Forever Rain

Epilogue

Damon

I pull into the driveway of our home, and find that it's as perfect as I can imagine. It is not an overwhelmingly large house that seems impossible to fill with warmth and radiance. It is appropriately proportionate that makes the house a home.

"Oh my god, I forgot to confirm the order for our tiles. If they sell out, it's going to take forever to pick another design," Rain whines, leaning her head against the headrest.

I take her hands in mine, gently caressing her knuckles with my thumbs. She's worked so hard these past few months, transforming the house from the wretched memories of its past.

After much consideration, we have decided to move into her old house, the house that she grew up in. We were determined to change the destiny of the house that was filled with disappointment and neglect. Sure, we could have bought a new one, and it would have saved us a lot of work. But the land around here is spacious and private, the view of the mountains closer than even the house I've grown up in, the house that my father had paid a fortune for, only to leave it vacant and cold.

I've done most of the construction with the help of Cam, renovating the majority of it, inside and out. We've managed to add two additional bedrooms and bathrooms with the extra land, and there's an amazing landscape in the backyard. The extravagant back deck is now deserving of the beautiful mountainous view it beholds.

"Mom, stop freaking out." The voice of my little angel never ceases to send tenderness through me, not understanding how I could have survived without the innocence of her existence.

"I'm not freaking out," Rain rebuts, stepping out of the car.

Stacy dashes inside the house, excited to add more dolls to her dollhouse. We've made do with the living conditions of a home under construction, and I've enjoyed every moment of sweat and handyman work placed within these walls.

I take the hand of my partner, but she's rigid and tense, a look of worry and disturbance spreading across her face. "What's wrong, Rain?" I ask, taking her into my arms.

"There's so much to do. The two bathrooms are barely functional, and the kitchen appliances are delayed again. What are we going to do?" she grumbles against my shoulder.

"Hey, it takes time, but it'll be fine. It's our home, and it's going to be perfect. What are you so worried about?"

She lets out an exhausted sigh, pulling away from me. "Damon, look at this place. It's barely comparable to any of the houses you've lived in, not even the condo you've shared with Cam. It's a complete mess! And one day when you wake up, you're going to wonder how you got yourself into this chaos."

"Rain, come here," I place a kiss against her lips. "This is the most magnificent house I have ever lived in, because we've built it together. We've picked every flooring, every color against the wall, every angle of each room. And even without any of that, it's what's inside those walls that matters, you and Stacy. It could be a complete chaos, and it will be the only place I want to be."

She finally gives me a conceding smile, slightly shoving me against my shoulder with her hand.

"Stop saying the right things all the time. It's irritating." She lays her head against my chest and I caress her soft hair against my fingers.

"Do you hear it, Rain, my heart beating? It was always meant for you, and no living arrangement can change that. This is something that we can truly call ours, and we have a beautiful daughter that is ours. I wouldn't trade this for any wealth or treasure in the world."

"About that, there's something I should tell you." A familiar worrisome look is placed on her face, and I crease my brows into concern. I loathe when she looks so discomforting, not understanding the reason behind her quarrel.