a/n: short but sweet (i hope)
also, is it weird that I cried a little writing this?
enjoy, vote & leave your thoughts!
- alex
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Epilogue
"being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. it means you've decided to look past the imperfections."
December 28th
It's Saturday. I'm eating a bowl of Lucky Charms when Tyler strolls in the kitchen, one hand behind his back and a smug grin on his face. I raise an eyebrow in question since my mouth is full but he just sits next to me.
"Hey, can you hold this for me?" He asks, dropping something small in my hand and when I look at it, I choke on my cereal. An engagement ring sits on my palm while I splutter milk and cereal everywhere.
"Why do you to ask me things like this while I'm eating?" I yelp and his grin widens.
"So is that a yes?"
Not even bothering to wipe my mouth, I lean over and kiss his soundly. When I pull away, he smiles and takes the ring out of my hand and slips it on my finger. He keeps hold of my hand, playing with the ring.
"I thought about doing something sappy and romantic," he shrugs, "but I figured that wasn't really us. You know?"
I smile, realizing how well he knows me. I start to make some joke when Clara dashes into the room.
"Did she say yes?"
I raise a brow. "You knew?"
"Duh." She says, hopping on the stool next to me. "I helped pick out your ring!"
"Well, it's very beautiful." I say. "Thank you."
Her grin is ear to ear and when I look at Tyler, he has a soft look on his face.
"You good?" I ask and he smiles.
"Yeah. I'm just ridiculously happy right now."
Easter 2020
"Oh, thank God." I say when I see Jo and his girlfriend Elizabeth walk through the door. "Can you take him?"
Liz grins and happily takes Hunter out of my arms so I can check the turkey. Jo kisses my cheek and holds up a bag of ice and bottle of wine in question.
"Fridge." I tell him. "And throw the ice in the cooler outside. Ty is out there, he'll show you where."
He nods and leaves. Liz is sitting at the breakfast bar holding Hunter and just like everybody else, is completely in love with him.
And I don't blame her. Even a few weeks old, I know that Hunter is going to be a little heart breaker. He looks just like his dada. He has Ty's brown hair but his eyes are blue like mine. I read that the eye colour can change which is a little disappointing but having a mini Tyler running around would be pretty cute.
"You guys thinking of having any?" I ask her and she laughs.
"I don't think so." she pauses. "I think Jo is pretty content with just Clara."
"And you?"
She smiles. "I'm good. I have everything I want and need."
It's a weird situation and we all knew it from the beginning but somehow, we are a family.
"Mom! Axel and Cole are here!" she slides into the kitchen, holding a box. "they brought cake." When she sees the baby, her face lights up and she runs over to where Liz is holding him.
"Awe, he's awake. Can I hold him?" Then she looks up as if she didn't realize Liz was there and grins. "Hi Liz."
"Hey Clare Bear."
The list of people Clara feels one hundred percent comfortable with and adores can be counted on one hand and Liz is on that list. It was touch and go at first because Clara wasn't pleased that she had to "share" Jo with anybody but in the span of a month, she was wrapped around Liz's finger.
"Where are they?" I ask, watching Liz put Hunter in Clara's arms.
"Out in the yard with dad and papa."
Clara made it very clear in the beginning that she had two dads. One was Jo, obviously and the other was Tyler.
The first time she called Tyler dad, he almost passed out and it was hands down, the funniest thing I'd ever seen.
"Axel said that Jax, Lauren, grandma and nana are on the way." She says absently, totally focused on the baby."and Maddie and Elliot."
Liz raises a brow. "Full house."
"Yeah, it's the first real Easter since-"
She nods in understanding. "I know. It's hard."
I just smile in return, going back to cooking. She starts setting the table until everyone else arrives and soon, the house is full of chaos.
I'm chopping vegetables when a pair of arms wrap around my waist.
"They're fighting over the baby, again." Tyler mummers in my ear and I laugh, looking over at Clara and Axel are in a heated staring contest. It's happened every time Axel visited because he just wants to hold Hunter all the time and Clara has a huge problem with it.
"My nephew."
"My brother."
Cole is sitting there holding the baby looking very conflicted and pretty uncomfortable. I decide to put him out of his misery by walking over and scooping Hunter out of his arms.
I look Axel and Clara in the eyes. "My baby."
Tyler starts laughing behind me and I crack a smile. Axel pouts and Clara just sighs and walks over to where Nellie is playing with some toys.
"I'll go finish chopping the veggies." Tyler says and I smile in thanks. Jo slowly walks towards me and offers his arms.
"May I?"
I nod and he gently takes Hunter out of my arms. I walk over and fall on the couch next to Liz, glad to have a break from cooking. I watch Jo walk around cooing at the baby and look at Liz.
"Are you sure?" I ask and she laughs softly.
"Positive."
The front door opens and when I look, Jackie, Jamie and Katie are walking inside. Clara races over, hugging Jamie and nearly knocking him over. She hugs Jackie and then looks at Katie hesitantly before giving her a smaller hug. We quickly learned that aside from the few people she warmed up to right away, it takes awhile before she's comfortable with others.
Soon, dinner is ready and we are all seated at the table. Everybody digs in but I sit back for a moment, watching them. Watching my crazy, complicated, but amazing family.
The family I never thought I would have. After everything that life threw our way, through my family falling apart, through saying goodbye to loved ones, one of them gone in a way nobody should go and the other without warning.
But then how we built our family back up from the bottom. How we stitched back together some relationships and left behind the ones that simply weren't meant to be. How we came out even stronger than before.
I guess it means that everything really does happen for a reason.
So later, when Tyler and I are laying on a blanket outside with everybody else inside asleep - he asks me the same question he had asked so long ago.
"What do you think would've happened if we never met?"
I look at him and he's already staring at me. I think back to the answer I gave him before - it wasn't what I wanted to say because at the time, I was terrified of what could be.
"Honestly? I try not to think about it. We have this amazing family and I don't think I would have been as happy as I am now if we hadn't met." I smile. "We have Clara, Hunter, and this family that I never imagined I would have. We wouldn't have each other."
He grins and wiggles his eyebrows jokingly. "Is this your way of saying you wished you would've let me pick you up in that bar?"
"No." I roll my eyes playfully. "You were a douche-bag and I wasn't an idiot." but I smile. "I think that you and I met at exactly the right time for both of us."
He rolls me over so I'm on my back and he's hovering above me.
"I couldn't have said it any better." He says and then kisses me breathless.