Pessimist

Epilogue [Dean's POV]

SIX YEARS LATER
Dean & Sophia - Ages 28

"Dean! Catch that little rascal before she escapes!" I hear Sophia yell, quickly dropping my knife, wiping my hands on a dish towel, and lifting up the little rascal in question. She squirms in my arms, giggling uncontrollably which lights a smile to my face as I shift her so she's resting on my hip.

"Nahi! Nahi!" She speaks the word No in Urdu when she sees Sophia coming, laughing and trying to climb up my chest trying to plan an escape. It's a small struggle to contain her securely, but I manage to do so while walking up to meet Sophia halfway.

My wife has a secret smile in place, desperately trying to hide it and look stern as she looks at our daughter. "Gurhyaa, were you trying to run away from me?"

"Nahi, mama! No more shower."

"Yes, shower. We need to get you ready for bed, Noor. Come with mama."

"No! Papa," My daughter tugs on the fabric of my shirt, looking up at me with those big, baby doll eyes and the cutest little pout. "No shower." She tells me, like I'll find her a way out of this.

"Baby," I look down at her, cupping her little face in my hands and brushing hair away from her face. "You need to listen to mama and shower. You want to see Uncle Zayn tomorrow, don't you?" I ask to which she gives me a sullen nod. "Good, which means taking a shower." I lean down so my lips are close to her ear so I can whisper something that Sophia won't hear. "If you listen to mama, we can get ice cream tomorrow."

That has her lighting up immediately, a wide smile on her face as she wiggles her tiny body again to let me know that she wants to get down. With a kiss to her cheek, I gently bend over so I can do as told and watch as she obediently takes the hand Sophia is offering to her, sticking her free thumb into her mouth to suck as they both take tiny steps back towards the bathroom.

Zayn is her favourite uncle, of course, since he gives into every little demand Noor asks of him. Most of her toys and outfits are gifts from him and Ayesha, and when he isn't fawning over his own little girl he's busy spoiling ours instead. Their daughter, Maha, is best friends with Noor and since they live the closest to us we're frequently over for playdates, babysitting, or hangouts.

My hands are crossed over my chest as I watch them interact. My wife and daughter, my two sunshine girls who make everyday better for me. It's a privilege to be able to have this–them and something me and Sophia once thought we'd never be able to live.

Soon after we both turned twenty-four, Sophia made the decision to start trying for a child. While she may be infertile, that didn't mean she had zero chances of having a child, it just meant that the entire process would be difficult. We had a discussion and with the help of a couple of doctors for a second option, understood that trying earlier would be better for our chances.

Life for us at the ages of twenty-five and beginning of twenty-six was tough. Between false positives, a miscarriage, and depression, we were barely holding onto each other to make it through. Sophia's therapist and a couples counselor were a big part of why me and Sophia are so stable today. When people say that relationships were through thick and thin, they weren't joking but with our support system and undoubtful trust with each other, we were able to see the light at the end of the deep, dark tunnel.

I had proposed to Sophia amongst those hard months, on a day where we held each other tight on an emotional, difficult night. I realized that no matter what happened, I wanted her by my side always. We were a mess of tears, fear for the future and straight happiness with an understanding—no matter what, we had each other and as long as that was okay, we would be okay.