Luckless Lover

epilogue

 Two years later.  

Zake's pov

Zake woke to the sound of puking coming from their bathroom. Steff wasn't in the bed next to him. He bolted out of bed and into the bathroom.  Steff was hunched over the toilet puking out last night's dinner. Zake took her hair in a fist and tied it up in a messy bun to keep her from getting it dirty. He filled a glass of water then rubbed her back whispering, "It's okay, baby." And "are you okay?" Over and over till she stopped and fell to the ground.

"I took a test," She said taking the wash cloth he offered. She pointed at the counter.  "It's positive."

"Really!?" His eyes widened as he looked at the test.

"Really." She shrugged.  "I am excited and-" She puked again. "Not."

He laughed. "I'll call Addy and tell her you're going to take a sick day. She'll take over the bakery."

"Okay." She puked again. "I think I"ll Stay in here today." 

"I'll go make you Soup." He turned to leave.

"Make yourself and Aly some breakfast." She tried to stand and slipped. Zake caught her just in time. "Ugh. I have to help. You can't do everything." She tried to push passed him.

"Oh," He took her arm, "No you don't." He sat her back down and went into the room and got some pillows and a blanket. He set her up then went out to the kitchen. Aly was sitting by the coffee table coloring. Her art got much better, especially her portraits. If she sees a person on the street that catches her eye, she draws them. she only has to see them once and they are in her mind forever. 

"Is mommy sick?" Aly said coming into the kitchen. 

"Yeah." He sat a plate of pancakes on the table. "Eat up and I'll take you to school."

"Okay." She sat up and poured syrup on her serving. "Oh, Daddy will you remind Momy about my art show in May."

"Yeah." He took the bowl of soup and plate with grilled cheese toast. "I'll tell her." He went back into the bathroom and saw that Steff was asleep in the bath tub with all of her bedding. He chuckled. He left her on the floor by the toilet and she had moved herself. 

He sat the bowl on the floor and tapped her head. She flinched and raised her hand, slapping his cheek. "Oh." He said putting a hand on his cheek.

"Ohmi gosh!" She covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry." She sat up and kissed where she hit him. 

"Hey," He took her hand, "I got you some soup." He gave her the bowl. just then Aly came in.

"Mommy?" She giggled. "Why are you in the bathtub?" 

"Because," Zake said, tickling Aly. "Mommy is silly. "

"Yeah." She giggled. "Daddy, it's time for me to go to school."

"Okay, princess." He stood, kissing Steff's forehead. "I'll be back. Will you be okay?" she nodded and took a bite of soup. "Okay, Aly let's go." He left, taking Aly's hand. 

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9 years later

Aly's pov

"Mommy." seventeen-year-old Aly wined. "I can't wear that to the prom." Steff held up a pink full-length dress. "It's a dance, you don't wear full-length dresses to a dance."

"Why not?" Zake asked.

"Because," Kasey, Aly's ten-year-old sister, answered. "She can trip on it."

"Or it can get stepped on." Tracey, Kasey's twin, added.

"Thank you." Aly nodded to the girls. Aly looked past them and her eyes widened. "That one." She went up to a red tulle knee-length dress. She took it to the dressing room and tried it on, it fit perfectly. 

"Who is this guy again?" Zake asked concerned. 

"Daddy, I told you," Aly said giggling. "He is Mark's son, Colin. There is nothing between us, we are just friends and we didn't want to go with Anyone else."

"I didn't even know Mark had a son."

"Remember that boy I watched once?" Steff took out her wallet. "The one that was a year older than Aly?"

"Oh yeah." he picked up Ian, their youngest son, and tickled him. "The one you teased me about, saying he'd marry Aly."

"WHAT!?" Aly stopped in her tracks. "Ew." Steff just laughed and shrugged. "Mommy," Aly whined again.

"You were five." 

"So" they walked out to the car. "That is so wrong."

"Mm-hmm." Zake teased.

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12 years later

'Mommy was right.' Aly thought as she made her way down the aisle, holding her father's arm. 'I am marrying Colin.' She looked up to see him standing there waiting for her father to give him her hand. 

When he did Colin leaned over and whispered, "I love you." Making her smile even more. 

"I love you, too." she whispered back. they turned to the minister. 

He said some words Aly only heard a few. "Do you Aly," And "Husband." And "Untill death."

"I do." The words came out on their own. She couldn't stop them, not that she wanted to. The minister addressed Colin and he said the same thin as she had. They sealed the marriage with a kiss.

Aly's mind wondered to their first kiss. that night when they went to the prom together. Colin, like the good man he is, walked home with her. She stopped at the corner of the street before hers. "Not yet." She said grabbing his hand. "When we turn the corner the night ends." She looked at her feet. "I don't want it to end yet."

He cupped her face. "Neither do I." He whispered. "I'm sorry, Aly, I have to." She looked up at him confused. His lips brushed against hers as if he was asking permission. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened. A car alarm sounded and they broke apart.

At the reception when he smeared cake, made by Steff, on her face, she thought to herself, 'till death? I don't think that's enough time.' She kissed him getting cake on his face and she had another flashback.

One of their dates, after the prom, was at a paintball place. It wasn't the kind with the guns, more like balloons filled with paint. They threw them around covering each other in the paint. h5e tripped and landed on the matted flooring. She held a hand out to help him up. Of course, he was stronger and pulled her on top of him. She kissed him and tried to push herself off. He pulled her back and kissed her hard. She ignored the taste of the paint on his face, instead, she focused on pulling a paintball out of her satchel and smashing it on his head.

"Oh!" He rolled over making her lay on the ground, one of his legs kneeling on each side of her, he did the same thing. She squirmed and he held her hands. "You can't get rid of me that fast." That small sentence made her think.

"What happens if we get in a fight?" she said giving up. "Or we break up? what happens to our friendship?"

"Is this not just our friendship?" He teased. Sitting up straight

She hit his arm. "Yeah, because I definitely KISS all of my friends." She sarcastically remarked

"Don't you?" She huffed at his teasing. "I'm kidding. nothing will happen, okay? I love you, always have."

Aly was taken aback. When she found her ground she kissed him. "I love you, too." She felt him smash another ball in her hair. She hit him again. "You'd better hope this comes out." They both laughed and he kissed her again.

'Till deth is definatly not enough time.'