One year later...
As Sam buttons up her dress shirt, the same dress shirt she had worn to the courthouse over a year ago, and she can't help but reminisce on that wonderful day.
Today, Sam, Megan, their family, and friends would celebrate their marriage since the two had skipped over having a traditional ceremony. It was something they had been looking forward to, and the day was finally here. There was an excitement in the air that was contagious, and the best part was that there was no pressure.
Other than the fact that Megan and Sam would be exchanging vows in front of a crowd of people.
"So, the way that this is gonna work..." Blair explains to the event manager. "We're gonna play the footage from the day they got married at the courthouse, and once that's done, Sam and Megan will exchange their personal vows."
"Okay," the event manager says. "People are already starting to get here, so should we open the bar?"
"Sam?" Blair asks. "Should we open up the bar?"
"Sure," I say.
"Megan's still not done getting dressed?" Blair wonders.
"She's probably still helping Ava," I inform. "I'll go check on them and tell them people are getting here."
"Sounds good." Blair stops before she walks out of the dressing from. "This is their party too, after all. People are gonna want to see them."
"We'll be out in a few."
Sam makes her way over to the door that's only closed halfway before she knocks to let her presence be known. She hears shifting inside, and Ava saying something to Megan.
"Come in," Megan says.
Sam peeks inside and sees Megan finishing up a braid and pinning it to Ava's head. Ava looks at Sam through the mirror and gives her an excited smile while Megan remains focused on hair spraying the hair style to stay in place. When they're done, Ava shoots up out of her seat and faces Sam completely.
"Do you like my hair?" Ava asks excitedly. "Doesn't it make me look like a princess?"
Sam laughs at the excitement on the ten-year-old's expression as she steps into the room to be closer to her family.
"I'm definitely getting princess vibes," Sam agrees and looks at Megan. "Good job on the hair style."
"Thanks." Megan laughs nervously. "Ava would of course pick a style that just screams extra."
At the mentioning, Ava spins to show off her dress, which she had picked out a few weeks ago. Sam remembers how quiet she had been when she had first met her, and how Ava's almost a completely different person now. She had grown into herself and gained so much confidence over the past year she was almost unrecognizable when compared to her younger self.
"Is Aunt Casey and Uncle Shawn here yet?" Ava asks. "I wanna see Ben."
"Why don't you go and see?" Sam suggests. "Blair said people were already showing up."
Ava bolts out of the dressing room, which leaves Sam and Megan alone. They look at each other and just laugh from happiness and Ava's antics. Since adopting her, every day had been an eventful one. It was something neither of them would trade for the world.
"I guess we should get out there too," Megan says.
"They can wait a few more minutes..."
Sam pulls her wife into her and plants a loving kiss on Megan's lips. There's so much emotion that surrounds them in this room it's almost like they're getting married all over again. Megan wraps her arms around Sam's neck and stares into those eyes she loves so much.
"I love you," Megan reminds. "But I really don't wanna face Blair's wrath today."
"You're right." Sam laughs to herself and gives Megan a nod. "Let's go."
Megan and Sam walk together, holding hands out of the dressing room and into the main venue, prepared to greet their guests. The space seems to be filling up quickly, and Sam spots Blair and Tony near the entrance, talking with Shawn and Casey. Ava had also found them and was teasing her cousin, Ben, who was sitting in Shawn's arms.
The two join their group of friends and family, Megan immediately going for Ben who recognizes her immediately.
"Glad you two could finally stop making out in the dressing room and join us," Blair says sarcastically.
"Ewww." Ava pretends to gag.
Sam laughs and hugs Ava's body to her own, where Ava giggles and struggles to get away from her. Then, in the midst of the teasing, Dane, J.C., and Andre walk through the entrance.
"Dane and J are here!" Ava exclaims before ditching Sam and heading over to greet them.
"Everything looks wonderful," Casey says as she admires the venue.
"It does," Shawn agrees. "I'm impressed."
Sam looks over to Megan who is watching Ava greet Dane and his family from afar. She has a big smile on her face that Sam finds contagious.
"Is your mom here yet?" Sam asks her wife.
"I don't think so," Megan answers.
"We should walk around and greet some of our other guests," Sam suggests.
They part with their good friends and walk around the venue, telling people hello and thanking them for coming. It's not a huge gathering, but it's big enough for it to feel like a true party, and eventually they run into Ethan and his current girlfriend.
"Where's Ashton?" Megan asks her coworker.
"She and Ava are around somewhere," Ethan laughs out a response. "I'm pretty sure Ava was waiting for us to walk through the door."
"No doubt," Sam answers.
They continue to greet and mingle with their guests, eventually finding J.C. and Dane for a nice moment. Considering the four got together quite often, whether it was for weekly dinners or babysitting, the conversation doesn't consist of overdo hellos, but rather joking about how the four of them were just together a few days ago.
"Um, Sam?" J.C. interrupts the conversation. "I think Blair is trying to get your attention."
Sam turns and sees her best friend frantically waving her over, which only means one thing. The main event was about to begin, and Sam and Megan's presence would be required. They part from their friends and walk hand-in-hand to where the audio and video are set up. Then, Sam grabs the mic to make a short announcement before they begin.
"Megan and I just want to thank everyone for sharing this day of celebration with us," Sam says. "It also means a lot that no one is holding a grudge for us deciding not to have a traditional wedding." The crowd laughs as Sam points to Megan's mother. "I'm talking to you, Ms. Beth."
Megan's mom just raises her glass of wine as the wave of laughter slowly dies.
"That being said, we do have a video of the ceremony, which we will play. Megan and I will exchange personal vows right after," Sam finishes.
The video begins and Sam reaches out and takes Megan's hand. Time seems to stand still for a moment when Megan's eyes meet Sam's, then they exchange smiles. Both can't quite believe it's already been a year since they became wives.
When the video ends, Megan is holding a microphone along with the vows she had written herself. She brings the mic to her lips and tests to see if it's on.
"And now for the embarrassing part," she says to everyone.
The crowd laughs again.
"Sam, I wish that I could pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with you, but for some reason I can't. If anything, I fell in love with you multiple times over the years. Like the moment you chased me down in the airport, and on a random morning when I woke up with you lying next to me. It happened one day while we were having coffee and talking about insignificant things... and when you confessed to me that you couldn't see yourself with anyone else."
Megan pauses and takes a deep breath.
"There are moments that I think there's no way I can love you more than I do at this moment. Yet, I prove myself wrong again, time after time, because right now I'm falling in love with you even more than I thought possible. Our relationship was never easy, but meeting your soulmate rarely ever is. I believe that's the beauty of what we share, and I feel so lucky to have gotten to marry mine."
The knot in Sam's throat makes tears form on her water line and her heart screams with emotion. Everything Megan is saying comes from the heart, and Sam isn't sure if her vows will be able to top Megan's.
"I look forward to spending forever with you, and I look forward to experiencing everything this world has to offer us. But the one thing I look forward to the most is falling in love with you over and over again, every day for the rest of our lives," Megan finishes.
She hands Sam the microphone while wiping her eyes at the same time. Megan's impressed with herself for being able to control the tears as well as she did.
Sam brings the mic to her lips. "Now, how am I supposed to follow that?"
The crowd laughs again as Megan gives Sam a wink of encouragement.
"Okay," Sam starts. "Sometimes, when people meet for the first time, before they even know each other, they feel this immediate sense of comfort, and love begins to blossom. Their hearts know that they're gonna spend forever together before their brain even comprehends what's happened..."
Sam looks up from her paper. "That's not what our relationship was like, at all."
The crowd laughs again, and so does Megan. Sam finds encouragement to continue as a result.
"Sometimes we have to be destroyed to rebuild ourselves into who we're supposed to be. You're the one that taught me that. You challenged me, you pushed me to open my mind, and you showed me what love – unconditional love – is supposed to feel like. Some people say your partner shouldn't try to change you, but you didn't even have to try, because simply loving you has altered my life in ways I will never be able to understand. I changed, for the better, because of you and your love."
Sam took a moment to steady her breathing before continuing.
"So, with that being said, I promise to never try and change you. I promise to love your stubbornness and cherish the little disagreements and compromises. I promise to stay up late with you when you're stressing over work, and to make your coffee in the morning just the way you like it. I promise to stand next to you, not in front or behind, and to support you in whichever direction you want to go, just like you've done for me for so many years.
And I promise to love you for exactly who you are, unconditionally, forever."
As the venue erupts into applause, Megan and Sam finish with a kiss that lights up the room around them. Sam sees her and Megan buying their first house. She sees herself coming home to Megan every night, not even being able to properly put away her things before rushing to give her wife a kiss. She hears Megan calling out to her from the bedroom while changing out of her work clothes as Sam cooks dinner. She feels the warmth of Megan wrapping those arms around her waist while Ava verbally disapproves of the public display of affection from the couch. She sees holidays, birthdays, and vacations...
And maybe, one day down the road, another little one to make them a very happy family of four.
When the kiss ends, Megan pulls back and smiles.
"I love you," Megan admits.
"Thank God," Sam teases. "Because that would've been really awkward if you didn't."
Megan shoves Sam playfully and kisses her one more time.
"Okay you two," Blair interrupts as the music starts. "You'll have plenty of time alone later, but now it's time to party."
"Party." Sam smirks. "Right."
* * *
A few more years later...
Nervous wasn't a strong enough emotion to describe how Sam felt right about now, but she knew everything would go well tonight despite it all. It kind of had to by default, because The Grind had been a small miracle of success since opening a few months ago. Their clientele would show out, she just had to remind herself of that.
Dane walks through the bustling kitchen and joins Sam, who is manically cleaning the tables for the third time today.
"Sam," Dane says as he puts a strong hand on her shoulder. "Stop cleaning the tables. They were clean the first time you wiped them down."
"You're right." Sam takes in a deep breath and nods in agreement. "I should be checking the sound system one more time, for safe measure."
Sam heads out the café and for the outdoor stage that was setup for tonight's band. Dane reluctantly follows her out and knows Sam's intentions are good, but he's worried she's going to worry herself to death instead of enjoying tonight.
Tonight is important for the dually-owned sober café, The Grind, because they would be putting on their first ever charity event while announcing their presence to all of Jacksonville. Sam and Dane's vision is clear, they just hoped other people would be able to see it as well. With a volunteer band and all proceeds made tonight going to a local non-profit for addiction and rehabilitation, things going well would impact more than just their business. It would impact their entire community.
That's when Dane spots Megan, who is talking about something with Ava as Blair carries Quinn, Megan and Sam's youngest. He feels relieved, knowing Sam's family is here to comfort her and hopefully tame some of her anxiety over tonight.
"Well, look who just showed up," he says.
Sam's head pops up and she immediately spots her family. A smile quickly spreads across her face while she becomes distracted with greeting them and no longer obsessing over checking the sound system.
"Everything looks really great," Megan observes. "Are you excited?"
"More nervous than excited," Sam admits while looking at Blair. "Where's Tony?"
"He'll be here in an hour," she says while bouncing Quinn on her hip. "He's got work until five and then has to go let the dog out."
So much had changed over the past few years, and Sam was convinced she was still recovering from the whiplash of how quick it had happened. Ava was now almost a teenager and no longer the shy little girl she was when she became family. Now that she was going to be a big eighth grader this year, she was quickly exhibiting the normal teenage traits that made Sam nervous. Megan was now teaching high school again and coaching their softball team, who were one of the best teams in their district. Blair and Tony had moved to Jacksonville soon after Blair had graduated college, along with Dane, J.C. and Andre, wanting to join Megan, Sam, Shawn and Casey as soon as possible.
And then Quinn was born, almost an entire year ago, who had made life even more exciting for the Carsons.
When Megan had expressed her desire to carry a child to Sam, a plan was made, and a wish fulfilled. Quinn resembled both Megan and Sam, even though she only shared Sam's DNA, but the donor had been specifically picked to have Megan's key traits. She was bold like Sam and sweet like Megan, which made anyone fall in love with her immediately.
Blair hands Quinn over to Sam. "Is there anything else that needs to be done?"
"No," Dane says while joining the group of women. "Everything is ready to go."
"Are you sure?" Sam asks nervously.
"Yes, Sam," Dane assures. "I'm positive."
"It'll be great, love," Megan says while hugging her wife and child close. "Stop worrying so much."
"Yeah mom, stop worrying," Ava repeats. "A bunch of my friends are coming with their family tonight."
"Oh, well now I feel a lot better," Sam teases Ava.
Ava rolls her eyes while smiling under her hair.
Sam forces herself to stop worrying while remaining distracted with her family. Eventually Tony shows up, along with Shawn, Casey, Ben, J.C. and Andre. The support system is strong. Stronger than it's ever been, and that alone eliminates all worry from Sam's mind. She knows things will be okay despite if things go well tonight or not.
But things go well – like, really well – and they end up raising a few thousand dollars to donate while also drawing a massive crowd of people.
"This place..." Shawn nods to himself. "It's gonna be hit. I can tell."
"You think?" Sam asks.
"Oh yeah."
"Of course, it will," Dane includes. "I have no doubt about it."
"Hey, are we still on for grilling at our place tomorrow night?" Tony asks the group.
Everyone excitedly agrees in unison, which makes Tony and Blair laugh in response. Since all of them now lived in Jacksonville, getting together every weekend was now all but tradition. After receiving confirmation of plans for tomorrow night, Blair and Tony say their goodbyes and tell everyone else they will see them tomorrow. It doesn't take Shawn and Casey long to do the same.
"Why don't you get out of here too?" Dane says to Sam. "I'll finish up here."
"You sure?" Sam asks.
"Yeah." He shrugs. "You'll just owe me one."
"I can do that." Sam laughs. "See you tomorrow."
They part from Dane and The Grind, while Sam carries Quinn in her arms as Ava and Megan walk ahead of them to the car. When Sam straps Quinn into her car seat, she stands up and kisses Megan lightly on the lips.
"See you at home," Sam tells Megan.
"Can I ride with you, mom?" Ava asks Sam.
"What, is my car not cool enough?" Megan teases Ava.
"Oh, that's definitely what it is," Sam responds. "C'mon Ava. Your cool mom is leaving now."
"Drive safe," Megan calls out before climbing into her car.
Sam and Ava climb into the Camaro and Sam starts it up, the rumbling of the engine sparking excitement in Ava. Sam pulls out of the parking lot and heads for their house as Ava rolls down her window and hangs her arm out to feel the breeze. In the same moment, Ava turns on the radio and picks a cassette from Sam's collection. Fleetwood Mac comes through the speakers as Ava leans her head back and enjoys the song.
"Fleetwood Mac, huh?" Sam asks.
"They have this one song that's really popular on social media," Ava says. "I love it."
"Well, I can show you more of their stuff if you want," Sam offers. "I am the cool mom, after all."
"Keep telling yourself that," Ava teases.
Sam reaches over and pinches Ava lightly, causing her to squirm and laugh to herself. That's when Sam looks over to the passenger seat where Ava sits, but instead of seeing Ava, she sees herself. She's younger than Sam is now, with the same cunning look in her eyes, except this time, her eyes aren't haunted with pain. Young Sam is happy and free and everything she should've been at that time of her life.
Then Sam blinks, and Ava is looking at her with this glowing smile that holds a hint of confusion.
"What?" Ava asks.
"Are you happy?" Sam wonders.
She stops for a moment to think. Her long, brown hair whips around her face that's starting to take a more adult form while those vibrant brown eyes glow. Then, she smiles.
"Yeah." She nods. "Of course, I'm happy. Why?"
Sam shrugs as she suppresses a smile. "Just making sure."
Ava laughs nervously. "Okay wierdo."
Ava's trying to play it cool but Sam can tell she's telling the truth. Sam and Ava have a connection that allows Sam to read her daughter easily, and it surely stemmed from their similar experiences. Never would Sam have thought her history would help her rather than hurt her. Yet, it had granted her this sort of hidden knowledge when it came to raising Ava.
They beat Megan home by a minute and Ava rushes inside to probably charge her phone or greet Charlie. Sam waits for Megan to exit her car before reaching in to remove Quinn, who is fast asleep, from her car seat. She squirms when Sam picks her up, but soon nestles into her neck. When they put Quinn down for bed and tell Ava and Charlie goodnight, they fall into their own bed from exhaustion.
"What a day," Sam says aloud.
"Yeah?" Megan says. "Was it a good one?"
"Definitely." Sam turns to face her. "I can tell this new chapter of our lives is gonna be amazing."
"Everything seems to be falling into place."
They stare at each other for another small moment before they eventually close the gap between them. The kiss shared is long and sensual, but something about it tells them both that this is only the beginning. They had both worked hard to get where they were, and now they had built a life and family that they could both be proud of.
It doesn't take Megan long to drift off to sleep before Sam, which isn't a rare occurrence. Sam studies the contour of Megan's sleeping face and pulls her body closer. The wholeness Sam feels is overwhelming, so overwhelming, that she can no longer remember what it feels like to be empty, despite spending so many years that way. She can hardly believe how much her life had changed, but she never takes that for granted.
She finds herself grateful, not only for Megan, but for the other people in her life now who help and prop her up with support. Her brother, who showers her in validation and continues to encourage her. Her best friends, Blair and Dane, who talk her down and hype her up anytime she can't do it herself. Ava, the daughter Sam never saw coming, who taught her so much about herself and how second chances do exist, just not in the ways we think. And Quinn, her second daughter, who showed Sam great things do come after years and years of hard work.
Finally, she begins drifting off to sleep with a smile on her face. An excitement for tomorrow fills her stomach as she kisses Megan's forehead gently.
Then she whispers into the dark, unsure who exactly she's talking to, whether it's to God or the Universe or perhaps something else.
"Thank you," she says with a smile. "For everything."
The End