The Good Luck Shirt
Disclaimer: I own nothing ...
After 15 years of being together , this shirt never gets old. Sometimes it makes me forget that I'm 31 instead of 16. The first night I wore it was before our first kiss. I wore it home the next day because it smelt like him. Though when I got home I was brought to the police . A few weeks later I was back in my home and I had on the shirt again. I felt as though he was with me.
He would secretly visit me every night , we would cuddle , me and him. While the spawn of a murderer grew within the same walls , my affection for Toby grew and when we were both officially innocent after 2 years of being in secret , we left. Not afraid of what anyone thought about us. With Evan in the house everything was worse thinking that not only a murder was in the house , but that he was getting away with it.
The night I went away with Toby I got all the money I had , enough clothes for a week or two , went into my car and drove off . Ian saw me , because he has been waiting for this moment. And in that moment I was wearing the shirt.
We were apartment hunting for days and we couldn't find one that we liked or could afford. I was wearing his shirt when we found a small apartment big enough for the two of us.
I was studying Library Science and Toby was studying criminal justice. Both of us working , barely getting by. We were happy together , and we liked being out in the open. No Secrets.
A year after we graduated I went out for a morning run wearing the shirt. Aria called the night before. She was happily married with a daughter and I wanted that. A family , sure I was a librarian in a children's room and worked with kids a lot. Later that night Toby and I went out to dinner , sure the shirt wasn't on but HE PROPOSED! I was shocked. I couldn't believe it , I was engaged.
The wedding was beautiful , we got married on a beach in Florida , which was where Toby surprised me with a new house , it was bigger than our apartment with enough room for a child or two.
It didn't take that long to decide that we didn't want to wait a while for a baby. We were in our mid 20's , together for 7 years. Both had stable careers a librarian and a police officer. We had room , we had enough money to get by. There really was no reason not to.
A few months after we began trying we conceived our first child. Everything was going great , until I hit the 5 month point . I was shelving books when I was feeling uncomfortable. When I went to the bathroom there was blood in my underwear. I miscarried the baby. My son , I wasn't strong enough.
Toby and I took it hard. I was 25 and Toby was 26. Things were so great until that day. Toby began to try and work more , so did I . I didn't want to be near him for a while . I started staying at a motel after a few months . I didn't want a divorce I just wanted separation for now , we failed at the one thing we both wanted. We wanted a baby and I just couldn't carry him.
When I was 27 , Toby and I had barely spoken in a year. We were in a legal separation , but one day I went to the cemetery to visit Charlie. When I saw Toby was there too. I saw that he was just as hurt as I was .
That night I got my bags , put my things into where they were before , and waited in the bedroom in nothing but his shirt...
3 months later we were happy again , sure I was almost 28 . All my friends had families and I didn't . For once I wasn't successful at something. I was in the local supermarket when I saw pregnancy tests. I just wanted to take one , just one. Turns out that shirt was good luck , because that one test told me the two words I wanted to hear...
Toby was just as excited as I was. Thankfully I was more careful this time because on June 30th I gave birth to Laura Ava Cavanaugh.
The first few months were joyous and hard. I tried to work and take care of Laura .
Then a little while before my 29th birthday I got a call from home saying that my sister was divorcing Ian because he cheated on her.
I wondered how she even got the number , but she told me she got it from Aria. She began to tell me that she was covering for Ian the summer Ali was murdered because he threatened to mom and dad about the baby... A few days later I got another call from home saying she was dead.
Someone broke into her and Ian's home and murdered her and my nephew Evan. Ian got back from a tournament two days later , he wasn't shocked, just hurt.
They found proof it was him , but before they could catch him he killed himself...
A few weeks later we returned to Rosewood just to say goodbye. Everyone was surprised when they saw us there . We didn't care though . Though soon enough we left again back to Florida. IT was good to see the girls again though. Hannah and Caleb came all the way back from Arizona. Maya and Emily came from Washington. Aria and Ezra were already there so they just showed up. It was nice to be with them again. With our kids. I wore the shirt to a little gathering at Aria's house which ended up an eventful way.
A few months later I found out I was pregnant again! This time we weren't trying. Our little Melissa Rosaline Cavanaugh was born followed by her twin brother Landon Toby Cavanaugh.
Today is the day of the twins 1st birthday and I know I am blessed because through everything I know I will always have Toby and his shirt with me no matter what.
Not my best work...