Epilogue
Sixteen years ago, my life was changed forever. At first, I wasn't sure if it was in a good or bad way. I just knew it was changed, and I had never felt more alone. When I discovered I was pregnant, I kept it secret from all my friends. No one outside my parents, grandparents, and Anthony and his parents knew what was going on. I wanted to tell someone, anyone just so I could talk to someone about what I was feeling; what I was going through. All I wanted was a friend.
Now, here I was. Sixteen years later and married to a wonderful man with three beautiful children. I still remember our wedding day seven years ago.
~~~TOS~~~
I can't believe this was actually happening. I was getting married, something I never thought in a million years would happen. I was not the type of girl to get married, neither of us Swan girls were. And yet, here I was. Getting hitched just a few months after Bella did. Everything was going well for the most part. Penny was dressed and ready to go in her flower girl dress with a scowl on her pretty little face. She's nine now, and she's long outgrown her love for dresses and flowers and anything that screamed girl. Although, she was still a big fan of her disney princess movies, a tidbit I will never let her live down. Thanks to Paul, my little girly girl has turned in a tomboy. Much like how Bella and I were growing up, I didn't mind but it did sadden me that she won't be my little girl forever.
"Are you ready to go, Hazel?" Bella asked, popping her head into the canopy. We decided to get married on the reservation on the beach and keep the ceremony small with just family and close friends.
My dress was pretty plain, it was a soft white and it flowed to my feet nicely and hugged my body. I opted for the no shoes like Bella had done at her wedding, instead I had white lace barefoot sandals instead. My hair was left down in my natural curls and I had a flower crown on and minimal makeup. I thought I looked pretty bangin' myself, everyone else agreed as well.
"Yeah, I'm ready." I smiled at my sister before ushering Hazel out of the canopy with her basket of flower petals. When I walked out I was greeted by dad with tears in his eyes.
"You look beautiful, Haze. I never thought I'd actually see the day you would get married. But remember, it's not too late to run." We all laughed at his joke, knowing that it also held truth. Charlie would bail me out of anything if I asked him to.
"I don't think that will be needed, dad. I'm sure about this one."
"Yeah, I'm sure about this one, too." He smiled softly at me before taking our places at the canopy leading to the isle.
At the sound of the wedding march, Charlie and I walked around the edge of the canopy and stopped at the edge of the isle. Everyone turned their heads and rose to their feet to watch me, only my eyes were transfixed on the handsome man at the end of the isle. The only time I had ever seen Paul dressed so nice before was the day I was granted sole custody of Penny, it was that same year that Paul asked me if he could legally adopt her as his own.
As I got further down the isle I was able to see the tears gather in Paul's eyes and slowly fall down his cheeks. Thank God, I worried that if he didn't cry then I was going to turn my ass around and walk back up the isle. I'm totally kidding, a little bit.
The wedding was perfect, I was surrounded by my family and friends and I was married to my best friend. I wasn't alone anymore, I had a family and friends who loved me.
~~~TOS~~~
I paused on doing the dishes when I heard the twins, Owen and Olivia, fighting upstairs. When I told Paul I was pregnant, he literally froze in place. His eyes were wide, his form was rigid, and I swear he didn't even look like he was breathing. After he came back to earth he had went for a ten hour run and when he came back he was so excited to be a dad again.
When we found out we were having twins, he fainted. But it was all worth it when we welcomed them into the world. Penny was so excited to be a big sister and even more excited that she would have a little brother and a little sister.
When I heard Owen shout one more time, I sighed deeply and went upstairs and into their bedroom. What I stumbled upon caused me to giggle. Owen was standing in the middle of the room with Olivia's pink Sleeping Beauty dress on and a tiara on his head.
"Momma, Livi, is making me into a girl!" Owen pouted, his cheeks red with anger.
"Momma, we're having an all girls tea party! Owie has to be a girl if he wants to play." Olivia stated from her seat at their little table, casually sipping at her cup of juice like it was the simpleist thing in the world. Of course both my girls had my sass. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the door frame.
"Now, Olivia, why does it have to be an all girls party? Why can't it be for boys and girls so everyone can play?" Realization dawned on her face as her cheeks slightly reddened. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye and then back to her brother.
"Sorry, Owie. You can be yourself if you want." She mumbled. Owen smiled and then took off the dress but kept on the tiara. I raised an eyebrow at him and all he did was shrug his shoulders. I rolled my eyes at the two and walked down the hall to check on Penny, or Penelope. Now that she was older she prefered to be called Penelope over Penny or Little P. Although, Jake still calls her Little P whenever he comes over. She doesn't mind when it's him doing it, but if it were anyone else then she'd bite your head off.
"Hey, Penelope, what are you doing?" I asked, nudging her already opened door. She was laying on her back in the middle of her bed with her head hanging off the side.
"Nothing," she snapped. I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh? Then why the attitude?" I asked, crossing my arms. She opened her eyes to look at me and then sighed, sitting up.
"It's Riley." At the sound of her distressed voice I walked the rest of the way into her room, closing the door behind me, and sat on her bed.
"What'd Riley do?" Riley was her on again off again boyfriend for the last year. He was nice enough, but Pen could do so much better than him. He goes to Forks High School and they met when him and some of his friends came to the rez to surf. Why anyone that wasn't in the pack would choose to surf in the frigid tempuratures is beyond me.
"We were supposed to go to the movies tonight and now he's toally blowing me off, and then Julia just texted me and asked if we were still together because APPARENTLY he and that bitch Sarah are going out tonight. Like what the -"
"I advise you not to finish that word, Pen." I said sternly. The bitch comment I can let go, but definitely not the use of the word fuck. "Why do you waste your time and energy on that boy when all he does is hurt you?" She sighed and turned to look at me, tears slowly gathering in her eyes.
"Because I love him, momma. He's not terrible all the time, he can be really sweet when he wants to be."
"I know, baby. But you're hurting more than you are anything else. Don't you think that it's time to let him go? There are plently of other boys out there that will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. When I was your age, I thought that I would be with Anthony for the rest of my life. And then I met Paul, and it made me realize that what I was recieving from Anthony was not love, it was unhealthy and it was a dangerous situation. I would hate to see you end up like that, stuck." By now the tears were flowing freely from Penny's eyes, it broke my heart seeing her like this. Being a teenager isn't easy, it's one of the hardest years of your life. Aside from your early 30's when you see how old you're getting.
"I know, momma. It's just so hard to let go, but I'm going to try. Thank you for always being there for me and understanding." She hugged me hard to her before wiping under her eyes and grabbing her phone. "I'm gonna call him right now." I smiled at her and then left her room to go back downstairs.
Aside from the twins playing in their room, the house was silent. Paul was at work with Sam and Jared, after they stopped phasing they started up a construction company that was doing very well. Paul of course wasn't so sure at first and he was all worried about not providing for us, but a quick little stern talk with me and a glare or two, he decided to give it a shot. And now he's glad he did.
My life with Paul has been a rollercoaster of disastors. Starting with the unwanted imprinting to the sparkly vampire boy and then finally dealing with Anthony. After the custody case, we haven't heard from him since. Something that I was absolutely thankful for. I've ran into a few friends from high school, usually when I'm at the grocery store with Pen. My old best friend, Lucy, being the most recent.
~~~TOS~~~
"Hey, Pen, can you grab that for me?" I asked my daughter. She was taller than me by at least three inches, so she could reach the taller shelves in the Forks grocery store.
"Hazel? Hazel Swan? Is that you?" I turned my head at the familiar voice, and instantly froze. It was my high school best friend, Lucy. I haven't seen or talked to her since I moved, sixteen years ago. I forced a fake smile on my face and gently hugged her back when she wrapped her arms around me. "Oh my goodness, it has been what? Sixteen years? Wow, you look great. Why didn't you tell me you were back in town? And look at the rock!" She gasped and reached for my hand to look closesly at my wedding ring. "Wow, so I take it you and Anthony are doing well?" My blood ran cold.
"Actually, Anthony and I broke up, a few years ago actually. I'm married to Paul Lahote, he's from the reservation." When we were in high school, reservation boys were almost forbidden fruit. Never giving us 'white girls' another look.
"No way! You snagged a rez guy? I'm impressed," she said. Jealousy was evident in her voice as she looked at my ring with narrowed eyes. Now that I think about it, I don't understand how she and I were ever friends. She was always so mean and bitter toward everyone, and thought she was better than, well, everyone. She looked up and her eyes landed on Penny. "Oh! Did your mom or dad have another kid? Is this your sister?" I looked at Pen and she looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. She knows I never told any of my old friends about her, for the sake that is was a small town. Lookin back on that now, I felt like dirt. Me hiding her from everyone was like me denying I ever had her.
"No, Lucy. Penelope is actually my eldest daughter. I have a set of twins at home with Paul." Lucy's eyes practically bulged out of her head. She looked back and forth from me to Penny, trying to piece it together. Until it finally dawned on her.
"That's why you moved to Georgia? Because you got pregant? Why didn't you tell anyone? We would have been there for you!" She practically shouted. My eyes narrowed at her.
"I didn't tell anyone because I wanted what was best for her and for me. Moving to Georgia was one of the best decisions I have ever made. If I hadn't then who's telling where I would be now. I'd be married to a man I didn't love, I'd forever be the talk of the town and that would carry on to my daughter. Something I would never wish for her to have to endure." I explained, my own anger rising to the surface.
"That is so selfish." I balked at her words.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. It is so selfish of you to keep her away from all of us. She would have grown up calling us uncles and aunts, that's so typical of you, Hazel." I almost laughed at the bitterness in her words.
"Y'know what, Luce? If doing the best thing I could for my daughter is selfish, then that's fine by me. I would never in a million years have allowed you or anyone else from high school around her. Ya'll are a bunch of backward ass people who only think of yourselves. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish grocery shopping for my family. Nice catching up with you." I smiled at her and then pushed my cart passed her surprised face and continued shopping.
~~~TOS~~~
If I had stayed in Forks, my entire life would have been so different. I have no doubt in my mind that Paul and I would have eventually met. But who's to say if the imprint would have been accepted? I'm happy with the choices I have made, those decisions have made me the woman I am today. It's given me three beautiful children and a loving husband. I'm closer than I ever have been to my sister and my father, I have a great group of friends within the pack. I couldn't ask for a better life.
"What's up, babe? You look pretty deep in thought." Paul's deep voice startled me out of my thoughts. I rested a hand on my beating heart.
"You scared me!" I said, smacking him with a dish rag. He had a playful gleam in his eyes as he attacked me with kisses all over my face and neck. Tickleing me in the process. "Paul, stop! You're gonna make me pee!" He placed one more kiss on my lips before resting his chin on my shoulder, his arms wrapped around my waist.
"So what were you thinking about?" He asked.
"How happy I am to be here with you and our beautiful children. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the world," I smiled.
"Me, too, Hazel. I love you."
"And I love you, wolf boy."
~~~TOS~~~
And that concludes the end of The Other Swan. I want to thank each and every single one of you who followed this story from beginning to end and to everyone who reviewed. I hope this is the closure ya'll need and keep an eye our for some of my future stories.