A few months later, a courier knocked on Chloe's door to deliver a large, thick envelope. After opening it, she went flying out of the loft and down the stairs to Beca's unit. She began banging on Beca's door and shouting, "Beca! Open the door Becs." By the time the redhead remembered she had a key, her girlfriend had managed to get her door open. Her hair was disheveled; a panicked look was on her face. She wasn't expecting such a ruckus outside her door.

Beca pulled Chloe into her loft. "Are you okay, Chloe? What's going on?" The DJ ran her hands over Chloe checking for injury.

Chloe waved a sheath of papers in front of her. "Look what came today! It's official. I'm a free woman. When I left New York, I only thought I was free. But now, I truly am." Beca took the papers and looked at the divorce decree before lifting Chloe and happily swinging her around.

"Congratulations, Chloe. I'm delighted to know I'm no longer dating an adulteress." Beca received a swat on the butt for that comment. "Easy there killer. Why don't you get dressed? We'll go somewhere to celebrate. Low key."

Chloe planted another kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, turned, and ran up the stairs. Beca was laughing as she shut the door behind the other woman. The redhead was so adorable when she was this excited. After changing into more suitable clothes, Beca went to her dresser and pulled open her sock drawer. She dug to the back and pulled out a small yet familiar velvet box.

Not a day had gone by after Chloe's accident without Beca pulling out the ring box and thinking about her options, her future, their future. She finally decided her decision was a no-brainer. She loved Chloe. Period. She'd talked to both Jessica and Stacie about her plans, and they both gave their blessings. And today was as good as any to put those plans back into play.

When Beca heard Chloe tromping down the stairs, she quickly shoved the box into her pocket and met Chloe at the door. The redhead dangled her keys by her finger. "You drive babe?" Beca grinned as she locked up her loft.

The couple decided on a newer pizza joint downtown. The restaurant had an eclectic beer selection and pretty good pies. Nothing sounded better that night than some cold beer and hot pizza.

Both women were getting full and picked at the toppings on the leftover slices since there wasn't enough to take home. Beca plucked a piece of pepperoni off and popped it into her mouth. "The last few months have been a pretty wild ride, huh?"

"You can say that again." Chloe dug off an olive.

"The last few months have been a pretty wi…" she stopped as Chloe popped her in the arm. "Owww. You said I could say it again. Geesh. Seriously Chloe. But honestly, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you. When I saw you…"

"Stop." Chloe held up a hand. "That's in the past, where it needs to stay. We need to move forward." Chloe found another pepperoni slice and held it out for Beca. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I didn't ever think we'd get back here." Chloe was staring off somewhere.

"Back here? This is our first time at this restaurant." Chloe only rolled her eyes at Beca's relentless teasing. Suddenly Beca got serious. "Chloe… since we met, you've made me a better person. Before the accident, I thought I was a better person, but now I'm convinced. I love you, your eyes, your hair, your personality, everything."

Chloe froze as she listened to Beca's familiar words. She couldn't believe this was happening. Again. Right here, right now.

Beca continued. "Chloe, I have gone over and over different paths my life could take. Each path leads me to you. I adore you, Chloe Beale. I don't want to spend another second of my life without you." She pulled the ring box out of her pocket and again kneeled on one knee. Beca looked down to open the box then back up at the redhead. "Will you marry me?"

When Chloe didn't answer her, Beca's fear began to bubble up inside her, threatening to make her flee much as Chloe had done at her last proposal. Terror crawled up her throat, choking her. When she looked at Chloe, she realized the redhead was crying.

Chloe got on her knees with Beca and threw her arms around her neck. "Yes, Beca. A thousand times, yes. I'll marry you."

Epilogue

Because of the different construction aspects involved and with never-ending change orders from Chloe, the builders finished the goat pens and barn before the house. Beca had arranged to buy some breeding stock and milk goats from another goat rancher. Soon, she and Chloe were going to have their hands busy with their new son, but the youth from the center would do the majority of care of the animals.

Donald helped arrange the non-profit status of Mitchell Goat Farms. MGF established a small board that in turn hired Stacie to manage the small ranch as well as coordinate volunteer and community service efforts. She had passed the farmers' market baton to another neighbor. Beca's intention was not to make money from the goats but rather to provide milk to several local shelters for their expecting mothers and infant children. If enough remained, the kitchens could find inventive recipes to use the rest.

Beca did face a bit of a dilemma when she shared her plans for the male goats in their herd. Her wife had locked herself in the bathroom in Beca's loft, crying inconsolably. The brunette wasn't sure how to calm Chloe down, especially since the redhead's pregnancy hormones were raging. "Y-y-ou can't kill our pets, Beca. I love them."

Beca sat down with her back against the door. "Baby. Come on, open the door. We can talk about this." Chloe refused. "Sweetie. The female goats provide milk. We can keep a few male goats to breed, but otherwise – all they do is eat grass and feed. The best thing to do is to butcher them. The shelters could use the fresh meat. I bet you could make some mean cabrito recipes." Chloe somehow began to cry even harder at this thought. "Babe, many cultures regularly eat goat meat. Where do you think our other meat comes from? Beef starts as cows. Chicken starts as, well, chicken."

"B-b-but …"

"Chloe! You aren't even a vegetarian. They are goats, not puppies."

Finally, the redhead calmed down enough to come out of the bathroom. She was obviously still upset, but she wasn't locked away anymore. "I'm sorry, Beca. My heart breaks when I think of any of our babies being taken to the butcher."

Beca didn't have the heart to tell her the goats would go to a slaughterhouse before going to a butcher. She compromised that Chloe could choose her five favorite billies and pick out collars for them that would identify them as Chloe's "pets" – or breeding stock. Those would be safe from the quell, as Chloe called it.

Beca and Chloe's new house was finally ready. Movers had come and gone with all the belongings from both lofts. The couple had picked out new furniture which suited their combined styles. All that was left to do was unpacking the small things.

"Our first night in our new home, Mrs. Mitchell." Chloe lay on her back with a pillow under her legs.

Beca had her head laying next to Chloe's stomach, hand rubbing her wife's swollen abdomen. "I know, Mrs. Mitchell. Just you, me, and this little feller." Beca lovingly kissed her wife's baby bump before crawling up to gently kiss her as well. "I can't believe we are going to be parents soon."

"Carson is going to love his Mama B. But don't forget about all the b-b-baaaaaaabbbby goats outside." Chloe tried to bleat like a goat.

"That was bbbbbbad." Beca tried to keep from laughing as she bleated, too. "Our son will adore both of us."

While Stacie had helped Beca design the goat ranch, her daughter had yet to visit. Bella immediately fell in love with the goats – the adult goats and the baby goats, especially the baby goats in pajamas. She pointed out the smallest. "That's my favorite one, mama."

Stacie squatted down next to her daughter as she looked at the tiniest goat. "Why is that baby?"

"She's wearing pajamas with yellow duckies!"

After running around a while, Bella came up to Chloe and laid her head against Chloe's large tummy in hopes she could feel the baby kick. "Aunt Chloe? Am I going to have a baby sister or a baby brother?" Her wide eyes were full of curiosity as the adults chuckled.

Chloe sat down on one of the chairs that Beca made sure were scattered around the property. "Oh Bella honey, this baby won't be your baby brother or sister. He'll be more like a cousin."

Bella furrowed her eyes before running over to her mother and lightly punching her in the thigh. She crossed her arms and screwed her face into a huge pout. "Mama! You said I was getting a baby brother or a baby sister. Not fair! I want to be a big sister."

The meaning behind Bella's statement hit Beca and Chloe at the same time. Chloe struggled to push herself out of the chair and waddled over to her friend. "Stacie Conrad! Are you pregnant?"

.

Epilogue Plus – Wrapping Up Loose Ends

Five Years Later

Beca kept her eye on a wiry young man with dirty, stringy hair who was walking around the farmers' market with a partially full duffle bag slung over his shoulder. She was trying to divide her attention between that teenager and her wife who was trying to split hers between Beca and their five-year-old son, Carson.

"Do you think we need to keep our stand at the farmers' market, Becs?" When Chloe had opened up her doll business to online orders, her sales skyrocketed. She had to limit her orders towards the end of her pregnancy to keep up with the demand during the strains of her pregnancy and to take care of Carson. But their son was starting Kindergarten in the fall. She'd have a little more time to knit.

"Hhhhmmmmmm."

"Beca Mitchell. Are you even listening to me?"

About that time, the teenager with a duffle bag began to amble their direction. Beca tensed up.

"Amber?" The young man looked at Chloe questioningly. Beca quickly positioned her body between the young man and her wife and son, holding her arm out protectively. "Amber, is that you? Ummm, I guess I mean Chloe." He looked at the redhead hopefully. Except for moving her son behind her, Chloe had frozen.

The teenager looked down to dig in his duffel bag. While his attention was drawn away, Beca moved her body backward, pushing Chloe and Carson even further away. The teen pulled out a tattered book and stretched it out towards the redhead. When she didn't reach for it, he placed it down and backed up as he sensed the adults' unease.

Chloe's curiosity got the best of her as she picked up the book. "'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle." She looked up. "Will? Will, is that you?"

He gave a boyish grin as he nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh my goodness." Any concern Chloe had was lost as she flew past her wife and flung her arms around the scraggly teen's neck. After a long hug, she held his face and looked at him for a bit. Then she turned back to her wife. "Beca, this is Will. I told you about him…" Chloe wasn't sure how Beca would respond but hoped her wife remembered that their own son was watching the interaction.

Beca gave a quick nod of her head and stretched out her hand towards Will. "Nice to meet you, Will. I'm Beca." She then turned and protectively picked up Carson. Beca told Chloe she'd watch the booth and pack up if she and Will wanted to talk. "Message me when you head back."

Chloe gave her wife and son a kiss before leading Will down the street. "Will, what are you doing here? How did you find me? I mean, I'm glad to see you, but what's going on?"

"It's a long story." Will's sigh was long.

Chloe stopped walking and looked at her former stepson just now seeing how gaunt and thin he was. "Will, how long has it been since you've had a decent meal? And I don't mean chips from a vending machine." He shamefully hung his head, refusing to look at Chloe.

They immediately went to a diner. When Will refused to order, Chloe ordered him a double cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. "There's more where that came from. You won't go hungry here, Will."

Chloe found out that Will was now seventeen years old. His grandmother had passed away a few years ago and left a reasonably sizable inheritance to Tom, TJ, and himself. "TJ got messed up into drugs and wasted his away and proceeded to steal most of my money."

"What about your dad?" Chloe still couldn't stand to say his name.

Will rolled his eyes as he shoved a fry into his mouth. "He violated probation once too many times. The judge threw him in prison. He's serving a full ten-year sentence upstate. I guess since I'm seventeen, the state didn't come looking for me. TJ is too messed up to know anything, stoned out of his gourd. I scrounged enough cash to get a bus ticket here in hopes I could find you."

When Chloe asked him how he found her, he said he remembered hearing his dad talk to his attorney during the divorce about Chloe being in Birmingham. "I snooped in his office and found some information. Did he really come here and do those things to you, Amber?"

"Remember, my name is Chloe now. And yes, he did." She stretched her arm across the table and put her hand over his. "But Will, it's all over now. I have a good life. I'm married to Beca, and we have an incredible son."

"I'm sure you're a great mom. You always treated me with respect, best out of anyone in my life. I guess that's why I came looking for you. I honestly don't have anywhere else to go."

When Chloe asked Will what his plans were, he shrugged and said he guessed he'd start looking for a job. "Let me check with Beca and see what she can do to help out." She glanced at the time on her phone. "In fact, the farmers' market should be closing soon. Hang on."

Chloe texted Beca to let them know where she and Will were and asked her to come to the diner. She had a milkshake waiting for her wife and son to share as they slid into the booth next to her. Knowing the couple needed to talk, Will excused himself, leaving his duffle on his side. Chloe gave her a brief rundown of Will's situation. "Beca, I can't turn my back on him. His dad is in prison, his brother is a druggie, and his grandmother passed away. He has nobody else."

Beca was exasperated but knew she wouldn't win against Chloe. After some discussion, the DJ relented. "He can stay in the ranchhand house at the goat barn and work with the goats for now. That will put a roof over his head, food in his belly, and some pocket change. When he turns eighteen, I'll see about getting him a barback job at the club."

When Will came back to the table, Beca explained what she had decided and laid out some basic ground rules. "Working the goats isn't as easy as it sounds, but my ranch manager, Stacie, will help you out. Chloe speaks highly of the boy she knew a decade ago. Don't prove her wrong."

Chloe smiled as she fixed a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade to take outside to the shop. She stood watching Beca directing Carson which tool to hand to Will then instructing the teen what to do to the engine of the Jeep. "I thought you might need to take a break and brought you something to drink."

Beca grinned as she took her glass. She pointed at Chloe as she spoke to her son. "Your mama used to bring me lemonade when I used to work on Old Blue here by myself. Sure is easier now that I have two helpers."

Will scoffed. "Helpers? Don't you mean…"

Beca cut him off. "Choose your next words carefully, boy." The tall, lanky boy was as easy to tease as Chloe was. "Finish up that lemonade. You have a solo test drive to do."

Will's eyes widened with excitement as he drained his drink. "Seriously? Solo?"

Beca waved him off with her hand. "Go on. You remember how to drive a stick-shift, right?"

He nodded furiously. "Yes, ma'am." He crawled into the Jeep, started it, and carefully pulled away from the workshop.

Chloe put her arm around her wife before quickly pulling away. "Ewww you're sweaty. Have you told him you are giving it to him yet?" Beca shook her head. "Are you sure you want to get rid of it? I know the Jeep is special."

"I don't need it, Chlo. I have a family now. Besides, it's Will. The boy has kinda grown on me. He turns eighteen next week. He needs something to drive if he's going to work at the club."

"Thanks for letting me take him in Beca. You didn't have to."

"He's a good kid. Oh. One more thing. Nick is getting assigned overseas again. He's looking for a loft-sitter. Think Will would be interested?"

A/N: I felt Will needed his storyline wrapped up. I felt leaving the young lad out to dry would have been cruel.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this story from the beginning. I appreciate every reader and give a double thanks to those who have reviewed,