Epilogue

"Morning," I heard my husband's deep voice and although I was sleepy, I smiled and opened one eye to look at him. The familiar scent of his shower gel was comforting, and I snuggled closer to him and whispered;

Chris was propped up on his elbow, smiling at me. His eyes were tired, he had been working relentlessly recently on a big insurance case and the hours were beginning to take their toll. His hand reached out to caress my hair and as I shuffled towards him, he planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Five more minutes."

"It's Sunday, you goof." He laughed and I sighed contently.

"Why are we awake then?" I mumbled into his warm chest.

With that, our bedroom door came flying open.

"Mom, Dad, I can't find my glove!"

Mikey was eight years old now and baseball crazy. Long limbed, tanned, with my dark hair and Chris' deep blue eyes, he was a good looking kid. Unlike my elementary school

days, he was a whizz at maths and excelling in every subject.

"Shall we pretend we're still asleep?" I said to Chris' torso.

"No game today, buddy, remember?" Chris responded meaningfully.

I peeked out to see Mikey in full baseball attire.

"What do you mean?" I mumbled."It's Sunday, right?"

Mikey looked suddenly stricken.

"Oh yeah, we have that thing…"

"Thing?" I sat up and looked at him suspiciously. Mikey averted his eyes.

"Yeah, the thing I was gonna help Uncle Gordie with. I'll go get changed."

When Mikey was gone, I turned accusing eyes on Chris.

"What are you two up to? He's a worse liar than you are."

Chris started to laugh.

"If I tell you, he'll have ruined the surprise and I can't lay that on the kid. Stay here. I'll bring you a coffee."

He started to climb out of bed and I wrapped my arms around his taut stomach and tried to heave him back in.

"Nina, come on," he chuckled, flopping back on the sheets. "I have a surprise to organise."

"Well, maybe I have a surprise for you."

He wriggled out of my grip and winked at me as he pulled on some jeans.

"Just wait. Enjoy the peace." He leant towards the bed, planting a kiss firmly on my lips before leaving the room.

A little annoyed, I flopped back onto the pillows.

As I lay there looking at the ceiling, I noticed there was a corner of damp seeping into the walls. Money hadn't allowed us the benefit of moving from the place I'd originally

lived with Ace, not with Chris studying and me waitressing. Chris' dad had passed away over the winter. His liver had finally packed up after all the drinking. Chris had taken it

hard, but I got it. Losing someone you had a bad relationship somehow seemed worse than losing someone you had a good relationship with. I never really got over my

Mom either, but we had each other and we'd seen a lot more of Chris' Mom and siblings since Mr Chambers' passing.

I was due to start my accountancy associates degree in the fall. I'd done night classes to finish my GED and get a qualification in payroll. But I'd been waiting for Chris to pass

the bar before I applied to start my associates degree, Of course, he had passed first time.

It was probably time we started looking for somewhere to live, I decided, but my thoughts were interrupted by Chris bringing me in a coffee.

888

"You're seriously not going to tell me where we're going?" I questioned for the third time.

Mikey had already left to help Gordie with 'that thing' so Chris and I were alone in the pontiac.

"I am seriously not going to tell you where we're going," he repeated.

"You know I hate surprises…" I faltered a little bit dramatically and he gave me some serious side eye before he said,

"That is not gonna work, Christina Chambers. Don't you use those eyes on me. I am an unyielding force, and completely immune to your charm."

"Now we both know you're lying."

He chuckled.

"C'mon, just a little longer, we're nearly there."

I had noticed the houses turning from shabby to well kept, and when he kept going, I knew just where we were headed. To The View.

"Have you booked a fancy restaurant? Cos I don't think I can stomach anything fancy," I said. Even the coffee hadn't gone down as well as usual.

Chris rolled his eyes but didn't answer me.

To my surprise, as the houses became grander and pristine, he suddenly slowed down and turned into the driveway of a huge house with huge windows, a wrap around porch

and a tyre swing that was rocking rapidly as though someone had just deserted it.

"Where are we?" I asked Chris nervously, as we climbed out of the car.

"You'll see." We headed to the double doors hand in hand and Chris knocked twice before.

"Go ahead. Try the door," he instructed. Hesitantly I turned the handle and pushed it open wide.

"Surprise!"

I was greeted by a loud cheer that made me jump and Gordie and Mikey underneath a banner that said 'welcome to your new home'.

"What the f-" I started.

"Not in front of the kid," Gordie interrupted, covering Mikey's ears. Mikey shook him off and ran towards me.

"This is our new house, Mom, isn't it great? My bedroom is so big!"

"Did you buy this?" I turned on Chris astounded.

"Well, not outright, but I gave them a mighty big deposit," he laughed. "Are you happy?"

"Where did you get the deposit?"

"Robbed a bank...how do you think?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "The case, silly. we got 25% of the compensation."

I looked around. At the hard wood floors, at the sun filtering through the gleaming windows. I wandered through the living space into an enormous kitchen. Then I came back

out to look at three expectant faces.

"How many-"

"Four bedrooms, three bathrooms," Chris said automatically. I nodded my head slowly.

"Well, say something," Gordie said, nodding at Mikey who looked kind of worried.

"The house is beautiful, " I said to Mikey, "and you did such a good job keeping it a secret."

Mikey beamed at me.

"Why don't I push you on the tyre swing again?" Gordie asked Mikey. "Give your mum and dad time to look upstairs?"

I trailed after Chris up the grand stair case and watched as he opened the door to every room. A master suite for us, a big bedroom with an ensuite for Mikey, two more

bedrooms separated by a shared bathroom with twin sinks.

"Look, I know it's a lot," Chris took my hands as we stood in one of the twin rooms. "And maybe looking at your face I should have asked you first, but I made a hell of a lot

of money off the insurance case and I just wanted to give you your dream home."

"I love the house." I finally found my tongue. "But isn't this-" I used my hand to signal the house. "Selling out?"

"Selling out?" He started to laugh. "How do you figure?"

"Well, you know. When we were kids, kids from The View were douchebags. Do we want Mikey to grow up like that?"

"No, we don't and we won't. When we were kids, kids from The View were douchebags but our kid will be the nice kid from The View, who spends time with lots of different

people, not just people who have money."

I felt reassured when he said that. Of course, with us as parents, Mikey would still be a decent kid, and maybe there were lots of decent kids at The View that we never took

the time to talk to.

"This is a big house…" He was looking at me with a gleam in his eye and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was thinking.

"Funny you should say that," I said wryly. "I did try and tell you I had a surprise of my own this morning."

It took a few seconds for him to catch on and then his eyes were no longer gleaming but glistening.

"You mean…?" He nodded at my stomach and I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm pregnant. Which is a near miracle given the hours we've both been working."

His arms went about me immediately, half laughing, half crying. "Jesus, I just thought you were tryna get laid."

"Get laid?" I laughed. "Is that how you big shot lawyers talk?"

"I told you, moneys not gonna change us….how long have you known?"

"A couple of weeks," I admitted. "I was waiting for you to close your case."

He looked at me agape before I saw guilt cross his face.

"A bit of a confession? The case ended a few weeks back, I just had to do a lot of running around to get the house."

"Ah, so we both were carrying secrets." I gave him a little shove and he grinned at me excitedly.

"Nina, I am going to be the best dad in the world. I promise you."

"You already are. That's why I'm happy about it," I told him. "Finding out the first time was the most terrifying thing ever. But now, we're married and you're a real lawyer."

"This is just the beginning," Chris told me. "It wasn't pot luck on that case, whatever the papers say. I'm a good lawyer and I can keep the money coming."

"I believe you, but who would have thought it?" I said to him as we stared out the window at all the huge houses in sight. "Chris Chambers and Nina Willis with their big house up at The View."

He came up behind me and wrapped his hands protectively over my stomach. "I told you we were getting out," he said to me.

I laughed.

"We haven't gone very far."

He turned me around and pulled me gently against me, his eyes teary and a soft smile on his lips.

"Getting out was never a place. It was a state of mind. It just took me a while to figure it out."

"Are you two quite finished?" A panting Gordie appeared behind us. "Cos your new neighbours were asking after you both."

Chris turned away to wipe his eyes.

"Neighbours?" I turned around to draw attention away from Chris. "What are they like?"

Gordie shrugged.

"We know one of them actually….Jeanette Carmicheal? Went to school with us?"

"What?" I snapped.

"Hey, hey, he's kidding." Chris put his hand on my shoulder while glaring at Gordie. "Don't go upsetting her in her condition."

"Condition?" Gordie gaped. "You mean I'll have two of them to chase round? Man, I gotta start working out."

"We accept your congratulations, thanks Gordo." I rolled my eyes. "And the Jeanette Carmichael thing? Not funny in or out of this 'condition'".

"Congratulations guys." He reached out to shake Chris' hands and patted my arm. "It was a little funny," he smirked. "And you know what else? If it wasn't for me none of

this would have happened."

"How so?" Chris asked.

"Well, if it wasn't for me, you two would never have given each other the time of day. Chris never would have come back to Castle Rock and therefore I think you'll find a third

of this house is mine."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Chris turned his attention back to me. "There was a time when I thought I'd never get this with you."

"Life's a bummer, you know that?" said Gordie to nobody in particular. His voice bounced off the walls in the empty room. "One minute you're being fought over by your two best friends and the next minute you're a third wheel babysitter."

"Come here, you goof," I grabbed his arm and pulled him in close, the three of us huddled together like football players. "I needed you both to get here," I said honestly.

"Gordie, you kept me alive when I didn't want to after Ace died."

"Well, ya know, I kinda figured I'd inherit the kid if you'd offed yourself. Part time he's great, full time he'd ruin me."

"Shut up, you idiot," I squeezed his arm. "I'm so glad we're here, the three of us. That you didn't have to choose one of us, Gordie."

"Well, I mean you're prettier, but he talks less…"

"Shut up, Gordo," Chris and I said in unison. The three of us burst out laughing.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle Gordie, someone!" Mikey called up the stairs. "Can someone push me on the swing?"

"Coming, buddy!" Chris said, and as all three of us trooped down the stairs, we were met with the wide smile of Michael Merill- Chambers.

It was funny to think that the pregnancy I had thought was the worst thing in the world was actually the best thing. That even without the fancy house, I wouldn't take Mikey back for the world.

He was a little bit of all the men who had been in his life- Chris' determination and compassion, Gordie's sense of fun and love of stories, and Ace's stubbornness They were all the things I valued in the people closest to me.

"You ok?" Gordie and me were sat on the steps watching Chris push Mikey on the tyre swing.

"Yeah," I grinned at him. "I don't think I'll be going to the college this fall though."

"So you go next year. Or when the kid starts school. You've got a hot shot lawyer husband now anyways."

I laughed.

"Thanks Gordie."

"For what?"

"For never giving up on me. Even when I gave up on myself."

"You didn't need me," he said. "But I'm glad that I helped."

"Hey Gordie, tag in. My arms are gonna fall off." Chris called.

Gordie squeezed my shoulder gently as he got up from beside me on the steps and resumed Chris' position behind the tyre swing.

"Aren't you supposed to bethe GI Joe here?" Gordie complained as he swung Mikey so high that he yelled in delight. "Look at those muscles, what a waste. You ought to give em to me."

"I keep telling you to come to the gym with me,"Chris said.

"I said I wanted muscles, not exercise. My exercising days ended when I left high school and stopped doing phys ed."

I turned to Chris with a wry grin.

"You aren't tired at all, are you?"

"No," he whispered back. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you. That I'm yours always. And any addition to our family I am gonna fill with as much love as I give you and Mikey."

I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You were worth waiting for," I told him, to which he turned and kissed my forehead.

Despite the heartache for me over the years, despite feeling like I was cursed and that nothing and nobody seemed to be forever, I now felt like the luckiest girl in the world. We'd gone the long way round, but we were home now. Home being each other, and the family we had created.

THE END

Author Note: Thank you for reading. I know it's been a long time since I finished Hometown Girl and maybe the Pro-Chris-lives outraged readers of that time are no longer active on this site. But it felt cathartic to give Chris and Nina their happy ending, even if it doesn't have the same readers and following that Hometown Girl did.

If you are a reviewer of Hometown Girl, I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this version.

I don't really think about my writing, I just start typing and it happens. If I'm honest, I prefer Hometown Girl, ending with Nina and Gordie, best friends that are each other's family. Because partners come and go, and even if they are the love of your life, they are not always yours forever. Your best friend however, is always the person who is there to pick up the pieces. So I guess this is a dedication to my best friend, who will probably never read this, but has made it easy to write amazing stories of friendship.