Never | Steve Rogers x OC

Chapter Thirty Six

Five Years Later

Brianna reached next to her, finding Steve's side of the bed empty. She had almost forgotten that he had one of his groups about moving on after the snap. When he presented her with the idea years ago, she found it to be a good thing. Sunlight filtered into the room through lace curtains. She sat up slowly, allowing her body to wake up naturally. She found herself to be in a better mood that way.

She felt the cool, hardwood floors against her feet as she planted them on the ground. She stretched a little before actually getting out of the bed to find something to wear. She slipped on a pair of jean shorts and one of Steve's shirts before walking downstairs. The smell of coffee filled her nose and she smiled when she saw a fresh batch in the pot. It was little things like that that made her love Steve more.

After gulping down a mug of coffee she made her way to the front door and slipped her muck boots on so she could start on her farm chores for the day. Four years ago they moved into her dad and Laura's house. Months after seeing her father drunk she had decided to check on him. When she got there, she found the house empty and with a note from her father saying he wasn't coming back. She didn't want the house to be vacant, so she decided to move in and shortly after, Steve followed suit.

They hadn't changed one thing about the house. The kids' rooms remain untouched. They just occupied the guest room. The only thing they did change was they bought a few farm animals; chickens, a couple of goats, ducks and a few farm cats. Every time she went out in the morning to feed them she would smile to herself knowing her siblings would have loved the animals.

Sometimes, very briefly, she forgot about the events nearly five years ago. That was the only time she ever felt at peace. She missed everyone they had lost every single day. She tried to keep herself busy or else she would fall right back into a pit of grief. She would garden, clean, take care of the animals, lay in Steve's arms all day. She found living with him pleasant. He wasn't messy or overbearing.

They had talked about marriage and kids a few times in the past years, but neither of them felt ready. Even after nearly seven years together. Brianna didn't know if she would ever get married. She thought it would be difficult not having her family surrounding her on one of the happiest days of her life. There were some times when she would have loved to have a few kids running around, but she enjoyed the quiet of the life they had made.

Her farm chores were relatively simple. Make sure all the animals were fed and had clean water. Make sure where they lived was clean and lastly she would go inside and gather any eggs from the coop. She always kept a basket hanging up on the outside of the coop. While walking back inside the house she would usually check the garden for any vegetables that were ready to be picked.

She walked back inside the house, kicking her boots off before entering and placed the basket full of eggs on the counter. She usually ate breakfast late; around 9:30am. She didn't have any real responsibilities so she could lounge around all morning if she wanted too. She heard the sound of their car coming up the driveway just as she finished putting cream cheese on her bagel.

"Bri?" Steve called out as he walked inside the house.

"In the kitchen!" She said.

Steve walked towards the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. He smiled at Brianna dressed in one of his shirts with her hair tied back in a loose ponytail holder. She took a bite out of her bagel and looked up at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked as she made her way to the kitchen table.

"Because you're beautiful." He said and joined her at the table.