A/N: Ok faithful readers this is the last instalment of this story. I thank each and every one of you loyal followers. I hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have, I could be persuaded to write a sequel but I don't know at this stage. I may be starting a new job and if I get it-my time won't be own anymore and I will be concentrating more on my novels than fanfic so it's really up to you guys. If you want a sequel let me know by reviewing.
Peyton drove to Luke's house, she had her heart on her sleeve and it felt pretty damn good, today would mark the start of their lives together. She could finally be with him without fear or hurting someone else in the pursuit of what she wanted. Brooke was no longer an obstacle to her heart's desire; in fact she had a pretty good idea of just whom Justin was referring to, who wouldn't fall in love with Brooke. She was pretty amazing when she wasn't busting balls and being an annoying matchmaker.
She cranked up the sound on the stereo and her hair flew out behind her, it felt liberating and calming-just her and her car and the many miles ahead of her. She knew that they had a lot to talk to about, not least the hurt from the past and the mistakes they had made with each other but how they intended to move forward. She still wanted to live with Brooke and she had no idea how he would respond to this, Peyton just didn't want to fast forward their relationship and move in too soon. She wanted dates that ended in walks along the beach, she wanted kisses underneath a starry sky, she needed the slow burn of their love so that she could be 100% sure that this was forever. Her entire future rested upon this ideal and she wasn't willing to compromise.
Luke stood in his bedroom, he was pacing, and his stomach was churning. He had the ring in his pocket and he kept jiggling it, he couldn't decide if it was the right time to propose or not. The way he looked at it, she was always going to be in his life, so why wait until later to do what he had wanted since the age of eighteen and he had messed it all up in the ideals of youth. He wanted a forever and he got a broken heart, he didn't want to wait any longer, she knew how much he loved her-everything else was just a formality.
She parked her car in his driveway, she sat for a moment in the Comet and took a deep breath, the weight of the years had flown off her shoulders the closer she got to Luke's. It didn't really matter what problems they had in the past, she had realized as she drove that the future was the only thing she was interested in. Rehashing old hurts wouldn't change how she felt now, she wouldn't demand that they go over their mistakes, she had moved on from that.
Her time away had taught her to be strong in ways she had never really been before, she was tested in that time away-she came back whole but with only half her heart-Luke had always had the other half and it took being away and coming back for her to realize that. Her relationship with Justin had been a good one, he was just what she had needed, without coming back would have been that much harder, she knew that now. She was relieved that he hadn't held the break up against her, they had both realized that it was a mistake and emerged unscathed-it made her being with Luke more special-she knew someone else wasn't going to be broken-hearted.
She stepped out of her car and shouldered her handbag; she stepped onto the porch and pushed open his bedroom door. Luke was standing with his back to her and his hand was on the back of his neck, it was one of two things either he was nervous or he was tired. She hoped it was the first.
'Hi babe' She stepped toward him and he turned around. He had a huge smile on his face.
'Hi yourself' He pressed his lips to hers and grasped her hips a little tighter as she clutched her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, he tasted of basketball and apples an unusual coupling but he always drank juice after coaching-it was his thing.
'How come you look nervous?' She leaned back and stared him in the eyes, his eyes held a look she had seen only once before, she smiled at him as if to reassure him.
'Peyton I've made mistakes with you, it seems as though when it was about you I made the biggest. I was young and I was scared and I didn't know that by proposing to you-it would end things for us. Had I known that I would have waited. You have always been worth the wait and I'm sorry it took me nearly four years to say that to you' He had a tear in his eye and although she didn't need to hear the apology it still felt pretty great hearing it.
'It's ok Luke, you know on the way over here I thought about everything that happened between us. So, even though it's been painful for both of us maybe we needed that time apart so that when we did get back together we would be sure that it would work. I think I've always known it would be you, I could fool myself for a while and pretend that it was ok to be contented but no one else makes me feel like you do'.
He took a moment and stared at her, she wasn't sad or upset, she was happy and somehow that made it ok for him. He knew then that what they had was for good.
'Peyton, will you come somewhere with me?'
'Yes….' She had a sneaking suspicion that something else this had been on the tip of his tongue, she kissed him and smiled against his lips.
They got into his Mustang and drove to the Rivercourt, there was no one around and it felt peaceful. He stood in the middle of the court and told her that this was the first moment when he realized that he loved her. She tucked a curl behind her ear and smiled at him.
'I knew then even at the age of sixteen that you and I would be something one day. I loved you so much and you barely knew my name' She giggled at his confession, she had felt something that night too, but she had been in a relationship that was swiftly going from bad to worse. She hadn't wanted to feel what she felt so she had been a bitch instead.
'You were so mean to me, but I figured it was all part of your charm. I knew then that you were just putting up a front to cope with whatever you were going through'. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him, it felt like the first time again.
'I will always love you Peyt, no one else has ever come close to being where you have always been in my heart. You staked a claim on it a long time ago, I was just foolish and young and made too many mistakes to make it right with you. I'm so glad you gave me a second chance. Just being here with you again where it all began, it feels right this time with us. I want to be selfish in my love for you, it's been too damn long. I don't want to wait anymore for something I know will be forever.
He took a deep breath and pulled her closer, he got down on one knee and heard her gasp low in her throat. She may have known what was coming, but his words and the way he was looking at her-made her go a little weak in the knees. She was a fool for this boy she had always been, it felt amazing when she was with him and suddenly waiting seemed like the worst idea in the world. She looked down at him and he spoke softly.
Will you marry me?'
'Yes, I love you so much. Of course I'll marry you'
He opened the ring box and slid Keith's ring on her finger.
'I kept this since LA. I couldn't bring myself to give it to Lindsey it was only ever meant for you and I think I always knew that'
'It's beautiful Luke, I'm glad you never gave it to someone else'. She stared down at the ring on her finger and things didn't seem so scary anymore. She was his and he was hers-and it all sounded kinda perfect. He stood up and kissed her lips, she cupped the back of his head and pulled him closer to her, the stars glowed brightly framed by the two lovers and suddenly everything was in its right place. There would be no more sneaking around, it would just be the two of them and maybe more after that, she didn't really care when it happened but she was certain that her children would be just like Luke. She had pictured them for years and now she could finally get started on making it a reality. He smiled as he saw the cogs in her mind turning he was thinking of the future too, he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was picturing something pretty damn great-truth be told he was too.
-Fin