Epilogue
The next few days were almost a carbon copy of the first night in the hospital before Stacy showed up. When I was released from the hospital I couldn’t stand to be away from Vince so I went home with him. We went to my house long enough to grab some clothes. I didn’t feel safe there anymore, and he understood why. Stacy even stayed with us for a while, keeping me company throughout the day, helping me find a schedule, and making me feel somewhat normal again. I was sad to see her go a couple of weeks later, but she had her life to get back to. We still talk on the phone almost everyday. She’s planning a longer trip in about six months to stay again. I can’t wait.
Three and a half months later I’m still here, and am thinking about selling my house, put some money into repairing this one. That was the long term plan when his dad first bought this house. Their mom had loved this house so much, loved the potential, and come to find out I do too.
Brianna’s memorial service was so beautiful. I almost didn’t go, but I was lost in the large turnout of her family and classmates. It was hard seeing her parents in their grief knowing what happened to her. They found her body amongst others buried in the back woods of his property. Apparently he didn’t discriminate with sex or age, and from the count that is still coming from the news it’s been going on for years. He's also been put on the top 10 most wanted list, but Vince assures me there's no trace left to persecute.
I wake up at times in the middle of the night remembering echoes of the night in the basement. It’s not every night which is more progress than I could say if I didn’t have Vince helping me as he does. I’m Okay on my own during the day now, at night however I still get jumpy, and I can’t sleep alone. But Echo had offered to teach me how to defend myself, and that is going well. He’s a very patient teacher. And Vince and I both feel better with me having a way to defend myself. With Vince finally getting out of the club, his hours have become more predictable, and we only have to deal with his school schedule. He’s taught me some moves he’s learned at to the police academy. By the end of his training we will both be well equipped to take on anything or anyone for that matter.
There’s still plenty of light out right now, but in another hour or so if no one comes home I’ll get antsy. I have everything set on the table, the food almost done on the stove, and I was determined to tell him tonight. It takes another twenty minutes but I hear the familiar sound of his motorcycle roaring down the street. Teddy comes in first with a smile on his face.
“Hey Sara,” I smile back at him. It took him a long time to not call me Ms. Halaway here at home, it took even longer for him to start acting like himself around me after I showed up in his house. Emma trails in behind him with a smile. Most nights she's here until her curfew.
“Hey Teddy. Hi Emma,” Teddy reaches out, and Emma takes his hand.
“Hey Ms. Halaway,” Emma says.
“Can I ask you guys for a favor tonight?” I ask tentatively.
“Um sure,” Teddy says.
“Do you mind eating in your room?” I say with a hopeful smile.
“That’s not a favor. I got a TV in there, and that means I get to watch what I want while I eat. You’re doing me a favor,” he smiles at Emma.
I laugh, “Glad this is working out for you. But leave the door open. Vince will have a coronary otherwise,” I make them a plate, and Vince is coming in as Teddy and Emma pass him to go upstairs.
“Hey punk, where do you think you’re going with that food? We eat at the table in this house.”
“Ask you Fiancé.”
Vince looks over with a perplexed expression, “Please tell me you didn’t okay that,” but he’s already let Teddy and Emma go, and walking towards me with a hint of a smile.
“Does this mean we're going to christen the table?”
I can feel my mouth turning down. The thought hadn't occurred to me, but it's taken me so long to want to do any of that stuff since...
“Babe I was kidding,” he kisses one side of my mouth.
“I need to talk to you.”
It was his turn to frown, “That is never a good sign,” He takes a seat at the table. I make both of us a plate, and once I’m seated his stare gets too hard for me to ignore.
“Sara, spit it out. You’re making me nervous with your twitching over there.”
“I’m not twitching.”
“Hun, your fingers haven’t sat still but for a few seconds at a time, you’re biting your lip to the point I’m surprised it’s not bleeding, and if you look at me one more time like I kicked your puppy I’m going to follow Teddy into his room and eat up there.”
“Ok, I’m sorry, I’m nervous.”
“There’s nothing you can say that should be making you that nervous. This is me Sara, just say it.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“Shit, really?”
“Yes really, I found out at the hospital.”
“And you’re just now telling me?!” I flinch at his tone, “Sorry babe, but you should have told me sooner.”
“I wanted you to get used to the idea of me being here, around you, and maybe…,” I twist my engagement band around my finger in nervousness.
“Maybe what Sara?”
“You wouldn’t leave.”
There was a long silence. We sat there looking at one another, and I could see his eyes darken, “Listen to the next words I say to you Sara, and listen to them good. Not once have I given you a reason to think that I would. But there’s something more important that you need to remember. I LOVE YOU. Eight letters, three words, easy to say for some, hard to explain to even more, almost impossible for some it seems, but I do, I completely and nakedly mean them when I say those words to you. So cut the bullshit Sara, I’m not your ex. When I say, I love you, I mean it every time it passes my lips, I’m not wielding it like a weapon in hopes it will earn me points in an argument, or tilt the scales so you do something for me.
I’m from a broken family, I've been surrounded by an MC club all my life, I know all about words not meaning anything, or to use them to gain something. So I know it hurts when someone does it. I didn’t fight to win you just to lose you now.
And now that I know we’re about to start a family of our own that means I’ll only be working harder to make our kid’s life how mine should have been. I’ll make mistakes, but you can be sure that one will never be me walking out on you or our kids.”
There are tears running down my face, and there will be no stopping them, “I love you too Vince, with everything I have.”
He gets up from his chair only to go down on his knees in front of me. His head lays on my stomach, my hand goes into his hair, “What are we having?”
“The appointment is three weeks from now to find out.”
He looks up, excitement in his eyes, “Really?”
“Yep. Really,” I smile at him.
“I hope it’s a girl, with your eyes. Wait actually I hope it’s a boy, I won’t want to be sent to jail for shooting some teenage punk trying to get into our daughter's pants. Shit, this is going to be hard, and different.”
“You’ve got this Vince, you’re already a father. The practice that you’ve had raising Teddy will come in handy.”
He pulls up the hem of my shirt and presses his mouth to my belly, “I am going to take good care of you and your mommy. Just wait and see.”