Copyright 2015 © Rosesareforever
Cruel Fate
Epilogue
One Year Later
The sun stood high in the sky, its rays warming Amelia's pale skin as she walked across her newly landscaped garden. Together with his brother Ethan, Benjamin had seeded the lawn a few weeks ago, build a stone path that reached the end of the garden and planted a bunch of flowers in the back. They still had plans to install a slide and swing for Landon, but needed to find time in their busy schedules to actually get the work done. Benjamin was dead set on doing everything on his own and not hiring a gardener or handyman. He took great pride in the things he did himself, Amelia didn't want to take that away from him by going behind his back.
The company was doing remarkably well, better than it ever had before. It grew each and every day, becoming one of the leading marketing firms in the country. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing their hard work pay off. The sole disadvantage was that the larger the company grew, the more work needed to be done. Benjamin had hired his fair share of extra staff, but would permanently stay extremely busy. It was one of the reasons why Amelia didn't lay down the law about their house still not being finished.
About ten months ago, they'd moved into their dream home, a country house located just outside the city in a smaller town. It had been exactly what they had been looking for, a place close enough to the company that they didn't need to drive for hours every day, yet far enough away from the bustle of the city that they could live in peace. Their acquisition had a large, but unkempt garden that could be turned into a child's wildest dreams with a little work. It had seemed perfect for Landon. Only they hadn't really taken into account how much work there still needed to be done on the house. Besides the garden, they also had to install a new kitchen, repaint all the rooms, replace the old wooden floors, remodel most of the rooms and finish the patio.
It had taken some time and a lot of money, but Amelia was starting to see the end product and liked it very much. Their home was more than she ever imagined wanting. It was child friendly, decorated to her taste, large and located perfectly. What more could a woman possibly need? She often wondered what her parents would think of her if they saw how far she'd come. The idea of looking them up and finding out where they were living had come across her mind a few times, but she didn't dare follow through. The fear of once again being rejected was too much to bear. It would break her. She'd come too far to let the past bring her back down.
"There you are," Abby grinned as she saw Amelia approaching, a newborn pressed against her chest. Abby had been over the moon when she found out she was getting a little girl. The woman loved her two sons, but had always wanted a daughter. Her wish had finally been granted. Three weeks ago, she'd given birth to one cute baby girl, Emma. Seeing the chubby cutie made Amelia's heart warm and long for another bundle of joy of her own.
"Ben was getting worried," Abby told her, sending a playful wink in Benjamin's direction.
Her boyfriend simply rolled his eyes, stepped closer and gave Amelia a soft peck against the temple. "The burgers are almost ready," he announced. They were having a family barbecue today. Amelia had invited Megan, the woman might not be blood related to her but she was like a sister to her, and Benjamin's parents, brother and sister. The bunch of them often gathered at Amelia and Benjamin's place for drinks or a lovely afternoon. Those days often turned into Amelia's fondest memories. She loved having so many people around after being lonely for far too long.
When Benjamin was done barbecuing the meat, he sent his brother a nod and urged Amelia to take a walk. Confused, she frowned, took his arm and leaned closer when they were out of ear shot. "Is something wrong?" she asked, more than a little worried.
"No, not at all, but I wanted to talk to you in private for a moment."
"To tell me...?" she prodded.
"Our lawyer called. The judge agreed to the restraining order for Tatiana and sentenced her to a four week stay at a mental institution," he explained, relief evident in his eyes.
Three months ago, Tatiana had attempted another break in after constantly harassing Benjamin by calling him at ungodly hours, showing up at work and following him around town. The police took her into custody and promised Benjamin that it would be the last time he saw the woman. Amelia hadn't believed a word. They'd told them over and over again that they'd solve the issue after the numerous times Benjamin called them to get rid of the crazy woman, but she always reappeared.
"Do you believe this is the last we'll hear from her?" she asked, disbelief clear in her tone.
Benjamin shrugged. "We'll never be sure, but at least we know that she's getting help. I truly believe the woman is just sick. She never tried to harm me in any way. She just couldn't stay away."
"As long as she stays away from our family. I'd kill her with my bare hands if she ever comes close to Landon."
"You protective mother hen," Benjamin grinned, pulling her closer with one arm and pressing a lingering kiss against her lips. "I love you."
"And I love you."
***
It was late, the sun had long ago disappeared from the sky and the moon had taken its place, when the last person of Ben's crazy family finally got into their car and drove away. He waved and grinned when his brother honked. Crazy bastard. He was lucky no one lived near enough to nag about the noise.
Instead of going back inside, Ben stayed on the front porch for a moment, enjoying the cool air that embraced him. There were no cars on the street, no loud sounds or wandering people. Just a good old day in a fenced in neighborhood. He didn't miss the busy city life, not even a little bit. He'd never imagined he'd be happy in a country house in a small town, but it appeared he'd been wrong. This was his home, this beautiful house filled with joy.
Smiling, he turned around and headed inside, locking the door behind him on his way. Amelia was lying on the sofa, Landon on the floor, playing with the brand new car he'd gotten from his uncle. Ben's smile widened a fraction. Yeah, this was his home. Nothing would ever compare, not anymore, not when he knew what it was like to be close to the people he loved most.
Amelia looked up from the book she'd been reading and smiled, nudging Landon. "Sweetie, give daddy his present."
Ben frowned. It wasn't his birthday nor any other important occasion. He had no idea why Amelia would give him a present and for a moment worried he'd forgotten about something important. His mind came up blank. Landon handed him a simple white box. Still confused, Ben looked at his girlfriend.
"Just open it, honey," she encouraged.
Still puzzled and definitely curious, Ben opened the cardboard box. All air left his lungs and his eyes widened.
"Do you remember how sick I was a few days ago? We thought I might've eaten something bad. It appeared it was not the food after all," Amelia grinned happily.
Holding up the white stick, Ben's features transformed into a look of blatant happiness. "You're pregnant?"
Amelia laughed and nodded. "I guess you have super sperm. I only stopped taking the pill five weeks ago."
Ben stared at the woman he loved, completely stupefied. "A baby," he muttered, still not quite believing it.
"A baby," Amelia confirmed, proudly rubbing her belly.
"You have a baby inside?" Landon exclaimed, looking horrified.
"Aren't you happy, sweetie? I thought you said you wanted a baby brother."
"But how does it come out of you? Do they need to cut it out? Do you need to go to the hospital? I hate hospitals. They smell funny."
"How did you think babies were born?" Ben asked his son, amused.
"My teacher in kindergarten told me that storks deliver babies, but someone in my class said she was lying and that babies come out of girls' vajayjay's. Does mommy have a vajayjay? I've never seen one."
"Oh god," Amelia muttered under her breath, while Ben just plain laughed.
"I think it's time we bought you a child friendly book that explains how babies are conceived and born," Ben told his son when his laughter finally toned down.
Walking closer to the sofa, Ben held out his arms and pulled Amelia up. She easily fell against his chest and laughed. "Someone's happy," she giggled.
"Someone's the happiest man alive."
"I'm glad you're so happy, honey. It'll be great to finally share the entire pregnancy with someone. It's going to be one hell of a ride."
A baby. The news still needed to sink in. Ben had very few regrets, but the ones he did have were huge, the biggest one not being able to see Landon grow in Amelia's tummy and grow into a perfect little boy. He missed too much time with his son, time that he'd never get back. It was one of the reasons why he wanted another baby so much. He wanted to be there from the start, see the first sonogram and hear the baby's heartbeat on the monitor.
"You need my ring on your finger," Ben told his girlfriend, disappointed in himself. He'd bought an engagement ring a few weeks ago, but had been waiting for the right time to ask her. There had been no reason to hurry, she'd just quit taking birth control and the doctor had told them it could take a few months before Amelia was fertile.
"I hope that was not a marriage proposal, because that's a poor substitute, honey. You already know my answer. You'll just have to find the perfect opportunity to ask me."
"I already have the ring."
"I know you do. You should've thrown away the receipt instead of leaving it in the pocket of your jeans."
Ben smiled sheepishly. "Oops."
"You've been carrying that ring inside of your coat pocket for six weeks now. Don't make it too hard on yourself. I don't care about some huge gesture. I just want you."
So that's what she got. Two weeks later, Amelia carried a big rock on her finger after Ben asked her to marry him during a candle lit dinner he'd prepared himself. Four months later the house and garden were finally finished. Three months after that their baby girl was born and another year later they completed their family with another boy. Life was good. Life was easy. There had been a time that Ben wondered how fate could possibly be so cruel, but he'd learned that sometimes it was important to keep believing that in the end everything would turn out to be okay.
THE END
To show you how much I appreciate all your votes, I decided to post this one quickly. It pains me to say goodbye to this story and all of my loyal readers, but it was time. I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed writing the book.
For those who might wonder, yes there will be a second book in this series. I'm currently too busy to start on it right away, but I promise to let you know when I'll publish the first chapter. The book will be about Ethan, Ben's womanizing brother. Ben and Amelia will show up in the book, but it won't be about them.
* Update (January 2019): I started on Ethan's book. It's called 'Fighting the Inevitable'. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your support! One last chance: vote and comment!