To my lovely readers,
This is the very last part of "This Love is Ours" and the very last part in the journey we have shared together throughout "Shooting Stars" and this novel.
I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me. These books have changed my life, and I hope they have been able to change yours as well.
It's been almost 2 years since I uploaded the first part of "Shooting Stars" on Wattpad, and it has been an incredible journey to share with all of you up until this point.
Thank-you for sticking with me throughout both of these novels, and I will miss all of you and your endless comments and votes, immensely.
I hope you enjoy the last part of this epic adventure we have taken together.
Love you all,
-Becca xoxo
{Omniscient}
Patrick walks across the grass at Millennium Park towards a few park benches and tables that are set up in the slightly quieter area of the park.
His feet crunch the autumn leaves underneath him, and with each step he takes, he keeps his blue eyes on the child in front of him.
Logan.
Patrick's very own son.
Logan runs as fast as his little legs will carry him through the park, laughing and smiling with pure joy.
Logan's dark curls, similar to Patrick's, bob as he runs through the park.
Pat catches up to Logan and scoops him up in his arms, kissing him on the cheek sweetly.
"Daddy!" Logan giggles, trying to escape Patrick's grip.
Patrick laughs with him, still holding him in his arms as they reach the park bench.
It's September 16, 2019.
It is both Logan and Sarah Kane's second birthday, and Patrick and his beloved wife, Abigail, have decided to host a small birthday party for the twins in Millennium Park.
Both Patrick and Abigail clearly remember this day, two years ago.
It was the day that changed everything, the day that their two miracles were brought into the world.
Just as Patrick sets Logan down, he turns around to see Abigail walking towards him, Sarah wrapped up in her arms.
Abby's light brown hair is down and curled, and her smile is still beautiful and sweet.
And Patrick is in love with her.
Patrick is absolutely, undeniably in love with her.
Sarah has a head full of beautiful blonde curls, and her brown eyes are sweet as she giggles in her mom's arms.
Abby flashes Patrick a quick smile, before setting Sarah down, as well as the cake that she has in her hands.
Her and Pat begin unloading all of the party supplies, such as matches, candles, napkins, paper plates, and all of that good stuff.
The autumn breeze is crisp, and Chicago is completely full of oranges, reds, and yellows as the trees begin to shed their leaves for winter.
Logan and Sarah can hardly believe that it is their birthday, and are bubbling over with excitement.
The twins are absolutely beautiful human-beings.
Logan has inherited Abigail's brown hair, and Patrick's blue eyes.
Sarah has taken her father's blonde hair, and her mother's brown eyes.
They are wonderful children, and although they can be quite the handful, they are both absolutely precious.
They get along really well, and are each others' best friends.
The twins' first time on the ice was when they were merely three months old, for the Blackhawks Christmas Family Skate at the United Center.
They have been on the ice multiple times since then, and are both seemingly in love with it, something that they have in common with their father.
A few days after the birth of the twins, Abigail and Patrick brought the precious twins home to the apartment, and got used to the new life that they have.
One that is tiring and requires more work.
After they brought the twins home, there were nights when neither Pat nor Abigail got any sleep.
Neither of them had been expecting the workload to be this intense.
But, it was.
And they adjusted.
And like all things, with time, it got easier.
Which leads them to where they are now.
Patrick is still playing with the Chicago Blackhawks, and is having the time of his life with the team of his dreams.
He has gotten a little bit older, but still has a few years left in his highly successful hockey career.
Abby is still running Abby's Images, and has been back at work, doing her passion, for a while now.
Both Pat and Abigail are still young, and in retrospect, are still in the early stages of their precious relationship together.
After a few minutes, guests begin to show up.
Both Patrick's and Abigail's parents arrive at the party, as they were invited to this beautiful, sweet birthday celebration.
The Summers' were down in Chicago, and so Peter, Melissa, and Lilly arrive as well.
Abby's brother, Chris, makes an appearance, as well as Patrick's three sisters, Erica, Jessica, and Jackie.
None of Pat's sisters have children yet, but Erica is now married to Dustin, whom she started seeing years ago now.
And at long last, Jackie and Chris finally got together.
After years of obvious flirting, the two have been dating for a couple years now, and both are happier than ever before.
Chaunette and Andrew have shown up, and the newlyweds are more than happy to have been invited here today.
And last but not least, Jonathan shows up.
But, he is not alone.
He strolls across the grass of Millennium Park towards the scene of the party, holding hands with Natalie.
And with that, the birthday party begins.
"Happy Birthday" is eventually sung, and both Logan and Sarah blow out a couple candles.
After the song, everyone starts to help with passing out plates and napkins for cake.
Jonathan eyes Natalie as she passes out paper plates, her hair blowing in the wind slightly.
He is still the proud captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, and has accomplished so much in his still-outstanding career.
Natalie reaches up, and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, allowing the beautiful diamond she is wearing on the fourth finger of her left hand to glimmer in the reflection of the autumn sun.
Jonathan and Natalie have been married for just over a year.
They got back together shortly after the twins were born, and then got married in July 2018.
After taking a break, Jonathan realized that there was no way he was going to be able to let Natalie go.
The similarities between her and Ally were too close, and he soon realized that he could not ignore these features.
Her hair, her eyes, her laugh, her smile; it all reminds him of Ally.
Which is exactly why he is so in love with Nat.
Jonathan feels as if Ally sent Natalie into his life on purpose, her intention, to make Jonathan happy, and to allow him to be in love with someone again.
And, Natalie does make Jonathan happy.
Jonathan had faith in Ally even as she lived with the stars, that she was doing what was best for him.
And, truth is, she was.
Natalie understands both the significance and importance that Ally played and will always play in his life.
Despite this, she fell in love with him. And he fell in love with her.
Jonathan has found his peace of mind with both the present and the past, because he has finally learnt how important it is to stop comparing them.
There is no comparing them; they are just different.
They are different times in his life, each of them representing different stages of Jonathan's adulthood.
They mean different things to him, but not one is greater than the other.
And peace of mind came to Jonathan once he finally learnt and accepted that.
Because looking around today, everything is so damn different than it was years ago.
Everything is different, but Christ, everything is good.
Patrick holds Abigail's hand as the two of them watch the twins dig into the cake, messily.
Jackie snaps a few pictures of the twins, as this moment is truly precious.
Everyone laughs at the beautiful sight, and Natalie finds herself right by Jonathan as they enjoy the cake, as well as the sight in front of them.
Jonathan wraps his arms around Natalie's belly, feeling a vivid movement under his large hand.
Kicking.
Natalie is eight months pregnant, carrying her and Jonathan's first child, a baby girl, whom is due next month.
In a short amount of time, Jonathan and Natalie will be parents to a beautiful daughter.
Natalie looks over and up at him, as he smiles and kisses her on the cheek.
The baby keeps kicking, and both Natalie and Jonathan laugh at the movement.
Everyone is proud of Patrick and Abigail for making it this far.
Even the one person that would surely be here right now, if it weren't for that one accident, is proud of them.
Ally Summers, herself.
Proud of him for settling down with the girl of his dreams, proud of him for taking on the responsibility of being a father, and proud of him for establishing this life.
As Pat and Abigail watch the cake-eating sight, Pat quietly speaks to Abby.
"I wish she were here to see this," Pat sighs, looking up at the bright blue sky.
"She is," Abigail reassures.
"Remember Pat? She watched you win that Stanley Cup a few years ago, she watched us get married, and now she's watching us raise these two together." Abigail giggles.
"You're right." Pat smiles, nodding.
And, she is. Abby is absolutely right.
"I love you," Abby adds bluntly, looking up at Patrick.
"And Pat, this love is ours." She says, quietly.
The statement "this love is ours" has continued to be used daily by Pat and Abigail.
But in this moment, Patrick is perplexed by this.
He looks across the table at the twins that him and Abigail managed to create and raise.
The loves of his life.
He looks around at his and Abigail's families all mingling and laughing with each other.
He looks at Chaunette and Andrew, newlyweds, as they smile together.
He looks over at Jonathan and Natalie, as Jonathan places a hand over Natalie's baby bump, while the two of them laugh with each other.
And Patrick comes to a realization.
This love was theirs when they were young.
They controlled what happened, they said what they wanted to say, they did what they wanted when they wanted, and they were the masters of their relationship.
They were just young kids, hopelessly in love.
But, their life has taken to a new stage now.
They have settled down, have gotten married, and have now, of course, had two beautiful children.
This "love" that they claimed was theirs, is so much more than just "love" now.
So much more comes with that statement.
Even the word "love" could not accurately describe just how much more extensive their love is now.
They have a family, and they have friends that care about them beyond compare.
No.
No, this "love" is not theirs.
They have outgrown the word "love."
It's not just love anymore. It's something more than that.
"No, Abigail," Pat shakes his head, a small smile on his face.
Abigail looks over to him, slightly puzzled.
Her light brown hair blows in the breeze slightly, and her lips are pink and partly opened.
He presses his lips against her temple gently, before he speaks.
"Darling, this life is ours."