A/N: I'm pretty sure this is the last chapter. Thank you for checking this story out, reviewing it, favorite-ing it… Your support means the world to me.

"So how did he ask? When did he ask? Was it daytime? Night time? Oh my gosh, look at that ring! Ahh, I can't believe –"

Marisol's voice echoed through the backyard, causing guests to look at her in amusement. Jake and Katie announced their engagement almost a month ago and Helen insisted they have an engagement party, since Clare opted out of a graduation party.

It was the usual gang that showed up to the occasion, with the addition of Marisol and Mo. All the other guests were friends and relatives of the Matlin and Martin family. Everyone was spread out around the house and backyard and while Clare was surrounded by familiar faces, there was one face she was hoping to see.

Eli.

They kept in touch through phone calls but they hadn't physically seen each other in months. Eli was still working on the film while Clare was on the job hunt, managing to get a few interviews that seemed to be leading to positive results. They did their best to keep in touch, but it just wasn't the same as seeing each other in person. Both of them were getting restless with the distance.

Clare seemed to be more restless than usual as she kept checking her phone, waiting for Eli to call or respond to her texts. She hadn't heard from him all day, which wasn't unusual but with all of her friends currently "coupled up," it was obvious that she was the odd one out.

Alli walked up to her, "Maybe he has the day off and is sleeping. You did mention that he works long hours."

She sighed, "Yeah, that's true," she put her phone away, "I need to stop looking at my phone. We've gone through days of not talking before, this really shouldn't be a big deal."

"Maybe it has to do with Jake and Katie," her best friend said, "Since the announcement of their engagement, maybe you're looking for some stability."

Clare chuckled, "Eli and I were nowhere near stability. I don't know if we ever will be."

Alli linked arms with her, "I'm sure everything will be ok. Let's go back to the party before your mom scolds you for being anti-social."

She smiled and followed her friend to the living room, where the rest of the group seemed to have gathered. The girls were in their own circle – Marisol led the conversation with Katie answering questions and Becky listened attentively. The guys had their own conversation a few feet away – Adam and Mo provided the entertainment while Dallas and Jake laughed along.

The two found a spot by Becky and listened as Marisol continued on, "I always knew you'd get engaged first, Katie. I'm so happy for you! I hope Mo better be getting the hint or better yet, he better be getting tips from Jake."

Katie disagreed, "I'm pretty sure Jake would be asking Mo for tips. He was always better at the grand gestures. Jake literally asked me to marry him while we were in the kitchen."

"That sounds exactly like something he would do," Clare chimed in and the girls laughed.

Almost two hours had passed as the girls continued to talk and were eventually joined by the guys. A few relatives would come up to the newly engaged couple to say their congratulations before leaving. Clare could see Katie glowing at her new title as fiancé while Jake was equally as happy watching her. She was happy for her step-brother and Alli's words came back in to her mind – maybe she was looking finally looking for stability with a boyfriend. She was done with school, had a few companies that were interested in hiring her, and lived in a comfortable apartment with her best friend… Everything was falling into place.

Clare's attention deviated from the group but she glanced at all of them – Mo and Adam continued to joke around while Marisol and Becky focused on Katie, and Alli and Dallas were having a conversation to themselves. She saw her mom and Glen talking to some friends from church, which gave her a chance to look at her phone. All it revealed was the time.

The doorbell rung, but it went unheard by everyone except Clare so she dismissed herself. Expecting it to be a set of relatives, she put a smile on her face and opened the door.

Her smile faltered and for a few seconds, she was in disbelief. The person looking back at her had the same expression.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My parents…" Eli hesitated with his response.

Helen walked up to them and gave the new guest a curious look, "Are you by any chance Cece's son?"

He was a bit taken aback but responded, "Yes ma'am."

Helen smiled, "Your parents said you would be visiting. Unfortunately they're not here yet, but you're welcome to come in and join the party."

Clare looked at her mom, who just rolled her eyes, "You know that family Glen and I have been occasionally having dinner with? This is their son, Eli. This is the guy I was hoping to introduce you to."

"Oh," her voice was soft, "I didn't know. I didn't –"

"Because you never let me mention it," Helen interrupted before lowering her voice, "I know you said you didn't like me meddling in your love life but sometimes you have to trust your mother."

Clare looked at her mom then back at Eli, unsure of how to respond. Eli avoided eye contact with both women by looking past them and into the house.

Helen spoke up again, "Well, let him in, Clare. There's plenty of time for you two to get to know each other but let him get some food first."

She walked away as Clare stepped aside to allow Eli in. They shared a small smile and walked towards the kitchen. Before they joined the crowd, she reached for his fingers.

"Are you staying?" she asked.

He took a moment, "Yeah," he finalized and squeezed her hand, "I'm staying."

A/N: What did you think? Those last two lines was kind of referring to everything – Eli staying at the party and in her life. It's safe to say that they got a happy ending :)
Thank you so, so, so, so much for your support over this story! I'm sorry it took me forever to update it but I finally did it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story.