A/N: Not sure if the disclaimer is necessary. If you don't know which characters I don't own, please slap yourself repeatedly. Xx Ella

P.S. I'd like to specially thank all of my reviewers for leaving amazing comments. Thank you to wintertwist87, SinisterShadows, Arinna Black, not-so-average-07, TragicCure, Leave your hat on, Kermitfries, SleepWalks, Neith4Weiss, Hayley Jean, lovelylinds, Kris Death, casadora22, LacedWithLove, Obsessedfan13, Bookworm 305, QuietOne364, ILuvOdie, Ravvy B, babyicequeen666, blackwolfgirl87, .X.x, dramaqueen612, K., Reidsgirl18, tradingforeverx, Supernatural GilmoreGirls, Mico-chan, Serena2012, WritingxIsxMyxLife, boogabooga13, blondieluver612, and Miay255!

P.S.x2: This is it! The final chapter! Yay!!!

Chapter 17

I stood there, frozen. Was I imagining this?

"You okay?" He walked forward and placed his hands on my shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I stepped backwards, watching his arms fall to his side. "I think I just did." My voice was shaky. "Why are you here?"

"I asked your mom to take the kids to the park. I wanted to talk to you alone for a little bit."

I made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. I had never had so many flashbacks of our past come at me at such a force. Our wedding, our honeymoon, the birth of the twins, the first time we kissed, Justine the girl I had beat up for cheating on him in high school, Tyler. Everything came at me like one giant tidal wave and I found myself having to lean up against the wall for support. The tears flowed like rain from my eyes. God, I missed him.

"Hey," He grabbed me by my shoulders again, "Hey, sit down." He guided me to the leather couch and I took a seat, cradling my head in my hands. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want him to see me cry like this. I didn't deserve to cry. After everything I had done, I didn't deserve to feel emotion.

"How'd you know I was here?" I finally spoke again, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my mother's bath robe. It smelled like her.

"I stopped by the house and Miriam told me." He was looking out the window. I took the moment to study his features. It had been a long while since I had been able to do that. His hair was slightly longer. He definitely need a haircut. He looked like hadn't slept in days. But he was still attractive. He was still Reid. "I broke up with Gaby." He turned to face me.

"Who?" I was genuinely confused.

"The nanny." He laughed when he said this.

"Oh." I fidgeted with my hands.

"Eliza, I want you to know that what you did killed a part of me."

I closed my eyes. "You don't think I don't know that already?" I shot back.

"Just shut up."

I opened my eyes. He was sitting next to me.

"Just shut up and let me talk for once, okay?" His voice was assertive, in a gentle way.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"What you and Tyler did destroyed everything inside of me. I wasn't able to eat or sleep for days after you left me. All I could think about was you. I blamed you. I blamed Tyler. But mostly I blamed myself. I got caught up in work, I treated you like shit, I took you for granted, and I never appreciated you like a real husband should have. I'm not saying what I did or didn't do in this case, gave you any reason to cheat. But I know that part of the reason you did have an affair was because of me. And I'm sorry."

I sat there, silent, with my mouth slightly hanging open. Was he really saying this?

"I hated you for so long after that. I hated Tyler too. But it was hell living without you. And finally, I'm starting to put my life back together, I've got a new girlfriend, a new apartment, and then I come to find out that you just had my child. Again. I don't think I've ever been so confused in my life."

The lump in my throat only seemed to have gotten bigger, no matter how many times I had swallowed.

"And then I see you in the hospital, holding the baby, my baby, and it's like I'm reliving the pain all over again. I left that night feeling like I had died again."

He stopped talking and stood up from the couch. He reached out for my hand. I placed mine in his and he walked me to the front window, the window that faced the front yard.

"You see that streetlamp?" He pointed off into the distant.

I nodded. I knew that streetlamp really well. Reid and I had out first kiss right in front of it.

"That's where we first kissed." He turned me around to face him. I looked everywhere except his eyes. The guilt I had was unbearable.

"Eliza, look at me." He cupped my cheek and raised my head. I looked at him with wet eyes. "When we got married I made a vow to you, I promised to love you for better or for worse." He ran his fingers through my hair and I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling. "I broke that vow when I started up the firm; when I started neglecting you." I opened my eyes and saw that he too, was fighting back the tears.

"I broke a vow too." I reminded him. He brought a finger up to my lips to silence me.

"I can forgive you." He spoke quietly. "I can and I have. I don't know how long it will take for me to trust you again, but I love you."

I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He used his thumbs to wipe them away.

"I love you more than any other person I've ever known and I'm sorry I ever made you feel like I didn't."

So many emotions rushed through my veins. Happiness, sadness, guilt, anxiety, worry, love. I had no idea how Reid could forgive me. How he could stand there while holding the person who had stabbed him in the back and tell them that he forgives them. "Reid, I-I don't know what to say." I was being honest. After all, that's what he deserves… honesty. "I can't even look at myself in the mirror everyday knowing what I've done to you. I don't know how you could forgive me so easily…" I trailed off, watching the cars pass by outside.

"The way I see it, I can either forgive you and never let you out of my sight for the next thirty years or I can forget you and move on with someone else."

I turned to look at him.

"I could never forget you, Eliza."

He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. I felt like the girl I had been standing in front of the streetlamp, back on the night of our first kiss. Like the only girl in the universe that mattered.

I broke away first. "When I was with him, all I thought about was you." I admitted without shame. "All I could think about was how awful of a person I was and how better of you'd be without me. I was weak, Reid. I'm so sorry I ever hurt you."

We remained silent for a little while, watching the cars pass by. I watched as my mother pulled her SUV into the driveway.

"Eliza."

I looked back at Reid who was staring at me. He bent down on one knee but remained looking into my eyes. "Eliza, will you marry me… again?"

God I'm such a girl. All I did was sob after he asked me that.

"I'll take that as a yes." He laughed, stood up, and took my hand in his. He slipped the twisty tie ring I had made for him back when we were children onto my ring finger. I smiled as he kissed my forehead. This was it. This was how I was supposed to end up. Back in Reid's arms. It's where I belong.

"You Eliza, are going to be the death of me."

xx

10 Years Later…

Reid and I got married for the second time a few weeks after he had proposed… and I've never been happier.

Andy and Ahna just got their driver's license, even though we're still living in the same penthouse in the City. Currently, Ahna's obsessing over her boyfriend Matt (Yes, Cee's Matt) and the junior prom which is coming up in a few weeks. Andy's too busy researching the motorcycle he wants his father to buy him. Rebellion does run in the family.

Ava's fourteen now and completely obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. I have no idea who the hell they are, but I'm hoping they're a band and not a cult like Andy keeps telling me. Alex is ten years old and a poker genius. I really hope he doesn't discover Vegas one day, because then, we'd all be screwed.

Cee had been right, about promoting White Rose on the internet to increase customer traffic. We've currently opened shops all over the US and in we're going to launch our first European store in London next month. Once we teamed up with Addison, the designer I had known from my days in high school, our profits went through the roof. I think it's safe to say that Reid, the kids, and I are set for life.

The superficial, dependant, attention seeking woman I used to be has been replaced with a mature, independent, and free-spirited woman. I've grown into myself, which is a lot more than I can say for a lot of the woman I know now. I no longer depend on other people. I no longer need attention. I'm able to rely on myself. My husband and my children are able to rely on me. What more can I ask for?

It's funny, how love works. In high school, I was obsessed with finding true love and I was ecstatic when I had found it with Reid. He intoxicated me. He had shown me another world in which I had never dreamed possible. After we were married, our love turned to companionship. It was the other side of love that showed me what true love was supposed to mean. It was the neglect, the abandonment, and the infidelity that made me realize that everyone does get their happy endings, but in different ways of course. It was his forgiveness that helped me move on. I was able to come to terms with my guilt and repent. It was through his atonement I learned to love myself again.