When we returned home from our little getaway, it was kind of hard to pretend that things weren't completely – insanely – different than when we'd left. Luckily, Niall didn't know either of us well enough to pick up on our little glances and subtle hints.

"Did you have a good time?" Niall asked.

"Yes, the best," I said, winking at Louis when Niall glanced away.

"While you were gone, I was talking with Maryellen and she was able to get a flight sooner than the twenty-second. Would it be okay if she arrived on the fifteenth?" Niall asked, looking hopeful.

"Sure," I said, looking at Louis, who agreed that it shouldn't be a problem.

"It will be nice to get to know her," he said.

"That's this weekend!" I gasped after glancing at my phone. I was shocked that December was flying by so quickly. Well, I guess we spent a few days snowed in, and then Louis and I had spent the past three days consummating our marriage.

"Yep," he said, eyes twinkling.

"Any thoughts on how you're going to propose?" I asked.

"I might borrow Louis' song, if that's all right by him. Your fiance's really talented, you know that?"

I bit my lip to stifle my smile while I stole a glance at Lou. "Yes, he's fantastic."

Over the next few days, we both finished up our Christmas shopping, and then firmed up our Christmas travel plans. We would go to my parents' house on December 22 and stay til Christmas. Then we would fly to Michigan on the 26th and stay til after the New Year. Somewhere in there, he would pop the question – again – so that our families and friends could witness it. I'm not sure how my mom was going to take it, but it honestly didn't worry me one bit. I knew I could handle whatever she had to dish out.

After the holidays, we would come home and settle in, preparing for the beginning of college and med school. It was still a bit surreal that I was only nineteen and I was already married, before I even started college! I would have put off marrying Richard for as long as I could have, but I was thrilled to be Louis' wife.

I talked to Carly almost daily, who in turn reported that Harry was calling her almost daily as well. I was really excited for them, and I just hoped that something would work out between them. Everyone deserved to be happy. Even Richard, I suppose, although I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about what he was doing nowadays.

The day that Niall's girlfriend arrived, he was so excited, you would have thought he was a ten-year-old and it was already Christmas morning. He rushed around the house, getting food ready and then he went out and got her flowers, putting them on the night stand next to his bed.

He asked Louis and me at one point, "You don't mind if she shares my room, do ya?"

I tried not to laugh because he seemed so nervous about it. Louis simply told him it was fine.

Once he left for the airport, Louis and I sat down to wrap presents. I had never done my own wrapping. I always paid to have things gift-wrapped, or I made my servants do it. I pretty much stunk at first, until I got the hang of it.

Niall and Maryellen returned within the hour.

"That was fast," I remarked.

"Yeah," Niall agreed. "Perfect."

They removed their coats and hats and then Niall made the introductions. "Louis, Ashten, this is me girl, Maryellen. Maryellen, these are my friends, Louis and Ashten. Well, Ashten is actually my boss, but you know the situation."

I laughed at his bumbling words, especially the way he said "me girl".

"I am not your boss, Niall! My father is your boss." I held my hand out to Maryellen. "Very nice to meet you."

She shook my hand and said, "Lovely to meet you as well." Her accent was thicker than Niall's. He must have lost a bit of his in the time he'd already spent in the States.

Niall got her settled into his room while Louis and I gave them some space. We moved all the wrapped presents to my...well, our room. I think I had everyone covered, except Louis. I still had to find some time to get together with Carly so I could make his scrapbook. I kept thinking that a scrapbook seemed so chintzy, but then again, I knew it would be meaningful to him, too. I made a mental note to go out shopping again, to try to find a few other things for him.

Niall had made dinner, wanting to cook for his sweetheart. It was divine, and we enjoyed getting to know Maryellen. She reminded me a good bit of Veronica – sweet but with a whole lot of attitude. She was great, I could see why Niall adored her.

After dinner, Louis and I insisted on cleaning up so that they could spend some time together.

"So," I started. "Any idea how you're going to face my mother, knowing how difficult she can be?" I asked, laughing slightly.

He took the plate out of my hands and spun me around to face him. Then he dipped me and gave me a sloppy kiss. When he stood me back up again, he said, "I am madly, passionately in love with her daughter. What can she possibly say?"

"You're such an optimist," I giggled. "But I am also madly and passionately in love, so that makes us even. Nothing she can say will get me down."

"Good," he whispered. Then he pushed me gently against the counter and gave me a deep kiss, full of longing and lust. He pressed his hips against mine, making me very aware that he was turned on. "It's been too long," he said.

I smirked and whispered. "It's been two days, Lou."

"Too long," he said and kissed me again.

We finished the dishes quickly, intending to start a movie. However, as soon as we sat down in the living room, we noticed that Niall and Maryellen had the same idea that Louis had earlier. At first, it was subtle, and I thought maybe they were just talking. But soon it became apparent that she was moaning, "Oh, Niall."

Louis and I looked at each with our eyes wide, and we both slapped our hands over our mouths so we wouldn't laugh out loud. We stood up and tiptoed to our room. After we had locked the door behind us, we burst out laughing.

"I guess they really missed each other," Louis said dryly, after we finally caught our breath. "And I've missed you," he said, pulling me to straddle his lap. He captured my lips with another generous, lust-filled kiss.

When he released me long enough to catch a breath, I said, "We haven't even been apart."

"But I've still missed you. Every single moment I'm not touching you, I miss you."

I kissed him back and said, "Then touch me all you want."

It wasn't long before I was moaning Louis' name the way Maryellen had been moaning Niall's.

The remaining days before Christmas flew by with preparations for the holiday. Of course, I was still floating around, my feet barely touching the ground. I loved every single moment Louis and I spent together. Even if we were fighting, which wasn't often at all. Just a few little spats here and there.

The day finally came for us to go to my parents' house. On the way, I started to feel that familiar sense of dread, as if I'd be forced back into slavery under my mother's cruel hand. I knew things were different, and I planned on asserting my independence. It was just that those feelings were embedded in everything at home. I hoped that this would be the start of new memories for me, and eventually new and happier feelings associated with my home.

When we got to the front steps of my house, Louis grabbed my hand for reassurance. I twisted the doorknob, but the door was yanked out of my hand by my father.

"Hello, you two!" He bellowed.

It was good to know that at least one of my parents was happy about Louis and me.

"Hi, Daddy," I said, grinning like crazy.

He grabbed me into a crushing hug. "I've missed you so much, little girl!"

"Daddy," I laughed. "You just saw me a few weeks ago."

"Still missed you, kiddo," he said. Then he hugged Louis, too, which took him a bit by surprise. "Louis, my boy!" He bellowed again.

My mother must have heard the commotion because she sort of just appeared in the doorway.

"Hello, Mother," I said cheerfully, walking over and kissing her cheek.

"Ashten," she said warmly. "You're looking well." As if I were an acquaintance.

Louis took the cue and said, "Mrs. Norwood, it's lovely to see you again."

"Likewise," she said, nodding her head, not making any attempt to shake his hand or, heaven forbid, hug him.

"I'll go get our bags, Ash," Louis said.

He stepped out and my mother said, "He can stay in the room at the end of the hall."

I took a deep breath and prepared to exercise some of my stored up courage and independence. "With all due respect, Mom and Dad, Louis will be staying with me." My voice didn't tremble, but the inside of me did. Nothing like practically saying to your parents, Louis and I are sleeping together.

They both nodded politely, not putting up a fuss, although I could tell that my father, especially, was taken by surprise.

I led Louis to my room, which didn't surprise him at all. "What did your parents say?"

"Nothing," I said. "Daddy looked a little shocked, but hey, at least I didn't tell him we're already married."

He wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't like lying to him," I said, a bit of regret lacing my voice.

"Don't think of it as lying," he said. "Think of it as our very special secret."

"That sounds kind of perverted, Mr. Tomlinson," I laughed.

He joined me. "You're right. Made me sound like a pedophile, or something."

We laid down on my bed, relaxing a bit after our long drive. I rolled over towards him and asked, "Do you remember that night you stayed here until I fell asleep? After The Underground?"

"How could I forget that, love?" He asked softly. "I fell in love with you that night."

"Love?" I asked.

"Sounded good when Niall was saying it to his girl," he smirked.

"You really fell in love with me? In one night?" I asked.

"I did. I mean, I didn't know immediately that I was going to marry you, but it didn't take me long to want that." He stroked my hair as we lay there. I noticed the snow blowing past my window, and then I remembered that I used to watch him leave every night.

"I wondered where you went all those nights after work," I confessed. "What do you think would have happened if I hadn't followed you that night? Would we still be here?"

He wound his hand a little more snugly in my hair and pulled me close for a light kiss. "I know that I still would have fallen in love with you, no matter what. If not that night, then some time soon after. We couldn't have stopped this if we tried," he said. "We were meant to be together."

"You're such a sappy romantic," I laughed.

He gave me a playful hurt look.

"But I'm glad you are."

That night, we ate dinner with my parents. The cooks had prepared a fabulous meal, which I had to admit I'd been missing. The things that Louis and I had been making together were simple, but my parents served duck a l'orange and I savored every last morsel.

My father, bless his heart, kept the conversation going since my mother clearly wasn't trying to make small talk with Louis. I smiled inwardly a few times, thinking how furious she'd be if she knew we were already married.

Then it dawned on me, what Louis was saying about it being our little secret. I mean, sure, there was part of me that would love to rub my mother's face in it and say, "Ha ha, guess what I did? And you can't do anything about it!" But I didn't want our relationship to go that way. She was trying her best to be cordial, although I wasn't expecting her to become some warm and doting mother, or mother-in-law, for that matter.

When Louis and I got married, we didn't do it for the sake of rebellion. We did it for us. And to honor our families, we would have a formal wedding and reception where everyone could celebrate with us. What we shared for now was just between the two of us.

Louis talked excitedly during dinner about beginning med school in January. I was so happy I'd get to be a part of it, and that I'd be there to encourage him through it.

The following night, we made dinner plans with our friends. The door bell rang, and I raced to answer it.

I threw the door open and fairly screeched, "Veronica!" I threw my arms around her, squeezing her tight. Liam was standing behind her smiling widely. Louis greeted him while I kept Veronica pinned to me for a few more moments.

After we separated, I greeted Liam warmly and Louis greeted Veronica.

"Ready?" Liam asked.

We had made plans to go out for drinks with them and to meet up with Danielle and Zayn. So we climbed into the back seat of Liam's car. Louis pulled me close to him to snuggle up against the cold.

"Hey," I said. "Should we see if Harry wants to come?"

In unison, Liam and Veronica both shouted, "Harry!?"

"Oh, my gosh! You guys don't know this! It's so sweet!"

"You're talking about Harry, the creep who molested you at the bar!" Veronica exclaimed.

"Yes!" I laughed. "Only he's reformed!"

Louis started laughing with me and said, "Now, let's not get carried away. I wouldn't say he's reformed. But he's seen the error of his ways."

"Are you going to let me tell the story?" I demanded.

"Go ahead," he said, kissing my cheek.

So, I told them the story of Harry driving all the way to Boston to apologize to us, and then his whirlwind romance with Carly.

"Oh, and Liam," I said excitedly. "Carly is dying to meet you!"

He laughed and said, "Hopefully soon."

"So, I really think they're good for each other and I hope it works out," I said, summing it up.

"As far as inviting him tonight," Louis said. "I doubt he's in town. He's probably either at home in Michigan, or he's visiting Carly. My guess is he's with Carly."

"Well, that's nice," Veronica agreed. "I just hope he doesn't jerk her around."

We got to the pub where we'd arranged to meet Zayn and Danielle. As I soon as I caught sight of her flaming red hair, I burst into a run, screaming Danielle's name.

She looked at me, slightly terrified as I launched at her with a hug. It really hadn't been long since I'd seen her or Veronica, but obviously so much had changed. It felt like a lifetime.

"Dang, slow down, girl!" Danielle laughed as she hugged me in return.

I pulled away and hugged Zayn, who reciprocated with a shy little smile on his face.

We found a place at a high table, eager to catch up with one another. Veronica was first, telling everyone the news I'd shared about Harry. Danielle's jaw dropped while Zayn simply lifted his glass. "To Harry," he said. "May he find true happiness."

We all toasted and took a drink. The evening was full of talk about D&V Style and Liam's burgeoning career. Louis took the opportunity to spill a bit more of his excitement about medical school. I just smiled and listened, happy that my friends were so happy.

Soon, talk turned to marriage, as Liam and Veronica had obviously been discussing it. Zayn and Danielle didn't offer any such information, so we thought it wise not to ask. They probably just weren't to that point yet.

Danielle, however, saw fit to ask Louis, "What about you two? You think you're gonna tie the knot?"

I squeezed Louis' knee under the table, trying to hold back my laughter. He just smirked and said, "Definitely." Then he gave me a little kiss on the cheek.

It was so much fun to catch up with our friends. I was thankful that Louis and I enjoyed the same people.

The following day was Louis' birthday. He insisted, like really insisted, to the point that he made me swear, that I wouldn't buy him a birthday present, because I'd already given him what he wanted, which was to marry me.

When we first woke up, we got dressed and went to find Lucinda since we hadn't talked to her yet.

I poked my head into the kitchen, and feeling playful, I said, "Where's my Lucy?"

She turned around and said, "Sakes alive, I ain't been called that since I was a young'un. Come here now and give me a hug!"

I practically fell into her arms, having missed her dearly. Then she gave Louis a great big squeeze, too.

"How are you doing, Lucinda?" He asked warmly.

"Oh, I'm slowin' down these days," she said. "I was tellin' your honey here that I'm gonna retire soon, but I gots to stick around long enough to see you two get married. Any idea when that will be?" She asked, nudging him in the ribs.

He grinned from ear to ear. "Soon," he replied.

It was a very peaceful and relaxed day. Louis didn't tell me when he was planning to propose (again), or how, so I spent the day on my toes, wondering when he was going to do it already. I guess it would make sense to do it on Christmas Day, but I was so wound up, I couldn't stand it. I mean, yes, we were already married, but nobody knew that. I wanted to be able to officially tell my friends that we were engaged.

We ate dinner with my parents again, and I was just a bundle of nerves. The food was delicious – the staff had made prime rib – but I could hardly eat. I wondered when he would do it. When it was just about time for dessert, Louis excused himself momentarily.

When he came back, the staff brought coffees to everyone, and then a rich, decadent chocolate cake.

I nibbled at the cake for a bit, but then my phone buzzed. I looked at Louis nervously. It would be rude to check it out while we were at dinner, wouldn't it?

But Louis said, "It's all right. Just see who it is."

I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw a text that contained one simple photo. It was Danielle, holding a sign that said, Louis is in love with you. I giggled, showing him the picture. He smiled, too, and I put the phone back in my pocket.

Before I could take a bite of the chocolate cake, my phone buzzed again. My dad looked at me, expectantly. What was going on?

I looked again. The next message was a picture of Veronica holding a sign saying, You are the jelly to Louis' peanut butter. I laughed especially hard at that because it was so quirky, just like Veronica.

My heart started racing. I knew this was it.

I couldn't even slide the phone into my pocket before it buzzed again. The next message was from Preston, who was holding a sign that read, Louis never stops talking about you! And there was a funny little stick man who was talking to another stick man who had his ears covered. I laughed so hard, saying, "I miss Preston."

I laid the phone on the table, waiting for another call. When it buzzed again, I jumped. It was from Liam, who was holding a sign saying, Louis has become one of my best buds, and all I can say is that you two are MFEO!

I laughed even harder.

It was obvious to everyone what was going on at this point. My dad had a giant grin crossing his face, and my mom just seemed to be sitting back and...well, accepting it, I guess.

The next one was from Zayn. He was holding a giant piece of paper with no words on it. There was only a graffiti hand painted into a thumbs up.

The following picture was from Niall and Maryellen, together holding a sign that said, Make each other happy! And in much smaller print, in parentheses, Niall had written, She said yes! with an arrow pointing to Maryellen.

I squealed in excitement for them. "They're engaged!" I practically yelled.

Finally, one more text came in. I eagerly opened it, and the photo revealed Harry, Carly, Mimi and Izzy holding a gigantic sign saying, We love you! Go for it!

By now, I was really choked up.

The phone buzzed again and I had to wipe the blur from my eyes to see the picture. It was my dad and mom, holding a sign that read, He's perfect for you.

The tears began flowing freely as I looked at my mom with gratitude, and then at my father, whose eyes were getting a little misty as well.

The phone buzzed one more time and I couldn't even fathom who else might be sending a message. I opened the text and there was Louis in the photo, holding a sign that said, I have something to ask you.

I laughed through my tears as I looked over to him. He pushed his chair back and got down on one knee in front of me. "Ashten, I can't imagine myself being any happier than I am when I'm with you." He pulled the ring out of his pocket, now in a small velvet bag. He took it out and asked, "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him, tears and all. "Yes! Of course! I would love nothing more than to be your wife!"

He slipped the ring onto my finger and stood up to kiss me again. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that some of the staff had gathered in the doorways. How had I not seen them before?

As soon as Louis let go of me, my father came to embrace me, and I could tell he was choking back sobs. "I'm so happy for you, Baby Girl." Then he congratulated Louis while my mother gave me a delicate hug. "Congratulations, Dearest," she said. "I'm happy for you."

"Do you really mean that?" I asked.

"I do, Ashten," she answered. She had never been one for gratuitous shows of emotion, so that was good enough for me.

Soon all the staff members were gathered around, hugging and congratulating us. I was most excited to share the news with Lucinda. She hugged me like a great big mama bear. "I knew you two had a little crush," she said laughing.

"You were so right," I said, kissing her cheek. "Thanks for pointing that out!" Then I looked straight at her and said, "Thank you for everything, Lucinda. I love you."

She teared up as she said, "I love you too, baby girl."

Our head chef brought out some champagne and poured several glasses, handing them out to each of us, staff included.

My father raised his glass in a toast. "To my lovely daughter, Ashten, who is going to be a fantastic wife to this remarkable gentleman, Louis. May you have a long and happy marriage, and make me lots of grandbabies!"

My face swelled with heat while everyone said, "Hear, hear!" And took a drink of champagne.

I'd have to say that was even more fun the second time around. Not that Louis' first proposal was poorly done, but it was fun to celebrate with everyone, making it public knowledge.

After we'd settled down, Louis and I wrote out a big sign that said, The Future Mr. and Mrs. Louis Tomlinson. We had my dad snap a photo, and then we sent it to all our friends.

"What did you tell Niall when you asked him to do this?" I asked quietly. "He saw you propose before."

"Easy. I just told him I wanted to do it big for your family."

That night, we struggled to fall asleep because we were both so giddy from the evening.

"My mom took it well, didn't she?" I said, smiling wide.

"She did," Louis agreed. "And do you know what she told me?" He asked.

I turned to look at him. "No, what did she say?"

"She congratulated me and then simply said, 'Take care of her.'"

"I'm glad," I sighed.

"I can't wait to tell my parents," he said.

"Do they have any idea?" I asked.

"They might," he said, and I could hear the mischief in his voice.

"Happy Birthday, Lou," I said, rolling into him, letting my face press tightly against his warm chest.

"Best birthday ever," he whispered.

The day after Christmas, we flew to Michigan as planned. It was thrilling to be going back again, especially since this time, we weren't trying to hide anything. Well, except the fact that we were already married. But we were excited enough to tell them about the engagement that we didn't feel as if we were hiding anything.

As I'd expected, the Tomlinson home was decked out in warm Christmas décor, complete with the sounds and smells of the holiday. It made me feel like I'd just stepped into a classic Christmas movie.

Mrs. Tomlinson greeted me as if I was already family. "Oh, Ashten," she said, hugging me firmly. "So good to see you again!" Mr. Tomlinson did the same.

Colum and Nicola were home as well, so they came into the room, giving us warm hugs.

Louis was hysterically excited to tell them the news, so we hadn't even brought our bags in from the car yet when he said, "Mom, Dad, let's go into the living room for a minute." Then he waved to his siblings to follow.

They looked puzzled as they followed him. He took my hand and stood by the Christmas tree, and then he said, "Can you take our picture?"

"Sure," his mother said, eyeing him strangely. He handed her the camera, and as she got it into focus, we unfolded the sign we'd made to text to our friends: The Future Mr. and Mrs. Louis Tomlinson.

His mom lowered the camera to read it. As the news sunk in, the expression that overtook her face was priceless. Then she let out a shriek. "Yes! Congratulations! Yes, yes, yes!"

I think it was safe to assume that she was excited. Mr. Tomlinson gave us another round of hugs and hearty congratulations.

Colum and Nicola both congratulated us as well. Nicola didn't say anything just then, but a few days later, she made it clear that she was happy I was joining the family.

It was a fabulous visit with Louis' family in Michigan. We talked a lot about wedding plans, of course. The only sad part was that Louis' parents were much more traditional than mine, so we were made to sleep in separate rooms. Of course, that didn't stop Louis from sneaking in and having his way with me once or twice.

I had found lots of little gifts for Louis, which I gave to him at my parents' house and at his family's place. But I saved the best for last. I gave him the memory book when we returned to Boston. Let's just say it was the kind of thing that I wouldn't want him to pass around at his family's dinner table.

I invited Louis into our bedroom and presented the book to him.

"What's this?" He asked, looking legitimately confused.

"This is your real Christmas present," I answered. "And birthday present. And an I love you present."

He sat down next to me and pulled it out of the box.

He smiled as he read the cover: Lou and Ash, Six Months, Going on Forever

He opened it to the first page and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Holy shit," he whispered.

Carly and I had spent an afternoon doing a photoshoot of me, wearing all of my different skimpy bikinis and sexy lingerie.

The first page was a picture of me wearing the pink and yellow bikini from the summer. I had struck a sexy pose from the front, and then there was a back view. I had added a sticker sunscreen bottle and a speech balloon that read Apply Sunscreen Here, with an arrow pointing to my back.

The next page was me, lying on a patio chair, which Carly had dragged in from her garage. I was wearing the purple bathing suit that I'd been wearing the day I met Louis. I was seductively sipping a bottle of Perrier. On the next page, was in the same pose, holding a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade out for Louis.

On the following page, I had started with a large photo of the entrance to The Underground. Carly and I had found cartoon bodies of a damsel in distress and a superhero, and we pasted mine and Louis' heads onto them. The caption across the top read, My Hero.

Louis was mesmerized by the pictures and all the little comments I'd scrawled into the margins, like, "I remember how safe I felt the first time you held me," and "You were so sexy when you were up on stage."

"Ashten," he gasped. "This is incredible!"

"Keep going," I urged him.

A few pages later, he stopped and gawked as if he'd never seen me before. Well, it's true that he'd never seen me like this. It was a picture of his Austin-Healey, and I was lying on the hood in a red string bikini and red stillettos, striking a very seductive pose.

"Oh, my god," he huffed quietly.

A few more pages revealed random pictures of Ann Arbor, like St. Thomas the Apostle Church, the street fair, the yacht club. I pasted a picture of me, wearing his U of M sweatshirt and a photo that someone had snapped of us at Megan's wedding.

I had also found a photo of "Vivien" on the website for the yacht club. I pasted lip stickers all over it with the caption, First Kiss.

"Just so you know," I said to Louis, who could hardly tear his eyes off of the page. "That weekend was when I fell in love with you.

He turned his face to me and kissed me deeply. I slipped my hand into his hair and squeezed gently, urging him closer. But we couldn't go on for long because I wanted him to see the rest of the book.

There were a lot of fun pictures that Carly had taken of me, wearing bikinis or revealing lingerie.

Near the end, I created a few pages showcasing our time with friends on Labor Day weekend.

The second to last page was the photo of Louis and me on the steps of City Hall, on the day we got married. Carly had asked why we took a picture there, and I simply said, "It looked like a nice backdrop."

The very last page, which was thepièce de résistance, and my personal favorite, was extremely thrilling to shoot. I had worn a very racy bit of lingerie under a heavy winter coat. Once again, I'd worn stillettos and was just lucky enough that the snow was cleared away outside.

Carly and I had driven to Harvard, where I posed in front of one of the elegant buildings. We made sure no one was around, and then she flashed several shots of me opening up my coat to reveal my nightie. We printed the photo and captioned it, Welcome to Harvard.

When he was finished looking through the album, he reverently set it aside and then he crawled back onto the bed, pushing me carefully so that I was lying down underneath him.

"That was the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life!" He laughed.

I giggled, pulling him down to rest his weight on me.

He pulled away after a long, delicious kiss and said, "But even more so, it was so sweet and thoughtful."

I smiled shyly.

"Really. It means so much to me that those things meant so much to you. I love you so much, Ash."

"And I love you, Louis Tomlinson. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

THE END....but you can plan on an epilogue! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't clarify this part in the last chapter, but I'll go back and fix it when I get a chance. Louis told Ashten he wanted her to become his wife as his birthday present. That was early December, but his birthday wasn't until Dec. 24. They got married the next day anyway. Let's just say it was an early birthday gift!

Someone also pointed out that I didn't mention a condom or birth control on Louis and Ashten's wedding night. I will assume that her mother forced her to be on birth control since she was dating Richard. And Louis got tested to make sure he didn't have any diseases due to his indiscretions. I don't think about those details because they seem to break up the scene a little, and also, I've only ever used NFP, so it's not always in my immediate line of thinking.