Mine

Gillian loved to dance in the rain, and sing along to songs. She always tried to look on the bright side and always had a smile on her face. People thought she was different without even getting to know her. She was judged harshly and unfairly but she stuck through it with the help of the people that loved her. She did not have a great childhood. Her parents abused her mentally, physically, and emotionally. It affected her in everything she did. She was afraid to get close to people. When she was fifteen, her parents put her in charge of raising her youngest sister who at the time was twelve. She did her job until she was eighteen. Then on the day of her eighteenth birthday, she moved in with the love of her life.

Blake was everything she ever wanted. He was enrolled in the community college where they grew up until she graduated high school to stay near her and when she graduated, he signed up for the Air Force. He was stationed in South Carolina. When Gillian moved to South Carolina, she never spoke to her family again. The only family she talked to were her aunts and uncles and their children: the only family she considered family.

Gillian was all alone in South Carolina until her best friend's boyfriend moved into the apartment next to her. Brad was like the big brother she never had. Her best friend, Nicole, stayed in the town for college until she realized it wasn't the place she wanted to be so Nicole packed her bags and moved to South Carolina. Nicole moved in with Brad and the girls were inseparable.

Blake's best friend was stationed in South Carolina too. His girlfriend Jami wanted to be wherever he was but she didn't have a place to live for six months until his term was complete. Gillian and Jami were really close because of their boyfriends so Gillian offered Jami to stay with her while their boyfriends lived on base.

Gillian, Nicole, and Jami were best friends- more like sisters. They went shopping together, talked every day, and still had slumber parties. They danced in the rain together, cleaned each other's apartments, worked out together, and went to school together and worked together. They did everything together and they knew that when Blake and Tyler come back home and they all settle down, they would still be together. Brad fit into their group seamlessly.

Whenever Blake and Tyler got a night off, they would come home and have a date night with their lovely ladies. Between those date nights, they missed each other and couldn't wait until they were finished in the constant danger of the Air Force. Once they were done, Tyler and Jami got their own apartment down the hall to give Blake and Gillian their own space. It was a perfect set up.

A few weeks of moving down the hall, Tyler and Jami got engaged and shortly after Nicole and Brad were expecting and the only thing they wanted to do was get married too. Nicole and Brad had a small yet beautiful ceremony at a little church in the next town over. Nicole's parents and younger sister came and so did Brad's family. It was very intimate.

Tyler and Jami's wedding was a little more grandiose. Both of them had a big, close-knit family so they all had to be invited and they were all party animals. It was a night to remember.

While the newlyweds were each on their honeymoons, Blake and Gillian privately wished for the same. One night Blake came home late and Gillian was scared. She thought Blake didn't want her anymore because he hadn't proposed yet and now he's coming home late, but she never mentioned these thoughts in fear of having them confirmed. But then one day, she came home after a late class and saw two plane tickets on the counter and two suitcases in her room. One was already packed with Blake's things and the other had a note on top. It said:

"Dear Gillian, I know you are thinking I'm going to leave you but that's just silly. I'm trying to write you this note but I'm not very good with words. You've always been better at it. That's why you write the Christmas cards and thank you notes and even the grocery lists you write are better. You are the perfect girl for me. You are always making my bad days great, and making me look at the positive things in life. You are so grateful for the things you have and you're always dreaming but never have your head in the clouds. You understand when I have a bad day and just want to sleep or when I need someone to talk to you and you are always there for me whenever I need you to be from a shoulder to cry on to someone to drop me off my lunch when I forget it when I'm late in the morning. You know my likes and dislikes and you always know exactly what I'm feeling and thinking. It's like you're thinking the same thing. These past 5 ½ years have been unexplainable. You leave me speechless every day. You are generous, loving, caring, understanding, sweet, fierce, honest, strong, beautiful, and everything anyone could ever ask for. Everyone at the base was jealous of me once they met you. You don't see yourself clearly. Whenever you are out, people look at you and your always smiling face and glowing personality. Your eyes sparkle more than any stars I have ever seen. I love every little thing about you. Your laugh, your smile, the way you take something simple and make it something completely different, the way I changed my ways once I met you, and the way it just feels right with you. It's something I've never experienced: only heard about until I met you. The moment you walked into my Algebra 2 class when you were just a freshman, I knew right then you were different. Even when life seemed to keep throwing you curveballs it never got you down. You were afraid to let me close at first but I soon saw your walls coming down and look at where we are now. I think you are the strongest person I've ever met. I strive to be like you. You are my inspiration to be a better person and be all that I can be. I knew you were the one I was going to have a future with and marry and you were going to be the mother of my children. Our kids are going to be the perfect combination of us both and they will be raised right, not like you and I were with a lot of hardships and pain but in a house full of love. You're the face I want to wake up to every morning and fall asleep to every night. I want my dreams to come true with you by my side. You are the best thing I've ever had. You're mine- every part about you belongs to me now. We are in this for the long run and we will never be apart now. You are the best thing that's ever been Mine. I could keep this note going for days and days because I have so much more to say but I hope we have years for me to get it all out but if I don't finish this soon we are going to be late for our plane. I have a surprise for you. You are already packed and our bags should be getting picked up soon. All you have to do is get your cute self outside and into your new car and drive to the airport. These next two weeks you are going to be spoiled like you deserve to be and be worshipped like the goddess you are. I want you forget all your worries and let us just be us.

Love Forever and Always,

Blake

By the time Gillian was finished reading, she was crying. Then she heard a knock on the door. She went to answer and saw a man that looked like a limo driver. She allowed him in and he picked up the bags and asked her to follow him. She said she will be out in a moment and grabbed a small bag that she put her cell phone charger, hairbrush, toothbrush, and a change of clothes into. She grabbed her purse and the bag and went outside to find a new Camaro sitting in her parking space. She didn't have time to fawn over her newly acquired dream car because she had to get into the waiting limo to head to the airport. When they arrived she saw Blake waiting for her at security. She ran into his arms with tears streaming down her face. After the couples heartfelt moment they made their way through the airport to their plane.

After a long flight, they landed in Italy. It was late and they were both exhausted so they went straight to their hotel to check-in and order room service.

*Two Weeks Later*

Returning home to South Carolina, Gillian and Blake were swarmed at the airport by Tyler, Jami, Brad and Nicole. They all went to Gillian and Blake's apartment to talk about their adventures on their vacations. Gillian and Blake got engaged by the Fountain of Love in Italy. After a night filled with stories about past, present, and the future, everyone went to their respective homes and went to bed.

Gillian and Blake both knew they wanted to get married right away so the next day they started making plans. Not one detail was overlooked. The only predicament was whether or not Gillian's family should be invited or told about the wedding. In the end, they decided to tell her favorite cousin, Andy, and he will tell the rest. The only family she invited was Andy and his fiancé, and Andy's parents.

The wedding was the most beautiful one any of them had ever seen. It was perfect.

*Two Years Later*

Gillian is sitting at the kitchen table of her new home. After college, her and Blake, Nicole and Brad, and Tyler and Jami all moved back to the area they grew up. They are all neighbors too in their own large houses. Each one is three levels and has at least five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Each couple wishes for a large family so they bought what they will need. Gillian just got news from her doctor saying that she is pregnant with twins. The ultrasound said one is a boy and the other is a girl. The best of both worlds. She was worried about the large size of her stomach compared to Jami and Nicole who are both pregnant but don't look anywhere near as large as her.

She is ecstatic. She has always wanted a large family. She was so excited to tell Blake she called him at work to tell him to get home now. He is just walking in the door when she was about to burst and just call him and tell him over the phone. He looks worried thinking something is wrong with the baby because he knew about her doctor appointment today. She looks at him and can't hold it in anymore so she just scream out "I'M PREGNANT!". The look on his face is shock, and then it turns into the goofiest grin she has ever seen. He runs to her and picks her up and swings her around. She tells him that they are having a boy and a girl. The couple calls up everyone they know to tell them the good news.

*Eight Years Later*

Gillian and Blake are now the typical married couple with four kids. They have two seven-year-old twins: Katie and Kyle and a five-year-old named Logan. The newest addition to their happy family is the little one-year-old they named Elise after Gillian's youngest sister she raised and had to leave behind. Her sister did get the chance to meet the kids at Elise's first birthday. It was Blake's surprise for Gillian. He knew how much Gillian wished she could have brought her sister with her when she left and he knew she missed her but was afraid to find her to find out she wasn't what she expected but nothing ever is. Ellie turned out to be a successful physical therapist, a career she dreamed about for years.

Tyler and Jami had three kids. Lindsey, 7, Brooke, 5, and Rachael, 2. Tyler is scared for the teenage years but he is a great father and Jami is a wonderful mother.

Nicole and Brad have the largest family of the group. They were graced with five kids of their own. Their oldest, Zach is 8 and then the four year old triplets named Haley, Briana, and Audrey. They have one more named Lucas who is almost 2.

All of the kids play together every day and the siblings hardly ever fight. The whole group is one big happy extended family surrounded by love. Every couple got the happily ever after they always wanted.

*The End*