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Epilogue

Looking at the watch that rested gently on my wrist, I saw that it was already half past four, and because of the flight delay, our friends had probably been waiting for us for more than an hour and a half.

"Hurry up already!" I exclaimed, halting my steps as I turned around, making sure to ignore the looks of the people loitering around the airport. "Why are you always so difficult?"

He smirked at me as he slowed down even more, aggravating me to no end. When he finally reached me, his arms came around my waist loosely and his eyes latched onto mine.

"Come on Jessa, you know you love me difficult."

I blushed, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that spread through my body at his voice. Pushing him away slightly, I placed a stern expression on my face as I spoke. "C'mon Cason, do you really want them waiting any longer for us?"

He took my hand this time, pulling me into his chest. "They can wait another minute or two." he whispered before catching my lips with his, kissing me like he always did.

My mind went blank as it always did when Cason kissed me. The last four years hadn't changed the way I felt about him at all, if anything, the time had made my feelings stronger and cemented his name into my heart.

His lips moved onto of mine, but as I remembered where we were, I slowly pulled back with a small smile on my face. "We're in public." I said, keeping my hand intertwined with his I stepped back from his altogether.

"You're right," he started as we walked towards the baggage claim, but as a small grin grew on his face, I knew he wasn't done. "You like it when we're alone."

Another blush lit up my face as I shoved my elbow into his gut, giving him a small punishment for his words. I couldn't reply without digging a grave for myself, so I simply stayed quiet as we continued to make our way through the airport.

Right after our high school graduation, Cason and I moved a while up north to go to school. We weren't at the same one, but with less than a half hour distance between our campuses, there was nothing stopping us from seeing each other. I had chosen to study psychology with hopes of helping people as my therapist had helped me in my senior year. I realized that helping people with similar issues to me was what I wanted to pursue in life, and it would easy for me to relate to future patients with the things I had gone through myself.

Cason on the other hand, decided to take a more unique route through university, studying electrical engineering and physics in hopes of working with large companies to build machines, wire buildings, etc. Although I thought it was slightly dangerous to be working with electricity, I knew that Cason really enjoyed his program, and I wasn't going to be the one to tear it away from him. I was happy that my boyfriend was happy.

Chatting aimlessly, we were patiently waiting for our bags to come down the conveyor belt when I heard a familiar voice from behind us.

"So, you guys don't even bother to call when you know you'll be late – nice friends you are."

Turning around with a smile, I saw Evan walking towards us with a smile on his face as Olivia followed close behind. Not able to withhold my excitement, I let out a small squeal and hurried over to hug both of them.

"Sorry!" I apologized, realizing they must have been waiting a while for us. "The plane was delayed and then when we finally landed, Cason decided it was the perfect day to take his merry time walking through the terminal."

"Yea, sorry guys," Cason said, coming over to us with our luggage in his hand, "It's all my fault."

"Damn right it is." I commented, sending a cute smile to Cason before turning to my best friend. "So, how have you been? No more screw ups I hope." I asked, looking pointedly at Evan.

Evan's shoulders immediately dropped as he groaned in response. "Seriously?" he whined, looking between Olivia and I, "When are you just going to let it go? I know I made a mistake and it's never going to happen again."

"You bet your ass it won't." I replied seriously, before cracking a smile as I waited for Olivia to reply.

Three years ago, at the end of our first year of university, Evan had done something stupid – he had broken up with Olivia.

In his mind, he thought that maybe there was more in the world for him, and he had honestly left for the summer without telling anybody, even his parents, where he was headed. Olivia had been completely distraught that summer. The guy she was madly in love with had broken her heart into a thousand pieces before packing up and leaving, not leaving a clue as to where he'd gone.

She had spent the majority of the summer depressed – not going out, staying held up in her room, and only talking when she absolutely had to – but by the time school came back around, she was starting to look better. She was still upset about Evan, but she picked herself up and started to move on with her life. She went on one or two dates with a couple of guys, but none of them ended up going anywhere once she realized that the feelings she still held for Evan were more powerful than a fling.

Evan didn't go back to school in the fall that year, but it was a huge surprise to everybody when he showed up at Olivia's door at Christmas that year begging for another chance. Apparently he had travelled to Europe in the summer looking for something that would interest him, as he just wasn't enjoying university in the slightest. When the fall rolled around he had travelled back to Avondale, but didn't let anybody but his parents know as he started to work at the local mechanics shop.

He had found something he loved and was good at, but he realized that he had let the other part of his life go to find it – the part that held love.

Olivia, being the intelligent girl she was, didn't take him back right away. She accepted his apology, but she made Evan work for his forgiveness. They stayed friends for a couple of months, neither of them trailing into the relationship territory until one night that May when Olivia simply grabbed Evan and kissed him – re-establishing their relationship once again.

Since then I had been a little tougher on Evan every now and then, making sure that my friend was never reduced to a broken shell of herself once again, but it didn't look like she would be. For the past two years they had been so sappy and loved up I would've puked if I had to see it every day. I think that their bump actually solidified that they both needed each other and didn't want to be with each other.

"We've been good actually." Olivia replied with a smile on her face as I saw her squeeze her boyfriend's hand. "Evan's been making good money at the mechanic shop, and school's been tough, but thank god it's almost over. We're actually thinking of moving into this apartment we found fifteen minutes away from his job after graduation."

My smile widened at her words as I was glad that my friend had found true happiness. "Well, I'm happy for you guys."

"So, what about you guys? What are your plans after graduation?" she asked, as the guys started to walk towards the exit.

With the guys walking a bit in front of us, I shrugged my shoulders in response. "I honestly don't know." I replied. "I don't really want to rely on my mom anymore, especially now, but we haven't really talked about anything."

Olivia nodded, understanding what I was saying, but as I looked ahead at Cason, I saw him glance at back at me with a smile before continuing to catch up his Evan.

Did he even want a future with me?

That question played at the back of my mind as we sat in the car on our way to our hotel. Normally when we came back to visit Avondale we would just stay at my mom's house, but since she moved out a month ago, and Cason's mom was entertaining some relatives for the weekend, we were left with a hotel.

Evan and Olivia dropped us off, making sure we had received a room and gotten settled before heading back to their own houses to get ready for the celebration tonight.

My mother had gotten engaged, and tonight was the celebratory dinner.

When I left for university, I was worried that my mother would truly be alone. I knew she was still missing my dad at the time, and I didn't know if she would ever be truly happy again. We talked on the phone and video chatted endlessly, and she assured me that she was doing great. Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, it seemed that she was slowly accepting my father's passing, and she was coming to terms with life without him.

Coming home for the summer after my second year of university was complete, I had been looking forward to a relaxing summer with my mom, my friends and my boyfriend by the beach, but I was in for a shock when I walked through the door.

My mom and a guy named Brian were watching television, but they weren't together at the time no, they were separated slightly as they watched an action movie. It was awkward at first, my mom introducing the two of us, and me trying to be polite and courteous to a man I had never met nor heard of before.

When I was ready for bed that night, I still remember my mom coming into my room and talking to me about him. Both my mom and Brian had been grocery shopping at the same time, and they had bumped into each other quite literally outside the store. He had helped her pick up her groceries; even going so far as to replace the fruit and eggs that had been ruined, and when it was all over, they ended up exchanging numbers.

She had explained to me that he was just a friend, but I knew by the light in her eyes and the smile on her face that she was beginning to feel something for him. And feel something for him she did. By the end of that summer my mother had gotten herself a boyfriend, and honestly, he was one of the best guys I could've asked for to make my mom happy. He smiled at her every chance he got, took her out on the beach for romantic little walks at dawn and dusk, and he was just always there for her – especially when I wasn't as I was away at school.

My mom had called me a week ago in excitement, telling me over the phone that Brian had proposed. It was odd to me at first, the idea of having a step-dad, but I wasn't opposed to it at all. I knew my dad was always in her heart, and mine as well, but I knew that she was happier these days with Brian by her side.

Pulling myself out of flashback mode, I glanced at the clock and physically jolted with surprise as I realized that I only had an hour and a half to get ready and get to the restaurant the dinner was being held at.

"I'm going to take a shower." I said out loud, notifying Cason of where I was.

Heading towards the bathroom, Cason suddenly appeared behind me and pulled my hand, effectively stopping my steps. "Do you want any company?"

While the offer was tempting, another glance at the clock proved that we would definitely be late if he showered with me. Ignoring my soft blush, I pushed him playfully and shook my head, laughing at his lost puppy expression before closing and locking the bathroom door behind me.

An hour had gone by in a flash, and before I knew it I was finishing up my hair in the full-body mirror just as Cason stepped out of the bathroom looking as dapper as ever in his outfit. He had tucked a dark blue button down into a pair of khaki dress pants, matching the whole ensemble with a light grey tie and a pair of grey shoes.

"Well, don't you look handsome?" I commented, smiling at Cason as my eyes dragged up and down his body.

"You look pretty hot yourself," he replied, stepping closer as he scanned my body before looking me in the eyes. "Actually, you look incredibly beautiful."

The way he whispered the compliment before kissing me quickly made me melt into him.

I was wearing a pale pink dress that was tight at the top, but as it hit my waist, it flowed outwards until it hit the middle of my thighs. I had also managed to add soft curls to my hair and apply a tad of make-up, making me look more mature than I normally did with a ponytail and sweats.

Pulling back from the kiss, I laughed as I saw that my light pink lipstick had smeared onto his lips as well.

"Next time, maybe avoid kissing me when I have lipstick on." I said in an amused tone as I grabbed a tissue from beside my makeup bag and wiped the pink off of his lips.

"Mmm, you know I can't avoid kissing you." he said, wrapping his arms around my waist as I reapplied the colour to my lips. He left a quick kiss to my cheek, making me smile at him in the mirror.

He really was the best guy I could've ever asked to fall in love with, and since I didn't know how much longer I would actually be with him, I had decided to spend the time wisely – as you never knew when disaster could strike.

"C'mon," I said, pulling away from his hold as I slipped my heels on before taking his hand in mine. "We have to get going so we aren't late."

Since we didn't exactly have access to a car right away, we had called a cab to take us to the restaurant.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking in amongst some other guests.

The first people my eyes latched onto as I stepped into the restaurant Brain and my mom had rented out were the couple of the hour. I saw my mom standing beside Brian as they held hands and greeted the guests.

"C'mon, I want to congratulate them." I said to Cason, taking his hand as I basically dragged him over to my mom and soon-to-be step-dad.

When my mom's eyes met mine she instantly smiled, moving away from her fiancé as she quickly came and wrapped her arms around me. With my heels on it was kind of awkward as I was a couple of inches taller than her, but none the less, I let go of Cason's hand and wrapped my arms around my mom.

Pulling back from the hug, she kept me at arm's length and I could see Brian, who had walked up beside my mom, was currently shaking Cason's hand.

"Jessalyn, I'm so happy you could make it back." she said happily, smiling at me before glancing at my boyfriend. "Oh, you too Cason."

Cason cracked a smile at my mom, giving her a quick hug before stepping back into place beside me. "We wouldn't miss this for the world." he said, looking at both her and Brian. "Congratulations you guys."

"Yea, congratulations!" I repeated excitedly. "I'm so happy for you guys."

Brian smiled sheepishly at me as my mom smiled and sank into his side. "So you aren't mad that I didn't ask you about proposing to your mom beforehand?" he asked, looking a little nervous that I might crush his hopes.

Shaking my head, I saw the tenseness leave his body as I smiled at him. "I'm happy that you guys are happy, and it's going to get a bit of getting used to, but I won't mind having a step-dad either."

My mom looked so happy as Brian stepped forward and hugged me quickly, as though everything that could go right for her had, and it looked like it was almost brining her to tears.

"That means a lot to me." he said softly into my ear before he pulled back.

Smiling at him, I nodded in acknowledgement before turning to my mom. "Well, I'm going to let you get back to greeting your guests, but we're going to go find our seats." I said, grabbing Cason's hand back up.

They nodded as another couple I didn't recognize came up to congratulate them, giving us the perfect chance to escape and leave them to their guests.

We found our seats quickly, as we were seated with Evan and Olivia who were already seated and kissing.

"Hey, cut that out in public." Cason announced, slapping his best friend on the shoulder as he pulled out my chair before sitting down himself.

Evan shook his head at Cason, look angry for a second before a smile broke out and he threw an arm over Olivia's shoulder. "You're just jealous that you'll never find a girl this amazing." he said, looking pointedly at him, but I couldn't decipher what it meant.

When Cason didn't reply or look at me after Evan's comment, instead choosing to ignore it and move on to a different subject, I became worried. Did Evan know something that I didn't?

I didn't even have time to question either of them as a glass was tapped at the front of the small restaurant to gather everybody's attention.

As Brian and my mom thanked everybody for coming, I let my eyes wander to the guests around me. I could see Cason's mom and relatives near the back corner, a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered across the room, my grandparents up near the front, and a few of Brian's close relatives that I recognized from Christmas a few tables away. I didn't recognize some of the other guests, but I knew that they were here for my mom and Brian as they clapped at their speech.

"I hope you all enjoy the meal tonight, and I thank you again for joining us in celebration of our engagement." my mom announced, kissing Brian's cheek before they both sat down and the waiters started to bring out the food.

The food was delicious, as it usually was at any small restaurant in Avondale, and once the plates and glasses had been cleared, a bar was open and guests started to mingle with one another.

Not long after the meal had finished, I was having a glass of fruity wine I had started to enjoy as Brian stood up from his seat after getting the room's attention.

"We've already thanked you all for coming tonight, for which we are ever so grateful, but there really is one person I should be thanking properly." He announced, looking down at my mother with love, but she had no idea what was going on.

"On that day almost two years ago, I met a woman in an unconventional way... I knocked her down." he spoke, and almost everybody laughed as he admitted that detail sheepishly. "But I was the gentleman, helping her pick up all the things I had knocked out of her hands, and offering to help her to her car. I never thought that one good act would land me with somebody I could love for the rest of my life."

"It didn't happen right away, as I didn't want to come on so strong, but one night that summer I knew that I had to try and get her to see me in a romantic way, and my efforts paid off." he said, leaning down to kiss my mom quickly before looking back at the guests. "I have to thank you Wendy, for not only learning how to love me, but for allowing me to help you that day at the grocery store and for seeing the good in me even back when we were strangers. Thank you for not only saying yes to marrying me, but for saying yes to a life together, and thank you for having a daughter as wonderful as Jessalyn, that doesn't mind me intruding in your life."

He looked out to me, smiling at me in thanks and I acknowledged it, smiling back at him.

"Thank you for loving me."

As his speech ended, he sat down in seat and the music started up again. Even the other guests seemed to want to socialize; I stayed seated as I kept my eyes on my mom and her fiancé.

I saw them whispering to one another, smiling as if they were in love, and although it grossed me out slightly, I saw them kiss once or twice, showing their love for each other.

"Hey," Cason whispered into my ear, before I turned to him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Do you wanna go for a walk quickly?"

At his question, I became sceptical, but stood up as he offered me his hand and followed him out of the restaurant and down the road towards the beach. We didn't speak as we strolled, letting the sounds of the night lay upon us as the sun set on far side of the water.

Reaching the beach quite quickly, we both shed our shoes as we started to walk barefoot together in the moonlight.

"So, how does it feel knowing that you're going to have a step-dad?" he asked, looking down at me.

I shrugged, leaning into him a little more as I replied. "A little weird, but I guess it's not going to be that different than it is now. Brian and my mom are already living together, and when we graduate I thought we could look for a place or something, so I wouldn't be around them constantly anyways."

After I spoke however, I realized what I had said, and looked up to Cason in shock. "I mean..." I started to stammer, not knowing how to retract my words. We hadn't talked about what would happen after graduation, and with his nervous face and the looks Evan was sending Cason over dinner, I was worried that this might be the end.

"Look," Cason started nervously, letting my hand drop as he came to stand in front of me. "About that...."

I closed my eyes at his tone, tears forming as my mind jumped to the worst conclusion, which seemed to be the most logical at the moment. Cason was going to break up with me; he must've realized that he could do way better, and thought that now was the perfect time to break the news to me.

"Just say it already." I said softly, letting a few tears seep out as I kept my eyes trained on the piles of sand surrounding my bare feet. "Please just get it over with already."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Cason asked as though he was concerned, grabbing my face so I was looking at him. "Why are you crying?"

"Just say it already!" I exclaimed, pulling away from him as I let my tears fall freely. "Tell me how even though we've spent the past four years together that you think it'd be best if we broke up and went different ways after graduation. Say the speech you been thinking about."

Cason's face became a picture of shock as my words processed in his mind. "Wait what?" he asked, confused for a second as he shook his head. "No Jessa, no. I'm not breaking up with you."

"Why wait, do it now instead of in a month or two."

"Where is this coming from?" he asked. "I've never thought about breaking up with you, I love you Jessa."

I brought my hand up to my face, wiping my tears as I choked on my words. "You're not?" I asked, whispering my words in hope that what he was saying was true.

"No! How could you ever think that I would let you go?" he asked, bringing one of his arms around my waist as his other hand caressed my face and wiped my tears away.

"I don't know." I replied softly. "Just after talking to Olivia this afternoon I realized that we never really talked about the future together, and I started thinking that maybe you didn't want a future. Maybe you wanted to get rid of me now, before the future really started. Then at dinner when Evan said you'd never find an amazing girl, and you didn't disagree with him, I thought that my thoughts were reality."

Cason shook his head with a smile on his face. "I'm never letting you go Jessa," he admitted honestly, "And Evan... well he knew what I was planning for tonight and he was trying to get my nerves up."

"Wait, what were you planning if it wasn't a break-up?" I asked, a mask of curiosity washing over me.

Cason sent me his signature smile as he took a step back from me, taking one of my hands in his. "Jessa, all those years ago I was a rude and inconsiderate guy when we first met. I still remember throwing you into the pool in my backyard and trying to pick your nerves in English class, but for some reason, you decided that I would be a good guy to get to know. You helped me reconnect with my father and you gave me a reason to smile that I never had before. You gave me somebody to love."

"These past years have been amazing, and I'm not about to propose, because even though I love you, I think we're too young right now – plus you're mom and Brian might kill me if I take the spotlight off of their engagement tonight."

At his words I laughed, but was starting to get a giddy feeling in my stomach as he continued.

"I know I'm not the perfect guy in the world, because let's face it, I'm a guy after all... but I'm your guy, and I hope to be guy forever."

Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ring. It wasn't extravagant and it didn't have a huge diamond poking out of the middle – it was small and simple, and it was beautiful.

"I wanted to give you this promise ring tonight – a promise that will always ring true. I'll love you until the end of time, and I'll never let you go. Also, it holds the promise that one day, in a couple of years from now, I'll replace this ring with a new one, an engagement ring."

"So, what do you say?"

I didn't have to say anything, we both knew what the answer was as a tear of happiness fell out of the corner of my eye and I nodded my head.

As Cason secured the ring around my finger, I couldn't help but throw my arms around his neck and kiss him, telling him in a kiss instead of words that I felt the same way. I wanted the same things that he did, and as our lips moved in harmony I could see it all happening. The house with the white picket fence, a luscious yard with kids playing in the back as we watched from the porch, waking up to each other in the mornings – all of it.

Our future looked bright, and to think, back before my dad's accident I would've never thought anything was possible. If nothing had happened the way it did that year we might not be here, and we might not be together.

Until I met Cason my life had been going downhill, but it was because of him that it was climbing towards his peak.

Our life together was just beginning, and I couldn't wait to get started.

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THAT'S IT! THIS IS THE LAST OF UNTIL I MET YOU!

I feel sad, knowing that this is the last time this story will be updated, but I know that you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as you did the rest! In other news, THIS IS MY WATTY AWARDS ENTRY so I need all the support I can possibly get. Any spare votes on chapters you missed or sharing this story with anybody, even helping it get to the top would be greatly appreciated.

I will be going back over to fix the grammar mistakes over the next week or two, but as I say goodbye to this story, and these characters, I want to remind you all that my new story, Defending Parker, is up and running on my profile... so make sure to check that out :D

THANK YOU, ONCE AGAIN, FOR ALL THE SUPPORT ON THIS STORY!