The Bartender

Epilogue

Camila watched him from the comfort of the couch. He was sat at the dining table with his glasses on. His brows were knit together in concentration and his messy brown hair fell in front of his face.

"You're hot when you study." He looked over at her and smirked before snorting out a laugh and shaking his head.

"And you're a distraction." Camila giggled to herself as she watched her husband shut the book he had been focused on and walk over to her, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips.

"I'm serious," Camila started. "Something about you in those glasses just does something to me..."

"Oh, I'm well aware," he laughed. "The only reason this little one exists is because you saw me wearing these for the first time." He poked her large belly. Only a few more weeks until they'd be a family of three.

"Guilty," she shrugged. "Feeling good about the exam?"

"I am," he sighed as he sat down next to her on the couch, wrapping his arm around her. "One of the last ones until you can officially call me doctor."

"That's hot. Maybe you can be my psychiatrist?"

"I think I already kind of am," he chuckled. Shortly after making things official with Camila he had decided to seek therapy for everything he had gone through with Kat. He refused to let his past sabotage the potential future he saw with Camila. The more he learned about how his own brain works the more he wanted to learn about how other people's brains worked. Camila was shocked when he told her that he wanted to go back to school to get his doctorate in psychology but she supported him endlessly anyway. She always did. It was years of hard work and late nights but he was finally nearing graduation and he couldn't have been more excited for this new adventure.

He asked Camila to marry him on his 30th birthday. Camila joked that normally the guy proposes on the girls birthday but he, of course, replied with some charming yet cheesy line about how the only birthday gift he wanted was a lifetime with her. They got married only a few months later in a small, romantic ceremony held in his parents backyard. Camila's grandma provided all of the flowers — mostly white roses but with many sunflowers as well.

Shawn still visited Kat's grave every September 7th. Sometimes he'd go alone and sometimes he'd ask his wife to join him. Somewhere along the line, visiting her grave no longer included mourning. He'd just talk to her. Update her on everything that was happening in his life. He knew that if the roles were switched, he'd want to know she was happy — just like his dad had explained to him. So he'd always be sure to tell her how he felt. He told her that he was going to propose to Camila before he did it. At one point in his life he had been sure that Kat would be the one he'd propose to, so it felt right to get her 'blessing' before asking Camila.

One night, as he and Camila laid in bed, he couldn't help but stare at her. He brushed his fingers through her hair before letting his thumb gently caress her delicate features.

"What?" Camila giggled. He smiled and shook his head.

"I'm just so lucky to have found you."

"I think I might be luckier."

"Nope."

"Yes!" she countered.

"Nope. I'm the lucky one."

"No, it's me."

They bantered back and forth like that until they were both laughing so hard their stomachs hurt.

The truth was, they were both lucky. Shawn was lucky he found someone who reminded him that he did deserve love. Lucky that he found someone who didn't run away after being taken to his ex-girlfriend's grave on their first date. Lucky that he found someone who didn't immediately shoot down his idea when he told her that he wanted to go back to school. Camila was lucky that the kind and charming man that came into the bookstore that night just happened to wander far back enough to find her sitting there on the couch. Lucky that the incredible man she thought she'd never see again ended up being the bartender she worked with every day. Lucky that the man she fell in love with would also protect her and do anything he could to keep her safe. Lucky that that same man would be the one she'd call her husband and the father of her children.

"I think she picked you out for me," Shawn mumbled against the top of Camila's head as he drifted off to sleep. Camila smiled and buried her face against his chest.

"Yeah, I think she did too."