Two years later…

“Do you think I should be worried she seemed okay? She didn’t even look like sad.” Ryan chuckled.

We’d just got home from dropping Aria off to college.

Our girl was officially a college girl and I was so proud of her. She got a scholarship to Brown’s and she had that over confident fire I loved.

“It’s a good thing.” I cirlcled my arms around his waist. “It shows we have a daughter we can be proud of. She’ll be alright and we don’t have to worry about her too much.”

He put his arm around me and held me closer.

We walked outside on to the terrace. He took hold of my shoulders and looked down at stomch that looked larger than life today.

Jesus Christ who knew that being pregnant could have so many wonders. Every day was different. I swore I wasn’t this big yesterday.

Six months in and I was a ball of love and everything in between.

I was all belly too. Like a kangaroo with a pouch.

“What’s he doing?” Ryan asked.

We were having a boy.

Ryan pressed his hand to my stomach and tapped lightly. The other day when he did that the baby moved.

“Sleeping, leave him alone.” I giggled. “Unlike you he knows when it’s time for a beauty nap.”

“Tell mommy we men don’t take beauty naps.” He lowered and spoke to my stomach. Then he kissed it and held it like he was holding the baby.

“Hey, I’m just trying to make sure he has a good balance from the start. That way your half monk side won’t rub off on him.” I teased him.

“Hey right back at you.” He pouted and rose to tower over me with his height. “You said you’d quit with the monk jokes.”

“I don’t remember making such a promise.” I poked his stomach.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Pretty certain it was part of our wedding vows.”

I burst out laughing. “What part?”

“The part about loving me forever and making me the happiest man alive. So its implied. So no monk jokes.” He nodded.

“You are so silly.”

He lowered and kissed the top of my head. “Can I enjoy a walk on the beach with my beautiful wife?”

“Only if she can enjoy a walk on the beach with her gorgeous husband.”

“All yours.” He took my hand and we proceeded down to the beach.

This was us. We were like this every day, and the love we shared grew more and more every day.

Two years and eight months had passed since I met Ryan and I felt that I was at a stage in my life where I could look back. I looked back and relished in the happiness I shared with this beautiful man.

I resigned from People Magazine when I decided to stay here in Wilmington.

My story on Sally was published and I got a big send off.

I then joined the North Carolina Times as one of their senior features editors months later on Sally’s recommendation and it felt like that was the moment my career truly took off. It was because I was happy. I was happy in love and I had a family, and friends who loved me. And I loved them back too fiercely.

It was great to see the beauty in all that happened around me.

All that I ever wanted was right here.

My bestfriend lived here.

My mentor lived here.

I had my sweet Aria, this beautiful baby inside me, and the very best husband in the world.

Ryan, my husband. We’d been married now for eighteen months and I was still on cloud nine.

It was amazing to see our life unfold. Our story was still filling out and we had the rest of forever to love each other.

It was a beautiful thought.

We stopped at our favorite spot and he lowered to kiss me.

“I love you Brooke.” He whispered against my lips.

“And I love you Ryan.” Those were words I would never get tired of saying.

What a great day.

And it was Friday.

I kind of no longer had anything against that day.

I didn’t have time to. I was too busy with life now to give a damn as to what day of the week it was and whether or not the day would be good or not just because it was a Friday.

With Brooke every day of the week was a special day.

The woman had me on my toes, and sometimes to keep up with her I found myself resorting to my notebooks.

We came back from the beach about an hour ago and retreated to the sitting room to relax by the fire place.

It wasn’t cold at all but we liked to have a fire going in the background while we snuggled together in the evenings.

With her ever growing stomach, these days our snugglings saw us at opposite ends of the sofa. She lay on a mountain of cushions with her feet on my lap and we’d talk about any and everything.

Tonight though she fell asleep within five minutes of the fire being lit.

It had been a really long two days for us, but more for her. We left with Aria early yesterday and had to endure that three hour flight on the way back today. Then our walk on the beach.

She had to be tired.

I left the sofa to grab a blanket and spread it over her. Then I grabbed my favorite book and sat back down, placing her feet back on my lap.

Ever so often I picked up this book because it reminded me of when we first met.

Her Ryan 101 notebook had become Ryan Forever.

That was her spin on what I did for her when I created my 101 things I love about Brooke book.

It seemed like such a long time ago now.

I flicked open my book. She’d given me mine on the night of our honeymoon and told me she would add more to it over time. At the time she’d listed over two thousand things she’d loved and learned about me and ever so often she’d add in more things when I least expected it.

The book had about ten pages left.

I flicked to the end and saw she added in another thing. We were at number 2015.

I laughed to myself when I read it.

It said:

2015: Ryan is a better father than he gives himself credit for.

I kind of needed that tonight. It gave me strength and inspired me, the way she always did.

It was her. I couldn’t belive al the ways my life had changed since having her in it, and all the ways I’d changed too.

All changes I was happy for.

Aria became this amazingly confident young woman I was so proud of, and here I was with the woman of my dreams, six months pregnant with my son.

It was hard for me to think I would ever be happy like this again after Olivia died. I just thought I needed to whip myself in shape for Aria. But, I never thought of me. I think my heart was so broken that I couldn’t.

Then Brooke happened.

She happened to me and showed me I could live again.

It felt like I finally had everything I ever wanted, and now I looked forward to the future.

My future with her and our children.

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