"And they lived happily ever after."
A beautiful giggle escaped Grace's mouth.
"Mommy? Do fairytales come true?" Grace wiggled out of her mother's caressing arms and quirked an eyebrow at her.
Clare sighed softly and gave a loving smile at her six year-old daughter's face. At this instant, Clare removed the glasses from Grace's eyes and placed them on her nightstand. Only to take in a deep breath at the view her daughter's emerald eyes gave. She was a very small girl with an angelic face, her reddish hair curled at the bottom forming a swift look, the same one her father held. Her pink lips smacked and popped, impatiently waiting for her mother's answer.
"Well..." Clare paused and gave her a kiss on the fore-head. "No." Grace's face fell.
Clare frowned and attempted to make things better, "But...dreams, they do come true." Clare tickled her tummy.
Grace gave a stiff grin and batted her eyelashes, "Did your dream come true mommy?" Grace asked with a wondrous emotion, she scratched her head and snuggled back in her mother's arm.
"Oh, yes." Clare exclaimed softly, and combed her hands through the locks of Grace's hair delicately, "What's your dream sweetie?" Clare glanced down at her briefly.
"I want Sammy to love me." Grace sighed. Clare chuckled at this.
"Sammy is still young for that, honey."
"I love him, mommy." Grace protested, she wasn't a shy girl and inherited the same fiery confidence her father always had.
"Since when do you like boys anyway, huh?"
"I...I um don't 'member." Grace blinked her eyes.
"Don't worry, one day you'll find a nice boy who will love you. And take care of you." Clare mumbled. "Then when you do, daddy and I will meet him and..." Clare heard soft snores and looked down at her daughter, who curled up into position falling asleep with half-lidded eyes.
Clare sighed and cautiously got up, pulled the covers upon her and adjusted her pillow. She bent down to rub her head and gave her a goodnight kiss.
She walked away, and looked at her one more time before reaching the side of the room to plug in her daughter's favorite night light and headed towards the door to turn off the light switch, leaving the door a bit open, just in case.
Clare left her alone and walked a couple doors down to her bedroom.
She undressed into her silky nightgown and walked to the bathroom, to brush her teeth. She was too busy rinsing her face, when all of a sudden two strong hands snaked up her waist.
"Eli." She gasped.
"Did you put Grace to bed already?" He whispered; his white cloth shirt and grey pajama pants made an abrupt contact with her skin.
"After her fourth bedtime story, she finally went to sleep." Clare smiled; Eli turned off the faucet behind her and focused all his attention towards her.
He ran his hands through the silky cloth and traced patterns across her body. She lifted her head and eyed him seductively, walking out of the bathroom and into the room, struggling to make their way towards the bed.
All was forgotten in that instant. They were in each other's mind for now; it was selfish yet so right. Everything was meant to be between the two, the sparks that flew at each tender touch, gave a beautiful contraction to their muscles. Their hearts fluttered at their sultry gazes and their voices sent a beautiful hymn of pure bliss and righteousness.
His mouth sucked on her neck tracing down to her collar bone and to her creamy shoulders. "You're so beautiful. I don't deserve you." He mumbled.
She pulled his face away and raised it look into her eyes, cupping his cheeks. "Don't say stupid things." She looked up at him and back to his lips. He rolled on top of her, removed his shirt, as she ran her hands frantically searching throughout his toned body.
"Did you check on Grace?" Clare gasped out of sudden breath as his lips continued to kiss her jaw line.
"Of course, I gave her a goodnight kiss." He muttered rapidly.
"You still wear that?" Clare lifted his hand away from her and gazed at the purity ring on his pinky finger.
"You still wear mine." Eli muttered, "Besides, it's something I love to look at every day."
Clare pecked his lips and then looked down at his pants, reaching to pull them off. He was left in his boxers only by this moment.
He sat up abruptly, and after all these years still asked for permission. "May I?" He tugged on her nightgown.
She nodded and he gently pulled away the straps, overjoyed to the fact that Clare slept without a bra.
"Clare?" Eli croaked.
"Hmm?" She moaned.
"I want you to give me another child." Eli whispered.
She pulled away and stared into his eyes briefly, before letting out an ecstatic sigh, "Really?"
"I want an Eli Jr. running around the backyard, we can get him a tree house in the back, and I can teach him soccer. Grace will have someone to play with, and most importantly...you'll be the one I will share him with." Eli rambled.
"Okay." She smiled and cupped his face, pulling it towards her direction. Hungrily kissing him with a passion, bursting fireworks within the two.
He placed one hand on top of her left breast, feeling the soothing beats of her heart-lub dub-, the sound echoed. While his other free hand slid beneath her. His boxers and her panties were discarded, and the love making began.
After, he wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered. "I love you."
She mouthed back the same and caressed his face, "I'm really happy." She giggled.
Eli looked at Clare, really looked at her and noticed every intricate detail upon her face. He caressed it lovingly and dazed into distraction. He doesn't know what would be of him if Clare never spoke to him that day.
When he took her to the park, they walked around, explaining what had happen to them the years they were separate. Him discussing and regretting the fact that he had broken it off with her. Her, emphasizing the pain she dealt with and the struggle she faced to avoid the heartbreak, leading her to move on. He mentioned the subject of Olivia and denied to have ever care for her in the smallest fraction he had for Clare. By the end of the talk, he took her home in Darcy's car and walked inside her house hand in hand with the most beautiful girl in the world. The look on everybody's face was priceless, for one fact that Eli had returned, and for another that Elijah Goldsworthy, number freakin' 23 was in the Edwards's living room, an ex-renowned athlete.
He refused to leave her side and discontinued playing soccer; she denied to let him give up his dream at first. However, Clare was what he needed in his life; she became a vital part of him and would have given the world just to spend a day with her.
So, goodbye to Barcelona was what Eli said the minute he discontinued his contract.
With brief patience and approval of Randall Edwards and Helen overtime, he proposed to Clare three months later. One year later, Grace was born.
It was a marvelous thing Eli had gone to college for a couple of years and maintained excellent grades for him to pursue his back-up career in literature.
He certainly is remembered sometimes as a soccer player, but that didn't matter the least bit to him anymore. He is happy.
"I don't work this Saturday, maybe we can take Grace to the park for a picnic with Alli and Johnny's son?" Clare rubbed against his bare chest and lifted her eyes, waiting for his decision.
"Of course." He kissed her forehead. "But, I don't think he likes her. Sammy threw dirt at her last time." Eli laughed.
"At least he doesn't call her 'cootie queen'." Clare retorted.
"You're my queen, baby."
Clare slapped his chest playfully and he reached in for a quick kiss.
"Give the kid a break, he's still young." Eli defended.
"Like I gave you one?"
"See how well that turned out?" Eli grinned and wrapped his arms around her bare waist tighter and tighter.
Eight years later and Eli still wonders what it was that made him ever hate Clare. But, that didn't matter at all anymore or to Clare, because...
They have the rest of their lives to figure it out, together.
A/N:
Thank you for reading! :3
The reviews were fantastic! I almost cried of pure joy :D
P.S. I have written a new story it's called "Puberty."
I will post it on later on. It's going to be strictly in character, WAY different than this story. It'll be a short story, a collection of one shots, if you may say so. So check it out if you like?
It is Clare centered, Eli will be mentioned in it though, but only until the end of it. So if you like Clare as a person alone, like me, then you'll like it, it will have mentions of KLARE, ClarexAlli friendship, and almost EVERY guy Clare has been involved with.
Full Summary: Puberty is much more complicated than what Clare Edwards had expected. As a teenage girl, she has struggled to recognize who she truly is. With the help of certain boys, she shall learn every emotional part of growing up.