Thank you for being awesome!
I do not own Glee or the characters and I certainly don't own Grayson's Vow.
EPILOGUE
Eight Years Later...
SAM
"What exactly are you doing, little sprite?" I asked, staring down at the seven-year-old girl crawling through the grass. Her little head popped up, cascades of curly dark blonde hair falling down her back and deep brown eyes blinking up at me.
"I'm pretending to be a caterpillar," she answered.
"Ah," I said, holding back the smile that tugged at my lips. "Yesterday you were a daisy and today you're a caterpillar."
She came up on her knees then, putting her hands on her small hips...
"Grandpa Harrold says you can't truly understand someone else unless you see the world through their eyes."
"Does he now?" That sounded just like Harrold...the man who had taught me everything I knew about being a good father. "Well, I don't know if he was referring to daisies and caterpillars, though."
"But they're my favorite!" she insisted. "I want to understand them most of all!"
I chuckled...
"And what have you discovered so far?"
"Well, daisies look up at the sky all day and watch it change. They must think the world is a very pretty place. And caterpillars just look at the ground." She frowned and shook her head. "Caterpillars must be very disappointed with the world."
I laughed, picking her up in my arms and smiling into her serious little face.
"You know what I see? A pretty little girl with a very compassionate heart. Now, where's your little sister? I have something to tell the both of you."
"She's playing dress-up in the cottage... Daddy, did you put another baby inside Mommy?"
My eyes widened and I paused...
"How did you know that?"
"You had that same look on your face when you told me you'd put Celisa in mommy's tummy."
"What look is that exactly?"
She scratched her arm, her expression contemplative...
"I don't know... Kind of like how Fifty looks when she catches a stick."
I laughed out loud, picturing the mostly proud, but slightly shocked look on Fifty's face when she accomplished something she found brilliant.
"Well, you're right. And, guess what? It's another sister."
"Another sister?" Her face broke out in a grin, showcasing her missing tooth and an endearing dimple. "That's a lot of girls, Daddy."
I grinned...
"Yup. My girls."
Happiness flowed through my heart. It didn't seem that life could hold any more joy than it did right now, and yet, somehow, every day it grew just a little bit more.
All because of a girl who once bravely walked into my office and proposed marriage...
All because I'd finally had the courage to surrender to my sweet little witch...
And in return, she's given me a houseful of spirited girls who climbs trees, pretends to be caterpillars, sasses me back on occasion, puts me in my place very regularly, reminds me often I am definitely not the ruler in my own home, and generally drives me to distraction.
I set Jhazala down and we entered the small cottage where, once upon a time, a very beautiful witch had lived, and found my four-year-old Celisa outfitted as a princess, sipping tea at the miniature table in the front room.
Several years ago, we'd had the cottage cleaned, updated and turned into a playhouse for our girls.
"We're going to have another sister!" Jhazala shouted.
Celisa's plastic cup stopped halfway to her mouth and her eyes grew wide...
"Another sister!" she said, jumping to her feet. She wobbled towards me on plastic heels and threw herself into my arms as I bent to catch her. "Thank you, Daddy. I wished for a little sister."
I smiled into her beautiful heart-shaped face, her green eyes bright with happiness and the slight bit of mischief they always held.
"It's my job you know, to make all your wishes come true."
Her expression turned thoughtful then, as she twirled a lock of her hair.
"Can I have a pony then?"
I used my index finger to bop her on her nose...
"And," I qualified. "Not to spoil you rotten."
"Hmm," she grumped, but I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She was already plotting a way to get that pony.
I chuckled and the three of us went up to the main house to find Alice in the kitchen.
I took a deep inhale, the air fragrant with a sweet, lemony scent...
"Grammy Alice," Celisa called. "We're having a baby sister!"
Alice laughed and caught her in her arms even as Jhazala ran and hugged her waist.
"I know, my loves; I heard the wonderful news. Should we celebrate with a lemon bar, fresh from the oven?"
"Or maybe two?" Celisa tilted her head and smiled prettily.
I smiled...
"Watch that one," I said. Alice grinned as I kissed her on her cheek. "Have you seen Mercedes?" I asked.
"I think she went out back after putting Lyric down for a nap," she said, setting Celisa on her feet.
Ah...Lyric, my sweet little two year old daughter. She was a wonderful surprise and a priceless edition to our growing family.
"You go find her, I've got these two," Alice ended.
She smiled happily... And I smiled knowing how overjoyed and thankful she felt with a houseful of little girls to spoil and coddle and love. And bake treats for.
I winked at her and went in search of my wife, having a very good idea where she might be...
As I walked down the hill, I looked out over the grapevines beyond and my chest swelled with pride.
Eight years ago, we'd brought this vineyard back from the brink of ruin with the money Jennine had given me, lots of hard work and plenty of loyal friends.
Since then, we've grown more successful every year, even winning several awards for the wines produced.
Evans Vineyard was thriving... And I was especially proud of the fact that we now employed almost two hundred people...many of whom were ex-cons just looking for a second chance and looking for someone to believe in them.
Harlan, now my director of operations, had inspired that idea. And a few other businesses in Napa had even followed suit when word got out about how loyal and hardworking our employees were.
Mercedes' Gram's money had eventually been unlocked long before the trial was over... The trial that put Chris Devlin behind bars for a whole laundry list of crimes.
Alas, Darius Jones had never been proven guilty of participating in anything illegal, but as he knew better than anyone, in politics, perception is everything. And no one wanted to be linked to the suspicion that surrounded his name.
He disappeared from the political landscape and, as far as we knew, was no longer involved in government at all. Nor was he involved in our lives.
That's his loss. He will probably never know his four grand kids...
Thankfully though, we weren't lacking for family...meaning Stevie and Olivia. They now had two boys who visited often and always left looking slightly stunned after our girls...mainly Jazzy and Celisa...ran roughshod over them, playing tricks, forcing them to play dress-up and making them participate in slightly naughty escapades.
My girls...
"I thought I'd find you here," I said, turning the last corner of the well-tended maze. I smiled as I joined Mercedes on the bench in front of the splashing fountain where she sat with her hand on her slightly noticeable baby bump.
The emeralds from her wedding ring flashed in the sun, reminding me of the day I'd slipped it on her finger as we renewed our vows in a small sunlit ceremony under the apricot tree in our vineyard.
I'd wanted to give her a real wedding day... one filled with love, joy and family. And that's what I'd done.
My wife smiled prettily, causing my heart to flip...
"It's my favorite place...the heart of your lair. I always know you'll find me here, dragon."
I chuckled softly and gathered her to me, lifting her onto my lap. And she wrapped her arms around my neck and put her forehead against mine...
"Another girl," she sighed happily.
I nuzzled her neck.
"Mmhmm," I murmured. "Another woman to keep me under her thumb. It's almost like you planned it this way."
She laughed.
"No, not planned it, just dreamed it. I dreamed of this life you've given me." She took my face in her hands and kissed my lips. "Thank you," she whispered against my mouth.
Gratitude and love overwhelmed me, and I brought my wife even closer, hugging her to my body and inhaling her sweet scent. And in that moment, I knew I would never again believe life didn't hold miracles.
With her love, my beautiful little witch had transformed a place once filled with loneliness and pain into a place filled with joy and dreams. And as we held each other, the age-old phrase whispered through the trees, the roses and the grapevines beyond...
In Vino Veritas. In wine there is truth.
But the greater knowledge that now lived in the peaceful silence of my heart was... In love there is truth.
And the truth that love had taught me, was that you can only be strong once you are brave enough to break. And that pain makes more room for love within.
I was grateful for it all, because that was the beautiful balance of life.
Stay safe!