PART 10
THE END

'This is me' She looks at herself in the mirror. Her hands smooth down her dress as she smiles. Her heart is laughing in an uncontrollable way right now. It's hard to know what is going on. They have been engaged for almost 8 months. May, a May wedding was something she wanted. Something for some reason she always wanted. The wedding to Lon is just a mere distant memory right now. Something she won't forget but also that she won't need to remember. She and Noah are having a private, tiny wedding that's her. She is not flashy or showy, just Allie. The girl who fell in love with a boy 8 years ago.

"I take you Allison Hamilton to be mine, forever, to live with me, to love, to honor, to cherish" His voice breaks ever so slightly as he stands facing her. Under a willow tree on the land of the plantation. "We met as teens, and again as adults and in between the love just grew. You are my life" Noah says moving in to kiss her out of order. He doesn't care, His hands take her face gently as he kisses her with everything he has. "I love you" His lips whisper against hers.

Allie sniffs when he breaks away from her. She has waited for this, for him, and is so happy now. "Noah Frank Calhoun, I love you, I will honor you, and live with you for the rest of my life. My love for you has grown so strong and it is unbreakable" She says as he wipes her tears away with his thumb. "I am your wife, and have been from the first day we set foot on this plantation" She looks into his eyes and says. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you" She looks up at him and smiles.

Noah licks his lips a little as he looks at Allie beautiful smiling face. The priests voice is just a faint sound in his head as he takes her face gently in his hands and pulls her close, pressing their lips together. He is kissing his wife when he hears, 'You may now kiss the bride'.

Allie smiles at him through lowered lids.

"So your not mad about having your honeymoon here?" Noah questions her, he watches her squeal while shaking her head and running the short distance to jump on him. Noah catches her easily. "Good" He says smiling and kissing her, her arms are holding onto his neck as she kisses him back.

"If anything I think it's the perfect place" Allie says breathing up in his arms looking directly at him. "I want a baby now"

"Right now huh?" Noah jokes lightly with her.

"Well not now, now" She laughs, holding him tighter and shifting up a bit as her legs hold his waist. "But I do want one" She smiles kissing his nose. "What do you think?"

"I made the crib so you know I want one…or two, maybe 5" He says with a smile.

"Five huh, five girls or five boys?"

Noah looks at her intensely the passion he has for her shows in the way he is looking at her right now, as she rests in his arms. "How about 5 boys and 5 girls"

"Hmm, sounds amazing" Allie smiles. "You made my dreams come true…did you know that?" She questions him kissing his cheek and then jaw line, then to his mouth. Allie pulls back so she can look at him again. "Did you?"

"You made mine come true also"

Noah looks at Allie sitting on the porch swinging lightly with a cup of tea in her hands. "I am so ready"

"You and me both" He joins her, causing the swing to move faster for a moment before his feet stop it and they slow right down, just enjoying the view. "Time for you to come on out" Noah says looking at her swollen belly as his hand rests gently on it.

Allie rests her head on her shoulder and smiles. "I don't think he is listening"

"He better start I am his father"

"Well" Allie smiles. "One day he is going to become a rebel like you, and our words will fall on deaf ears" She sighs touching his hand with hers as they both rest on her stomach.

"You were the rebel Al" Noah informs her of his take on their young adult hood. When he feels her eyes on him he turns his head to look at her, her face is bright and happy, just the way he likes it. "You were"

"Only after I met you" Allie says speaking the truth.

Noah says nothing more and just swings with his wife and baby.

Edmond Frank Calhoun. Allie licks her lips as she looks at her little boy. He came so quickly she almost had him on the kitchen floor. Noah was amazing. His round little face is something she can never tire of looking at.

"Hi" Noah knocks lightly on the bedroom door. Allie is back from the hospital and he was there with her the whole time but he wasn't allowed in the room. He looks at her in bed holding Edmond.

"Where were you?"

"Chopping some wood, how are you?" He questions her gently as he comes to sit on the bed next to his wife and son.

Allie turns to look at him and she pushes in close to him and kisses his lips. "We're good, real good" She strokes a finger down the side of her sons little face. "You know Noah…he looks like you"

"Hmm" Is all he says he is lost in the face of his tiny son. "I have lots of plans for him" He leans in and kisses her shoulder.

Allie looks out of the kitchen window. She feels like she has grown up so much here with Noah. They have both grown up as their own person but also together, as a couple, as lovers, as a family. She smiles when she sees Noah walking up the lawn with their children in tow. Her eyes light up. "Daddy's back" She turns around and looks at Mary Allen in her high chair. One that Noah made especially for her. She painted her name on the back of it. Mary is a doll, she is a pleasant little girl, even at age one Allie knew her temperament was that of her father. She is all Noah in a female child form. Allie goes over and lifts her baby out of her chair and carries her to the kitchen door.

Noah has Maggie on his back his head is looking down as the sweat is running off his body. Maggie is heavy but she is his first little girl, his princess, just like her mother. She should be carried if she wants. Noah stops his step and bounces her up higher on his back. He smiles when she squeals at the sudden movement.

"Daddy!" Maggie yells.

Noah looks at Edmond who is now 9 years old run up ahead of them to their house. Maggie is wiggling around on his back, she has her mothers eyes and spirit, at 4 years old she shows great strength the same courage and wisdom that Allie has. Edmond is a pleasing mixture of both him and Allie. Enough said.

Allie steps onto the side porch with Mary on her hip. She waves to her family. "Can you wave hi to daddy?" She leans in a questions her baby, Mary waves.

"Da!" She squeals, getting Noah's attention.

"Mama, hi!" Maggie shouts from Noah's back. "Mama look at me!" She screams loudly right into her fathers ear.

"Oh you are loud" He says grabbing her and swinging her into his arms. Noah puts her on her feet. "Go get Edmond" He tells his little spunky girl, smiling he watches her run towards her brother, she causes Edmond to make a mad dash towards his mother and other sister. "Get him Maggie!" Noah yells laughing lightly.

"Hi" Allie smiles when Edmond crashes into her and then when Maggie crashes into him. "Did you guys have fun?"

"The ducks mama, so many!" Maggie says her eyes wide as she speaks to her mother.

"I know" Allie nods smiling.

"He took her before" Edmond tells his sister, he knows his father took his mother out to see the ducks and geese before, he always takes their mama out on the lake. When their mama and daddy go on the lake, they stay in the house with Fran. That is what their daddy calls private time.

Allie smiles at her son, she lifts Mary on her hip adjusting the little girls weight. "Hi" She says to her husband as he finally makes it up to the house. She smiles when he pulls her in for a quick kiss.

"Hi, and hi" He presses as kiss to his baby's head and then takes her from Allie as she reaches out for him.

"How was it?" Allie questions her husband, her eyes look at Edmond pushing Maggie on a little home made swing which is hung from a tree on the lawn.

"Maggie almost fell in from excitement" He says kissing Mary again on her head, the baby pulls at his beard.

Allie smiles, she knows Maggie sees the birds each year more than once but she also knows the little girl forgets, so her excitement gets to her.

Noah sits next to Maggie in her room. "So you can never leave me" Noah tells his mini Allie.

"I won't daddy" Maggie looks up her eyes serious and big as she tells her father. "I won't have no place to go anyway"

"Even if some handsome boy comes along and hangs from a ferris wheel" Noah says and smiles.

Maggie covers her mouth with her hand and giggles. "You will hurt yourself if you do that!" She tells her father. "That's silly"

Noah nods at his daughter, he agrees but doing it back then to see Allie's face after she walked away from him was worth it. "That's right, so you don't want a silly boy"

"Mama says your silly" Maggie tells him.

"Your mama loves me" Noah leans in and kisses her forehead his hand brushes her curls back from her face.

"I know" Maggie's eyes are always so wide and intense.

"So no leaving daddy right?" He questions her again and she nods vigorously.

Allie blows Edmond kisses as she shuts his door. She already said good night to Maggie, and now Noah is in there, and Noah already said good night to Edmond. She turns as her hand is still on the door knob of Edmonds room and she sees Noah shutting Maggie's door gently also.

"Not all the way daddy!" Maggie shouts in her always loud cute squeaky voice.

Noah leaves the door partly opens so that the light from the hall shines in. He turns when he hears Allie clear her throat. "Done?"

"Yeah, you?" She walks over to their bedroom.

Noah follows her in shutting it behind himself. He watches his wife of 10 years undo the buttons to her dress. She is 35 years old and still as amazing as she was when she was 17, and 25, and now ten years later. The light in their room is that only of a small night lamp which is creating a soft glow. He watches her slide her dress down and it pools at her feet. Her slip is very thin and slightly see through. "Allie?" His voice comes out harsh and raspy, Noah licks his lips and swallows to wet his throat. He is still in awe of her all these years later.

Allie lifts her eyes, she doesn't even realize that he is staring at her until he says her name. Allie smiles a little and she pushes her hair back from her eyes. "I love you Noah" Is all she says.

Noah walks the little way to his wife and he pulls her close, his lips press light kisses over her shoulder, as his hands hold her gently pressing her lower back causing her to get closer to him. Noah inhales her scent, she smells like a woman, and a mother, he smells Mary on her skin, from the day. She smells of the peaches she cut up for the children after dinner, and the soap she washes with.

Allie moves her hands to hold him on his strong hard working shoulders, and arms. She feels the muscles move beneath her fingers and each time she feels that she remembers why they have three children. Allie rubs her cheek against his face, kissing him, and his neck, she feels her feet off the ground as he lifts her, crushing their chests together. Allie smells the lake, the lake has a smell and Noah embodies it all the time, he rows each morning and each night, and he takes the children out on the lake sometimes. He smells of wood. She loves the smell of wood, she loves the smell of him and sweat when he comes from the shed. He smells like a man, a man who takes care of his family, and he does take care of them, all of them.

"I love you" Noah says softly as he pulls back to look into her eyes, he moves so they fall together on the bed, and her legs hug his hips. "I have always loved you" He brushes her lips with a gentle kiss.

The best love is the kind that awakens the souls, that make us reach for more and plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds - That's what you've given to me, that's what I hope to give to you forever