Drake finally told me he and Jason had been building a case against Victor and working it on bringing it in front of a judge. It didn’t take long, from all the evidence they gathered on the man.
Three hours ago, we arrived at the courthouse for Victor’s trial. The lawyers went through their speeches, called me as a witness, and then called the guys. Now, we’re waiting to be called back in for the jury ruling. The trial was quick. I’m not sure why there was a trial after everything that happened, but there was.
Now we’re waiting for results, and I think the waiting might kill me.
To say I’m nervous is an understatement.
I shift in my black and gold studded heels on and turn to look at Drake. “This is taking so long.”
He smiles. He’s been the best through this whole incident. When he isn’t working, at school, or doing something mysterious, he’s taking care of me. In fact, all the guys have been super sweet and caring. Mason has turned into quite the mother hen, and sometimes I think he and Drake argue ‘telepathically’ in their minds about who should take care of me. I’ve caught them staring at each other intently when I need something.
I find it cute.
“You’re beautiful, like always,” he leans in and whispers, making me smile. He always knows how to calm me. I look back at the doors and fidget with the elephant necklace Drake gave me. It’s something I’ve been doing. I touch or fiddle with it when I’m bored or nervous.
“Thanks. Are you ready to go back in?” He circles an arm around my waist and kisses my cheek.
“Yea, babe. You don’t need to worry. He confessed to the murder and the kidnappings. This is just a trial to set an example,” he says, laying his chin on my shoulder.
Before I can say anything, the courtroom doors open. Drake pecks my lips, and I take a deep breath. “I’m right behind you,” he whispers. Nodding, I straighten myself up and confidently walk into the courtroom.
Everyone rises as the judge walks back in, and then we all sit at her word. She nods to the officer beside the witness stand. “The jury has come to a verdict,” she announces as the man passes her the jury paper. Everyone goes quiet as she reads over the words on the form.
“Victor Raymond is found guilty of the murder of Steve Hale in the first degree. Victor Raymond is found guilty of the kidnapping and attempted murder of Athena Hale; therefore, he is sentenced to serve thirty years to life without parole,” the judge decrees.
“Finally,” I mutter, hugging my brother and Drake. Mason sighs while Drake squeezes us. Now we can be free of this man for good.
Epilogue
Athena
“I love it, babe,” I tell Drake as he leads us into our new house. A smile stretches across his handsome face as he kisses me.
“Good. This is where I want us to have our forever.” I smile at his words and peck his lips.
We’ve been out of college for three weeks, and he bought us a house! These last four years have been incredible. The guys went to the same college, and Mason ended up staying with Jason for the rest of high school while I was at college.
Once he turned eighteen, Drake gave Mason the house, which surprised me, but I guess I know why now. He got us our own home.
“I have another surprise for you,” Drake announces, making me turn around to look at him. My eyes widen when I see him down on one knee.
“I proposed four years ago, but I decided I wanted to do it right this time,” he says, pulling out a small black velvet box. “Athena, these last years have been the best of my life. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up to your crazy hair in the mornings and sleep knowing you’re mine and that you can smash a guy’s face in when he thinks otherwise,” he smirks. I laugh as he continues.
“I want our life to be full of fun and love, but I only want you. So, will you, Athena Hale, marry me?” He asks, opening the box. In the box sits a rose gold ring in the shape of a flower. The flower has a diamond in the middle, with smaller diamonds stretching out on the band.
My mouth drops open at the beautiful piece of jewelry, and my eyes fill with tears. I lower myself onto my knees and take Drake’s face in my hands. “Yes, four years ago, and yes today, Drake. I love you,” I tell him, sealing my words with a kiss.
~*~
Anissa pins the last piece of my brown hair back up and smiles. “I’m so happy you went back to your original color,” she says, backing away. I inspect her work and smile. Since college, Drake and I have gotten closer with his parents, and Anissa has become the dominant mother figure for me. I still miss my mom, but Anissa is a good second.
“Me too. It reminds me of my mother,” I reply honestly. I brush my fingers across the tendrils framing my face.
Standing, Kim moves behind me and helps smooth out my dress. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen,” she gushes, looking up at me. Kim and I also really got to know each other over the years. She and Chase got married three years ago, during our first year of college, and already have a cute little girl, who’s our flower girl.
“Well, I think that’s thanks to Anissa. The dress is beautiful,” I tell her, and she smiles. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the dress. I had a set budget, but I fell in love as soon as I saw the dress. She told me that, as a wedding present, they would pay the difference. I love her for that.
“Oh, my, we have to go,” she exclaims. Kim grabs my bouquet of blue, white, and purple cascading lilies while Anissa settles my flower crown with my attached veil on my head.
With that, we rush from the room and to the doors of the building. When we reach the entrance, I see Mason standing there in a tux. He’s grown up so much. It makes me proud. He’s in school to be a social worker and fight the injustice in the system. I love it.
He smiles proudly and takes my arm in his, asking, “You ready?” I nod quickly, my heart beating against my rib cage. He smiles, and my bridesmaids walk in, their purple dresses matching the blue and purple bouquets.
My nerves grow as Kim, Chase, and Caroline, their daughter, start walking down the aisle. I’m next. My nerves jump as the instrumental version of Endlessly by the Cab plays, bringing a smile to my face. Our song. It’s the one we danced to at his parent’s party.
Mason gently tugs on my arm, getting me to walk. As soon as I step onto the grass, my eyes connect with Drake’s, and my nerves melt away. I’ve waited so long for this. Sometimes I just wanted to skip all the days leading up to this moment, but I’m glad I didn’t. I love my time with Drake, and I always will.
He smiles as we walk, and I smile back. Nothing could steal my smile away. In seconds, Mason and I make it to the altar. He kisses my cheek then places my hand in Drakes, giving me away. I kiss his cheek and silently thank him for being here when Dad couldn’t.
“I believe you wrote your vows,” the minister says, and we nod. Drake goes first.
“Athena, I didn’t believe in love at first sight, but the first time I saw you, I knew. I knew we would be perfect together, that we would love each other, and that we would grow old together. I love you more than any words can explain. I’d shout it to the world. I’d carve it in stone so people hundreds of years from now could see it. I’ll forever be by your side, no matter what. I love you, Athena Hale,” he vows, making tears escape from my eyes and roll down my cheeks.
The minister nods to me encouragingly, and I take my turn.
“Drake, I pushed you away at first, but I thought that’s what I needed. I was so wrong. I don’t think I could’ve made it through life without you. I love everything about you. You make me stronger… better. When we met, I never thought we’d be here, but I’m glad you didn’t give up on me, so I vow that I’ll never give up on you. I’ll be here by your side forever,” I tell him.
“We both will,” I say, a little softer. Confusion fills Drake’s eyes, so I move our entwined hands to my stomach. With a bit of maneuvering, I place his palm on my stomach. “I love you
, Drake. I know you’ll be an amazing daddy.”
“You-you're pregnant?” He asks, looking at me with awe. I nod, and he smiles the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.
Before the minister can say anything, he gathers me in his arms and kisses me. We pull apart, but he doesn’t take his hands off of my stomach. “I love you.”
~*~
I wobble out of our room and plop down on the couch. I rest my hand over my swollen belly, sigh, and grab the TV remote.
“Hey,” Drake greets, sitting next to me. He tosses his keys on the coffee table and presses a kiss to my lips, then to my pregnant belly, mumbling, “Hi, baby.”
“Welcome home,” I smile at him and lean into his arms. Before I can say anything else, a sudden feeling of wetness between my legs makes me look down. God, could this be worse? I’ve had trouble always having to go to the bathroom throughout my pregnancy, but I’ve never peed on myself.
“Drake, I-I think I just peed myself,” I mumble embarrassingly.
He jumps and looks down with wide eyes. “Babe, that’s not pee,” he tells me, making me look down. Oh, my goodness. My breathing picks up, and I feel a sharp pain run through me.
“It’s time!”
“I got the bag, babe, come on,” Drake tells me, helping me up, grabbing the go-bag, and leading me over to the front door. He’s been preparing for this, worried that he’d freak out at the moment, but the cool and collected man in front of me proves everything I’ve said. I told Drake time and time again he’d be fine when the time came, but it didn’t matter. He wanted nothing to go wrong.
I step out, cringing at the pain as he closes the front door behind us. Apparently, I’m moving too slow for Drake because, in a quick moment, Drake scoops me up into his arms and runs to the car. He throws the door open, sets me in my seat, then shoves the go-bag under my feet. As usual, I like the slightly worried and excited expression Drake sports. I’ve seen it many times over the years, and I like it because it shows me he cares.
Once the door closes, Drake rushes to the driver's side and climbs in, speeding out of the driveway.
While he speeds to the hospital and as I’m trying to keep my breathing steady, he calls our friends and family to tell them what’s happening. He flies into the Emergency Room parking lot and jumps out of the car. I hiss as another contraction comes. It feels like everything below my stomach is clenching with fire.
Drake quickly gets me out of the car in record time and rushes us inside. “My wife is going into labor!” Immediately, nurses come to our assistance. Drake follows right behind me as they wheel me into a delivery room. I’ve never thought about it before, but I’m glad they let husbands into the delivery room.
The nurses, with the help of my husband, get me up on the bed. I tell them I don’t want an epidural so that I can have a natural birth. No medication. Drake looks at me like I’m crazy, but I ignore the look. It’s what I want.
After a few hours of contractions and breathing and glaring at nurses who tell me to be patient, a doctor comes in to check on me. And finally, he says those words I’ve been longing to hear.
“You’re fully dilated, and the baby is ready,” he announces, which makes his nurse fall in beside him. “When I say push, you push,” he tells me. I nod, and he positions himself.
“Okay, one, two… three. Push,” the doctor orders, and I do. I let out a groan as I push, the pain hitting me like a truck. I stop pushing and focus on breathing. “One, two, three… push,” he tells me again, and I do. I push with everything I have while I squeeze the mess out of Drake’s hand.
“One more time, Mrs. Morgan,” the Doctor tells me. “One, two, three… push,” he calls out, and I push. I feel the pain diminish a bit as the cries of our baby fill the air. I let my head fall to the side, and I notice Drake smiling. The Doctor takes our baby to the other room, cleaning, weighing, and taking measurements.
“You did it, Flower,” Drake whispers, kissing my temple. I smile and let out deep breaths, panting.
The Doctor walks back in with a pink blanketed bundle. “Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl,” he announces, passing her over to me. Looking down, I come eye to eye with a beautiful little girl. She has light brown hair and deep blue eyes, reminding me of her daddy. She’s completely perfect. The most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen.
Drake runs his fingers gently over her cheek and smiles. “Lily Catherine Morgan,” he whispers. “Our beautiful little girl.” I nod and turn my head so I can kiss him. He deepens the kiss, his hand on the back of my neck pulling me closer before he pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. “I love you, Athena Morgan.”
“And, I love you, Drake Morgan.”
THE END
About The Author
Rebekah L. Thompson
Rebekah is an English teacher with the passion for writing. For most of her life, she had thoughts about writing passing through her mind; ideas, creations, and characters swirling around day in and day out. She started her writing career in high school, and with the support of her family and friends, she pursues her writing career today.
When she's not writing, Rebekah is teaching or spending time with her family. Rebekah lives in Mississippi and loves writing stories filled with action, romance, and real life themes and issues.
Books By This Author
Emerald: Black Hawk Gems book 1
Sapphire: Black Hawk Gems Book 2
Not So Cinderella Page 33