The Heartbreaker's Home

Epilogue 1

5 years later

"Shawn, clean up your kick, and Hank you're doing great! Keep it up buddy, and we'll bulldoze the Fledgelings at our next game!" 

Grinning when the sandy haired boy gave a one-tooth grin in delight at his praise, Declan chuckled when his young protege's scattered to grab their equipment, gazing at them with a small dose of pride blossoming. He had graduated with honors from his sports medicine degree in UCLA just a year ago, and as promised, got his job as a coach for the Chicago Bears, an apprentice who will takeover soon when the current coach retired. On weekends however, like today, he liked to coach the little league. Something about the young ones made him grin. They reminded him of how he used to be when he was younger.

They reminded him of a lot of things too. Like how he was supposed to get going.

"Coach, didn't you say you were going to see Miss Kelsey today? Is she here yet?" his youngest one, Tim asked in his innocent voice.

Declan's eyes widened, and he bit back a curse. "Thanks Timmy!" 

Dashing to his car, the dark haired male tossed his sweaty shirt in the backseat of his car, pulling on a fresh black shirt as he pulled into the freeway, dashing towards the O'Hare Airport on the familiar route that he often took whenever Kelsey visited. 

They often took turns, and he goes down to New York whenever he could, especially during the off season. It was her break now though, and his heart did a little leap at the prospect of her sharing the next two weeks with him in his apartment in downtown Chicago, before she returned to prepare for her final graduation performance. 

It wasn't a big place, but it was theirs, something he had bought by himself when he finally could afford to tell off his father and cut off any relation he had with the man. Kelsey had helped him pick out the furnishings for the place, and since then, it had been their little nest where they found comfort in.

Swinging into the parking lot, he cursed the lineup to enter, and then made his way into a free lot, before killing the engine. Just before he jumped out though, Declan paused, and then turned to open his glove compartment, grinning when he saw the velvet black square box there. It had been there for weeks already, ever since the jeweler contacted him to pick it up. He had been contemplating on how exactly to ask the question, but since she was graduating in three months, he was still undecided if he wanted to pop the question now, or after she had graduated, in New York.

Closing the compartment with the question still on his mind, Declan shoved his car keys in the pockets of his khaki shorts as he sped walked to the arrival area, his eyes roaming to spot the dark head of his girlfriend, and grinning when her searching eyes met his in the crowd of people.

As always, his heart swelled at the sight of her, with love and pride. In the past 5 years, Kelsey had came a long way from how she used to be a scared girl hiding away in Redwood Creek. He made it a point to return home with her three times a year, once for each of her parents death anniversary, and once for Christmas. Seeley would meet her there, and during Christmas, Megan would join them for lunch together with Ayah and Jamie at Harrington House, where Frank would cook everyone a feast to enjoy.

"I've missed you." Declan murmured into her hair as he swept her up in a tight hug, words he always said everytime they met each other at the airport.

Kelsey returned the hug tightly, her face burying itself in his chest, as if reacquainting herself with a scent she had sorely missed over the past few months they had been apart. Her final year at Juilliard kept her busy, what with the senior dance production where she was in charge of the music arrangement and composition plus working part time as her instructor's assistant for junior classes, she barely had time to exchange texts with Declan, much less have FaceTime sessions with him. It wasn't till she spotted his face in the crowds at the arrival hall, did it hit her just how much she has missed her boyfriend.