One year later:
The snow fell lightly outside the window as she watched Johnny and Amelia chase each other around the yard. They'd already built a family of snowmen and were now in the midst of a fort and a battle.
Lulu couldn't help but feel downright giddy over how Johnny had taken to fatherhood. Despite being shut out for five years, he'd become a father like he'd been waiting his whole life for it.
And perhaps he had, she thought. She'd spent months in the last year agonizing over her decision, worrying that despite what Johnny said about forgiving her, maybe he hadn't. It wasn't until she realized that while she was beating herself up over the past, her future was gliding right by.
So she'd given up the worries and decided to focus on what she had. And what she had was a beautiful daughter and a man who loved her more than life itself. She had a career that kept her interested and the life she hadn't known she'd always wanted. She'd decided that there was nothing else she could possibly ask for.
Well, she smiled wryly, glancing at the stone on her left hand. Maybe there was more than that. She thought of the year she'd had. It had certainly been a whirlwind.
She'd spent the first two months in Greece, wrapping up everything at the island. Amelia had been homeschooled in Greece so when they'd permanently moved to Port Charles the previous March, she'd been enrolled at the local elementary school. And the best part was that she had meshed so well and loved everything about it. In fact she was doing so well that Johnny and Lulu were still trying to figure out where she'd gotten her academic smarts from. Because they knew for sure that it wasn't either of them.
And then Lulu and Johnny had done exactly as Lulu had wanted. They'd taken their relationship slow. They'd dated and talked about what each wanted from the other. It had become so that Lulu depended on Johnny to just be there for her. This was something new since she'd grown so accustomed to not having anyone else to lean on.
She glanced back at her ring, studying the way the sun shone off it. It reminded her of the night Johnny had proposed marriage. He'd done it beautifully; he'd asked for simple promises and her word that she'd love him forever. She'd said yes and they were married in a quiet ceremony only three weeks earlier.
Now it was Christmas time and the three of them were, once and for all, a family.
Her daughter's laughter brought her out of her musings and she looked back out the window to see Johnny completely buried in snow. What he wouldn't do for that child, she thought with a smirk.
She dropped her hand and still smiling, ran it over her flat stomach. Johnny was such a good father to Amelia that she hoped he'd be the same to the child she carried beneath her heart. She'd only been sure for two weeks and was waiting for the perfect moment to tell him. For now, she was savoring the feeling.
She was going to enjoy this pregnancy, she told herself. The last one had been filled with worry and fear of being a single mother. But this one was going to be stress-free and full of love. This child would never know anything but love, she vowed. It would only know how much its parents loved each other.
As she saw Johnny tackle Amelia one last time before standing up to brush the snow off, she moved into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Her frozen warriors would definitely need something warm.
When she was melting the chocolate over the double burner the way her brother's Grecian cook had taught her, she heard the front door open and voices fill the living room. She peeked her head around the corner and grinned at the sight of Johnny and Amelia. "Amelia, you go upstairs and put on some dry clothes. When you get back down, I'll have some hot chocolate ready."
Amelia's blue eyes lit up and Lulu secretly hoped that their second child would inherit its father's eyes like its sister had. "The kind Cook makes?"
"What else?" Lulu replied, laughing as Johnny walked toward her and enveloped her in a hug. Amelia cheered and raced up the stairs. "You're all wet."
"And you're not, which means your warmth can dry me."
"Oh is that how it works?" Lulu managed as Johnny covered her mouth with his. As he deepened the kiss, she momentarily wished they were alone in the house. "I love you," he said, releasing her.
She smiled. "I love you too." And knew that now, as they were standing in the kitchen, him wet from snow, her dry from the warm fire, was the perfect moment she'd been searching for.
She gave the chocolate another stir and lifted her head to look into his eyes. She wanted to see his face when she told him. "We're going to have a baby," she breathed."
His mouth opened, but no sound came out. His face became a wreath of smiles as he just stared at her. "What?" he asked, not sure he was hearing her correctly. "You're pregnant?"
She nodded, loving the happiness and joy on his face. She framed his jaw with her hands. "Yes, I'm pregnant."
"When?" he breathed.
She smiled, feeling the tears at the edge of her eyes. But it gave her hope to know that they were tears of happiness. "Dr. Lee estimated my due date at June 16th. It'll be a birthday gift for Amelia."
She let out a joyous laugh as he picked her up off her feet and hugged her tightly. "I don't believe it," he said. "Just when I thought my life couldn't get any better. And just like that it did!"
"You're an amazing father to Amelia, Johnny. You are going to be just as wonderful with this child." She reached for his hand and laid it on her stomach. "I hope he has your eyes."
Johnny lifted his gaze to her face. "He?"
She shrugged, still smiling. "Well, we won't know for sure for a few months, but I just have a feeling. Mother's intuition."
"I don't care what it is, boy or girl," Johnny replied decidedly, dropping a chaste kiss on her lips. "I love you more and more every day, Lulu Spencer-Zacchara."
She caught his face. "Hey, you won't hurt the baby. Really kiss me." As he lowered his face to hers, she knew that no matter what had happened in the past, there was nothing but their future as a family to look forward to.
Johnny lifted his head, looking lovingly into her eyes. "Lulu, I once asked you for one night. And then I asked you to think about tomorrow." She nodded and he sucked in a breath before continuing, "But now I'm asking you for always. Because I promise to love you forever and always."
She smiled, glancing up when she heard the sound of their daughter on the stairs. Soon it would be too loud for a serious conversation. "That's good, because forever's all I have to give. I promise to love you forever and always, Johnny Zacchara."
And Lulu knew that no one and nothing could convince her otherwise.
So here's the epilogue. I hope that you all liked the ending. I did, especially. I love happy endings and while I'm not a huge JoLu fan, there had to be one for this story. Please review and tell me what you think of the story as a whole. Thanks for being loyal readers for the entire story!