Hey guys this will be the last chapter in the form of an epilogue. I'm really sad that this story is over but I'm very thankful for the ride. Thank you all for your amazing reviews. This chapter is written from Santana's, Lily's, and Brittany's point of view. There are numerous flashbacks in this chapter so I hope you guys don't get confused at any point; dates will be written in for convenience. I hope you guys enjoy! Thank you for all your support!
Epilogue. Love Me Tender
"Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled.
For my darlin' I love you, and I always will."
- Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley
January 1st 2042
As a teenager I never would've believed that today could have or would even exit. I never let myself dream that this could be possible until it was almost too late to ever achieve it; but thank god for Brittany. Looking at myself in the mirror today I feel like that scared little girl who I once was, but today I had a much different reason to be scared. Today is the day I renew the most important commitment I have ever made.
Today the fear I feel is not out of anger or cowardice; it is out of love. I fear that my children, and the rest of the world, will not be as lucky as I have been to experience love like I have with my incredible, breathtakingly beautiful wife. I want my children to see, understand, and experience what it is like to love someone so unconditionally. Today I know that this fear will be put to rest; having our children witness what I have dreamt of since the day I fell in love with the one and only Brittany S. Pierce will blow out the flicker of fear in my heart.
"Mami?" The sound of my eldest daughter's voice causes me to turn away from my reflection.
"Yes, Lilypad?" I answer, carefully wiping the slight tears away from my eyes.
"You look nervous." Lily's voice is slightly hesitant but still bears her usual confidence.
"I was nervous, but I'm okay." I answer honestly.
"What do you have to be nervous about? I strongly doubt Mom is about to leave you at the alter Mami." Her slightly impatient tone causes me to laugh.
"I know that querida, but today is an important day and important things make me nervous. But I'm okay because I know that in a couple minutes I get to see your Mom and everything will be perfect."
"Okay, just as along as you don't get cold feet like you had the first time. Aunt Quinn said you were a nightmare. She swears that even though you guys were only twenty two you gave her grey hairs." Lily chuckles, clearly he's imagining one particular incident out of the many that occurred that fateful day at the Central Park Boathouse.
November 31st 2016
"Quinn, I can't do this. I just can't!" I practically burst the poor girl's eardrum I'm yelling so loud.
"Santana, you can do this. This is what you've wanted for as long as I've known you, even if you never said so." Surprisingly enough, Quinn is managing to stay calm.
"Why in hell did I ever agree to marry Brittany? Why in God's name would she ever even want to marry me I the first place?" I rub the side of my face so hard a blush forms on my face; definitely not an easy feat given my skin tone. "I am absolutely horrible. I spend more time pissing people off than actually having conversations with them. I have no sense of common courtesy whatsoever. I spend half my time with my nose buried in freaking text books than I do talking to or even seeing her for Christ's sake. I,"
"Santana!" Quinn raises her voice to a decibel and tone I've never heard from her in a very long time. "Santana Lopez, you better put that scrawny ass of yours in that chair so I can do your makeup or there will be hell to pay."
"How can you even say that? How can you let me marry her, a fucking angel when I'm a complete monster? Have you been listening to a single word I've been saying?" I snap back.
"Have you?" Quinn makes her old 'Fabitch' face at me, clearly trying to make a point. "Santana, you are not that person anymore, you and I both know it, and the only reason you bury yourself in your studies is because you want to provide for Brittany. You work your ass off because you love that girl more than anything or anyone in this world and you want her to have the best."
"Which is exactly why I can't do this to her. I'm not the best thing for her and that's why I'm leaving." I turn my back to her, quickly gathering my bag and begin to head to the door.
"Like hell you are." I hear her say under her breath. Seconds later my body hits the floor as Quinn tackles me to the floor. "We both know that Brittany is not anything close to stupid and is capable of deciding what is best for her. And we both know that if you weren't it we wouldn't be here right now." She says into my ear before hauling herself up off the floor.
"I see your point." I half groan as I pick myself up off the floor.
"So what's it going to be Lopez? Break the heart of the only person you've every really loved or suck it up, grow some lady balls and go and get what you've always wanted?" She's got this look in her eye that tells me I already know what the right choice is.
I chuck my bad on the desk before taking a seat at the vanity. "So you gonna start my makeup or what? I can't help but laugh at her response.
"I said to grow some balls, not act like you're the next in line to the throne of England for Christ's sake."
January 1st 2042
"Definitely no cold feet this time." I give my daughter a smile.
"That is definitely a good thing cause I really don't feel like tackling my own mother and ruining her dress." She winks.
She was clearly right, this was too good a dress for those types of shenanigans. Rather than wearing something traditional I had chosen a more elegant, yet shorter, version of my senior prom dress while Brittany had decided on a navy, knee length dress that made her eyes stand out even more then they always did.
"Uh, Ma? Can I ask you something?" The humorous time has disappeared from Lily's voice, causing curiosity to rile up inside me.
"Sure thing, sweet cheeks. Ask away." I give her another smile.
"Umm, how do I even ask this?" I notice her beginning to fiddle with her left earning, a habit she picked up from Brittany, and I immediately know we're about to have a serious conversation.
"Lilypad, you can ask me or your Mom anything. Even if, no, especially if you feel even the little bit uncomfortable asking."
I expect a slightly sarcastic or annoyed response to my statement but she just comes right on out with it. "How did you know you were in love with Mom?"
That was also not what I expected but it didn't surprise me too much. Ever since that night Brittany and I hid out in our room watching movies while Lily and JJ had dinner two months ago, the two girls were practically inseparable.
"Well querida, I've always known that I loved your Mom, as strange as that sounds. Ever since we met that day in the first grade I know she was somebody that I loved."
"Mami that's not what I'm asking." I can clearly see the concern in my daughter's eyes. "I asked when you knew that you were in love with her."
"Oh," is all I can say at first. My relationship with Brittany was never simple, never cut and dry. That may have been the case but I could honestly say that I could pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with her.
"So?" Lily gives me a look that says 'Ma spit it out already'.
"We've told you guys before that the way your Mom and I came to be and how it wasn't the best idea to follow in our footsteps when it comes to beginning a relationship with someone, right?" Brittany and I had sat the kids down and told them our story when we felt they were old enough. We wanted our children to treat the people they cared about with respect and for them to learn from our, well mainly my, mistakes.
"Yes, you guys were kind of like friends with benefits, right?" Lily gives a slightly sad smile with her question.
"Right. And you remember the duets competition we told you about and how your mom wanted us to sing a Melissa Ethridge song together?" Lily simply nods, urging me to continue. "It was the week after that happened. I remember how pissed I was at myself because almost every time your mom saw me she had a frown on her face. I was so angry at myself that I had made her upset. But that changed one day when we were at your Grandpa and Grandma's house after school. They were gone out and your Aunt Ashley was gone with some friends on a play date. I had brought over your mom's favourite ice cream and a season of Sweet Valley High to try and get her to smile again. Soon enough the ice cream was finished, the DVDs forgotten and we had made our way to your mom's bedroom. Before she managed to pull off my Cheerio's uniform top I said I was sorry. And back then I never said sorry to anyone. It was the first time I really said I was sorry and actually meant it in my life.
"You knew because you said you were sorry?" Lily is quick to cut me off; her eyebrows rise in a typically 'teenage Santana' fashion.
"No, I'm not finish the story yet." Lily nods once again, signalling me to continue. "I said I was sorry and your mom looks at me and says 'I know. You didn't have to say it because you're here. You wouldn't be if you weren't."
I stop to sigh knowing what was coming next.
"Your mom had this look on her face that just made all the broken pieces in my heart and in my head all fit together perfectly. It was like she knew everything that made me 'me' and didn't care about my flaw or mistakes. She was completely content with who I was and it just made sense. I knew that I wanted to see that look on her face forever and that I wanted to be the person that made her that happy. I remember how she brought her hand up to my face. She slowly ran her thumb over my cheekbone like she was trying to stop me from thinking so hard, like she knew exactly how I felt. She never said anything, she just wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me until she ran out of air like it was her last moment on earth. When she pulled away Lily, I swear it was like seeing an angel or looking at the sun for the very first time. I never wanted to tear my eyes away I never wanted to see something so badly in my life. I may have been too scared to admit it then but I've been in love with your mom ever since that day and I know I'll never stop."
"That's a good story." I'm shaken out of my reminiscent haze by the sound my wife's voice at the door.
"Britt! You're not supposed to be in here!" I half-yell, half-laugh at her as she walks further into the room.
"It's not like we're getting married for the first time, San. There's no way it could be bad luck to see my stunning wife before the ceremony." She giggles before placing a kiss to my temple.
"Speaking of the ceremony, I think it's about time we got out there. Don't want to keep our guests waiting." I chuckle, fully knowing that due to my many freak outs because of cold feet had made the ceremony start a half an hour late at our original wedding.
"No, we wouldn't want to that that again, would we dear?" Brittany replies, getting a laugh out of Lily.
"Everything all set?" I ask.
"Yes, dear. There hasn't been a hitch." Brittany takes my hand and begins to lead me out of my dressing room.
"Mami?" I slowly turn around to find Lily with a slight blush on her face and her eyes glazed over with tears.
"Yes, querida?" I can tell that she knows what feeling I had been talking about.
"Thank you." She gives me a smile that reminds of so much of Brittany's my heart flutters at the sight of it.
"Anytime, Lilypad." I leave the room with my fingers intertwined with Brittany's, feeling as if I've finally made it over the edge of my life long fears, leaving behind the reflection of the scared little girl I once was.
I can't help but grin like an idiot as I watch my parents dancing away out on the dance floor. They looked so happy, wide smiles plastered across both my mother's faces. Mami had come over a minutes ago stealing Mom away from a conversation she was having with Grandma, claiming 'I wants ta get ma dance on'.
Mom and Grandma couldn't contain their laughter as Mami took Mom's hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. 'Some thing's never change, sweetpea.' My grandma had said before she started off towards the dessert table where Grandpa was attempting to be sneaky in swiping yet another plate of strawberry cheesecake.
"Looks like their enjoying themselves." A pleasantly familiar voice causes me to tear my eyes away from my parents.
My eyes instantly meet ice blue and the smile on my face grows wider. "Of course they are." I chuckle, "Mami's been dying for an opportunity to get Mom on the dance floor. She says every time she sees Mom dance or gets to dance with her it's like she's eighteen years old again."
"It's crazy that they've been together for so long. They definitely are lucky."
"It's not all luck but I'm sure the fates definitely got something right with them." At my words I can't help but slip my fingers between JJ's.
"Well what would you think the fates would decide if I asked you to dance?" JJ immediately pulls me gently to her, wrapping her arm loosely around my waist.
"Well I think they'd be okay with it." I give her a small grin. "I'm sure their curious if you got your father's awesome dancing skills, cause I know I am." I have to bring up her father because he may be in a wheel chair but I've got to say he's got skills.
"Of course, I did. Baseball isn't the only thing I'm good at." JJ lets out a small giggle before continuing. "So what do you say?" Her eyes once again meet mine and I can't say anything but yes.
I can't help but grin as I see Lily being lead out onto the dance floor by JJ.
"What are you smiling at?" Brittany whispers into the shell of my exposed ear.
"I think our first baby has fallen in love." Ever since Lily's reaction to my story I knew she was in love and I was so happy for her; it was scary to think that my first child was so grown up but I knew that she was truly happy.
"Oh really?" Brittany giggles as she carefully tightens her hold on me.
"Really." I place a quick kiss to her shoulder. "Who would've thought that two girls from Lima could have created all this?"
"I did." At her words I pull away to find her smiling softly at me. "I had faith in us when nobody else did. I always knew that someday we'd get here, even if we had a few bumps along the way."
My mind quickly goes back to a time when our children were just wonders in our imaginations.
October 2023
Tonight was a rough night; back to back late surgeries plus a consult on a neuro case. To say I was beating tired was an understatement. I was thankful that my apartment with Brittany was only across from the hospital, rather than having to take the twenty minute car ride like I used to when I was in medical school.
I quickly put my key in the lock and open the door, I only now notice the time because of the clock on the side table in the living room. The bright red numbers read 12:46 am. I can't help but curse to myself. Brittany was likely already asleep after her night dance class ended around two hours ago.
I shut the door and throw my keys on the counter before I become aware of noise coming from our bedroom. I quickly discard the files in my arms and head straight for the distraction.
As I stand in the doorway, I find the source of the noise. Brittany is twisting and turning in our bed. Instead of her usual light snore, I hear laboured breaths and small cries.
She looks like a young child having a nightmare for the first time. Terrified and lost in her thoughts; completely unaware that she isn't in reality. I focus on her face; you can visibly see the pain she's in without reading her face, her brow furrowed, her teeth clenched.
I can't help but hesitate. I feel like that fifteen year old girl who's seeing her best friend cry for the first time all over again. I don't know what to do; I've held Brittany all those nights she cried because of how people made her feel stupid and that she didn't deserve to be in a high school but now I don't know what to do. Crying is one thing, nightmares are another.
Screw it, I think to myself.
I kick off my shoes quickly and manage to put one knee on the bed before Brittany turns to face me and wakes with a start. Her eyes that quickly connected with mine are wide in fear, filled with tears threatening to fall. She swiftly drops her gaze and pulls her legs up so she can shield her face in her own lap.
"Britt." I try to grab her attention again as I climb further into the bed. Instead of words I receive a barely audible moan of pain. As I reach my destination I run my fingers through her hair. "Britt, look at me." No reply. "Brittany. Look. At. Me." I don't like using her full name but I know it's the only way I'll get anything from her now.
She removes her head from her lap and looks at me. Her breath-taking sky blye eyes say everything without her saying a word. I can see every emotion she feels; the pain, the doubt, the fear, everything.
"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. You're going to have to tell me what's wrong." I say, trying to express something even though I know words aren't enough. I wipe away the hair stuck to her face with tears and sweat before taking her hand in my own. Her eyes never leave my face until now.
They dart to the answering machine on the bedside table for a moment then back to my face. I look at the answer machine more closely now and notice the red flashing light signalling there are messages in the inbox. I'm debating with myself, do I push the button or do I ask her what the message says. I look back at her and search her face for an answer. I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't want to tell me, she wants me to hear it for myself.
I keep a strong hold on her hand with one hand and press the button with the other, preparing for anything. A somewhat familiar voice fills the room.
"Brittany, this is Dr. Hilary Wyatt calling. We've gotten your test results back and I'd like for you to call me back to discuss your options. My number is 565-2987, but if you get this message after office hours you can call me at 585-1926. Bye."
My stomach is now in knots and my head is swimming; I understand perfectly why she's this upset. "What did she say, honey?" I ask her try to be as patient as possible. But it's not enough; I'm getting no reply from her. "No matter what she said I'm still going to be here, Britt-Britt. You know that." Kiss her forehead to assure that I'm being completely honest with her.
Her lip trembles before she begins to speak, "I-I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to call her." The tears are now falling freely down her face. "I fell asleep after hearing it and I dreamt that the test results weren't good. That we weren't going to be able to start a family like we wanted. You heard her tone, Santana. Doctors use that tone all the time, it doesn't mean good news."
I knew that she was right. Normally that tone doesn't mean good news, but right now I need to be optimistic, not only for Brittany but for myself as well. Ever since we got engaged we've been discussing having children. Brittany insisted on being the first to carry one of our children, I decided to let her because given my job I would be on my feet for long hours and that definitely wouldn't be safe for the baby.
"We'll call her together tomorrow. And Britt, you don't know that it's going to be bad news, it still can be good news. Either way, I'll still be here and we'll try again. I'll get tested, we'll try everything."
I lie down in bed and wrap my arms around her. I can't help but stare at her, even with tears running down her face she's still beautiful. Yet no matter how long I look at her she still has that look that makes her like that scared little girl; the one who needs someone to hold her and tell her everything will be alright.
I give into the temptation that had been forgotten as I walked into the room and capture her lips with my own. I put everything into this kiss; everything I know that I'm unable to express with words. How much I adore her. How much I need her. Everything that will let her know everything will be alright.
As I finally pull away I give her a smile that I know makes her smile right along with me. I attempt to sit up to go put on my pyjamas so we can go to sleep but Brittany's grip on my hip stops me. I turn back to tell her that I'm going to be right back but her eyes stop me before I even open my mouth.
"Don't let me go." Her voice is so full love and tells me how much she needs me right now. I lay back down in bed and take her in my arms without complain, fully knowing that in a few moments I'll be asleep fully clothed and no matter how tired and exhausted I am I don't care how uncomfortable it will be later. She's all I need tonight.
April 2025
"I want to have another baby." Brittany's words take me out of the daydream I had been having. I lift my gaze from the coffee table to Brittany who is sitting reading a magazine next to me. She closes the booklet, tossing it on the table before turning her body towards me pull her feet up onto the couch.
I take a sip from coffee cup I had in my hands, unable to come up with a verbal response to my wife's statement. As I do I can't tear my eyes away from Brittany's, I can't help but hope I'll find sincere honesty there. And I do. There is no fear or doubt, there is only love.
"Santana," she says, placing her hand on my arm, bringing her face closer to mine. Her face is warm, content yet concerned smile on display.
"Are you sure?" I answer involuntarily; the words basically flow out of my mouth without any input conscious input from my brain.
"I." She pauses for a moment, "Why wouldn't I be?" Brittany's eyes change, the certainty of her words is still there but I can see emotion bordering on anger flickering beneath it.
Lily was now a little less than seven months old and was making fantastic process. Despite her early birth she was keeping up with those in daycare that were her age. She had sitting up on her own down pat and loved to grab at anything within arms reach.
"Santana, you asked me less than half a year ago if you would have been enough for me if we hadn't had Lil. And I told you that you would have been, because it was true. I was prepared to give up having a family because it wasn't what you wanted and because you thought it wasn't right for us. But now, ever since we had Lily I've never loved you more and we have never been happier. And I think that having another child could only make us happier."
I'm certain my surprise is easily detected on my face; I truly had thought that Lily would be it for us, especially after what Brittany had to go through after Lily's birth, dealing with both taking care of herself and Lily.
I don't get the chance to reply; we're interrupted by a cry from Lil's monitor sitting on the coffee table. She doesn't say anything; she simply looks at me as if to ask a question. We had been trying to get Lily to sooth herself to sleep; we had been trying this for the past two weeks but Brittany's resolve was slowly slipping. She hated to hear children crying, even more so when it was Lily. The look on Brittany's face, the pain and worry in her eyes was setting my emotions on fire. I nod, signalling that it was okay for her to check on her.
Brittany pulls her legs out from under her, pushing herself up off the couch. "We're not done with this conversation." She says surprisingly enough with a smile on her face. "I'll be right back." She places a kiss on my forehead before heading towards Lily's room.
The closer Brittany got to her room, the louder Lily's cries became. It was obvious she was becoming very impatient. "Hey baby girl." Brittany's voice is now coming from the monitor. Lily lets out a more content squeal in response. "What's wrong, boo?" I can't help but smile at Brittany's use of the nickname she came up with for our daughter. "Oh no wonder you were crying, come here."
I can't sit still here alone anymore; I push myself up off the couch and make my way to Lily's room. I stop at the doorframe of our daughter's room. I'm met with the sight of Brittany holding Lily in her arms putting cream on her face. "There you go, is that better baby?" Lily lets out a giggle before tugging on a piece of her hair.
"Hey, what did I say about pulling on Momma's hair? We don't to that remember." I say with a smirk as walk into the room. "What was the matter baby girl?" I say, wrapping my arm around Brittany's waist before blowing a raspberry on my daughter's arm.
"She scratched her face here," Brittany point out a scratch just below my daughter's left cheekbone, "and here." And then points out another one on her chin.
"It's a good thing you've got your Momma to take care of you, huh Lils?" I place a kiss on Brittany's temple. "It's time to go back to bed now sweetie, okay?"
Brittany places a kiss on Lily's forehead before slowly putting her back into her crib.
"Goodnight sweetie, I love you." She whispers, running her fingers through our daughter's hair before bringing herself back into my arms.
"Can you tell me why now?" I ask as I begin to lead her out the room. I bring her to the couch, she takes a seat in my lap and I wrap my arms around her waist.
"Why now when Lil's still so young?"
She takes a deep breath, taking my hand in her own before answering me. "Because I loved being a big sister but since there was a large age difference between us I always felt we would have gotten along so much better. I also think that Ashley missed having me around because I was older and was busy with grown up stuff. So I think the smaller the age difference if we were to have more children would be better. Plus if we wait too long then when Lily gets older what is going to think? That she was just practice and we just wanted to see if I messed her up or not? I don't"
"Brittany, I" I have to interrupt her because the pain in her voice is unbearable but she doesn't me finish my own sentence.
"Don't Brittany me. I don't want her to ever feel that way. I may not be exactly ecstatic about how she came to be because I wanted so badly for her to be biologically part of the both of us but that doesn't matter, all that matters is her. She's perfect Santana," She chuckles before wiping away the tears I had only now noticed flowing down her cheek, "she's all you. She's got your eyes and smile. When she gets old she's old her attitude is going to be just like yours, I can tell already. She's already picked up your devilish grin."
"Oh no, I don't think so! She's going to have her Momma's magic smile and is always going to be turning me to goo." I find myself taking advantage of the fact my wife is wearing a tank top, placing a kiss between her bare shoulder blades. "So much for being a badass, huh?"
I'm rewarded with the sound of Brittany's laughter, "You'll always be my badass." She turns slightly so that she's able to wrap her arms around my waist, laying her head on my shoulder.
"Thank you," I say, absentmindedly playing with the hem of her shirt "for being right and for being awesome."
Once again I'm delighted to hear the divine sound that is my wife's laughter, "I told you I was."
I only now realize that her tears have not ceased and are now proceeding to dampen my shirt. It was truly painful to see her cry, just as much as it was to see Lily do the same, it always tore at my heart and plagued my mind hours after it subsided. No matter how long ago it was, the sight of unhappy tears falling from Brittany's eyes always brought back the memory of the day I came out to my abuela; the day I realized that she was and would always be enough for me. It was that memory, no matter how painful and terrifying it was, that made my life worth living. It was that memory that made my purpose in life very clear; to protect and to treasure the woman I loved, making sure she would never have to experience the same pain I had.
"Would you consider it?" Her voice is quiet and childlike; as if she was a child asking if she was in trouble.
I open my mouth to answer but she quite frankly doesn't give me the slightest opportunity to, she just keeps on talking. "I want you to get the feeling I get every time I look at Lily. I know that you think that it's no different than the feeling you get, but it is San. Every time I look at her it's like, like I'm looking at you and seeing everything I love about you all over again. It's like falling in love with you all over again. If we had another child I know that I'll love them just as much as I love Lily, you know that, but I truly want you to feel what I feel every time I look at her. I just,"
"Okay." I say but surprisingly enough she continues to talk to me, causing a smile to creep slowly across my lips.
"Believe that you deserve to get to feel that way San. I'll do all the work again I promise, I'll put up with all the heartburn and no coffee all over again, wait." She stops midsentence realizing I had responded. She leans forward, turning her body so that she's looking me straight in the face. "What did you just say?"
"I said okay." I let my smile spread fully across my face, giving her the devilish grin I knew she loved.
"Okay?" The look on her face is one I will never forget; the hope in her eyes, the pure happiness in her smile, the look of pure adoration.
I simply nod in response, before I get the chance to say anything in response Brittany's lips collide with my own. I can't help but moan slightly at the unique taste of her lips mixed with the taste of her strawberry-kiwi lip balm. I carefully slip my hand up her shirt, gently running my fingers back and forth over the scar that was on her stomach from Lily's birth. Her skin automatically becomes covered in goose bumps at the feeling of my fingers on her skin. Soon after she pulls away giving me my favourite full out dimpled smile.
"You are so beautiful." She says slowly, accenting each word with a kiss on my jaw line working her way back up to my lips once again.
"Look who's talking" I say with a chuckle.
"I see your point" She lets out a giggle before shifting her weight slightly.
"And I definitely now see yours." I once again wrap my arms around her waist. "I want to have the chance of getting to look into your eyes no matter where you are when I look at them. I want to have the chance to feel the way you do about Lily with them. I want a little boy with your blonde curls and protective ways or a little girl with your magic smile and ability to always make me feel better no matter what. I want that so bad but I just didn't think it would ever happen."
At my own words my emotions begin to get the better of me, causing tears to roll down my cheek. Brittany turns around as if she could sense the tears. "Of course it would have, and it will. I promise."
"We're having another baby." I can't help but say it out loud; it makes it all the more real.
Brittany grins at me; the love in her eyes makes butterflies soar in my stomach just like they did the first time I ever truly saw her. "We're having another baby." She says, turning back around so she fits perfectly back in my arms. With that whatever doubt I had been feeling vanishes, leaving love and adoration behind. And that is all I need to send me straight into the land of sleep.
December 2025
I can't help but pace back and forth the apartment as I wait for Santana to finish getting ready. We had been dancing around this for weeks, debating on whether to do this or not.
Before Lily was born we had agreed we'd rather not know. But surprisingly enough this time around we couldn't agree for the life of us.
Brittany was iron-clad on her decision that she didn't want to know for weeks. But that was quickly changed once she realized that since we found ourselves living a real home with a new born for the first time redecorating would be required for baby's new room. Where Lily was born prematurely we hadn't gotten the chance to paint Lily's room before she was born and strangely enough we had kept it the same color it had been when it was our bedroom; we had moved into Quinn's room soon after she had moved out in order for us to have an ensuite bathroom.
I surprisingly enough wanted to know as soon as possible. I wonder if it was the way Lily had been born that made this time around different. But I'd never know, seeing I wasn't present for Lily's birth and for the first few hours of her life I hadn't known she was alive, able to live outside the protection of Brittany's body. I remember hearing for the first time that I had a daughter; Brittany looking me straight in the eye and telling me. I can still remember the look in her eyes, the love was pouring out as she described our daughter.
The possibility of knowing now was too enticing to wait another three months when we could be certain right now. Knowing that I could know whether I was going to have a boy with a mop of golden hair running around the back yard following Lily all the while making airplane or dirt bike noises or a little girl who Lily would likely treat like her own personal doll.
My thoughts are pleasantly interrupted by the sound of Brittany's foot falls coming down the apartment's short hallway. "San?" She calls out, her voice showing her obvious annoyance with something or another.
"Yes dear?" I reply, turning on my heels as I stop pacing. Now face to face with my wife, I honestly can't help but laugh. Brittany is standing there, shoes untied and seeming much bigger than she was last night when I went to work. She had surprisingly popped in the matter of less than twelve hours.
I had went to work to do an overtime six hour shift at nine and didn't arrive home until around quarter after four this morning because I had been pulled into surgery. I crawled into bed as soon as I had arrived home, Brittany was sound to the world in our bed when I went to sleep and I didn't see her again until now. She had been in the shower once I had woken up so I used the first floor bathroom in order for us to be on time for our appointment before running over to Rachel and Quinn's down the street with Lily, fully well knowing that Brittany had arranged for Rachel to babysit during our appointment.
I have been pacing back and forth ever since I came home.
"Please?" Is all she says, giving me a small puppy pout, obviously too embarrassed to ask what she needed.
"Of course, babe." I say with a sympathetic smile, I knew how much the fact that she couldn't do certain things by herself and that her hours at work being slowly cut back due to the pregnancy were really affecting her. She tried to hide it most of the time, but it was times like these when she took off the cheery mask everyone else saw I could see tell how much it got to her.
I walk over to her and kneel in front of her. After tying her shoelaces I couldn't help but pause for a moment, placing my hands on her belly. "Are you excited?" She asks; her tone audibly more calm and cheerful.
"Of course, aren't you?" I reply, looking up at her with a smile.
"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous." Brittany says, biting her lip like a nervous five year old.
I place a kiss on her belly before standing up, I then put my hands on her hips bring us close together as I possibly can before giving her a kiss on the forehead as well. "I know, honey, but you can't let the nerves be greater than the excitement. Everything is going to be okay, and even if it's not then we're going to deal with it together. Okay?"
She looks up at me through her lashes; I can see waves stirring in her ocean blue eyes.
"Come on, where's that magic smile I love, huh?" I ask, brushing her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear; hoping it'll at least give me a hint of that smile.
As I had hoped, her cheeks begin to blush and a large dimpled smile begins to cross her face. "There's my girl." I place yet another kiss on her forehead. "You ready to go now?"
"I think so." She gives me a quick kiss on the lips before, surprisingly, beginning to lead me out the apartment door.
"Lopez?" An OB-GYN nurse calls out to us, letting us know that Quinn was finally ready to see us. We had been sitting in the waiting room for close to an hour, Brittany leaning back against my shoulder while I rubbed her arm; she was currently experiencing unwavering heartburn and nausea, I could tell all she wanted right now was to be home in bed.
I raise my hand letting the nurse know we had heard her. Slowly, I unwrap my arm from around my wife, getting up off of the bench myself before helping her onto her feet.
"You excited now?" I ask, hoping that this time there'll be no worry or fear in her eyes, only love and excitement.
As I look at her I'm surprised to see a genuine heart-warming smile on her face.
"Definitely." The pure joy she was feeling, despite her physical discomfort, was completely visible in her face.
"I'm so sorry this took so long!" Quinn says as she ushers us into an exam room, shutting the door behind her.
"Relax, Q." I say, helping Brittany sit up on the exam table. "Just as long as Peanut in there doesn't decide to shy away, then everything is fine." I chuckle, trying to keep Brittany as relaxed as she currently is.
"Seems like you've got a nickname for this one already, huh?" Quinn asks Brittany with a warm smile, obviously trying to help me achieve my goal.
"Yeah, we do." She gives her a small slightly nervous smile. "Santana came up with this one."
"Then likely it'll stick," Quinn laughs as pulls up my wife's file on her iPad. "Okay, let's get down to business then."
Brittany nods like a child intently listen to their parents, causing me to chuckle a little.
"We're sure about this right?" I ask her because I know how much she dislikes having to do things she doesn't really want to do.
"Not a doubt in my mind." She says, taking my hand in hers intertwining our fingers together as Quinn prepares for the ultrasound. I feel a slight squeeze of Brittany's hand as Quinn places the gel on her stomach and I can't help but gently squeeze back; it had become sort of a ritual of comfort between the two of us, if one of us did it then the other would do it back.
I can immediately feel tear prick in my eyes as one of my most favourite sounds in the world echoes through the room. I can feel Brittany's eyes on me before I see them; I turn my head to find her big clear blue eyes staring straight at me, tears forming in them to mirror my own.
"You two ready?" Quinn asks before she's about to begin.
I don't look at her because Brittany's eyes are telling me what she wants but that she's slightly too embarrassed to ask. So I ask for her, "Uh, Q can you just write it down and give it to Britt and we'll find out when were at home?"
"Not a problem." She says with yet another warm smile as she begins the ultrasound.
Within a few minutes Quinn passes her a slip of paper and we're out the door. "You want me tell you?" She asks as we enter the empty elevator, before I swiftly press the button for the ground floor as the door closes behind us.
"Yes, I do." I give her a wide grin; she clearly knows what she wants as she give me a smile just as wide. "I thought we'd uphold the tradition you know?" She lets out a childlike laugh that immediately warms my heart.
"Well," She says, pulling the slip of paper out of her pants pocket and begins to open it.
"Don't!" I quickly snatch the paper out of my hand before she gets a chance to see or read anything on the paper. She can't help but stare at me in confusion; her face isn't contorted in anger but is flush in embarrassment. "Not here baby. I don't want to find out in an elevator again. I just don't want it to happen here, I don't want the majority of our special moment to happen in a hospital, you know?"
She continues to look at me and the confusion falls from her face, replaced with understanding. She can understand exactly what I mean because scanning back over a lot important memories in or relationship; the first time I called her my girlfriend to someone I hadn't known my entire life, our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, and the list could have gone on and on.
"Okay." She says, accenting the word with a kiss on my forehead before slowly taking the piece of paper gripped in my hands and placing it back in her pocket. "Then where would you like to go then?"
"How about now?" I ask hoping that she'd find this as great as a spot as I had.
"Here is perfect." Brittany takes my hand as she sits down on the bench next to me, leaning her head back against my shoulder.
"Good." I lean forward, slightly placing a kiss to her temple. I had taken her to the bench where we frequently ate our lunch together during the first year of university. "So here we go."
She puts her hand into her pants pocket and pulls out the small slip of paper once again. She opens the piece of paper and I can't help but grin from ear to ear in anticipation.
"So what are we having, dear?" I ask.
"Looks like there are going to be a lot of baseball, dinkies and dirt bikes in our future, baby." She says, placing a kiss on my temple, still smiling.
"Really?"
Brittany leans forward, turning her upper body so that we're face to face in response. A huge smile is spread across her face, dimples out in full force.
"Really."
I can't help but think of a little toddler looking just like a male version of Brittany as a child running around chasing an older version of Lily around the back yard, Lily's hair in a French braid and our newest addition having a mop of silky blonde hair.
"I'm excited." She whispers, a smile still on her lips.
"Me too, I'm excited to see Lily teach him things that we will teach her. I'm excited to see him go to Lily with things he's unable to come to us about because he knows that her sister will always be there for him. I'm excited to see them playing in the backyard, I'm excited for everything."
"We are going to have awesome kids, aren't we?" Brittany whispers, she is now only a breath's distance away.
I can't help but now capture her lips with my own; the temptation of the closeness between us has become unbearable. The taste of her strawberry kiwi lip gloss and something that is distinctly Brittany never fails to drive me crazy, sending shivers down my spine and electric shocks through by body.
As I force myself to pull away, I whisper my response against her lips. "The best."
"I love you, San." Brittany places her hand on my cheek, brushing her thumb against my cheekbone.
"I love you too."
January 1st 2042
"I still do you know." I say as Santana's eyes drift back towards mine after being in a reminiscent haze.
"What?" She asks if she's been shaken suddenly awake.
"I still believe in us, and I always will San. I still get excited thinking about all the things we've yet to experience together like seeing our children graduate high school and all the amazing things we get to re-experience all the time like something as simple as letting loose at the cabin. I've known for a long time that this was a forever thing, longer than I've known how to make mac and cheese, longer than I've known how to drive a stick."
I can't help but smile as Santana places another kiss on my shoulder.
"I might not have known it for as long but I've wanted for as long, Britt. But we know that you're always more ahead of the game than I am." She lets out a small chuckle, causing the smile on my face to widen.
"I've known ever since that night after you told your abuela," I can feel Santana tense a little bit in my arms, "you were so brave San. I knew you loved me but that night was the first time I truly realized how much, how much I loved you and how I always would."
My mind instantly travels back to that fateful night and many others.
November 2011
As I open my eyes to take in an unusually dreary Lima morning the memories of last night's demolition come back to me in an instant. Santana's grandmother, the yelling, the crying; all of it.
I wipe the sleepiness out of my eyes before I attempt to sit up and get up out of the bed. My attempt is futile as I realize Santana's arm is firmly wrapped around my waist as if she was holding on for dear life. After last night I understood. With anyone else I would've carefully pried myself from their hold and get up out of the bed, but with her, with her it was different; she was the exception to the rule.
I inch myself back down further into the bed. Once I'm comfortable I hesitantly brush her hair out of her face and my breath gets taken away. My gasp is barely audible but causes Santana to stir none the less. I hold my breath, hoping I haven't woken her.
Her face twists in annoyance in her sleep as she tightens he hold on me slightly, pulling me closer to her. As her face goes back to its original start I let out the breath I've been holding.
As take breath I can't help but smile profusely. Santana was pretty, that I knew, but this wasn't something I was exactly expecting. After wiping away her tears and getting her calm and cleaned up I hadn't taken the time to take in her full appearance. And now I had all the time in the world.
Santana's natural appearance was more beautiful than I could remember. She was breathtaking, amazing, stunning, angelic, beautiful; I could go on all day. From her naturally luscious lips to her lengthily lashes that framed her now closed brown eyes that were absolutely captivating.
Memories of last night begin to fill my mind once again at the thought of her captivating eyes.
"Es mi vida." Santana's voice is barely above a whisper as I wet a facecloth for her.
I know very, very limited Spanish but I was able to understand what she was saying, with no trouble. "I know, it is your life Santana, but-" I don't get to say much more as she begins to ramble.
"It's my life, and I want to live it the way I want. I'm happy, why doesn't she see that? She's my grandmother. She's supposed to want me to be happy, right? You make me happy." She pauses as I turn off the water.
I quickly ring out the facecloth before turning around to face her. As her beautiful tear rimmed brown eyes meet mine I can't help but get shivers. Even now, she manages to send shivers down my spine.
"I'm happier with you than I've ever been in my entire life." Santana manages to give me smile as she walks over to me. "Why don't grandparents mind their own business if you don't want to divulge them with details?" She pauses for a brief moment, "Because they're to darn arrogant, they think your business is their business."
I can't help but laugh. She's got the punch line wrong but she still manages to make me laugh. "I believe the correct punch line is 'No mind. No business.'"
Santana laughs as if nothing wrong, harder than I've seen her laugh in a while. "Well, I try."
"And manage to succeed anyhow." I say with a wide smile before beginning to wipe away the stray tears from her face.
She may have just said she's happier than she's ever been but at the mention of her success another wave hits her; one full of sorrow, sadness and pain. Her laughing has stopped and she flinches. Tears begin to fill her big brown eyes once again. Santana attempts to blink back the tears and fakes a smile but it last for only a moment.
"Hey it's okay." I say quickly whilst putting the facecloth down on the end of the counter. To my surprise, and unexpected pleasure, she lifts me up so that I am sitting on the edge of the counter and I tower over her even more than if I had been standing. She was now standing between my knees with her arms wrapping loosely around my waist.
I had learnt all too much about the immense walls guarding Santana Lopez's heart. For the past few weeks I've been trying to scale them, trying to break them from the outside. I hadn't had much luck, but now something I didn't think was going to happen did.
Santana was letting her walls come down, creating a hole, a big gaping hole just for me. As I wrap my arms around her I can't help but smile slightly at this realization.
"This, us," My hidden smile automatically widens as she refers to herself and me as 'us', "is okay, everything else, not so much." She says with a sniffle before tightening her grip on my frame, pulling me even closer.
We stay like this for a moment before I hear Santana take a deep breath. "We are okay right?" I can hear the hesitance and vulnerability in her voice.
I can't help but chuckle at her absurd thought that we weren't okay. "Perfect." I lean forward slightly, placing a kiss atop Santana's head of raven curls. "We're definitely more, a lot more in my opinion, than just okay."
It was in this moment I felt like I understood her; the fear, the uncertainty. But I also understood the bravery, the confidence that she wore in front of every one, I understood everything I knew about her.
"You get it don't you?" I can hear some relief present in Santana's voice as she speaks once again.
"I get it."
I cuddle up with Santana tentatively and closely as possible. Wrapping my arm around her sleeping frame, I place a kiss on the soft skin of Santana's forehead.
"Don't worry, San, I got you."
August 2025
I pace back and forth the apartment living room, just as I have done for the past hour since I've gotten home; Lily's eyes following me across the room from her bouncy chair sitting on the floor. "I know, boo. Momma did something really spontaneous. I know, I know, Mami's going to be mad."
"What am I going to be mad about?" Santana walks through the front as my mouth comes to a close. My eyes are immediately drawn to her. One of her eyebrows is quirked in typical Santana fashion as she shuts the door with her foot.
"San, you're home early." I'm certain that the shock and fear is quite clear in my voice and on my face.
Her face completely changes at the sight of what I've done. "Brittany Susan Lopez, what the hell were you thinking?" Her voice is just loud enough to be considered a yell, obviously trying not to upset Lily.
"I know, I know, I just couldn't help myself. And you should have seen the look on Lily's face. She got to excited, she kept smiling and laughing. It was one of the most adorable things I've ever seen." I reply, because it all honesty every word I said was true.
"Let's get going, boo. We've got to go home and make dinner for Mami." I say to Lily who was sitting in the cart. Walking out of the grocery store a happy squeal for my daughter catches my attention causing me to look around.
"Doggie!" Lily points to the bulletin board in the entrance to the store; she starts giggle and can't stop smiling.
I turn my head to find Lily was in fact correct in her outburst. "Yes, Lily that is a doggie. Good job, sweetie." I bend down and place a kiss on her forehead.
"Doggie! Doggie!" Lily squeals once again, she begins squirming in the cart trying to get out.
"Okay, sweetie. I'll let you out." I say picking her up out of the cart. She instantly tries to get out of my arms, trying to grab at the picture of the dog on the bulletin board.
I move closer to the board so that she can touch the photo; as I do I take the time to read the advertisement. Home needed! Three year old male Irish Setter named Gandalf, also responds to Alfie. House trained, great with kids and other dogs. Need for home, moving. I can tell instantly that this dog would fit perfect with our family.
"You want the doggie, Lily? Do you?" I ask excited fully well knowing that she'd say yes.
"Momma, yea!" She says excitedly.
"Okay, boo." I say taking one of the numbers from the poster. I kiss her forehead once again before putting her back in the cart. "Let's go get ourselves a doggie."
Santana picks up Lily out of her bouncy chair, putting her on her hip. "I know she's cute, she's our daughter, but how do you expect us to be able to take care of a dog right now. You're three months pregnant, Lily isn't even a year old and we're both working full time and I'm working overtime in order to build up extra holiday time so that I can take some time off to with you guys when the baby comes. How do you expect us to able to do this?"
"I guess I never thought that through entirely but I know we can do it. It's a dog, Santana. You and I both know that we're going to get a house really soon so we will have room. You haven't seen him with Lily, he's great. It's so adorable. And not having the time, we will make time or find time, we always do. You know that."
"Brittany," I can immediately feel worrying in her tone. "I don't know about this. I"
I cut her off because I can exactly what she's going to say. "I know, San but remember the big picture. We can do this, I know we can, and we will. You want to do this, I know you're scared but we wanted this remember. We wanted kids, dogs, and cats. So we can do this."
I can see her gaze shift from my face to Alfie who was sitting on the rug next to the couch, only about four feet away from Lily's bouncy chair. "He really is good with Lily?" I can see the worry in her eyes starting to dissipate but the nerves are still there.
"I promise, just watch okay?" I give my wife her favourite dimpled smile, taking Lily into my arms. I put her back into her bouncy seat before calling out to Alfie. "Alfie, come here boy." I pat my hand next to Lily's bouncy chair.
Alfie carefully gets up off of the rug, walking over to me and Lily. "Give Lily kisses, Alfie. Kisses." I say knowing that once Santana sees this she'll be a goner.
Alfie quickly comes very close to the two of us, sitting down between Lily and me. She slowly leans over and licks the side of Lily's face making her laugh happily. "Good boy, Gandalf, good boy." I place a kiss on the top of his head, rubbing his back.
I look up at Santana to gauge her reaction. The happiness in her eyes is undeniable. "I don't know about this, Brittany, we'll see." She gives me a very small smile before heading towards our bedroom.
No matter how much I wanted to follow her I knew better; I know from past experience to just let her go. I pick Lily up from her bouncy chair, pulling her into my arms. "Let's go have a sat down on the couch, boo. I can see Mami's having a difficult time on this one, do you agree?"
I make Lily's little hand give me a tiny thumbs up in agreement. "I'm glad you think so." I say before giving her a kisses all over her face, making her giggle once again.
"How can you do that?" Santana says as she walks back into the room, wrinkling her nose.
"Do what?" I reply; slightly confused at what she taking about.
"Kiss her like that after the dog just drooled all over her." I can see the slight disgust on her face.
I can't help but roll my eyes; I thought that I was going to be the most overprotective parent in the history of the universe but no, that was turning out to be Santana's title. "Okay, for one, Alfie didn't drool all over her he gave her a kiss, and for two, any germs that would hurt Lily can't come from Alfie because he had all of his shots against human diseases and anything else that would hurt the dog would be species specific and therefore wouldn't hurt Lily. See, not so scary any more is it?"
"Well, when you put it that way, no, it's not." She says as she enters the kitchen, turning on the kettle.
"So, in that case can we keep him?" I ask, hoping she'll just say yes.
"Brittany, stop." Her voice is now firm and I can feel the anger seeping out of her mouth. "You keep acting like a child about this. It needs to stop, please. I said we'll see, which means we'll see how it goes over the next couple of days, okay?" The tone of her voice is now less angry but her annoyance is still present.
"Okay." I manage to squeak out, pulling Lily to closer to me, before beginning to turner into a blubbering mess; my hormones obviously getting the better of me. Tears begin to form in my eyes, my nose begins to run, and I start to shake; sobbing.
"Brittany?" Santana calls out to me, her back obviously still towards me by the tone of her voice. I hear can barely hear the sound of the kettle boiling over my crying. Lily puts her hand on my cheek and lets out a loud cry, trying to catch Santana's attention.
"Britt-Britt?" She says, turning around, before letting out a gasp. "Hey, hey it's okay." Santana rushes over, quickly wrapping her arms around me and Lily.
I bury my head into Santana's curls; I want nothing more than to fast-forward this moment and go to a place in time where it's just me, her, our children, and Alfie. I want to fast-forward the fear and worry.
"I'm sorry." I whisper into the crook of her neck, "I-I should have asked." I'm certain she can feel my hot tears running down the soft skin of her chest.
"It's okay, just relax, it's okay." She whispers into my ear, pulling me closer; I can feel her warm breath on my cheek. I try to speak again but she shushes me, "This is your family too, you get to start parts of our life together without me too, like when I picked our first apartment. It's okay, everything is okay."
I think about what she's said; it's strange the way she's explained it but it makes sense to me, to someone else who doesn't know Santana the way I do may say she sounds crazy but to me it makes sense.
"Okay." It is the only word I can think to say. I simply want to bask the awe that is Santana.
"I promise I'll seriously consider the dog, but just give me a day or two okay?" She tilts her head so that she is able to give me a kiss on the cheek.
I once again say okay before slowly pulling slightly away from her.
"Let's get to bed. I think we've both had a really long day." She brushes my hair out of my face before placing a kiss on the top of Lily's head of curls.
"I think that's a great idea." I slowly untangle myself from Santana's arms.
I am awaked from my usual deep sleep by the sound of Lily's cries coming from the baby monitor on the bedside table on my side of the bed; it was my turn to be on Lily duty tonight.
Before I even the get chance to get out of bed, I watch Alfie jump from his spot at the foot of our bed next to my feet and sprint surprisingly quietly out of our room. After pulling myself out of bed and arriving at my daughter's room I can't help but laugh.
Alfie is sitting right in front of Lily's crib, her nose poked as far as she can get it between the rungs of the crib, while Lily laughs as she pats him on the nose.
"Hey Lils, everything okay now?" I ask bending over her crib, smoothing down her hair. Lily keeps on laughing, so I take that as a yes. I lean back over the crib, looking down at Alfie before scratching behind him ears. "Good boy, Alfie. Momma's going to go back to bed now, Lilypad."
I receive no protests from Lily so I slowly turn to my way out of the room but am met with Santana in the doorway.
She wrapped her arms around me, holding me as close to me as possible. "He can stay."
"Really?" I mumble into her hair, though my surprise is easily detectable in my voice.
"Really." She whisper into my ear before placing a kiss on my forehead.
"Thank you." I place a kiss on her neck.
"You're welcome, baby." They are the last words spoken as we make our way back to our bedroom to soon fall asleep embraced in each other's arms.
January 1st 2042
As JJ leads me out onto the dance floor the previous song comes to a close, being replaced by Norah Jones' rendition of 'Love Me Tender'.
"Looks like the fates got something right for us too, huh?" She says with a shake of her deep red curls.
I don't answer her before wrapping my arms around her waist. JJ wraps arms around my neck, quick to rest her head against my shoulder. As the first chorus begins I can't help but close my eyes and sing softly to the music. It wasn't something I did very often but singing in this moment with JJ in my arms, it just felt right.
As the last verse begins I open my eyes for the first time. I find my Mami looking at me over my Mom's shoulder; the look on her face is full of pride. The amount of pride there is more than the time I placed first in the spelling bee in the fifth grade, more than when I become the youngest captain of the debate team in the history of my high school, more than I've ever seen. As she realizes she's been caught she gives me a wide knowing grin before turning her attention back to Mom before I get the chance to return the smile.
Before I know it the word are tumbling out of my mouth beyond my conscious control. "Are we girlfriends?"
I had never asked a girl that before; with Casey and the very few other girls I had been with the relationship just escalated to that point and I had just assumed we had been. But with her this was different; this was something I wanted to do right.
I instantly feel JJ smile into my shoulder. "Of course we are." She mumbles just loud enough for me to hear.
"Good." I say before leaning in to place a kiss on her exposed temple.
"Why do you ask?" Her voice is filled with a childlike curiosity causing me to grin.
"Because," I can't help but place a quick but soft kiss on her lips for fully answering. "I love you."
The sweetest smile I've ever seen forms on JJ's face. "I know." I can't help but laugh as she recreates the infamous dialogue between Princess Leia and Han Solo.
"Even so I plan on telling you very often." I smirk at her, earning myself a kiss on the cheek.
"A girl could get used to that." She giggles.
The song comes to a close being replaced by an upbeat song back from when my mothers were in high school, changing the mood much faster than I would have liked. "What do you say we get out of here?"
"I think the odds of our parents not noticing we've left are very slim, Lily."
"Never tell me the odds." I can't help but quote Han Solo, the set up was too easy.
"You're a dork you know that?"
"And you like it. But I do believe it was you who was the one that insisted we have a Doctor Who marathon on our last date, were you not?" I can't help but give her a smirk.
JJ shakes her head with a slight chuckle. "I love you, Lily."
I pull her close, placing a kiss on the soft skin of her forehead. "I know."
I can't help but smile widely as I see Lily singing along to the song while dancing with JJ. It's scary to think that our first child is old enough to clearly be in love in whole sense of the word. It's terrifying but it's absolutely incredible to be able to see this.
"Do you think she'll be as happy as we are?" Santana asks as I look away from our eldest daughter.
"She already is, sweetheart." I assure her, placing a kiss to her temple.
"How do you that?" She looks up at me with a look curiosity on her face.
"Because, San. She's just like her Mami, singing to the girl she loves just because she feels like it." I smile softly before placing a kiss to her raspberry flavoured glossed lips.
"I love you, Britt-Britt. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't know what I'd ever do without you." She says with a sigh; laying her head against my shoulder, I can instantly feel her breath on my crook of my neck.
"You're the strongest, bravest person I know sweetheart. You'd make it."
"I'm so happy I don't have to make it without you because life with you is so much better."
"I love you, Santana. Thank you for fulfilling my dreams and making my life better than I could have ever imagined."
"You're welcome sweetheart. I'll love you forever, Brittany Susan Lopez."
I wrap my arms tighter around the love of my life, placing a kiss to the top of her raven curls. If life didn't get any better than this, I knew I'd be more than happy for this ret of my life.
"Forever and always."