Chapter 40: Epilogue

Chapter forty: Epilogue (Ellie's POV)

"Noah, get back here!" I huffed. This child will be the death of me.

"No," he stomped before continuing to run around the place, around the kitchen counter, hiding from me.

"Noah, come on. Why do you trouble me like this?" I whined.

"No!" he yelled.

"Noah..." I said slowly and warningly.

"No," he shook his head repeatedly.

"I'm going to count to three. One... Two..."

He huffed in defeat, stomping over to me while whining. "Mommy!" he tugged at my shirt.

"It's just a little bit of medicine Noah. Once your throat is all fine you can have all the popsicles you want. And I'll give you chocolate right after," I said while brushing his hair out of his face before picking him up and hoisting him onto my hip as I seated him on the kitchen counter.

Are all kids this fussy when it comes to medicine? God knows what I did to my mother.

"Daddy says you bwibe me," he slurred while I pulled his thumb out of his mouth. He and his dad. I swear it...

He's still an idiot, just in case you're wondering.

"It's a reward. You're too young to know what a bribe is, darling," I mumbled before feeding him his cough syrup.

His nose scrunched up in disgust so I handed him his sipper cup which he chugged down before looking at me with a frown. "Can I go pway?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head.

"Why?" he whined, sticking his bottom lip out.

"You didn't give me a kiss," I folded my arms across my chest.

He stood up on the counter slowly before kissing my cheek. "Now?" he asked.

I picked him up and placed him on his feet, standing on the ground. "Off you go," I grinned. He ran, stumbling over his own feet as he reached the backyard where he ran up the steps of the playset before going down the slide, his spiderman figure in his hand.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Hello," he said while I felt arms going around my waist and kisses being peppered onto my neck.

I turned to face him, turning the stove off. "You told my son I bribe him?!" I exclaimed.

"No," he said, his hand itching up to his ear.

Still the same tell.

"Zach!" I shrieked, smacking his arm with the rag.

"Well, I bribe our daughter. It's what all parents do, come on," he chuckled, locking his arms around my waist and kissing me to shut me up. Basically. "Speaking of, is Olivia home?" he asked, looking around while loosening his tie.

"No, she's out with my mom," I replied while he stepped away and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

I love it when he wears his shirts like that.

"Your mother always steals my daughter on the weekends," he shook his head while Noah came out from the backyard with Spencer. Still single Spencer. I think he's just grown accustomed to being the single one, he quite enjoys it now.

"Daddy!" Noah yelled while running over to Zach.

"Hey, spiderman," Zach said while picking him up, holding him on his hip.

"I'm done babysitting. Bye Noah," Spencer high-fived him before grabbing his stuff and heading out, giving me a quick hug on his way out. We all fell out of touch during college but fell right back into old habits later.

It was just Zach and I in college. After all the ups and all the downs, we made it. We got married, and now we have two little monsters. Twins. Just like he wanted. Olivia and Noah. Just like he wanted.

"What did you do today?" Zach asked while placing Noah on the counter, standing in front of him, kicking his shoes off and unbuttoning his shirt.

"I watched spiderman and then Uncle Spence came over and we pwayed soccer, and then gwandma took Olivia for some tea. What was it, mommy?" he asked. They're four years old and my mom has her at tea parties.

"Tea parties? Our daughter is at a tea party?" Zach asked.

"No," I rolled my eyes, "Our daughter was out shopping the entire day. She probably stopped by with her friends and just took Olivia with her, they should be back any min- there they are," I sighed while getting the door when the bell rang.

"Mommy!" she screamed, running over to me.

"Liv!" I laughed while picking her up. I kissed her cheek before setting her down.

"Daddy!" she yelled doing the same thing.

I laughed while turning to my mom. "You just had to give her that popsicle. She's sick, mom. Did you even give her the syrup?" I laughed.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"She has it all over her face," I shook my head, glancing at Zach who sat with both of them in front of him while he talked with them both.

"Oh well, she's my only granddaughter. I'll spoil her as much. I'm coming by tomorrow, taking Noah to the movies," she stated.

"Sorry, mom. We've got plans," Zach said while walking over.

"What?" Her shoulders slumped.

"We're going to the movies, I have a date with your daughter after that. Would you mind keeping the kids for the night?" he asked, giving me a wink.

Still the same.

"Not at all, what kind of stupid question is that?" she scoffed.

"Bye gwandma!" they yelled before jumping on the couch together.

"Bye mom," I hugged her and so did Zach before walking her to her car. He came back in and we closed the door before I finished up dinner. Learning to cook was hard. So hard. Definitely worth it though.

"Chicken and veggies for you two, I want all that broccoli finished, okay? Then you can get chocolate," I whispered while taking them to the counter while Zach went to freshen up. He came back down in nothing but sweatpants.

Definitely still the same.

We're only twenty-three. How much could he really change?

"Chicken and veggies? Where's the pasta, mom?" he asked, smirking at me.

"No pasta for the sick tonight," I replied, "Chicken and veggies for everybody."

The three of them all frowned, giving me dirty looks before eating up anyway. Once we all finished, Zach cleaned up, I put the kids to bed, making sure they changed and brushed their teeth.

I went back downstairs where Zach and I spent hours talking on the couch. We were kissing when Olivia came downstairs, her teddy in her hands as she rubbed her eyes. "Noah wants ice cweam again," she mumbled.

"Pwease?" he stuck his head from the top of the stairs.

"Come on over here," I sighed. Olivia came and sat with Zach in his lap while I pulled Noah up on mine. I can't believe I went through labor twice. For ice cream eating devils. That I love to death, no doubt.

"Mommy, pwease?" Noah looked up at me.

I looked at Zach and he left it up to me. I don't like watching them cry and whine. It's annoying, but it's heartbreaking.

"One scoop. Then no more till you're throat is all fine again. Okay?"

His face brightened, his grin growing on his face as it always should.

"Olivia?" She nodded as well so I went and got them both a scoop each before sitting down.

"Mommy, can we watch Spiderman?" Noah asked, his spoon still in his mouth.

"Not again," Zach and Olivia whined.

I smacked Zach upside the head.

"Daddy, I wanna watch Barbie!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Zach shrugged. I did it on Noah's behalf and he did it on Olivia's.

And of course, as I should have, I won. "Ha!" I rubbed it in Zach's face before high-fiving Noah.

"Can we watch Barbie after this?" Olivia said, tripping over a few of her words.

"Of course, we can," Zach said, kissing the top of her head. They fell asleep on the couch that night while watching Barbie. All these years later and I'm still stuck with this idiot, accompanied by his kids. But they're all mine, and I couldn't ask for anything more from the world.

My world starts and ends with the three of them. With my family. With my husband and my kids. This is my world, and it always will be.

The last thing Zach mumbled before dozing off was, "I love you," as he squeezed my hand.

I slowly stood up, scooping up Noah and tucking him in upstairs before doing the same with Olivia. I came back downstairs to the biggest baby here and lay him down on the couch itself, grabbing a spare blanket from the laundry room before lying down with him.

"I love you, Ellie," he said, wrapping his arms around me.

"I love you too," I said, kissing his cheek before we dozed off right there.

Just like he remained the same, so did we.

Still the same lovebirds. High school sweethearts. Still the same.

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Chapter forty

And that's that <3

Thank you all so much for reading, voting, and commenting on this book, I love every single one of you.

<3