Before i begin, i want to take the chance to clear up any confusion that may occur while reading the chapter... So, the italicized letters are the flashbacks and the regular font is the present.. The present tense doesn't change. :)
Chapter 22
1,2,3,4… She counted the waves as they crashed over her toes, buried deep in the cool sand. As the tiny grains ran along the insides of her fingers, her eyes seemed to close in complete bliss.
It was nights like these that usually brought that feeling to her. After living with it for so long, it's like Rachel couldn't remember a time in her life when she wasn't smiling. The moonlight shining down on her did wonders to promote this idea.
Not a cloud rested in the sky next to the bright source of light, despite all of the thunderstorms that Florida had been dealt earlier in the week. The only present distractions from her thoughts were the lights in the far distance.
These were the large resorts further up the road from the houses. She laughed to herself, squinting a little. Once she focused her eyes more, she could see a few flashlights on the far side of the shore. The vacationers were probably searching for sand-crabs.
When the memory popped into her mind, she only smiled and looked to her feet now submerged in fleeting ocean water.
"C'mon, Rach, people do this all of the time over here." He walked closely behind her, shining the flashlight in front of the both of them so she could see where she was walking. "We're going to be living here and I'm sure our kids are going to beg us to take them all of the time."
"They look like spiders, Finn." She argued while keeping her arms crossed over her chest as she moved forward in the sand. She found it better to walk closer to the water, along the wet and hardened sand as opposed to the dry, deep sand. She didn't seem to trust it in the moment after seeing what they'd pulled from it moments before. "I mean, what if they bite or carry diseases or something?"
"Quit being dramatic, Rachel," Sam jokingly called from a few feet away. "Even Quinn caught one… And Quinn used to freak out over anything."
"Hey!" she called, elbowing him in the side. "I'm right here, you know."
After a few moments of laughter, they returned to their own devices. She stopped in her tracks, watching Finn approach her from behind. With the wind of the gulf blowing through his thick brown locks, Rachel felt her heart flutter. It only worsened when his crooked smile made its way down in her direction.
It was a little less than three months ago that they escaped. Now, the four of them were cramming into a two bedroom condo with an ocean view. As Finn and Sam worked to the best of their abilities to negotiate deals on beach houses with the fortune their father left for them in his will, Quinn and Rachel were working on finding colleges to further their education with the fortune that John left for Rachel in his.
In the meantime, Sam found a job with surprisingly good pay at a law firm a few miles up the road, Quinn scored a waitressing job at a local grub shack, Finn remained focused on achieving his dream of football, and she was working part time for a souvenir shop while attending medical school on the side.
Things were going well so far and she wouldn't change a single thing. For the first time in her life, she could live outside of the bubble that the small society of Lima had placed around her head. She felt free and nothing made her happier in the world. Well, one thing did; one person.
Now, reaching out with his free hand, he shined the light into the bucket hanging from his left hand. In the time it took her to walk a little ways before him, he'd filled up the bucket with more of them.
"They're sand crabs, Rach… They're totally harmless." He smirked, reaching for one and placing it on her shoulder. As she lost any sanity she'd had before, he only watched her thrash around, trying to swat the critter off, in pure amusement.
"Finnegan, are you insane? What were you thinking?" she exclaimed, glaring at the laugher in his face. She took in his figure. He was dressed simply today. He walked around in a gray Polo sweater and some khaki shorts.
He still seemed to be laughing at her as she now had her hands on her hips, turned to the ocean in a small form of embarrassment. Yes, they'd been through more embarrassing moments, she had to admit. But there was just something about being afraid of something as simple as a stupid sand crab in front of her fiancé that caused her cheeks to redden.
When she felt the gentle hand meet her shoulder, she slowly turned to face him again. No matter how much she tried, the minute that wholehearted grin met her eyes; she knew that she was a goner. Her cheeks lifted to a soft smile as her hands found their way to curl in the strands of hair behind his ears.
"I was thinking that you're really, really cute, Rachel Berry." She chuckled, watching their toes submerge in water as another wave crashed in. "And I was also thinking about how the fact that you are absolutely terrified of something as silly as sand crabs drives me madly insane."
She lifted an eyebrow, curiously looking up at him. "What do you mean by that?"
"It makes me fall in love with you more, if that's even the least bit possible. And at this point, I really don't think it is."
Placing a hand over her chest, she smiled sincerely. "I love you too, Finn. So freaking much, sometimes I just don't even know what to do with myself." "I know I say it a lot and may sound like a broken record, but thank you, Finn. Thank you for everything that you've done …" she cut herself off, looking out to where the sky met the water. The moon reflected beautifully off of it.
"No, thank you, Rachel," he surprised her.
"Wha-" Before she could say anything else, her mind lost all focus as he ran his hands through her hair, placing them behind her ears. Leaning downward, their lips met. Once the at-home feeling took a hold of her, she didn't know if she'd ever be able to pull away. She'd been touched with that distinctive feeling; she'd been touched with her Finn; her soulmate.
Pulling away, he allowed his hand to roam forward, caressing her cheeks. "I love you."
"I love you too," she'd never imagine saying those three words to anyone else in her lifetime. Closing her eyes, she giggled as they moved in unison to wiggle their noses against each other's.
"Enough with the sloppiness, you two!" Quinn exclaimed from afar.
"Yeah, Quinn and I are actually trying to enjoy our honeymoon!" Sam called from her side.
That was right. The day after they'd arrived in Miami, Quinn and Sam got hitched. It was a completely distasteful and vulgar ceremony in a small room filled with pregnant couples, drunken casino players, and drug-heads. However, according to the state of Florida, it was legal and that's all they were choosing to focus on.
She knew the two had been waiting on this moment forever; especially Sam. And, to see it happen made her happy for her two best friends. Vegas style or not, they were married and more in love than they could ever be with anyone else.
Finn and she, on the other hand, had yet to decide what they were going to be doing about their pending matrimony. It wasn't like they could just throw the big wedding that they were expected to have in the past. So, in the meantime, they both decided not to dwell on anything. She wore his mother's engagement ring religiously, only focusing on the now. It was perfect, really. She never expected that life would allow her to be this blissful all of the time.
"You know, maybe they're right," Finn smirked in Rachel's direction. "Maybe we shouldn't interrupt."
"What are you getting at?" she wondered.
"Now thinking about it, I think we left the patio door opened in our room before we left the condo. It'd be such a shame if all of that good air conditioning went to waste." He winked.
"Well, I think that you make a good point," returning his smirk, she watched as he lowered himself. Placing his hands under her, he swiftly lifted her with his arms, throwing her body over his right shoulder; the crabs and flashlight completely forgotten.
"Finn!" she broke out into an obnoxious fit of giggles. "Don't drop me!"
He never did, Rachel remembered, thinking of the elevator ride to their floor. Reminiscing on this time in her life, she smiled as she could still hear every laugh that they shared that night. Although Finn respected her wishes of waiting for sex until marriage, the fun they had was unimaginable as it always was with him.
What a life, she thought, looking out to the point where the moon met the water. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind from the gulf dance across the features of her unmade face.
She'd managed to find the right exact moment to come to the beach to experience peace and serenity. There was about an hour-long window just between 2 and 3 am where everything settled down on the beach. This was the time when it was too late to be out with kids, the midnight strollers called it a night, and the crazy college/ spring-breaker population decided to move the party elsewhere. During this small period of time, the only noise you'd get out here was the constant motion of the waves against the shore.
She figured this out one night as the stress from med school was eating away at her. Since then, she couldn't count the amount of times she'd found a spot to sit down here, in all of the five years that they'd been there. Now, at 26 years old, it still provided the distraction that she sometimes needed from her hectic day-to-day life.
Wrapped up in her own thoughts, she hardly noticed the gentle hand guiding its way along her back. She instantly flinched until the voice following things soothed her fear.
"I got out of the shower and you were gone," two coffee mugs came into her view as the figure fixed a place beside her. "I figured you'd be out here."
"Aww, Finn, tomorrow's your big day." She reminded him, taking a mug from him; tea, she presumed by the smell. Coffee would've been the better choice, but apparently he didn't think so. "I don't want you to be tired because of me."
"Sleep was never really in tonight's picture for me, anyways." He chuckled, taking a handful of sand in his free hand. After thinking for a moment, he turned to her again. "I'm going to be honest with you… I'm actually really terrified for tomorrow. One misstep and I'm done."
"Hey," she sighed, running a hand against his shoulder. "You shouldn't think like that."
"What should I think, then, Rach?" she knew that he was seeking for the right answer that would solve his fear and she wanted to give him that more than anything. However, she couldn't think of a way to in the moment. So, instead, she answered with another question that she thought might help.
"Do you remember the first game that you brought me to for the community league?" she asked.
"Yeah," he laughed.
Smiling at him, her memory came back into play.
Sitting on their bed, she placed her other heel on her left foot. He'd been pacing back and forth for about 20 minutes, only causing her to become more nervous in the process.
"Finn, you're going to walk a hole in the floor if you keep on," she joked, sighing as nothing could relieve him. "You're making me nervous…"
Stopping, he turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. Gosh, what is wrong with me?" he exclaimed, kicking his foot against the floor. "I've been to practice every day for the past few months. Hell, I've done this every day of my entire high school career. Why am I so freaking nervous now?"
"Because NFL scouts are coming to this game and you really want them to like you." She replied while turning to the mirror in their room to put on her earrings. "It's normal, Finn. I went through it, too. I bet you didn't even know that I was accepted into an elite, the best of the best, singing school in New York during senior year." He remained silent, causing her to look at him through the mirror. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her tentatively.
"I didn't get in by clapping the heels of my shoes together." She smiled at his projection in the mirror. "In fact, I puked in the bathroom on my way to the auditorium. I made the woman late for her next appointment with another student. It was pretty horrendous." She felt a weight lift off of her chest when a smile appeared from his pout. "So, things could be worse. And, hey, even if they don't decide to pick you today, it's not going to be the end of the world. You still have me and as corny as that sounds, it's never going to change."
Moving towards the dresser, he wrapped his arms around her figure from behind. She melted into his grasp once his lips met the area below her ear. "Thank you," he whispered.
"You know, you never told me what did it for you that day," Rachel interrupted the silence. "When you stepped out onto that field, you were so good. It was like all of that fear was an act." She eyed him playfully. "Did one of the guys share their steroids?"
"What? No," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I thought of my mom and dad sitting in the stands, I guess. I thought of them being proud of me and that's all that I've ever wanted. I thought of you, my amazingly beautiful and talented wife, sitting in the stands with my sister in law. I've always wanted you to be proud of me too; even before we met."
"What?" she laughed, taking a sip of her tea, "That's insane. You didn't give two craps about what I thought before we met. We hated each other. " When he didn't say anything, she turned to him again. "You did hate me, right?"
"I never told you this," he laughed, running a hand through his hair. "I've never told anyone this."
He continued, "I've always had a slight crush on you. I remember the first time I saw you. We were in middle school and you were sitting alone, studying instead of playing with other girls in our class. I guess your differences drew me in. I don't know. You weren't like every other girl and I guess that intrigued me."
"You used to make fun of me for being chubby. Shelby sent me to fat camp because of you." She reminded him, amused at how things were playing out before her.
"Then I guess what they say is true. If a guy picks on you, he really does like you." He laughed, taking a sip of tea. "No," he became serious again. "I wanted to roll with the crowd, Rachel. I found my way to the top and once I got there, I guess I just sort've became high from it. I wanted people to like me and I thought that if people knew that I liked you, they wouldn't. So, I bullied you and that's something I'll always regret."
"During Freshman year, I was in love with you," she admitted, throwing him completely off of his track. "You were like the poster-child of every teen movie ever."
"Ouch," he replied with a laugh.
"Am I wrong, though?" she giggled, nudging his chest. "I always thought that when you got home from school you'd place your letterman jacket in a glass case every day. You loved to show off that thing."
"My main source of power," he joked.
"Pretty much," she smirked, resting her head against his shoulder. "But your charm, gosh… I was no match once I met your charm; especially in that early 'just friends' period. I think it's finally safe enough now to admit that I despised Sugar Motta."
"So you were jealous," he smiled, leaning closer into her.
"No," she instantly dismissed the idea. "I knew that she wasn't the right girl for you; that none of them were. There's a difference. I was just waiting for you to realize it."
"It took a few tries, but that I did."
That she did, as well. Looking at the man on the side of her, she could envision the life they had with no one else. She would never want to. He was all that she needed, until the end of time. Looking down at the silver band on his hand that couldn't be missed in the moonlight, she remembered expressing these same thoughts on the day that they finally decided to call their wedding.
"And Voila!" Quinn exclaimed, turning the chair around for Rachel to face herself in the mirror for the first time.
She was stunned. She looked really pretty. With the short white dress and the removable sandaled heels, her hair had been fixed in a perfect up-do and her makeup was breathtaking. She felt like she did on prom night.
"What do you think?" she asked. Taking her friend in her arms, she squeezed her tight.
"Quinn, I love it!"
"And so will he," Quinn smiled, her facial expression suddenly lightening. It was as if a lightbulb turned on in her head. "Which reminds me…" she started, walking to a large bag in the corner of the room. "Here is your early wedding present from me. Well, it's just a part one to the gift, but you get the point."
"Just hand me the bag, Quinn." Rachel laughed at her friend's nervous rambling.
Once Rachel reached inside, she pulled out a silky black set of lingerie. She coughed, feeling the embarrassment flood to her cheeks. She only looked away before giggling her head off. Her friend joined in with her. This was so Quinn, she thought.
"Really?" she asked.
"You told me that y'all never did the deed yet and I thought it would be perfect for your wedding night. I also happen to know that black is his favorite color lingerie."
"And how exactly do you know that?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Duh, Sam recorded the questionnaire at his bachelor party." She told her.
Rachel looked at her with a face. She finally sighed, placing the bag next to them on the floor. "I guess I just wanted your wedding to be like mine, even if I couldn't convince you to go to the same place we did."
"Well, no offense, Quinn, but I don't think I would've felt really comfortable inviting Blaine, Kurt, Britt, Santana, and all of them to a 10 minute ceremony where you have to rent your wedding dress from a rundown shop downstairs."
"It was amazing," she smiled, nodding her head. "I didn't care how bad it was, Rachel. It was so spontaneous and daring, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And the fact that I got to do that with the love of my life makes it even better."
"This is going to be amazing too, Quinn. The fact that I get to stand on a beach in front of all our close friends and family and promise to love the love of my life forever will always be enough for me. I'm ready."
"Gosh, I'm so happy for you!" Quinn teared up, taking Rachel in her arms again. "Let's go get you married, Rachel soon-to-be Hudson."
"Not so fast," a voice emerged from behind them.
"Oh my gosh," Rachel smiled at the pregnant woman. "Santana!"
They'd been apart for a long time, Rachel had to admit. She'd kept in touch through calls and emails. She'd even skyped her a few times. That's even where Finn had the chance to formally meet Cleo and now, he adored her. But somewhere along the way, they just changed from the people they used to be. That saddened Rachel a lot, but at the same time, it made moments like this amazing. Words could not describe how happy she was to see her best friend in person.
A lot had happened while they were apart. Supposedly, Brittany moved to the city in regaining contact with Santana. She didn't exactly know how, but they ended up living together after a while and were even discussing marriage. They hadn't married yet, but decided to start their family earlier. Kacie even agreed to be the sperm donor.
"Now what kind of friend would I be if I missed my best friend's wedding?" she smiled, hugging the girl as tight as imaginable.
"We're all here," Rachel sniffed, feeling the tears building up behind her made-up eyes. "Despite everything, we're all here together again."
"Damnit Berry, this mascara is not waterproof." Quinn cried, causing the three to laugh.
"I think I know what we're missing," Santana informed the other two. Walking over to the bar at the far end of the room they were in, Santana returned with sparkling cider instead of champagne. "If I'm not drinking, then you best believe that you bitches aren't either." She laughed.
"To our best friend, Rachel," Quinn announced, holding up her class.
"Who, for the first time in her life, is not being forced to walk down the aisle to Hudson, but who's totally going to do it anyways…" Santana added.
"Thank you guys," Rachel held up her glass, tapping them together. "I will remember this moment for the rest of my life."
A knock at the door interrupted the moment. When Sam stuck his head in the door, all three turned to face him.
"Sorry to interrupt. I was just coming to inform you that it's time. The preacher said not to feel rushed, but he's got a funeral to attend in an hour."
"That's about right," Quinn sighed. "Okay, Rachel," she confronted her friend, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Rachel replied, grabbing the small bouquet on the desk and her vows that were sitting next to it. As she followed closely behind the two other girls out of the room, Sam gently grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
As she watched the girls walk on, she turned to face him with confusion in her face. "Is something wrong?" She hoped that there wasn't. "Is Finn okay? He didn't leave, did he? Did he change his mind?"
"Rachel, no, none of that." He assured her, chuckling as he rubbed friendly hands of support up and down her bare shoulders. "It's about the aisle."
Ah, she now knew where he was going with this. "I just didn't know if you'd asked anyone else to walk you; or, if you'd even wanted me to walk you if you hadn't."
"I didn't," she smiled, watching his face clear from the nervous tension it'd held seconds before.
"It's just that I knew you were always going to ask father. But, with him gone and all, I didn't really know whether or not to ask if you'd be okay with me walking you down the aisle."
"I'd be more than happy for you to take Christopher's place, Sam. And, I know that he is too, watching us right now. He'd be so proud of you; the both of you."
"Thanks, Rachel." He turned to reach into his pocket, digging for something. "You know, I never really told you congratulations on the engagement and all. But, know that I'm really happy that you're the girl my brother is marrying."
"So am I," she joked, playfully elbowing him in the shoulder.
"Close your eyes," he told her.
"What?"
"C'mon we've only got a few more minutes. Close your eyes and hold out your hands."
Even though she held some doubts about what was going on, she followed his instruction. When she felt something being placed around her left wrist, she peeked on instinct. Sam was fixing the clasp on an antique-looking charm bracelet.
"Your something blue," he chuckled, pointing out the royal blue jewels assorted around the bracelet. "Quinn told me that you were missing it."
"It's beautiful."
"It's my mom's," he informed her. "Well, it was my mom's. I found it in my dad's closet while we were clearing out the house after he died."
"No, Sam…" she trailed off. "I can't take this from you. To be honest with you, I'm not sure I even feel worthy enough wearing her ring."
"She'd want you to have it." He assured her. "I'm sure she's watched the two of you and knows that no one deserves her son more than you do. That's what my dad thought when he was alive."
She'd never known this; "Really?"
"You've become a part of our family, Rachel. Today is just a promise to keep it that way forever." She wiped a few tears away as she took him into her embrace.
"Now c'mon; they're going to think I snuck out to eat the cake."
Grabbing his hand, she allowed him to lead her down the elevator and out onto the wooden walkway. Her heart fluttered when her eyes took in the small setup that Quinn had worked so hard to put together. As her feet met the sand, she took in the long purple silk that was her aisle.
Nervously turning to Sam one more time, he smiled down at her with assurance. Taking a deep breath and letting it go, she wrapped her arm through his and began her tread forward.
He was the first person that her eyes led her to; just like every other time in every other crowd she'd ever been in. He was dressed to the nines with his black suit and his purple tie. Standing next to Finn was the preacher that was anticipating his early cutout for a funeral somewhere else. However, if he was anxious, he didn't show it. He only smiled next to her fiancé as she slowly approached them. Quinn and Santana were standing on the other side of the preacher, holding bouquets of their own, occasionally wiping their eyes with the backs of their hands. Then, on the side of them, stood Kurt and Blaine, Kacie with Cleo rested in his arms, Brittany, and Madison, whom she had no idea how she got there.
She giggled, looking to her feet. Finn must've flown her down here last minute, she assumed. It seemed like something he would do.
And as the scene of her wedding looked perfect before her, the weather had to disagree. It was the first thing that Quinn complained about when they woke up this morning. The sky was covered with a blanket of grey clouds and the thunder had been rolling since about noon.
But, that didn't discourage her. If anything, she liked the rainy weather. It only made things different for her wedding from everyone else's. Instead of getting a sunny, beach wedding, she'd be able to explain to her future kids how she and Finn spoke their vows while trying to dodge bolts of lightning.
She knew that Finn felt the same way when the thunder clapped above them once more and his face rose into an amused grin. It was completely dangerous, but they liked it.
Arriving just before him, she turned to face Sam again. Reaching up, she hugged him one last time as Rachel Berry, his brother's fiancée, "Thank you."
"Anytime," he whispered in her ear, "Sis."
The moment she linked arms with Finn, everything else had become forgotten. The only thing she could, would, focus on right now was him. She felt her breath stop when she took in the tears rolling down from the dark amber eyes that she'd come to love so much.
This was it; a day she'd been dreaming of ever since she was young. Today was the day that Quinn and Santana played with her when they were kids. Today she was becoming more than just a girl with a hard past. Today she was becoming someone's wife; Finn's wife.
No matter how hard she'd been thinking of it within the past few months, or even days, she still couldn't bring herself to wrap her mind around that realization.
So much had happened to them in the time that they'd known each other. She still remembered a time in her life when none of this even seemed the least bit possible. If someone would've told her about today when she was in the guest bedroom of her own home, crying her eyes out that morning after he turned her away, she couldn't even imagine what she would've told them.
However, as complicated and absolutely heart-breaking as everything in their past was, she wouldn't change it. With something as simple as a small dinner get together after school; her whole entire life took a U-turn for the better. All of the fighting; all of the words they'd expressed to each other at one time or another; all of the heartbreak and rejection; all of the hurt; it had led him to here. She was standing in front of everything she'd ever wanted in life. She was standing in front of a guy who she could never imagine loosing love for. She was facing the terms of forever with her at-one-point worst enemy, her best friend, and most importantly, her soulmate.
"You," she began as the preacher asked them to recite their vows. Clearing her throat, she licked her lips and continued. "You saved me."
"It's never going to get any simpler than that, Finn. And I'm not just talking about with Shelby, James, and Jesse. You came into my life at a time where I was feeling completely empty inside. I mean, yes, I had Quinn and Sam and Santana and everything, but I never truly felt whole… My father was gone and I just saw myself as this previously chubby girl who was being bullied in her own home by a woman who wasn't even her mother."
"Now, you weren't exactly on the list of favorites when you were thrown into my life, and I know that the same goes for you with me as well. But, you did something to me. You changed something inside of me. You gave me a sense of purpose that I didn't really even know existed until I met you."
"Even if that purpose was screaming at you at the top of my lungs sometimes or pushing you into a pool," she laughed through her tears, running her thumbs against the back of his hands before moving on. "You taught me how to be fearless. And, above all, you taught me how to love; not just you, but also myself. You opened my eyes to the kind of life that I've always wanted. And standing here now, I know that that still hasn't changed."
"Every time I look at you, or even think of you, Finn, I feel the rush of those same teenage feelings that I had when I was with you, dancing in the middle of the rain on an empty road or driving out into the middle of nowhere at all hours of the night. And, I'm one hundred percent sure that that will never change. Even though we've been through hell and back, those feelings have never gone away and neither did my love."
"Today, as we face forever together, I'm here to promise you that. I'm not promising preciseness and perfection, because I think we both know that we're far from it. But, I'm going to promise that through the good and the bad, sickness and in health, I will never leave you again. You are the love of my life, Finnegan Christopher Hudson, and I'm so excited for the journey that we're about to start together, finally…"
"I love you," she mouthed with a wink as the preacher was speaking. He smiled, wiping his eyes again before being advised to recite the vows of his own. Holding the small notebook paper in his hands that housed his chicken-scratch handwriting, he lowered it before clearing his throat.
"I can still remember this little fishing trip that my father took me on a few years after my mom died. It was really simple. The sun was out and the weather was nice, so he decided to pack up the boat and go. And, you know, that's what I thought it was only going to be. Little did I know that we'd share a conversation that still sticks with me to this day…"
"It was one of those futuristic talks that you have with your parents. You know, the 'when you get older and I'm gone' type… At the time, I didn't want to listen. I could barely understand why my mother had to leave. I didn't really find it pleasant hearing my father say the words, 'if something ever happens to me and you and Sam are left alone'. But, as stubborn of a child as I was back then, I did as I was told. I took in all that he told me."
"He sat me down and started to tell me about how I would meet a very lucky girl someday." He began, tightening his grip on Rachel's hands. "And at the time, I had no idea what he was telling me. I was young and girls were gross with too many coodies." Rachel laughed out loud.
Becoming serious again, his face crumbled with emotion. "He told me that if anything were to ever happen to him, this girl would take care of me. She'd become my saving grace, helping with the hurt and heartache of losing him."
"And I admit, when he left, I felt that. The pain, the hurt, and the heartbreak that he described on that four passenger boat rocked my world unlike any other thing I could've imagined."
"But what my dad and I didn't know on that day was this… I got the best of both worlds. It didn't take after my dad leaving for me to meet that girl. If anything, he helped bring you into my life. Maybe I wasn't that fond of you in the beginning and didn't really expect to be standing here with you, like we are now. But, I promise you, Rachel, everything that he said was true."
"It's like you just said, Rach. You came into my life at a time when I really needed someone like you. I was this shell of a person that I knew I had the potential of becoming; the shell of a person that I wanted to become. Granted, I was a complete asshole to you. But, that never stopped you."
"I hated myself. The world around me was crumbling beneath my feet. I was this emotionless, obnoxious jock who lived off of one night stands with girls who weren't my girlfriend, cereal, and low-blows. My grades were slipping, I was doing things with my friends that probably should've gotten me arrested, throwing money here and there to get whatever the hell I wanted, and my father's lectures were just an annoying sound in the background. I envisioned no future for myself; nor did I think that I was even good enough to make one."
"I was afraid to let people too close to me. There was this giant hole in my heart where my mom used to be and every day, it ruled me. It told me what to think, what to do. I couldn't let people in. The one person that I loved so much died, and I was more than terrified that if I ever let myself feel that way about anyone else, they'd leave me to. So, I pushed. I was good at it, too. I'd say things to people; my dad, my brother, Sugar, Valerie… After hearing my words, they'd become mad and leave me alone. And as time went on, I convinced myself that that was okay. That I was better off."
"And then, that night happened." He laughed, looking to his feet. "I remember being so pissed off that my dad was dragging me and Sam to your house for dinner that night. He kept repeating over and over again that he had someone really special for me to meet. He kept saying that big changes would be made that night. And I remembered the disbelief when I found out that that person was you."
"I guess it was because I'd known you my whole life and didn't really think anything special of it at the time… But, little did I know, was that he was right. That night…That horribly chaotic Friday night, I sat directly across the table from my future. I sat across the table from a girl who would become my worst enemy, my very best friend, my girlfriend, my ex when we went through all of those trying times in the pass, my fiancé, and as we stand here today in front of all of these people, my soulmate; my wife…"
The moment the word left his lips, her hand flew to her face, trying to silence fully-blown sobs.
"Listen to me, Rach. I don't know what's going to happen an hour from now, or two, or even tomorrow. But I do know one thing. For as long as my life will last, I want you in it. You're the love of my life and you always have been, even when I didn't know it yet."
"I'm not saying that we're going to be dealt the best life in the book, because that's impossible. We're going to face more trying times and we're not always going to be the two people we are standing here right now. There are going to be some days when we know exactly what we're doing and there are going to be others when we have no clue in the world. We're going to become engulfed with mortgages, and bills, and even babies." He laughed. "But as we stand on this beach, my promise of forever is true, no matter what we have to go through to get there. The day you and I turn 80, 90, or even 100, I'm going to love you just the same as I have in the past and just the same as I do right now."
"I promise that I will never let go again. Never in my entire life will I even think of leaving you, no matter how bad things become. You and I, we're us. There's no other word to describe it. There's no other person in this world that could ever live up to it, either. It's just the way it is. You were made for me, Rach. And you've helped me to become the best man that I had no idea I was even capable of becoming."
"You were that girl that my father was describing; the same girl who wasn't like everyone else. You didn't care if you had to hurt me to get through to my head. You never left or gave up on me like the other girls did when I pushed them away. Even when I was the hugest asshole who did everything that I could to try and hurt you, you stayed by my side."
"I'm sorry that I was that guy with you when we first met. And, I'm sorry that I became that guy with you when you came back from New York, even after I sat in your kitchen and specifically promised that I wouldn't ever be again."
"As we stand here, I promise you that you will never have to meet him again. Lastly, I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for all that you've done for me. I love you so much, Rachel Barbra Berry, now, Hudson," the small crowd shared a round of laughter. "And, I'm so excited for the journey that we're about to start together, finally…" He repeated her final words.
Wiping her eyes, Rachel reached down and grabbed the piece of notebook paper from his hands, examining over it. Her eyes met a bunch of scribbles combined with starting points that he couldn't continue to write out. She then realized that all of what he just spoke came from his head and she was gone.
At that moment, nothing else around her seemed to matter anymore. Everything in her peripheral vision seemed to fade away. She didn't care that their voices were being washed away by the violent crashing of waves against the shore. She didn't care that in the time being there, the wind had picked up. She didn't care that they were at high risk of being struck to death by lightning. All she cared about right now was the man in front of her. All she wanted at the moment was him.
As she slid the silver band against his left ring finger and watched him slide the diamond one against hers, she noticed how his eyes lit up when he spotted his mother's bracelet. Brushing a gentle hand over it, her heart sped up. Meeting eyes with his own, she watched him tear up again. This time, he was the one to mouth "I love you".
So caught up in each other, they nearly missed the preacher when he asked them to say their "I do's."
"Then, by the will of God and the state of Florida, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Finn, you may kiss your bride."
She basically jumped up to meet his lips. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tuned out the vigorous cheers and clapping from their friends around them. She even tuned out her own thoughts. She only focused on the one thing that would consume her mind for the rest of her life.
As they moved against each other in the same position as they had been for minutes now, everyone began moving inside. They were only interrupted by the drops of rain meeting the tops of their heads. Flinching, Rachel pulled away, looking toward the sky. Squinting his eyes, Finn followed her movements before turning back to her. She would never be able to clear the grin that he flashed down to her in that moment from her mind.
"It's raining," she giggled.
"Maybe it's a sign," he pointed out, placing a hand against her cheek. "Am I the only one feeling nostalgic right now?"
"If only there was a scary forest somewhere…"
"That can be arranged." He winked.
The thunder then clapped again, a little louder this time than the two expected. Rachel screamed as Finn slightly jumped. As the rain hardened and the wind picked up, they turned back to each other. "Okay, maybe being out here right now isn't really the best idea."
"Maybe you're right," she chuckled.
Before gaining permission, he threw her over his shoulder and took off in the sand toward the long wooden boardwalk. "Ah, Finn!" she exclaimed, laughing hysterically.
The cool air against their soaking wet forms took them by surprise in the lobby of the resort. However, once they found that everyone had retreated to their own rooms before the after-reception, an idea dawned upon the two.
Not even being on the ground for two minutes, Finn swept her up again, bridal style. They stayed like this, until they reached the honeymoon suite they'd be staying in until they flew out to Saint Lucia in the morning.
"That night was crazy," Rachel admitted, remembering the first time she'd ever had sex with her husband. "We were crazy."
He laughed as he reminisced with her. They had now buried their mugs in the sand and were lying against the towel that Rachel brought with her earlier in the night. With her head rested against his chest, their focus remained on the moon and the stars above them.
"Crazy good," he smirked. "You have always been better than any other girl that I've been with and I've been with some pretty promiscuous girls in high school…"
"Stop it," she chuckled, playfully hitting him in the shoulder.
"I mean it, Berry…" he joked on. "I always knew that you were saving your kinky side for me."
"Oh my gosh, Finn Hudson, stop it!" she laughed hysterically, covering her ears with her hands.
As their make out session continued on past the opened door to their room, Finn closed it and turned the lock. He was still holding her in his arms, but this time, unlike before, she was in front of his body. With arms wrapped around his neck and legs wrapped around his waist to hold her up, Rachel found herself becoming breathless. She hadn't remembered the last time she'd come up for air since they'd left the lobby or the elevator.
He noticed this, putting in the effort to move his lips below her chin and towards her neck. When he gently slammed her against the nearest wall, she didn't even care if they knocked over a picture frame or two.
Instead, she threw her head back in ecstasy. He moved his way up, trailing kisses up and down her neck like the night of graduation. Only this time, she had no intention of ever stopping him.
By the time his teeth met her earlobe, her eyes had rolled behind her head. It was when he moved her over to the bed that the thoughts popped into her mind. When thinking about sex, a world of curiosity filled her mind. But, with that, also came an entirely larger world of fear. That's what was running through her mind at this point.
He noticed the moment she tensed up under him. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes with a hint of confusion and another of concern. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just, I'm just not really, not really-" she stumbled over her words. She could only imagine the fool she was making out of herself right now. Rolling her eyes, she felt her own embarrassment making its way to her cheeks. "I'm not used to this. And, I'm kind of scared."
"I know, totally embarrassing, right?" she tried to laugh it off as Finn remained silent. At this point, they were both sitting along the edge of the king bed. He still wore his suit with his tie being looser from her tugging and her dress still remained on her, with her shoes halfway across the room and her hair falling at her sides from Finn's roaming fingers.
"I hope you not being able to say anything right now is a good thing," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I just," he paused to think of the right words to say. "I really hope that I'm not pressuring you. I'm sorry if I did."
"No, of course not. Finn, don't apologize to me." She spoke, getting up from the side of him. Moving in front of him, she stood between his legs against the edge of the bed. Placing her hands on his shoulders, he looked up at her as she spoke. "I really want this right now, with you. I just don't really know what I'm doing. I've never done this before and quite frankly, that scares me to death."
"Hey, look at me." He placed a hand under her chin. Meeting his eyes, she immediately knew that there was nowhere else on this earth that could be considered safer. "I love you so much. You are my life now; my family and I would never want you to feel scared or unsure in my presence. You got that?"
"Yeah," she smiled, running a hand through his hair.
"We'll go really slow, okay?" he assured her. "One step at a time, and at any point you tell me to stop, I won't hesitate."
"Okay," she replied, resting her forehead against his own, "I'm ready."
His tie was the first thing to go, as their lips danced against each other. Then his suit jacket flew across the room, followed by the white button up shirt he was sporting underneath it. She ran a hand against his abs as he started working on her dress. By the time it met his clothes on the floor, he stopped to take in the bra and underwear that Quinn presented to her earlier in the day.
"Wedding gift," she informed him. "According to Quinn, your favorite color is black."
"How does Quinn know that?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Sam recorded your bachelor party."
"Of course he did," he laughed.
By the time they were completely bare in front of each other, Finn moved them under the covers. His trail of kisses up and down her neck didn't seize until he turned to her one last time. "Are you completely sure about all of this?"
"One hundred percent."
That was when one of the best nights of her life began. Everything after that was a cake walk for them and they weren't ashamed to admit it. Even after being married for four years, she still couldn't keep her hands off of him.
"I think that that night was one of the best nights that we've had." Rachel spoke.
"I'm actually going to have to disagree with you on that one, babe."
"What?" she asked, incredulously.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, that night was one I will never ever forget in my entire lifetime. But, my favorite was that night at the hospital in New York when Santana had her baby." He admitted. "The tight space of that medical supply closet did not stop you."
"Hey, I was really emotional that my best friend was having another baby."
"So was Kacie," Finn pointed out. "You didn't see him trying to sleep with me, did you?"
"It got pretty close to that, actually." "I remember quite a few times that he was crying on your shoulder when he wasn't with Cleo."
"Poor guy still can't get over Tana." Finn laughed. "I wonder if he's going to try and stop the wedding."
"I hope not." Rachel admitted. "But, I really think that he gets it now. I mean, walking into that room with Brittany and Santana holding little Easton in their arms, any stranger would've gotten it."
"You were so excited to see him and hold him," Finn reminded her. "And then, just a short month later, we found out that we were going to have one of our own."
"Conceived in a hospital, she should get a kick out of that one once she gets old enough to ask those kinds of questions." Rachel joked.
"I still remember the moment that I found out," he whispered.
"Are you sure?" Quinn asked, standing next to the bathroom sink while Rachel sat on the toilet seat.
"Why don't you read the four sticks in front of you again and tell me," she replied with sarcasm.
"They could be wrong," she told her.
"I know that I'm pregnant, Quinn." She sighed, standing up and moving towards her best friend.
"You feel it, don't you?" she asked. "There's just this feeling running through your body that you just can't shake, huh?"
"Yeah, that and the fact that I've missed my period and have been puking like a dog every morning for the past week or so." "How did you know?"
"I think you might need to give me one of those extra tests over there." Quinn told her.
"Q, no way." Her eyes widened. "There's no way that we're both pregnant at the same time."
They were. When both tests came up positive, Quinn squealed and fell into Rachel's arms. "Oh my gosh, Rachel! It's finally happening for us. We're having babies!"
She laughed, moving the girl's hair out of her face. "We are."
"We can do everything together! We can go shopping, read each other's baby books, look at cute little onesies, and schedule birthing classes. Aren't you excited?"
"Yeah, definitely," she smiled. "I'm just a little shocked, that's all. I didn't expect to be pregnant this early, you know? Finn and I haven't even been married for a year yet."
"Are you happy with the results?" Quinn asked, biting her nails in anticipation. Rachel realized that she probably wasn't giving off the right reaction to the revelation that they'd just witnessed.
"Yes," she felt her own tears of joy coming. "Quinn, we're going to be moms. I mean, we have to check with our doctors first to make sure that the tests were right. But, if they were, I'm having a baby. We're having babies."
She threw herself into her best friend's embrace again. The moment consumed them enough to the point where they almost missed the sound of the front door to Finn and Rachel's beach home being opened and closed.
Looking to her friend, Rachel's eyes widened. "We've got to get these out of here, Q. I'm not ready to tell him yet."
"Yeah, and then he's going to go and tell his brother. No thanks," she sighed, rushing to look for the plastic grocery bag they brought with them into the bathroom. "Not to mention what they're going to say when they figure out how much we spent buying these things."
"I'm sure their minds will be elsewhere if they find out," Rachel replied, grabbing the bag from the floor. Tossing all of the remaining contents into the bag, Quinn shoved it into her purse.
"All set," she whispered to herself. Opening the door, they walked in the kitchen to find Finn picking up groceries of his own. He looked sweaty, dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, and some black tennis shoes. He didn't even realize their entrance. It took Rachel tapping him on the shoulder to get him to rip out his headphones.
"Hey baby," he smiled, leaning down to place a soft kiss against her cheek. "I didn't even realize that the two of you were here. How was the hospital today? Any gross details that you want to share with me?"
"None that wouldn't violate my HIPAA oath," She joked.
"Well, I think I'm just going to cut out a little early." Quinn smiled, moving towards the door. "It's getting pretty late and there are a few things I need to talk to Sam about." When Finn wasn't looking, Quinn eyed Rachel. She secretly shooed her off.
"Good night, Quinn."
The blonde waved before heading next door to her own house. When the door was closed behind her, Rachel turned back to her husband moving around the kitchen.
"What was that all about?" he asked, barely paying attention. His focus seemed to be on chopping the vegetables in front of him at the moment.
"She's Quinn, no telling." She lied, moving over to the fridge to grab a coke.
"You know, I actually picked up another bottle of wine for you. It's in one of the bags on the table over there."
"I think I'm just going to stick to my coke for now, but thanks. I have a really early morning tomorrow and don't want any headaches going into work." She explained, turning on the TV beside him. When the weekly forecast couldn't distract her mind, she decided to try other methods.
"So, how was practice?"
"Really good actually," he smiled, placing the vegetables into a pan over the stove. "Coach told me that Dolphins scouts may be coming to the next game."
"Really?" her mood shifted. "Is he going to let you play?"
"I think so." It made her heart flutter to see the excitement across her husband's face.
"You'll do really well; I know you will."
After they'd eaten and prepared for bed, Rachel was reading something when Finn slowly walked into the room. "Rachel, what's this?"
Lifting her eyes from the book, Rachel took in the pregnancy test box that he was holding up for her to see.
She figured there was no point in hiding it anymore. She didn't even like the idea of keeping it from him in the first place. She was going to tell him soon enough. Shrugging her shoulders, a grin spread across her face. "Surprise?"
Walking closer to her side of the bed, he sat by her feet. Placing her book down on her night stand, she emerged from under the covers and made her way to sit behind him. Wrapping her arms around him, she rested her head in the crook of his neck.
"You're pregnant?" he asked.
"It was positive," she confirmed. "You remember when you thought I had the virus a few mornings ago? Turns out it was just morning sickness and I'm a few weeks late. I was going to tell you. I just wanted to go to the doctor first and make sure."
"We're having a baby!" he laughed, his grin the widest she'd ever seen it in a while. He was overcome with joy, making her tear up even more. The hormones kicking in weren't helping at this point. "I'm going to be a dad and there's going to be a baby running around our house."
"Babies," Rachel corrected him.
"What?" he asked.
"Quinn's pregnant too." She informed him. "I think that's what she was going to tell Sam."
"Wow," he chuckled. "Rach, baby, you have no idea how happy I am right now." He told her, taking his spot in their bed. Once the lights were turned off, they were left to whisper in the dark. "We're finally going to have a family."
"And I haven't even turned 24 yet," she laughed, referring to their discussion on prom night. "I guess dreams really do come true. All that's left is for those Dolphins scouts to watch you and fall in love with you like I know they will and then you will get signed, and the world will be ours for the taking."
"The perfect life, with the perfect girl…" He smiled, remembering what he'd said on the tailgate of that truck all of those years ago.
"The perfect life, with the perfect guy…"
After three full years of having her in their lives, she'd become everything to them. Spoiled couldn't even begin to describe it. They adored their daughter. She showed characteristics of the both of them and that only made them love her more. There wasn't a thing in the world that Rachel and Finn wouldn't do for her.
"Did Kacie check in with you tonight?" Rachel asked. He'd agreed to take the kids in for the weekend to give the grownups some breathing space. About a year or so after the girls were born, Santana, Brittany, and Kacie decided to move south to join them by the beach. As of now, he was watching a five year old Cleo, Santana and Brittany's son, Quinn and Sam's daughter, and theirs as well.
"Yeah, he said they fell asleep at like 9:30."
"Why doesn't she do that over here?" she joked.
"I have a theory." Finn commented. "He probably gave them some form of sugar; they played it off, and were exhausted before the point where they wanted more."
"I second that theory." She laughed.
"C'mon, Rachel," Finn cooed in her ear as she squeezed his hand as hard as she could. "Just one more push and she'll be here."
"I can't do it," she cried. "I'm tired!"
"One more, Rach, one more…" he promised. Squeezing his hand tighter, she pushed as hard as she could until a loud cry broke through the room. When the nurse lifted her, the previous seconds of their lives were immediately forgotten. The immense pain that Rachel had just experienced had been forgotten. Instead, both of their eyes were focused on the infant before them.
After being settled into Rachel's arms, the newborn silenced her screaming. Rachel's face turned bright red as she rested her head against Finn's shoulder. "You did it, Rach…We did it." his voice broke, running his fingers over their daughter's tiny hands while placing kisses along Rachel's sweaty forehead. "She's finally here. We have a daughter. She's the prettiest little girl I've ever seen in my whole entire life."
"I'm sorry to interrupt," the nurse nervously made her way toward them. "But, have you decided on a name yet? We just need it for the certificate."
"Taylor," Finn answered, remembering the times they'd sit up late, talking about Rachel's mom whom she'd never known.
Rachel stepped in this time. "This is going to sound like a really weird one." She laughed, looking down at her daughter. "The first and the middle name don't match at all."
"Trust me, I've heard worse." The woman laughed.
"Her name is Taylor Carole Hudson."
"Okay, thank you," she smiled, writing onto a chart before leaving them alone in the hospital room.
When she turned back to their baby, she noticed Finn's eyes focused only on her. More tears were swelling up around his eyes. "We never talked about middle names."
"I just figured that you'd want a part of your mom with you too."
"I love you so much, Rach" he sighed, hugging her closer to him. "And I love our little family."
"I bought a test for you," Finn spoke, pulling her from the memory.
"You didn't," she gasped. "Finn, I'm not pregnant."
"Yes you are." He pushed, "I know that you are. You're extra moody, you've been puking almost every morning, you've started eating potato chips with ketchup again, and no offense, but your boobs have gotten so much bigger in the past couple of weeks."
"Hey," she called, smacking him in his arm. Sitting up from their lying position in the sand, she spoke again. "I do take offense to that."
"Why? No one said that I was complaining." He thought for a moment before turning back to her. "You're in denial."
"And you're being persistent." She pointed out.
"I've just been really observant over these past few weeks."
"Well, then, c'mon." she said, standing up from the sand and holding an arm out for him to grab. "You can observe the negative that comes up because there's no way that I'm pregnant...I know my body."
*20 minutes later*
"So, I'm pregnant…" she slowly crept from the bathroom, sighing as she noticed Finn's knowing grin.
"I should've proposed a bet. The 'I Told You So' would be a lot better if you were handing money over right now."
"You're a comedian," she replied, sarcastically squinting her eyes in his direction.
"Come here, baby mama," he smiled, sitting on the edge of their bed. When she slowly walked up to stand between his legs, he took her in his warm embrace.
"Baby number two," she smiled behind him as they held each other tight. "You know, in the past, I never thought we'd never even see one."
"But, here we are." He laughed with the excitement present in his voice. "Who ever said it was impossible to have it all?" "Tomorrow marks my first game in the NFL, I have an adorable little girl, a beautiful wife who is pregnant with our second baby who, I'm hoping is a little boy. After everything that we've had to go through in the past, here we are."
"Here we are," she repeated. "Gosh, I'm so freaking happy right now that I'm crying." She chuckled through her tears.
The two of them fell asleep like this. Curled up at each other's side, they hardly even noticed the alarm going off a few hours later. Today was here. Today, her husband would start off his career with the Miami Dolphins, marking the start of dreams of his own.
This only made Rachel more proud of him. When they'd met, he saw no escape for himself. He lacked self-confidence and a will to fight for what he wanted as she had.
Now, as she stood in front of the mirror in her favorite turquoise dress, she watched Finn nervously tie up his tennis shoes at the foot of the bed. She figured she'd try and make him feel a little better.
"He's going to be there today," she assured her husband. Laughing she continued, "If anything, he's going to be smacking on them skittles and yelling from the stands like he did at that one baseball game of yours that I went to in high school. And Carole, well, I'd like to believe that she's going to be sitting next to him. She's probably going to have her eyes shut, sitting on the edge of the seat watching you make your way across the field, to your first touchdown."
Getting up from his spot, he walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. When his hands gently rested themselves onto her abdomen, she closed her eyes and melted against him. "You really think so?" he asked.
"I know so," she smiled at him through the mirror. "And Taylor and I will be sitting next to them, as will Quinn and Sam, and Brittany, Santana, and even Kacie," she chuckled. "But most importantly, I'm going to be praying that you don't take off your helmet before you get off the field because this whole pregnancy thing is running my hormones to the ground and I might end up tracking you down in the locker room. You know what your post work-out look does to me."
"Oh, I know alright…" he purred in her ear. "I'm pretty sure it's what got us this baby in the first place."
Pushing at him, she laughed out loud. "You're bad!"
"You started it," he said, raising his hands in defense.
"Okay, why don't we go before we get caught up and you're late on your first day?"
"Good idea," he agreed, grabbing the duffle bag from the floor. Locking the front door behind him, he took Rachel's hand in his own as they made their way to the SUV that waited for them in their driveway. The weather was beautiful today. The sky was bright blue with not a cloud in sight. It seemed like the perfect day for dreams to kick off.
They were the last ones to show up out of all of them. Once Taylor noticed her parents walking hand-in-hand towards the large group of friends, she took off like a rocket. Kneeling down, she waited for the toddler to approach them. Before Rachel knew it, long, curly, and dark locks that didn't belong to her were draped against her shoulders. The little girl squeezed her as tight as she physically could.
"Mommy!" she screamed with all of the strength her little voice could muster from her chest.
"Oh, my baby!" she cried, raising the girl in her arms before twirling around. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, mommy!"
"Are you ready to watch daddy play?" she asked.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, moving her attention over to the man watching the two of them.
"Hey, my princess," they both laughed as she basically hurled herself into his arms. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, daddy," she smiled, placing a soft peck against his freshly shaved cheek.
Hating to ruin the moment, Rachel slowly tapped on his shoulder after glancing at her watch. "Okay, it's time for daddy to go so he can be with the team and his coaches. You ready for mommy to take you to your seat?"
"Can we get cookies, mommy?" she asked, pointing to Easton whose mouth was covered in chocolate from the cookie he was munching on. Santana only gave her a look of an apology.
"You know what?" she asked once Taylor was maneuvered back into her arms. "Mommy will even get one for herself too. How does that sound?"
"Yay!" she clapped her little hands together.
"I guess that means that we have to buy Charlie one too," Quinn chimed in, brushing a hair through her daughter's light blonde hair.
"Wish daddy luck, Tay," Rachel smiled, looking over to Finn.
"Good luck!" she exclaimed. "I love you!"
"I love you too, baby girl!" he smiled, before turning and making his way towards the room reserved for the players and coaches.
Once they situated themselves in their reserved seats in the stadium stands, Charlie, Easton, and Taylor were covered in chocolate. Rachel could only laugh, watching the three laugh with each other. It was just like old times, she thought. Rachel, Santana, and Quinn were inseparable. Now, with children the same age as each other, she knew they were going to be the same way. This only warmed her heart further.
As Cleo sat in her lap, Rachel dug through her purse to find her pack of wet wipes that she usually kept on her. Reaching for her daughter, she wiped the contents of her cookie off the girl's face. She didn't want to take any chances if they were to be flashed on the jumbo Tron.
"Finn and I were correct, huh?" Rachel asked as Kacie plopped down beside her to be close to his daughter who was now moving into his lap. "You gave them sugar, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he chuckled, pretending to be offended. "I would never."
"They drove you up the wall, didn't they?" she asked again.
"Very much so," he admitted. "But the bonus with sugar is that its effects aren't forever. They were asleep before 10."
"Parenting goals," Rachel commented, holding up her hands.
"So, Rachel, how does it feel being the wife of an NFL football player?" Quinn interrupted.
"Pretty damn good," she smiled, playing with her wedding ring.
"Look at him run onto that field like a pro," Sam commented, pointing to the group of guys running onto the green of the field. Just when he said that, the entire arena went insane.
As the game moved along, she did exactly what she knew that she would. She did what she'd done every time she'd attended her husband's football games. She remained on the edge of her seat, biting away at nails that were hardly there anymore.
As the time moved on, she became prouder. He was doing so well down there. All of this doubt and nervousness that he'd harvested for the better part of yesterday and this morning was clearly for nothing. He belonged out there. He belonged on that field just as much as he belonged in her arms.
As the last three minutes of the fourth quarter appeared, they were all standing up at this point. The game was so close. In just one short touchdown and a field goal, the Dolphins would be one point ahead of the other team; very nerve-racking.
Two minutes left and they were still tied up. She didn't think she could watch for much longer. However, she did nothing to look away.
One minute and they were now closer to their scoring side of the field. One throw from Finn; that's all that it took. The player caught the ball and the crowd flew from their seats. As the man crossed the white lines, she screamed with joy. The Dolphins had just scored another touchdown!
With seconds left on the clock, the kicker lined up within the precise amount of distance from the football. Running forward and raising one leg, the ball was off. Rachel grasped Kacie's arm as hard as she could watching the ball fly through the air.
When it guided its way between the field goal, she jumped higher into the air than she ever thought she possibly could.
They did it! He did it! On the side of gaining all of his dreams in one day, her husband had also gained his first victory. Words could not describe what she was feeling now.
Some way, shape, or form he spotted them in the stands. The jumbo Tron picked him up onto its screen, blowing a kiss to the two of them; Rachel, Taylor… and soon to be another boy or girl.
In this moment of pure bliss and butterflies, a certain memory popped into her mind.
The fifth graders were in their classroom, yet again. Nothing frustrated Rachel more. They were loud, obnoxious, and mean. And she had a math assignment that was due by tomorrow. As the girls talked and danced around her she wanted nothing more than to be left alone. So, you could imagine her aggravation when the teacher showed up at her desk.
"Here's an empty seat," she smiled behind her. "You can put your books on the floor next to you once you get situated."
Standing behind Mrs. Loftman was a boy she'd never seen before. As he moved to sit next to her, she placed her pencil down, sitting straight in her desk.
"Who are you?" she asked as bluntly as she could.
"Finn," he replied, digging through his schoolbag in search for writing material. Digging into a bag of her own, she handed him what he was looking for.
"I'm Rachel."
Smiling at him from where she stood, she moved a hand to blow a kiss back in return. This was her life now. This was their life now. After everything they'd fought so hard for in the past, here they were…
And she was pretty okay with that.
~Fin~
So, there it is... As sad as i am to have written this ending, this is the final chapter of I Do, Not? I want to thank all of you for your amazing support through the whole thing, even if some chapters weren't as good as the others... Thank you for waiting out till the end.. And at the same time, i have an amazing announcement to make... My new story is up! It's called Jet Black Heart and it is under my name.. longlivefinchel :) So, if you're interested feel free to look it up :) It's on my page..Thank you for an amazing journey.. I'm really excited to start the next one, hopefully with you guys. -Love, Kat.