Chapter 25: Epilogue

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The following day early in the morning Candy had left for the Leagan mansion. She knew from Neo's letter that Neal went to his office at seven thirty.

"Mr. Leagan is getting ready to work, Ms. Andrew," said the butler who opened the door. "Would you want to enter and have a seat?"

Candy had no patient to wait so she declined and left. Outside, she sneaked out to where she believed was Neal's bedroom window. She lived there in the past so she understood the mansion layout very well.

"Neal!" Candy knocked at one open window but heard no response. Impatiently, she climbed through the window and jumped inside. The bedroom was empty but judging from the masculine decoration, she's sure this bedroom was his.

He might take a shower, she thought trying to remember how Neo described his morning habit.

Candy went to the corner of that large room and waited there. While looking at his bed she couldn't help to be jealous to all women who had enjoyed his company in there.

Soon after she heard some noise and just then a door flew open. Candy turned and got her first look at Neal after shower. Wet, mussed hair, fabulous fresh scent. He wore only a white bathrobe tied loosely around his waist. Her mind ran amuck imagining what the robe was hiding underneath.

Neal was untying his bathrobe when Candy cleared her throat and called, "Neal."

He turned to where she was, looking surprised.

"Candy?"

The bathrobe string fell from his hand leaving the bathrobe fell wide open. For a moment Candy was breathless trying to drag her eyes to his face but it didn't work. Her gaze kept drifting lower. She could tell that it was happy to see her.

"Jeez... I… uhm…," Candy stammered, feeling embarrassed.

"Would you rather me put something on first?" asked Neal.

"That'd be better," said Candy, wiping her sweaty forehead. "I wait there." She gestured to the adjacent office room and hurriedly stepped into it.

After a while she heard his footsteps again and Neal entered. Thank goodness he was already dressed up. He stopped and stood a few meters from her, looking sharp in a button down white dress shirt that he let open at collar and dark dress pants, doubtless, his working outfit.

"There's something I need to ask you," said Candy. "I can't wait until you come on Thursday night."

Neal only nodded slightly but said nothing.

"Do you know who my parents are?"

Neal shook his head. "Jack interrogated every family that might have a baby around that time in that area but his investigations hit dead ends. He couldn't conclude anything."

Candy stifled a cry, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked so sad he couldn't regret it more. He wanted to hug her but not sure if he could.

"I'm sorry, Candy… so sorry. I was very inconsiderate to make fun of the issue. But at that time, I was so out of idea on how to make you forget… him," said Neal. He sighed. "You must hate me so much. You should."

"Yes, I should... And I tried." Candy straigtened up and looked at him. "But I can't... I miss your letters. I love all your stories in them and I want to be part of it with you."

His brown brows arched up, curious.

"I've decided to stay in Chicago and to be courted by you," said Candy.

His stature softened. He closed the gap between them, although still kept his hands to himself. "And what about him, William?"

"I have told him. I told him everything," said Candy.

A wind was blowing bringing strands of her hair covering her face. He wanted to touch them and tuck them behind her ear but not now, not yet at least, not until he explained a few more things.

"There's something I have to explain," said Neal. "After you rejected my engagement proposal, I felt like the whole world turned blank. I wanted to reach out to you but I didn't know how. So I wrote that message in the bottle. I don't lie, Candy. It wasn't staged."

"I believe you," Candy said. "Neo… he's the best thing that happens to me. I realize it more after you stop writing to me. Each day passed with an agonizing eternity with nothing to hope for. I love you, Neal... probably since that night in the ranch."

"Oh Candy…" He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. "Not as much as I love you! Never ever as much as I love you."

Half laughing, half crying, she pressed her wet cheeks onto his. He turned her around and kissed her deeper and deeper with the intensity that took her breath away.

"I can't live without you. I didn't explain that too well eight years ago and ended up doing extreme things to express my love. But all I was trying to convey was I love you. But from now on, I will use the more conventional approach Alden had taught me."

"I believe you," she said straightforwardly. "I understand."

Her heart was amazingly kind and forgiving. At that moment, he silently made a promise to himself to not disappoint her and to always take good care of her as long as he lived!

Neal lifted her off her feet and carried her in his arms.

"Where are you taking me?"

"My bed."

"That easy?"

"Easy? Not at all by any stretch, darling." Neal kissed her again. "It's been long difficult years!" he said, sitting her on his bed.

Slowly he pulled the two ribbons that tied her hair, untying them one and the other. Her long, curling golden hair fell down cascading around her shoulders. He threaded his fingers into it and clutched the thick silky curls.

"So soft… so nice," he whispered.

She thought she heard a low rumble of pleasure in his throat.

"Is this too fast for you?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Are you nervous?"

Candy shook her head. With hands a bit shaky, she reached out to hold his face and pulled him towards her, kissing him like she never wanted to stop and he kissed her back the same way. He unzipped her skirt, pulled it over her and took off his own, his pants, and threw them off onto the floor around the bed, consuming all of her with his mouth in a way that made her want more of him. She pushed herself against him almost couldn't believe the bliss his strong body gave her.

"I love you, Neal!" She clutched at his back and screamed as he continued pumping into her and called her name too.

And finally, as she lay exhausted against his chest, sated, tangled endlessly in his arms, she thought how happy she was with her decision. It was the right thing to do. She had found love, true love, that's far deeper than the shallow fairy tale romance she's imagining as a little girl running around in Pony's hill.

"What will we do after this?" murmured Candy, rubbing his bare chest with her soft little fingers.

"I go to my meetings and you go to your classes. We meet again in the weekend," Neal teased.

"Oh you're not as romantic as in your letters!" groaned Candy, pretending to be mad. Of course she knew he was joking. She understood that much from Neo.

Chuckling, Neal held her tight.

"I will convince you to marry me and we'll get engaged. In the engagement party, we have William do the announcement so he can eat his own words in front of everyone."

"You just never stop making mean plans!" Candy snorted. "Be nice! Albert is my legal guardian. He has the right to refuse to give me to you!"

Neal laughed.

"Fine fine… I will respect my father-in-law-to-be. Oh, Candy how lovely that sounds, you think? I will marry you!" He squeezed her tighter against him.

"I." He kissed her.

"Will." He kissed her again.

"Marry." And yet another kiss.

"YOU!" He buried her in deep kisses.

oOo

Epilogue

8 Years later…

On an early Saturday morning, David who had got up even earlier was sitting next to the phone waiting for his mother's phone call. She was having a night shift in the hospital but had promised to take him berry picking today. Like his mother, David loved outdoor activities.

The phone rang and David flew to answer.

"Mom!" cried David. His hand was already clutching a little basket container for the berries. "I'm ready. I'm ready!"

"Sweet, I'm sorry, but I can't go home right now," Candy said. In a rush she told her son that she had to perform emergency heart surgery to her patient. "I know I promise. But, I'm sorry, we have to do it next week."

"But I want to pick berries," David whined. "Daddy can take me!"

"You know daddy doesn't like farm things. We go next week, alright, baby? Be a good boy!" said Candy. "Mommy needs to go now, sweetie. Love you."

Click. Candy hung up.

David cried. His nanny carried him trying to comfort him but David struggled, kicked, and jumped out from her arms. Before the nanny could catch him, he had run to his father's bedroom.

"Master David, master David..." called the nanny, scurrying behind him. David ignored her.

"Daddy!" screamed David. He pushed Neal's bedroom door open. Using his short legs and little hands, he grabbed the bed sheet and clambered the bed. He then sat on his father's tummy, shaking him. "Mommy can't go pick berries."

"We sleep some more, then," murmured Neal sleepily. "Come. Sleep here with daddy." Neal pulled his son to his pillow and patted his back.

"I don't want to sleep!" David sat back, upright. "I want to pick berries!"

David made a lenghty speech to convey how disappointed he was about the berry picking cancelation. "Get up, daddy! Take me to pick berries. Please..."

"Ok... Ok..." Scratching his head, Neal reluctantly sat up. "But we can also do something more fun. Say, go to an auto fair? We like cars, don't we! No mud, no worm, no insect..."

"No! I want to pick berries!" David whined. "I like worms. Mommy promised! Mommy promised! HOAaa!" David wailed on top of his lung.

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Half an hour later...

Henri was reading the morning newspaper when his son stormed in.

"Dad, where's mom?" asked Neal.

Henri peered briefly behind the newspaper. "Business trip. Until Monday."

Neal sank to a seat and shook his head hopelessly.

"And I can't ask Eliza. Her baby is due anytime soon."

"What do you need?" Henry asked from behind his newspaper.

"Candy promised to take David to pick berries but she has to perform an emergency surgery. She can't go."

Henry studied his son's hopeless face. "And you can't go berry picking with David because…?"

"I don't do such a thing. It's a woman's job."

Henri's eyes widened. "You mean you never pick berries with Candy or David?"

"You never took me and Eliza ether!" Neal snorted.

"I didn't? How awful!" Henry demurred then paused. "But it's never too late to start something new," he said cheerfully. "Today, I will take my son and grandson to do berry picking!"

"YOU?"

"Yes, me! And lucky you, this year the harvest is especially good. I have been going with your mom to pick berries." Henry grinned, putting down his newspaper.

Neal looked at his father, stunt. "You go…often?"

"Your mom made me compete to see who pick the most berries. You know how competitive she is but I don't like to lose either!" Henri laughed. "I'll show you. Get ready, son. Dress casually and bring David here!" Henri took off his reading glasses and got up.

…

That afternoon when Candy came home, David welcomed her with a basket full of berries.

"Mommy! Look!"

"Oh dear you went to pick berries! With whom-" before Candy could complete her sentence, David had run away. He came back with more baskets loaded with berries. Candy was astounded when David ran away and came back yet again with some more baskets.

"So many berries!" cried Candy, astounded. "It's like you had a competition or something!"

"Well… Daddy did mom!" said David. He and his father winked to each other.

Candy stopped laughing and looked at Neal. "Honey, you took David?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, darling. Both of us should do it together next time," said Neal. He came forward and kissed his wife.

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-THE END-

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you like the story. Thanks for picking this story among thousands others out there.

Thanks for reading until the end :"D It means so much to me :DDD

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Rosyfdz23: Thank you!

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Thanks for writing me notes:

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Sabrina: Thanks as always. Neal wasn't in the last chapter because he wants Candy to think. Hoho. Thank you, my friend!

Elsa: Thanks of course to you! See you in your stories.

MoRiTa: I am glad that you read until the end. It's such an honor. I hope you like the ending. Thank you so much.

Sarah Montes O: I'm not too good in writing horny scenes :D But I hope that one paragraph doesn't disappoint you, my friend. Thanks for the support you give me until the end.

DinaLopez: Thanks for reading my stories. I can't appreciate it more. I like Neal too. We like Neal :D

Clau Ceis: I love this couple too. Lucky there's Judy :D Thanks for reading. I hope you read the ending. Thanks for the support.