*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
A COUPLE MONTHS LATER:
Standing in my cap and gown waiting to go out onto the stage to get my diploma the best way I know how. It's been a long couple months of hard work and dedication all of which I would have never been able to do if I didn't have Tayla pushing behind me and encouraging me. She left me a couple months ago to pursue her own career, her own aspirations and to start a life for herself and our sons but she has remained one of my best friends through it all. She was helping me with late night assignments on Skype, helping me to better understand my reading material, helping me with my math work. She has been my rock even though we aren't together anymore. I love her still but I am happy for the progress she has been making in the last couple months. At first I didn't' get it, I didn't understand it but now I get it. She needed to face the world on her own and live her own life something that I will never hold against her especially since she never lived on her own or dealt with life on her own in her entire life she went from living with her parents to living with a man. She never got to experience life on her own and she deserves that right. Roman assumes I am upset and bitter over it but in all honesty I am happy for Tayla and I am proud of her. Roman brags that Tayla is going to come back to him and they are going to get their happily ever after when I know for a fact Tayla has not spoken to Roman since the night she kissed him. She doesn't want to be pushed to make a decision or be pushed to be with him when she is still finding herself. I respect her greatly and will allow her all the time she needs.
I make my way out to the stage with about 25 others in my class that had the same hopes and dreams that I did to get our high school diploma, go on to college and make something of ourselves. I take my seat and look out into the crowd searching for 3 of my favorite people. I smile as I see Tayla sitting out in the audience with her dad, Alex and Avery. She is beautiful, her dark hair has been cut to her shoulders and she's wearing a beautiful yellow sundress as she holds Alex in her arms while her dad holds a sleeping Avery. She spots me and smiles melting my heart. She waves to me as I wave back before she takes Alex's hand with a smile and has Alex wave to me. My heart is full and a smile never leaves my face as I look at my family although Alex and Avery will never remember this night they'll hear about it and know they were here when their daddy got his high school diploma for them and to go on to better himself in life. We are invited to take a seat. The professor of my class goes to the podium to speak. I am too nervous about giving my own speech that I can't remember the words he is saying. I know it's about how much we worked and how proud of us he is. "At this time," he says, "I would like to introduce our guest speaker Mr. Dean Ambrose," he says as he looks at me. I smile as I stand to the applause and look out at Tayla, the boys and her father and I see the look of pride on her face as she applauds me.
"Hello," I say to the audience keeping my eyes on Tayla as the applause dies down. "I'm going to try to make this short and I apologize if it isn't." I unfold my paper nervously and look at my handwriting. "Hardwork, dedication are the words we have heard here tonight and have heard most of our lives. Hard work and dedication will get you where you want to be. While this may be true there is one focal point missing from the equation; faith, faith is having the power to believe or trust or having the confidence in someone or something. Yes hard work and dedication will get you where you want to be but having faith in yourself believing you can achieve the impossible will help as well. I was a poor boy that came from nothing. I didn't have a house to live in, I barely had food to eat, school was a waste of time for me. I went when I wanted to but if I didn't want to I stayed home getting into trouble. That's the kind of boy that I was. Education wasn't something I thought I needed with a drug addict for a mother, living in public housing and having my ass kicked pretty much daily my self-worth deteriorated. I thought the streets was the life for me so I dropped out of school decided I would run the streets make a living that way but I was wrong. I thought my life was meant to be on the streets but one day something just clicked and I realized I could die living for the streets and then if I had a family where would that leave them, if I got someone pregnant how would making a living off the streets help them. I never wanted my children to see the life I did and live the way I have lived my entire life so I put myself into gear and got into wrestling but that wasn't enough. I worked hard, dedicated myself to training and believed that I could do it. I got into the wrestling scene and while I was happy with it wrestling does not last forever. It is not a guarantee. I could lose my career from one bad fall or one bad bump then what would I have to fall back on? Going back to the streets? I had no education higher than a 6th grade reading level. I had a wife and two little boys that I wanted to make myself better for and since things have changed but what never changed was the faith I had in myself to go on and go for my diploma so I can go to college and get that education I so much need so that if I lose my career I have something to fall back on. School wasn't easy. I came in barely being able to read above 6th grade level and doing 6th grade math but because of a special person in my life I was helped and pushed to continue. I wanted to give up. I wanted to stop because I didn't have the faith in myself or believe that I could do it. The work was hard but with much help my ex-wife helped me and stood behind me the whole time helping me and encouraging me. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be standing here today. I look out at my sons right now and I am so proud of myself to make their lives better for them to know that I did this for them so that they would never have to live the life that I had to live and they would never have to see the things I have seen and go through everything that I have gone through. Each and every day I live for them and their mother. I live to make myself better not only for me but for them. I can't do that without faith and believing in myself and having the confidence to better who I am. Going back to school was the first step, working my butt off was the 2nd step and being here tonight sharing my accomplishment with the three people that mean the world to me is the 3rd step. I would never have gotten here if it wasn't for my sons' mother pushing me and believing in me but most importantly I would not be here if I didn't believe in myself. It takes faith to move mountains and it takes faith to achieve what you feel is impossible. Each of us up here has a different story, a different circumstance we all have different reasons why we stopped going to school but we're all up here because we are in the same circumstance, we have the same story. We want to become better, we want to make something of ourselves, we believe in ourselves and have worked hard and dedicated ourselves to the task. Without that faith none of us would be sitting up here today and none of us would be one more step closer to bettering our lives. I am proud of myself but I am proud of my classmates as well for having the faith and confidence in ourselves to make it here tonight. Congratulations," I say, "and thank-you to all those out in the audience that have believed and had confidence in us, that pushed us when we wanted to give up and encouraged us to keep going when all we wanted to do was give up. Thank-you," I say with a nod before the audience stands up to applaud my speech. I look out over at Tayla and see a smile on her face. She blows me a kiss and I smile at her.
"At this time," says my professor, "I would like to call up our graduates," he says. He starts to raddle off names and I stand as I hear, "Dean Alexander Ambrose," he says as I make my way over to him. I have never been more proud of anything in my life than I am in that moment as I shake his hand as he hands me my diploma. I make my way back to my seat and turn my tassel before I take a seat. I am a high school graduate officially and without my sons and Tayla I would not be here today. I smile out at them as Tayla smiles back at me and has Alex wave to me. I wave back as Alex gives me a big smile.
After my graduation ceremony I make my way out to the crowd to see Tayla and the boys. It's been a while since I have seen them other than on Skype. "Hey," I say with a smile.
"Hey," says Tayla with a smile, "congratulations," she says giving me a hug. "I am so proud of you."
"Thank-you," I say with a smile. "Look at you," I say with a smile. "You're showing."
"Yep," she says with a smile. "I went to the doctor the other day for my gender ultrasound."
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I wish I could be there. How did it go? What are we having?"
"I don't know," she says with a smile. "I wasn't going to find out without you," she says as I reach for Alex. "You want to go to Daddy?" she asks with a smile. Alex reaches out for me and I take him from Tayla.
"So you don't know if it's a girl or a boy?" I ask.
"No," she says, "We're going to find out together at your party."
"My party?" I ask as I kiss the top of Alex's hand. "I missed you and the boys so much."
"We missed you," she says, "and yes a party. It's nothing big just you, the boys, my dad and me. I made reservations at our favorite restaurant down the street and they made us a cake and we'll find out if it is a girl or boy from the cake. If we cut into it and it's pink it's a girl but if it's blue it's a boy."
"Cool," I say with a smile, "so how are you doing? How are the boys?"
"I'm doing great," she says with a smile, "and the boys are doing very well. They're getting so big."
"Tell me about it," I say with a smile. "I saw the video of them crawling the other day. I was impressed."
"They are strong like their daddy," she says with a smile.
"Congratulations, Dean," says Miguel. "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," I say with a smile. "Tay, how is school going?"
"It's going very well," she says. "It's hard but I am getting it."
"I figured you would," I say with a smile. "How is Tampa?"
"Fantastic," she says, "You should move down to be closer to us so that you can see the boys more."
"I was thinking about it, Tay," he says with a smile. "Can I talk to you for a minute by ourselves?"
"Sure," she says with a smile. We walk a little distance away from Miguel to a private corner of the auditorium. "What's up?" she asks.
"Tay, I miss you. I can't even sugar coat it anymore. I love you and I miss you," I say, "I know you want to do this whole finding yourself thing and I am proud of you for that but are we ever going to get a chance together?"
"Dean," she says as she hands Alex his pacifier. "I love you too and I miss you. You have no idea how much I miss you. I miss you every day and I want to be with you again but I'm still trying to find myself. I have school and I have a career lined up for me when I graduate and then after I have the baby I am going into modeling. I don't' want to give that up to be with a man again."
"I'm not asking you to. I'm not saying let's jump head first into this. I am willing to take it slow. You know get to know each other, go out on dates and then let it go where it should. You know what I mean?"
"You wouldn't make me give up school or modeling?"
"No we wouldn't even live together until you were ready. I'll lease an apartment down in Tampa close to you and the boys. When I am home we can make a date night to go out just you and me so we can get to know each other better and then we'll have a family night to spend together. You three are the most important things to me. I meant what I said up there if it wasn't for you three I would not be here right now. I owe it all to you."
"Dean," she says looking at me with her dark brown eyes. "I love you and if you think we can do this without interfering with my school and career then I'm willing to try it. I still want to be me but I love you and I miss you. I am willing to do this. I like the idea of a date night with you and a family night."
"So you want to get back together? You know do this right? Be my girlfriend and I be your boyfriend and go from there?"
"I'm all for it," she says with a smile. "I'm not talking about moving in together or getting married but dating and maybe some sex because God knows I am dying without it and I need it works for me. I want to take this slow. I want to work our way up to an engagement and a marriage."
"And we will but right now I like the idea we have going."
"Me too," she says with a smile. "Let's do this."
"So we're back together?" I ask. She doesn't respond with words but she gets on her tippy toes and leans in and kisses my lips softly and passionately. I smile against her lips as Alex lets out a squeal but it doesn't make us break our kiss. She pulls back with a smile. "I'll take that as a yes," I say with a smile.
"Good," she says with a smile as she takes my hand into hers and intertwines our fingers together. "We have a graduation to celebrate and a gender to find out," she says with a smile.
"All right," I say as I follow her over to her dad as we get the boys ready to go to the restaurant down the street.
My graduation celebration is small and intimate. I wouldn't have it any other way than to be with the people I love most. Tayla and I hold hands under the table as we eat dinner together. It feels so good to have her soft skin on mine again and to feel her soft lips on mine. I have missed her more than words can say and although I know we are taking things slow we are going to make it. We have to make it. We may not be a fairytale but we do love each other more than words could ever say and more than we could ever express but in the end we will get our happily ever after. I look forward to it no matter how long it will take. After dinner our waiter brings out a circled cake that says Congratulations Dean and Tayla in green writing on top of yellow icing. He hands Tayla and I a knife as we stand up together to see what the gender of our baby is. I place my hand on Tayla's stomach before we cut into the cake. "What do you think it is?" I ask as my lips brush her temple.
"I want to say another boy what about you?" she asks as the baby kicks at my hand.
"Girl," I say, "I feel like it's a little girl."
"Well," she says, "Let's find out. On the count of three."
"Okay," I say as we hold the knife together with a smile on our faces. She counts us off and on three we cut into the cake. We pull the piece of cake out together and reveal a pink center. "It's a girl!"
"I'm getting my girl!" she says with a smile. "I love you, Dean," she says with a smile.
"I love you too," I say with a smile before I kiss her lips softly.
*A/N: what did you think of Dean graduating and getting his high school diploma? What were your thoughts on his speech? Does he truly love Tayla? What did you think of them getting back together? Do you think they will get their happy ending? What are your thoughts on the gender reveal? What do you think they will name their baby girl? Sadly there is only one more chapter left of Twist of Fate.. but I promise you will like the ending. Please review and thank-you for reading. :)