Epilogue

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*1 year after the wedding*

// Sam's POV \\

I sat up in bed, trying my best to hold back the next wave of nausea. It had been this way for a few days now, but I refused to go to the doctor, brushing off the incident as a small issue like the flu.

Ian walked in our room and sighed when he saw me, a pale and sweaty mess trying my best not to just throw up on the carpet in front of me.

"You really should go to the doctor Sam. If you ARE sick, you could get medicine instead of just sitting here and not getting better."

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to speak, but ended up rushing to the bathroom before I could make out any words.

Maybe it WAS time to go to the doctor.

*the next day*

"So, Mrs. Hecox. After looking at your tests and thinking about what you've told us yourself, we think it's best for you to take a pregnancy test. Your symptoms right now all match up, so it's worth a try."

I bit my lip and just nodded, unable to respond in actual words that would make sense.

*later that day*

I pulled into the driveway, my entire body filling anxiety when I saw Ian's car in the driveway. I was gonna have to tell him this right now, no preparation.

I was in fact pregnant, but I was terrified that we weren't going to be able to handle it. Or maybe Ian would change his mind about having a family with me. Or he could laugh in my face. Or I could end up getting myself kicked out. A million thoughts raced in my head as I mindlessly walked up to the door and went inside.

Ian was standing in the kitchen working on dinner without a care in the world. I tried my best to slip past him, but my spy skills weren't up to par.

"Hey babe, how was it? Did they find out what's wrong?" He abandoned his cooking and came over to pull me into a tight embrace.

I took a deep breath before slowly pushing him away.

"Yeah, they found out."

I looked down at the floor and played with my fingers for a moment before blurting out the words I never thought I would.

"Ian, i'm pregnant."

I looked back up to see his reaction, and a weight was lifted off my chest when I saw a huge smile on his face.

He picked me up and held me tightly as he twirled around and giggled.

"I'm gonna be a dad, i'm gonna be a dad!!"

*months later*

We were in the hospital, I was laying in my bed in the recovery room I had been put in, holding my little miracle. She was beautiful.

"Hi Grace, it's lovely to finally meet you.." Ian whispered as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

I smiled and continued to hold on to her tightly, afraid to let her go since we had finally gotten her.

*a few years later*

I set the pregnancy test down on the kitchen counter while Ian continued to sip his morning coffee. At first he just raised his eyebrows and looked a me like I was crazy, but then he realized what was going on and chuckled.

"So you're telling me we're gonna have 2 kids running around here now?"

I looked down at the floor sheepishly and nodded. I should have known he wouldn't be a big fan of having multiple kids.

Surprisingly, he tilted my chin up so I was closer to his face and let out a small giggle before pecking my cheek.

"Perfect, absolutely perfect."

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And so the years went on, and the kids got older. Grace was now in high school,specifically her senior year. I honestly did not believe she was going to graduate. It felt like just yesterday that I graduated myself.

We had our son a while back too, and his name is Brendon. He's currently about to make his way into high school, which just means Ian and I will be alone in this big house all the time if he plans to stay out of the house as much as Grace did.

My heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces, but I knew all families had to grow apart. If I can make it all these years without my parents by my side, then I certainly would be able to handle my kids growing up like everybody else.

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All the students threw their caps and gowns into the air as tears welled up in my eyes. Parents, siblings and friends ran frantically off the bleachers of the stadium as the graduates stood up and hugged each other in celebration. My eyes searched the crowd very carefully for Grace, and it only took me a few moments to spot her. She had become a beautiful young lady and her boyfriend was the sweetest man she could have ever met.

Her life was a literal fairy tale, and she sure as hell deserved it after all the work she had to do just to get into this world.

I held her tightly in my arms, just as tight as I did when I first saw her little face wrapped up in a pink blanket at the hospital just 18 short years ago.

Ian joined us and soon enough Brendon did too, even though he didn't want to admit that he was proud of his sister.

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2 graduations this spring. The years kept going by, and now Brendon was leaving high school and Grace was about to get her bachelor's degree in music therapy.

Our house was going to be the quietest that it's been in a long time. I was terrified of that.

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Each day seems to go by slower with just me and Ian in this old house. Grace and Brendon call and visit often, but it's not the same. I'm just so proud of both of them for being able to manage so well in the world by themselves. I just happen to really miss them too.

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Today I looked in the mirror and saw something that I had forgotten about.

My necklace.

After all this time, I still wore it. My love was never-ending, so I guess I just got used to it being around my neck.

I walked into the bedroom where Ian was on his laptop, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration as he worked on some project.

I sat down on the other side of the bed and flicked my lamp off, leaving the room in complete darkness except for the laptop screen, but after a few minutes he gave up and shut the laptop, engulfing the room in complete blackness.

Ian lied down in bed and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I still managed to get butterflies over things like this, despite the fact that we had been together for years now.

"Ian wull you promise me something?"

"Yes babe, anything."

I smiled to myself and clutched my necklace before speaking.

"Will you promise to never forget me? Even when we die, and our souls move on to other bodies. You'll still love my soul, and even though we'll be apart we can come together again somebody."

"I loved you before I met you, and I'll love you even after I've forgotten you."

i'm yours // i.h.Where stories live. Discover now