A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Honestly I hadn't written the epilogue yet, because I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it. So I wrote this up yesterday, but didn't have a chance to edit/ post it until today. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you all for sticking through this with me.
I was going to post my next story today, but I think it'll have to wait until Thursday! So be on the lookout. I think it's my new favorite. I hope you'll think so too. Enjoy!
A year and a half later
"Mom is going to be so disappointed she missed you," I said pulling Lilly's arms through her Pj's.
I brought her to Elena's house, in hopes she would get to see her before bedtime. Elena had been gone for a week dealing with her book. She's almost finished with the third and final book in the series. I always knew she was talented, and I don't think she believed it until a couple months ago when she received a phone call offering her a movie deal. Fast forward to now, and she is helping co-write a script for the first movie to be made.
She's been so focused on her work that she finally recognized she could let go of teaching. So, she finished out the school year last year, and has put all of her focus into her writing. It took the stress off by dropping one job, but I could tell it petrified her to not have a steady future. Hopefully one day she will believe in herself like I do. She could set her mind to anything she wanted to and accomplish it with grace.
Lilly babbled nonsensically as I rocked her in the wooden chair. She was able to say a lot of words but struggled to make sentences. She was growing up fast before my eyes. Especially when I traveled for photoshoots. Just a couple days gone, and she looked like a new person when I got home.
Lilly looked so much like me, but she was all Elena personality wise. She was sweet and compassionate. She had a smile that could make a somber room turn to sunshine and rainbows. She was smart. She picked up on new skills faster than I could teach them. She had my heart from day one and I swear she gripped it tighter each day.
I laid Lilly down thirty minutes after her bedtime. She was exhausted and she fell asleep. I'm sure Elena will be sad that she didn't make it home on time. This was the longest she's gone without seeing her, and I'm sure another night will torture her.
I shut off the lights, almost closing the door completely before heading downstairs.
I was still working at the club and traveling once a month for photography. At first, I hated not having my dream job as often as I liked, but I love being home so much more.
It was challenging balancing Elena's travel with mine. Sometimes they overlapped, so Elenas parents, or my dad stepped in to help us out. We both carried a lot of guilt, wondering if we were causing abandonment issues with Lilly. My father offered us wise words of encouragement that it wasn't about quantity, it was about quality time. We heard it from everyone all the time that we were great parents. It was nice to hear, but I think it's natural as a parent to worry that you're screwing up your kid.
Lilly was happy. She was showered with love. Not just from Elena and I, but from everyone. Her grandparents, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy… Everyone adored her.
I heard the door softly open from the entry way. I made my way to find Elena removing her shoes and dropping her purse quickly. "Did I miss her? Is she sleeping already?"
"She knocked out like fifteen minutes ago," I frowned.
Elena went passed me to quietly run up the stairs. She softly opened up the door, and I tiptoed behind her. Lilly was passed out, lying on her stomach and her butt pushed up into the air like always. Her face was turned to the side as she suckled on her pacifier peacefully.
I heard Elena sigh with a mix of disappointment and relief. I took her hand and led her back downstairs. "You'll see her in the morning," I reminded her.
"She looks like she grew inches," Elena frowned.
"I know the feeling," I squeezed her hand. "How was your work trip?"
"Good," she perked up. "Really good."
"Tell me about it," I went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. "I want to hear all about it"-
Elena grabbed the top of my shoulder turning me to face her. She planted her lips on mine in almost a desperate need. My hands were full, but I managed to hold her around the waist. I chuckled against her lips, as her hands ran through my hair.
"I'm sorry," she pulled away just enough to look me in the eye. "I just blew right past you," she gave me an adorable smile. "Hi"- she took a breath, "I missed you."
"It's ok," I assured her. "It's understandable."
She reconnected our lips, her hands automatically going for the buttons on my shirt.
"Wait," I mumbled against her lips.
She pulled away disappointed. Her lower lip jutting out into a pout. Her face was suspicious "You never turn me down… what's going on?"
I took her hand with my free hand giving her a reassuring smile. I pulled her to the sliding door in the living room. I briefly let go of her hand so I could open the door for us.
"Oh my gosh," Elena gasped as she stepped out onto the patio. "Damon," her eyes filled with tears. "This is so beautiful."
I closed the door behind us, "we might have to reheat up the food. I thought you'd be home sooner."
She sat down on one of the chairs, admiring the candles and the bouquet of flowers I purchased earlier. "What's all this for?"
"For you," I gave her an obvious look. "A week felt too long without you."
"I don't know what I did to deserve you," she said emotionally.
"I think I don't deserve you," I removed the top of the dish I made. "Are you hungry? Or tired? I'm sure you're exhausted"-
"I'm starving," she interrupted me.
I chuckled before serving up the food. We ate as she animatedly told me about her work trip. I enjoyed watching her eyes light up as she discussed things I didn't fully understand. She was so creative and heartfelt with her writing and her fans were incredibly lucky to have someone who cared so much about her work like she did.
Elena leaned back with a content sigh, "That was delicious."
"I'm glad you think so," I smiled, as I stood up. I walked over to my phone that was connected to a speaker. I turned on a song, and Elena looked at me with a confused expression.
"Dance with me?" I asked her, offering her my hand.
She grabbed my hand as she stood up, "What's going on with you?"
I shrugged, "Can't I dance with my girlfriend?"
She didn't argue as she melded into my arms. Her head resting atop my shoulder, as her arms looped around my neck. My hands rested around her lower back, as I rested my head atop hers. There was such a peace and comfort when I held her. The world around us could be chaotic and on fire but holding her that all went away. Work could be stressing me out, or I could have a frustrating day with our toddler, but she made things feel easy. I could be struggling with my regrets over Stefan or remembering the loss of my mother and she was the light at the end of a really dark tunnel.
She pulled away after a minute, "this is the song we danced to at the wedding," she recalled.
I placed a soft kiss to her forehead. I was glad she remembered. Back then I wasn't sure how important our interactions were to her at the time.
"Why are you so good at being romantic," she practically growled in my ear, as her body suggested that it turned her on.
I chuckled, "I'm not- At least I wasn't. Not until you came into my life."
I spun her around and pushed her forward so that she stood at the railing of her patio. I looped my arms around her front, and she leaned her had back against my shoulder. "The stars are bright tonight," I mentioned.
"Yeah," she said in admiration.
I grabbed her hand in mine, pulling it up and tracing the shape of a constellation. "You can see Scorpio", I traced the hook like shape in the air.
"Look at you," she turned her head to look at me with a smile. "Mr. Astrologist."
"I spent a lot of time looking at the stars when I was younger."
"Why?" she wondered.
"My mother. She loved astrology and all the mythology along with it."
She was silent for a minute, before turning back to the stars. "You can pass it on to Lilly. I'm sure she will soak it in."
We took another moment just enjoying the silence and admiring the view. But mostly just being in each other's arms.
"I have a present for you," I whispered in her ear.
"But my birthday isn't until next month," she said confused.
"It's not for your birthday."
"What? Why? I didn't get you anythi"-
"Close your eyes," I interrupted her.
"Damon! I feel bad now"-
"Just close your eyes," I rolled my eyes.
She gave me a scowl before reluctantly closing her eyes.
I wasn't nervous until now. Hopefully it wasn't too soon. We were still living separately technically, but one of us was always sleeping over at the others. I left her for a brief second. My shaky hand found the tiny object I had hidden by a flowerpot. I returned to Elena snaking my arms back around her waist and grabbed her hand. "Keep your eyes closed," I warned her. I placed the small item in her open palm. I took a deep breath before giving her a squeeze around her waist. "Ok. You can open."
She slowly opened her eyes as she peered down at her hand. She was silent for a long minute before turned to look at me. "Is this?" She turned around to face me.
"I know that I should probably get down on one knee. That's what a conventional proposal would be right?" I laughed nervously. "But I don't think we're very conventional."
Elena was in shock, words unable to surface from her open mouth.
"I hope I'm not doing this too soon but… I don't want to live another day as your boyfriend. I want to be your fiancée. And hopefully someday soon, your husband. I don't like having two separate houses. I want to share one bed. One house. One place that we can both call home. We talk about the future all the time, like it's a dream. A fantasy, where you and I are married, and we continue to grow our family. So why not start today?"
Her eyes were welled with tears, and at this point I wasn't sure if I scared the shit out of her or if she was crying from joy.
"Will you marry me, Elena?" I finally asked.
She was still silent as she looked down at the diamond ring in her hand. My heart was pounding so loud it could be heard over the music still playing in the background.
"You're killing me Elena," I laughed nervously. "Is it too soon, or"-
"No!" She finally snapped her head up to look at me.
My heart literally stopped.
"Oh my gosh!" Realization washed over her quickly. "I mean no it's not too soon!" She quickly Explained. "Yes! Of course, I'll marry you. I love you"-
I kissed her lips with intensity. That's all I needed to hear. That's all I wanted to hear. She was the love of my life, and as cheesy as it sounds, I couldn't live without her. I finally knew what love is. I knew what it meant to put someone first. To sacrifice our own wants for someone else. To feel pain when your partner was in pain. To feel joy when your partner was happy. To walk through life together. Consulting with someone else on every decision because you are a team now. And she was the best teammate, and only teammate I could ever want.
"I love you," I said back as I pulled away. I picked up the ring that she still held onto, and I put it on the correct finger. We both smiled as tears of joy fell from our eyes.
"You're my forever," I told her.
"Forever," she echoed.
We immediately kissed again. Elena's fingers found the buttons on my shirt again. "You aren't going to deny me this time, are you?" She teased.
"Never," I helped her strip off my shirt. "Happy wife, happy life, right?"
She bit her lip with a smile, "yes."
"Should we move this inside?" I asked her.
She licked her lips as she blushed. "I think a night under the stars sounds perfect." She started to remove my belt, as she gave me a suggestive look.
"You continue to surprise me," I kissed her before removing her clothes, and making love to her under the stars.
