Epilogue

"Oliver! Oliver! Come here this instant!"

Holly chased her four-year- old son around the house, trying to catch him to put his nice shirt on. He was having none of it.

"Play! Play!" he laughed, dodging his mother yet again.

"Oliver, do not make me go get your father," Holly warned.

Olivier apparently thought this was part of his game, for he began to shout, "Daddy, daddy!"

Holly rolled her eyes, laying the shirt on the table and going out to the backyard.

"James!" she called across the lawn, "I do believe I need help with your son."

James stuck his head out from the shed, "What do you mean?"

"I cannot get this boy dressed, and she will be here soon," Holly replied.

"All right dear, give me five more minutes and I'll be in," he glanced at the look on his wife's face, "on second thought, I think I'm done here."

They walked back in to the house together. Oliver spotted his father and flew at him, wrapping himself around James' legs.

"Are you giving your mother a hard time?" James asked, scooping the little boy up into his arms.

Oliver laughed as James handed him over to Holly, who quickly stripped the boy of his clothes before putting his nice ones on.

"Why I gotta wear this?" Oliver asked, looking down at his clothes in disgust.

"Because your aunt and uncle are coming by, and it's not often that we get to see them. So we have to look nice for them when we do," Holly responded, taking her apron off and hanging it on its hook beside the stove.

It was one of the rare stretches that Olivia and Harry were in town at the same time, so Holly was putting every effort into making the night run as smoothly as possible.

Holly thought back to the moment five years ago, when she, Olivia, and James had decided to come to Chicago. James and Holly had been married at once, in a small private ceremony with Olivia as the only witness. They had found a small place, perfect for raising a family. Olivia had put part of the money down as a payment, selling some of her jewelry for it. Holly and James had tried to refuse at first, but Olivia would have none of it. "If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back later," she had said. Though she had never given the price that she had paid, so it was difficult to manage how much they were indebted to her.

She hadn't stayed in the city long before she got bored. So she sold the rest of her jewelry and headed to San Francisco, wanting to see what else was out there. She had lived on her sold jewelry for a while, having more than she'd originally thought. When she had run out, she did odd jobs, working in a small café for a bit along with other things. About a year ago, however, she finally decided to contact her parents. Her mother had wanted nothing to do with her, but her father had missed his little girl. He had taken to sending her a small bit of money every month to support her travel habit. She'd been all over the United States, but had yet to set foot on another ship, preferring to keep both feet on solid ground.

Harry, meanwhile, had been an officer on three more ships, and suffered no more mishaps. He tried to come and visit as often as he could when he had shore leave, but as of late it hadn't been very often. Holly knew that James missed the sea and his best friend, and she had an inkling that every time Harry left James longed to go with him.

But the moment wouldn't last long, because after everyone had left and they'd put their son to bed, James would embrace Holly and tell her there was no place else he'd rather be. Together they would go to bed, and when she woke up in the morning, James was still by her side.

Holly was pulled from her reverie when James stood beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"When do you think they are going to stop avoiding the subject and just settle down?" he asked, speaking of their two friends.

"It's already been five years dear. They are both too stubborn. Give them another five years and I am sure they will figure it out," Holly replied, laughing.

"I can hardly believe it's taken them this long," James said.

"They are both too involved in their own lives. And they hardly ever see each other," Holly replied.

"That doesn't mean they don't keep in contact. Harry has let it slip several times that they are in correspondence," James smirked at the astounded look on his wife's face.

"I didn't know that. Olivia never said," Holly replied, "it does not really surprise me, but it still would have been nice to know."

"Maybe tonight will finally be the night," James said.

"Maybe."

A large smile broke out on Holly's face as the doorbell rang throughout the house.

There it is. Hope you like it and thank you to all of you that have stuck with me since the beginning. I really appreciate all of you guys so much!