Epilogue

One year later…

"Hey—no peeking!"

"Do you want me to trip and break a limb?"

"That's why I'm steering you."

"Where are we anyway?"

"Patience, Grasshopper. Stop asking so many questions and concentrate on walking." Edward rests his hands on the tops of my shoulders as he guides me along. As soon as we got out of the car he made me cover my eyes, even though there was nothing but trees as far as the eye could see.

The June air is heavy, causing my hair to stick to my forehead and the sides of my face. I'd been looking forward to sleeping in, but my fiancé wouldn't let me. Instead, he was up at the crack of dawn, banging around in our bedroom and dragging me out of bed. I almost didn't come, but he promised we'd get donuts from Glam Doll on the way home, and that was all I needed to hear.

"Okay, stop for a minute." Edward's hands disappear and I hear the sound of papers rustling behind me. I consider spreading my fingers out and taking a quick peek, but stop myself. Whatever this man has up his sleeve is important to him, and that means it's important to me too.

"All right—open up!" I drop my hands and blink, letting my eyes adjust to the blinding sun. When I can finally see without random colored, weird spots dancing in my peripheral, I look around. We're in what looks like a clearing, surrounded by trees. I can hear water in the distance, though I'm not sure precisely where it's coming from or what the source is.

"Where are we?" I feel like an idiot for asking. I'm sure there's something I should have caught onto by now, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the significance of this place is.

"Home."

I turn to face him, confusion written all over my face. "Home?"

He pulls a hand I hadn't realized he was hiding out from behind his back, holding a folder out to me. I keep my eyes on his as I take it. "Look inside, beautiful."

When I open it, I'm greeted by a hand-drawn blueprint. I cock my head to the side, trying to make out the scrawl that's penciled in all over the margins. "I can't read your chicken scratch, babe."

Edward grins and takes the blueprint out, closing the folder and putting the paper on top of it. "I bought this lot today. I'm building us a house."

My eyes grow wide as saucers. "But we have a house."

He nods. "Yes, we do have a house. But, it's in the middle of a development that's become much too yuppie for my taste. This," he gestures to the space around us, "is ours to do anything we please with. You can have your garden and not worry about the Mrs. Newton complaining if your sunflowers get too high. I can have a design studio, completely separate from the house. There's more than enough room, so if we ever decide to have a family…" Edward's cheeks flush as his words trail off. "And the best part is, I get to design everything for us."

I smile knowingly. "A Michael Graves style home." I look around at the space once more, closing my eyes and envisioning the things he's said. I think about summertime cookouts with friends and a bonfire pit where we can roast s'mores like we used to. I think about play houses and getting a French Bulldog, and imagine all the things I can grow without worrying about nosy neighbors interfering. When I open my eyes, I look over at Edward. "Will you build me a kitchen like your parents have?"

He closes the gap between us and rests his forearms on the tops of my shoulders. "I'll build you an even better kitchen than my parents have."

I stand on my toes and give him a chaste peck on the lips. "You had me at 'even better kitchen'."

He laughs and pulls me tight against him.

"Welcome home, baby.

.

.

.

Six months later…

Huge weddings aren't my thing.

I prefer small, simple ceremonies; ones that include close friends and family, and take place in calm, relaxing environments.

When Edward suggested we get married at the lake, I ran with the idea. It was where we first met, it was small, and we could do the wedding and reception there with little to no hassle.

Now, as I stare down at the daisy covered arch sitting beside the water, I know we made the right choice.

My mom comes up behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We're ready to start seating people."

I swallow the nervousness that comes out of nowhere and take a deep breath. I haven't seen Edward since yesterday morning. I'm not a superstitious person, but Alice and Rose insisted I spend last night with them, away from my soon-to-be-husband.

"Where are the girls?"

"They're down on the lawn. Under the deck." I give my mom a tight squeeze, inhaling her familiar perfume. Her presence is enough to put my nerves to rest for the time being.

"I love you, Mama. Thank you for being here today."

"I love you too, baby girl. Now, go make that wonderful man your husband."

I meet my two bridesmaids on the lawn and watch as the twenty people we invited to share our special day with us take their seats. Once everyone is in his or her place, and the first few chords of Ed Sheeran's "This" begin to play, the guys make their way to the arch.

My breath catches in my throat when I see Edward. His hair is styled up neatly and his jaw is clean shaven. His suit fits him perfectly, hugging his shoulders and upper arms just enough to show the definition there. He looks like a modern day James Dean, and for what must be the hundredth time today, I wonder how I got so lucky.

Charlie comes up to me and links his arm through mine. "Ready?"

I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek. "Ready."

Rose and Alice start their walk and, when Renee gives us the signal, my dad and I begin ours. Edward's eyes meet mine and any nervousness I had completely disappears. This man is my life, the one person the universe carved out for me. I resist the urge to let go of Charlie and run up the aisle. Once Edward shakes Dad's hand, he grabs mine, squeezing it tightly.

The ceremony passes in a blur. We say our vows, exchange rings, and soon, the pastor introduces us as husband and wife. Edward dips me down low and kisses me like it's the first time all over again.

Our friends cheer, my mom cries, and neither Edward nor I can wipe the smiles off our faces.

There are moments when life takes us in a direction we never expected.

Sometimes the ups and downs become too hard to handle, and we feel like throwing in the towel.

Other times, we ride high on a streak of luck that never seems to end.

And then there are times when kismet comes along and works for the better. Doors open, people fall into our world, and just like that, everything is as it was meant to be.

A/N:

Annie - Happy FAGE day! I hope that this story was everything you were looking for and maybe even a little more.

THANK YOU to everyone who has read, reviewed, and taken this journey with me. I saw quite a few names in the reviews that I've never seen before, so to anyone who is new to my writing, thank you for taking a chance on me. And to all of you who keep coming back whenever you see an alert in your inbox, thank you for sticking with me for all these years.

I just started the daunting task of reworking my FAGE piece from last year, Again, into what will eventually be a two book series. I have no idea how long that's going to take, but if you want to keep up with all my shenanigans, or just chat and be friends, find me over on Facebook (I'm Rhiannon St Clair over there).

xo

- N.