Our Ending is Near (AOT Sequel)

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Chase

Seeing the love on Nicole's face made my heart squeeze with a joy I didn't know was possible. She would be a part of this family—officially. Through the eyes of both wolves and humans. Nicole would be mine and I would be hers for the rest of our lives. I couldn't help listening in on their conversation.

Nicole hugged my mother again. "I swear to keep it in pristine condition."

Hannah would always try sneaking into that box, growing up—mom, smartly, kept it locked. I had no doubt Hannah would have bent it every which way.

Moving away from them, I headed out the front door, despite Nicole's request. I had something much more important to take care of. I threw up a wall in my mind, blocking out everyone—Nicole included.

~

A twenty-minute drive later, I was outside of an old two-story house. The outside was rundown and covered in a layer of dirt and grime—it was probably ten years overdue for a power-wash. Vines ran up the sides but the grass was cut short.

I strode across the lawn and knocked on the door. A tall gangly man, in a t-shirt and jeans, answered. His hair was haphazardly chopped at and graying, sweat coated his skin. I could smell the liquor on his breath, but from the look of his eyes, he was still mostly sober. "Who are you?"

"Chase Matthews, sir," I replied, holding out a hand. "I'm the man about to marry your daughter."

He flinched back, ignoring my hand. "Wha—Teresa!" He shouted, twisting into the house. "Teresa! Get down here!" He backed further into the house and footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"What is it, Pete?" She rounded the corner, looking from her husband to me. Coming to the door she shook my hand. "I'm Teresa Windshaw, is everything okay?" I could hear her heartbeat speed up.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything, I just wanted to stop by and speak to you both," I told her. "My name is Chase. I am engaged to your daughter Nicole."

"You know where she is? Oh, I haven't seen her in so long—come in, please!" She ushered me through the door, into a small, cramped living room. It was cluttered with clunky furniture and trash. "I looked for her—I did, I swear. I just...I figured she'd run off. She's an adult now, capable of making her own decisions. She's always been an adult, really—even when she was little. So smart and mature."

Yeah, because she had to be, I thought. "She's been with me," I said. "Me and my family."

Teresa sat both of us on the couch, her husband taking the recliner adjacent. "She didn't think to call?" Pete asked.

I sighed. "Well...a lot has happened these last few months—she meant to. I don't even know for sure that she didn't but...either way, I'm here now."

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Nicole doesn't know," I began. "She actually told me to work on some of the décor pieces for the wedding—that doesn't matter. I wanted to invite you to the wedding. I think Nicole would like it if you came."

Teresa shifted closer. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow."

Her face fell. "I...that's so short notice. I have a meeting and my report deadline is only a few days after that. I should—no! We'll be there. Bright and early to see our little girl get married."

"Teresa, hold on a minute, we don't know anything about this guy. We have no idea what our daughter's been up to. They're, what? Eighteen? That's too young to get married. Too young to do anything short of finish school."

"With all due respect, sir, this is real. And with or without your presence or blessing I'm marrying Nicole. I love her. I would die for her. I ask that, instead of question, you attend. She's your daughter, and she deserves parents who care."

I could see the both of them debating a response. Anger or humility, which would they choose? Teresa spoke first, "We will go. And we will behave. Like it or not, it's Nicole's decision."

"Thank you," I replied. "It will be good to have you there."

Though Pete's anger was evident, he held it in. "Where?"

"The Matthews Estate," I said. "It's about twenty-minutes away, on Brock Hill. Just ring the bell and tell whoever answers that I invited you—and that you're the parents of the bride. They shouldn't argue."

"So you're rich?" Pete concluded. "That explains it," he added with a scoff.

"I ask that you keep opinions like that to yourself." I stood. "I should get back, before she notices I'm gone." Though by now I'm sure she had. "Thank you for hearing me out. I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow." I only hoped they'd behave, as they'd promised. 

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Oh my goodness I updated this thing. What in the world?? Haha, I thought it would be a good time to add something to it. I think I might work a little more on it and try to actually finish it--no promises though, even this part was a bit of a struggle to get through, it's been so long that most of my time was spent looking back for referencing. 

I really appreciate all the support everyone has given me over the years, you guys reading this are amazing and I appreciate the patience. 

On another note if you're interested in my other happenings, I also make YouTube videos on a semi-regular basis (filming a new one tomorrow). I post a wide variety of things, including book reviews, hauls, makeup tutorials, and even ASMR. https://www.youtube.com/user/jazzberry400/

Thanks for reading! 

Jazminemh