A Distant Memory

Epilogue

"But what if it all goes wrong, huh? Is it the right choice? What if our marriage fails, mom?" Rose says, panicking.

"Rosie, baby, look. Ryle loves you, he truly does. Besides--" I started but she cut me off.

"How do you know that? How can you know that?" she lets out a chuckle in desperation. "He looks at you the way that your father looks at me. You remember the day that you brought Ryle home? The day he met us?"

Rosie laughs, "when he brought me and you flowers and dad wine, he tripped and poured the wine all over dad."

I fix her vail and peck her cheek, "that night your father told me that he was the one. Even your dad wants this for you, and he promised when you were little that he'd chase all the boys away. You have found your soulmate, Rosie. Like my mama with my dad and like me with your dad."

I start to tear up, my little girl is a grown woman now. "Stop calling me Rosie mom, I'm not a little girl anymore" she scoffs and rolls her eyes, I laugh. Somethings just never change, do they?

"You'll always be my little girl"

"Bride we're waiting for you!" the planner knocks, Rose's breath gets caught up in her throat. "Hey, deep down you know what's right. Whatever happens today, remember that it's me and you, 'till the end."

" 'Till the end." Rose hugs me as a tear of hers slips, a few tears of my own slip, too. "My sweet little angel" I caress her cheek and then I go to where the ceremony is being held. My heart stops when I see her walking down the aisle with her arm linked to Rowan's.

I never thought that this would happen, I thought that I would walk her down the aisle. My baby girl is now thirty and I'm fifty-four. When my daughter and my son-in-law say their vows me and my husband lock eyes, both of our eyes water. I love Rowan so much.

-

"Mom, can I ask you something?" my son asks.

Five years after Rowan was found we got pregnant, they were twins. A girl and a boy, Harper and Sebastian Hayes. Two little bundles of joy.

"What is it, Seb?" 

My son Sebastian, Row and me are having a family dinner because Seb came to visit us for spring break. "I... uhm... me and Ava are serious and... I love her. I want to ask her to marry me with nonna's ring"

I gasp in joy, my husband squeezes my hand. "You really love her, don't you?" Row questions, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, dad. Aves is just so... perfect. She cares for everyone. Everything about her is addicting, I can't imagine a life without her. I want her to be my wife, I want to have kids with her and to grow old with her" Seb goes on and on with his endless rant. I stand up and give him my mama's ring, the one which Row proposed with.

"She's the one, love. I know it, don't break her heart"

"I would never, mom"

-

I need closure, after all these years I never visited him and I need to see him one last time so I can finally forget him.

"Hello, Marko" I sit down across from him, we are separated by a thick glass and I have to talk with him through a phone. My heart does not have that ache it did for him twenty-five years ago. He makes me feel absolutely nothing.

"My hermosa, my sweetheart." He smiles and chuckles, I've never been more disgusted by a human being in my whole life.

"I'm not your hermosa or your sweetheart. You repulse me, Anderson. I'm finally happy, I'm whole again. You took Rose's father from her, he walked her down the aisle just a couple months ago."

"Rosie got married?" he chuckles, I ignore him and go on. "I don't think about you, you could never be better than Rowan, he's my other half and you were just... a fling"

His eyes darkens, that's a bit frightening, he was never that way around me. But I still continue.

"I hate you for what you did to Rowan, I hate you for what you did to me. I have another daughter and a son, none thanks to you. I hope that you rot in here."

"Anything else?" he asks through gritted teeth.

"Goodbye, Anderson. See you never" 

I turn around and a banging on the glass causes me to turn around. "Please Olivia. I love you, please don't leave me" he begs while sobbing hysterically, and I don't feel bad for him in the slightest. I leave, I leave all of the pain he caused me and my family behind.

-

"I'll miss you, Row" we are in our beach watching the sunset. We're old now; nintey-years old.

"We lived a good life, right?" I ask

"Yes, my love. It was a little rocky, but it was good. Our kids have had their own kids, you are not leaving this earth with things to do."

I was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer a few months back, they caught it late and there wasn't a cure. "When I was shot I promised to only die of old age, guess I did it" I let out a saddened chuckle. "I'll miss you, everything we went through in our twenties, it just seems..." he starts, I think I know what he wants to say.

"A distant memory?" I finish his sentence for him. 

"Yeah, a distant memory."

"I love you, Rowan Hayes. Thank you for making my life perfect. You and the kids filled every moment with love" I smile, it hurt. Everything hurts.

"I'll take care of everything, my love. You're free."

"I'll meet my mama and my dad again, they are so close. I can smell my mama's Risotto" a few minutes of silence go by.

"You're the best woman to ever walk this earth. I'll never forget you, my other half, my soulmate."

"When I die I'll become a star, you look up and find me, okay?"

"Okay"

A sudden wave of sleep took over me, but this time it was different. It didn't feel like I would wake up.

But I knew that my daughters were happy, Sebastian had a little girl and two boys. Everyone was happy, my husband was the only one that still needs me. I need him too. We'll always need each other, that's the thing about love. You are never prepared to let go.

There is however no doubt that, wherever afterlife exists, we'll meet again. We always have and always will.

Rowan Hayes and I are like a puzzle, we will always find each other because we are forever.

Until death do us apart.

-

A/N:

i CANNOT believe it, this story has come to and end.

thanks to all my readers, for the people who vote and comment, for making and idea of mine seen. I love you all for the support. Always.

- ro