"One match can set off an explosion?" I asked myself. "What the heck?"
"You shouldn't do it Em," Lilith warned but I ignored her.
"This is the only way I can pay of my debt," I argued.
***
Emily...
I watched as Emily looked down at the picture of her brother. She glided her hand softly over the glass as she smiled down at it. As I approached her, I realized it was a picture of Zach.
"Do you miss him?" I asked and she nodded.
"All the time," she replied as she set the frame back down. She sighed and turned to me and I gave her a slanted smile. I knew that she yearned for her brother every day.
"How do I look?" She questioned as she motioned to her light blue dress. It hugged her in all the right places.
"Beautiful," I whispered as I snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her toward me. I picked her lips and she giggled shyly.
"Stop it," she said as she playfully slapped my chest. "We have to get the things ready for our dinner party."
I smiled at the reminder. "My second New Year's Eve with my beautiful fiancé."
I grabbed her right hand kissed the back of it. The diamond ring strapped around her finger shimmered in the light. I could not believe that in two weeks time we would be wed.
I was ready to start the next chapter of our lives together. Emily had received many job offers after the show but had decided to use her business skills and open her own store. I continued to run my companies, but made Emily my number one priority. My father was eager for us to have kids and I was too, but I did not want to pressure Emily because I knew that she was not ready yet.
She wanted to focus on her career before we had any babies and I could not say no to that. However, she promised that during our honeymoon we would try and if it was meant to be, it would be.
The doorbell rang and I rushed over to open the door. I smiled brightly as I noticed who was on the other side.
"You have fun?" I asked as I lifted an eyebrow.
The blonde teenage boy in front of me nodded as she stepped into the apartment. I helped him with the large suitcase behind him as he stripped off his large coat.
"My baby!" Emily squealed as she rushed to her brother. He chuckled at his sister's enthusiastic welcome.
After a week and a half in a coma, Zach miraculously woke up. We were able to find a donor and had the bone marrow transplant done as quick as possible. We went in and out of the hospital for a few months as he recovered, but his illness went away with the transplant.
He wanted to enjoy his second chance at life and asked to be sent to an academy overseas. Although, Emily was reluctant at first, she eventually gave in to his pleads. She missed him every day since he left to study abroad, but was happy when he visited us for the holidays.
"How was France?" Emily asked as we walked toward the kitchen.
"Amazing," Zach smiled widely. "Oh, I almost forgot. This was in the mailbox."
He handed be the envelope with my name on it as well as Emily's. I was about to open the seal when the the door bell rang again.
"It must be my dad," I said as I walked over to the door. My dad stood there with our other guests. David, Ivory and Lilith.
We had managed to keep in touch with the other contestants despite how far we loved from one another. The only ones that lived close were Ivory and David who had become an official couple a year after the contest.
"Whatever it is you're cooking smells amazing," Ivory chirped as she walked toward the kitchen. I greeted my dad and David as well as Lilith.
I smiled as I watched the usually empty apartment building be filled. It was nice to have this sort of holiday. I looked down at the envelope in my hands but instead of opening I placed it on the drawer nearby.
"I am proud of you son," my dad said as he patted my back. I smiled at him. I could not be any happier.
I had the family I always wanted with Emily and Zach. I would never change my decision to join the contest. It brought me all the happiness in the world.
"Help me set up the plates, love," Emily yelled from the kitchen and I obediently did as told. I helped her set up the table and serve the food she had prepared.
Everyone began their own little conversations and I walked over to Emily. I wrapped my arms around her waist and placed my chin on her shoulder blade.
"This is all I ever wanted," I said before pecking her cheek. "If only I could freeze tkme."
"I love you," she replied as she gently ran her thumb over my cheek.
"I love you, too my perfect Match," I pecked her nose and she giggled.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Author's Note And that's a wrap! Thank you to you guys who stayed from beginning to end and have been supporting this story since day one. I am sad to see it end, but glad that it had come this far.
If you would like to read more of my stories, I have a long list of completed works and two on-going books that just premiered. The first is Forbidden Redemptions which is part of a three-book series and the other is Hate At First Sight.
