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Epilogue
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I groaned as I flipped over. I couldn't sleep. The calendar stared down at me, a small reminder of what the events of tomorrow would entail. My mind was racing as I flipped back and forth in my half empty bed, in my three quarters empty house. I couldn't keep my mind from racing. I could have sworn Chase remembered what tomorrow was. Maybe that's why he insisted that's the day we do all of this. That it was a perfect symbol of all that we've been through. I personally thought it was a worst idea in the entire world.
Seven years ago tomorrow. The one thought that seemed to be racing around my brain. I couldn't ever forget, and I knew for sure that Chase surely hasn't as well. Seven years since Douglas captured Mr. Davenport and left me in Arizona to find Chase. Again, having it tomorrow, would both be happy, and insanely tragic.
When Chase asked me to marry him eight months ago, I had no other answer but yes. I was personally surprised we hadn't eloped the second we moved in together, or even before. But somehow we dated for six years straight, only to be getting married tomorrow, on the anniversary of Davenport's capturing. This Friday would be seven years since my father and I killed our oh so loved family members. Marcus still haunted me in my nightmares.
I shook my head as I flipped over to glance at the clock. Midnight on the dot. It would be so much better if Chloe and Conner were here. I missed having the reassuring whispers of the two as Chase held me close. I needed them all here tonight. Chloe and Conner are the twins Chase and I adopted three years ago. They were twelve when we began to foster them, four years ago, but we adopted them a year later. Chase and I agreed we wouldn't even try to have our own kids, simply because we are technically brother and sister, but I loved the idea of adopting Chloe and Conner. Chase and I are twenty four and twenty five now, while the twins are sixteen.
I jumped at the sound of the front door to our apartment opening slowly. I hopped out of bed and ran over to the door of our bedroom to see someone walking calmly down the hallway towards me. I took a deep breath as I leaned back against the wall. Who in the world would sneak in here? I was bionic for gods sake! I rolled my eyes as the sound of the loud and obnoxious footsteps came closer. He wasn't supposed to be here.
"Bree?" Chase whispered as he walked inside. I had kept the door open a crack. A smile rested on my face as I watched him take a step back at the sight of me right behind the door.
"Chase." I whispered, mocking his earlier tone. He laughed quietly before walking over to me and bringing me into a hug. He was supposed to be at the hotel, not seeing me the night before tomorrow. Tasha had been extremely cautious about the superstitions, no matter how long Chase and I had been dating.
"I know I'm required to stay there, but I couldn't sleep. I needed to be with you." Chase whispered. I smiled happily as I buried my head into his chest. For some reason he had chosen to wear a leather jacket and black jeans. He must have thought he was robbing his own place.
"I couldn't sleep either." I whispered back as I held my arms tighter around his neck. He smiled as he pulled away, bringing me over to the bed.
"Chloe and Conner are over at Davenport's?" Chase asked, reassuring what he already knew to be true. I nodded as I played with our hands as we sat on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah. Tasha thought I would need some alone time before the wedding. I don't think she realizes how easy it is to take care of those two. They must be a burden when they're over at their house." I ranted with a smile at the thought of our kids torturing our parents. As far as they know, my parents died in a car accident, so they only have Chase's parents as grandparents. They haven't asked questions about it since.
"They probably are. You know how bad they tease Davenport when we have those family dinner things. They're almost as bad as the four of us were." Chase teased as we laid back on the bed. I laughed whole heartedly, knowing that we could be as loud as we wanted without worrying we would wake up the twins.
"We get married in like twelve hours." I whispered as he pulled me over to lay closer to him. He nodded slowly as I rested my head on his chest.
"I know. I can't wait." Chase whispered with a smile. I felt myself copy his actions. I was actually looking forward tomorrow in a way.
"You do remember that tomorrow is also-"
"The day that Douglas took Davenport? Yeah, that's why I wanted to get married tomorrow. That was the day we met again. And, we needed a new memory for tomorrow." Chase interrupted as he threw his arm out behind me. He wrapped his other around my waist.
"That's what I thought. I knew there had to have been some reason to do this tomorrow." I replied, finally knowing what I had thought to be true.
"I'm sorry we didn't get married earlier." Chase whispered suddenly. I frowned as I lifted myself up to rest on my elbow.
"What do you mean? We're practically married already." I countered as I watched him. He nodded, not looking satisfied with my answer. Why was he upset about it.
"I know, but we haven't made it official like we did with the twins. I mean, we adopted them before we had even had them a year. I was just sorry if you had been waiting for so long for us to make it official." Chase rambled as he glanced off to the wall. He finally set his gaze to me.
"Chase, I don't need a piece of paper and a ring to remind me that we love each other. All I need, is for the two of us to know that we're going to last forever." I whispered as I grabbed his hand. He had to know that I hadn't been waiting forever for this. It had slipped my mind actually. When he had proposed, it had simply reminded me of my thoughts from when we had first gotten together. I was completely convinced we would get eloped.
"I know, but it's nice to have. And tomorrow it will be official." Chase replied with a smile as he squeezed my hand tighter. I shook my head.
"It's always been official." I whispered as I leaned back down into his chest. In all reality, it was true. Chase and I had always been assumed to be married even from the moment we got together. Everyone knew we were meant to be. No one had any second thoughts, other than the fact that we were related.
"You're right." Chase whispered as he pulled me closer. I smiled as I buried my head into his chest, loving that I finally felt tired.
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The sun poured in through the windows the next morning as the alarm clock sounded through our room. I rolled my eyes as I attempted to get up, only being stopped by the arm that was wrapped securely around my waist.
"Chase." I whispered as I poked him in the arm. We had each fallen asleep within five minutes of when he had returned home. He groaned quietly as he came out of whatever dream he must have been having. I smiled as his eyes opened slowly, closing them again as the light registered. His face scrunched together before he pulled me into him again.
"Hey." He whispered, sounding groggy. I laughed lightly and pulled his arm off of my side, noticing that our legs were still handing off the side of the bed.
"You better get back to the hotel before everyone realizes where you are." I whispered as he sat up next to me. When news got around that Chase had left the hotel, the only place they would have to look is here. He would be by my side at every second if he could. He nodded slowly, raising himself to his feet before turning back to me and helping me up.
"I'll miss you for like... The next three hours." Chase said as he let his hands rest on my hips, glancing back at the clock to see it was eight fifty in the morning. I smiled and nodded before bringing him into a hug. I wasn't sure how I ever made it two years without him. Even with him being away for twenty seconds drove me mad.
"I'll see you in a bit." I whispered as he pulled away slightly, planting a kiss on my lips before pulling back once more.
"The next time we kiss we'll be officially married." Chase teased before walking out of the room, waving to me as he turned the corner. I smiled happily to myself as I walked over to my closet, pulling out the white wedding dress Tasha, Adam, Leo, and Davenport had helped me pick out. Davenport was actually going to be picking me up in a minute. Tasha was back at the hotel, making secure everything else was in place for my preparations. I sighed as I raced off to the bathroom to change into a tank top and shorts. It was the end of May, so it was hot in Mission Creek.
I smiled slightly as I heard a knock at the door before it swung open. Everyone in the family had a spare key. I walked out into the living room holding my dress in hand as I walked over to the door that held Davenport in the doorframe. He tried to lean coolly against the frame as he swung his keys back and forth. I rolled my eyes at the scene before me.
"You ready?" He asked. I nodded and walked past him out the door of our place. He shut the door soundly and made sure it was locked before turning to me once more.
"Were Chloe and Conner too much trouble last night?" I asked teasingly as he lead me down to his car. He laughed lightly as he shook his head, walking around to the driver's side of the car and opening the doors before answering.
"In a way they were, and in another they weren't. Tasha loves having them over." Davenport rambled as he started the car. I frowned as one thought came to mind. I had always thought he loved the kids.
"Do you like having them over?" I asked warily. Davenport smiled happily as he glanced away from the road and over to me.
"I love having them over. I just get picked on more than Tasha does. That's the only downside. But it reminds me of when you four were in the house. I still can't believe that all of you are going to be married after today. All of you are going to have kids of your own, too." Davenport explained. I nodded along as the thought of Chase and I being the last to get married fell upon me. Leo had married Jannel their first year in college, while Adam met someone special at our graduation party. He says, and I quote, that he looked at Caitlyn a different way that night. They've been inseparable since.
"I know. Jannel's about to have their baby and Adam and Caitlyn had their's almost a year ago." I continued for him. It was actually quite amazing how all of us had seemed to grow up so fast. Leo and Jannel were planned to have a little boy, unnamed just yet, while Adam and Caitlyn have a little girl, Annabelle.
Davenport parked the car slowly, almost as if he was leading into our goodbye speech before I was going to get married. We each knew that the second I got to the doors of the room that I would be too nervous and excited to talk. We would have to do it now. Plus, Tasha would get in the way. I hate to say it but she loved to talk.
"Bree, I want you to know that I'm very proud of you, no matter who you're marrying today. I know that I haven't been the most supportive about this through all the years that the others have been, but I am genuinely happy that you two found each other. I know that I have been reluctant to look past these certain circumstances, but I do think you two are right for each other. The only regret I have is what had to happen for it to come to you two today." Davenport said surely as he reached out to take my hand. I did feel bad about all of this, everyday actually. It never slipped my mind the way that he looked at me that day at the hospital. He knew for a fact that day that we were planning on running. The only thing that stopped us was the fact that Chase got shot. He knew that if he said no, that's what would happen. He would lose the both of us, instead of just Chase that day. Chase and I would have eloped that night as well, despite what we were.
"I know how hard it is for you, all of you, to understand. I don't even understand it half the time, how Chase and I fell in love. But I appreciate you letting us be together. If means more to me than you will ever know." I replied as I took his hand, trying to tell him without words just how happy I was that Chase and I could live a life together, with our family at that. I had been scared that day that we would lose all of them forever. I knew running would be best back then, it may still be now. But I didn't know if I would be able to handle that kind of commitment. Not being able to see the rest of the people that meant the world to me.
"I'm just happy that you two are happy. Now, you better go get ready with Tasha before she drags you in there herself." Davenport finished before reaching over for a hug. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling away quickly and picking up my dress from the back, making sure it wasn't wrinkled too bad.
"Thank you." I whispered before I got up and out of the car. He smiled and waved slightly as I shut the door and walked over to the hotel. I took in a deep breath before stepping inside to see practically all hell had broken lose in the reception area. I smiled politely as I walked back, my room key in hand as I walked back to the room Tasha had instructed me to meet her in. I slipped the key in only to see a small green light blinking, meaning I could enter the room. I smiled and walked inside to see Tasha had everything set up around the room.
"Bree!" Tasha squealed as she set down the curler. Half of her head held curls while the other half held the frizzy mess that I knew myself all to well. I had always looked that way when I curled my hair.
"Hey. Where should I put-"
"The dress? You can hang it up in the closet around the corner. I'll be ready in a minute and then we'll get you ready. We only have two hours to do your hair and makeup!" Tasha instructed before racing back to the bathroom and quickly curling the rest of her hair. I smiled and hung up the dress before sitting down on the chair set up in front of the mirror. This was going to take a while.
I sighed as I let my elbow rest against the table in front of me. Tasha had turned this room into wedding central. She had the curler currently, but soon enough I would think she would be using it on me. I smiled as she ran around the corner and set the curler down on the table in front of me. I sat back and glanced up at her with a smile before she clapped her hands together.
"Let's get you ready!"
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"There. How do you like it?" Tasha asked as she pulled away. I nodded happily as I turned away from the mirror. She had pulled my hair into a side bun with my bangs hanging in curly tendrils to frame my face. I smiled and jumped up, seeing we only had half an hour to get my dress and shoes on. I took in a deep breath before walking calmly over to he dress. I carefully set it out on the bed and took it out of its plastic cover before taking off my regular clothes. I slipped on the high heels I had picked out before pulling the dress on. Tasha came running to my side quickly after to help me zip up the back.
"You look gorgeous." Tasha gushed as she held her hands over her mouth. I laughed and walked around to the mirror to see for myself. I knew this dress was the one the second I saw it.
"You better get dressed." I ordered as I spun around to point to Tasha. Her eyes widened slowly before she ran back to the bathroom and pulled on her dress. We still had fifteen minutes before the ceremony would start.
"You want to head down?" Tasha asked as he held her hand bag with her. I sighed and glanced back to myself once more before nodding, knowing this would be as ready as I would need. Caitlyn held my bouquet down by everyone else who was scheduled to be walking down the isle. Adam and Leo were co-best men while Caitlyn was my maid of honor. Davenport and Tasha were both walking me down the isle.
"Let's go." I whispered as Tasha linked her arm with mine. I smiled as she lead me down to the room that would lead me to a life with Chase. We stopped as we got to the large doors that were keeping the glorious sight of the alter and my soon to be husband from me. I turned as I glanced around to see everyone was in place. Chloe stood at the front of the line, holding a basket of roses petals in her hand. Next stood Adam, Caitlyn, and Leo, ready to take their place up front. Then, there was us, Tasha, and I, as we waited for Davenport joined us.
"Hey." Davenport called as he and Conner raced over. I smiled and held out my arms to him as he smiled and came over to me.
"Hey." I whispered as I hugged him tightly. He was taller than me by at least an inch and a half. He and Chase happened to be the same height.
"Hey. You ready for this?" He asked teasingly. I nodded and motioned to his sister.
"If you get her attention can we get a picture of all of us?" I asked hopefully. Conner laughed and nodded before running along the line and motioning for us to take a picture. I smiled as I opened my arms for Chloe and Conner to come and stand next to me. The photographer held the camera steady as he waited for the group to get into place. Davenport stood happily next to Conner as Tasha took her place next to Chloe. Caitlyn walked over and took a seat in front of me, Adam and Leo following, sitting on one knee. The photographer smiled as she got the shot, motioning for us to get into place as the music began slowly. Chloe took a deep breath as they opened the doors for us. I breathed slowly as we made our way closer and closer to the now open doors, loving the fact that everyone I loved was all here. Chloe reached the front of the alter and took her seat in the front row while Adam, Caitlyn and Leo walked ahead in front of us. Davenport and Tasha stopped me as we reached the threshold of the room.
"What?" I whispered as I tried to pull forward.
"You don't walk out behind everyone else." Tasha whispered teasingly. I rolled my eyes at the two, watching as the three finally moved away and to their places. The air seemed to leave my body as soon as I could see the sight before me full on. I felt a smile grace my face as I caught his sight, him seeming just as airless as I was. He smiled happily, staring right into my eyes just as I was into his. I held myself high as I attempted not to use my bionics to race over to him. We each smiled happily, forgetting about all the others. Not caring that Davenport and Tasha were instructing me of what would happen next, claiming that they were experts in this particular field. We stopped just at the bottom of the alter, him and I never breaking our stare, before the two left me to step up and marry the man of my dreams. The one person I had lost for two years of my life. The one person I was never supposed to fall in love with. The one that took a bullet for me so many years ago now. The one I couldn't picture my life without.
Chase.
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