!" I heard someone yell. I looked to see Emmeline running toward me, her arms out in a hug.
"Hi Emmy!" I exclaimed, picking her up and hugging her. Emmeline was the sweetest little girl, and she called me Auntie Aaliyah.
"Let's go inside," Teagan said. "It's cold."
"Literally. I got too used to Florida weather," I said. Early spring in Michigan wasn't too pleasant.
As we started to walk away, Walker yelled, "So you're just going to make me carry all of our stuff then?"
"I'll make Adam come out and help!" Eva told him.
The Banks' mansion was huge, elegant, and luxurious. I could tell Eva was the one who did most of the interior design, as the layout looked similar to her Pinterest boards.
"Hey, Aaliyah!" Dean and Adam said.
"Hi guys!" I greeted, hugging them both.
"Where's Walker?" Adam asked.
"I left him to take care of our luggage," I said nonchalantly.
"We'll go help," Dean said, and the two of them exited the house.
Ivey, Jacob, Ezra, Grayson, Sawyer, and Sloane were already playing some sort of game with building blocks in the living room. Emmeline wriggled out of my arms to go join them.
After unpacking completely, the six adults gathered around in the lounge, a Red Wings game playing in the background.
"So, how's everyone doing?" Teagan asked. Dean wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"I should be asking you that," Eva said. "How's your new job going?"
"It's great!" Teagan confirmed.
Dean and Teagan got married shortly after Eva and Adam. Dean played hockey up until college but didn't go on to the pros. Teagan first worked as a college professor while Dean was a stay-at-home dad, but the work environment wasn't pleasurable. Teagan recently got a new job as an editor for a publishing company.
We talked for hours, sometimes getting interrupted by our kids, but other than that, it was just like the good old days. I had amazing friends, amazing kids, an amazing job, and an amazing husband, Walker Scobell. Overall, I had an amazing life. I know this is a basic, corny ending, but I think it's safe to say that we all lived happily ever after.
A/N
That's a wrap!