The Only Exception

Twenty Three

~Spencer~ 

The single most resilient woman I have ever met in my entire life. 

Not a single person would have blamed Lainey if she'd given up after the past 4 months. She didn't. She was not giving up and letting it consume her future. That much was clear the very day after I got her out of that place. Even when she was putting in invitations for Noah and her dad to be here today, she was holding out hope that something would change, yet here I was sat in the middle off 3 chairs completely alone whilst my girl is stood at the side of a stage in hat and gown, ready to graduate. 

It's almost surreal. Our relationship. I wasn't there to watch Lainey graduate high school. Apparently no one had been. 

I was here now though. 22 year old Lainey looked nervous but with Chels and Jason on either side of her, she knew she'd be fine. I watched as she laughed, proving to me that she wasn't completely in her head. 

Jason walked up first, family and friends cheering at the back of the room and you could see the pride on Lainey's face. I knew his friendship with Lainey had changed massively in the past few months and it had been hard for him and Chelsea to grasp everything she'd been hiding from them and everyone else but they jumped in feet first and found a way to adjust to the new life she was having to write for herself. 

I'm still trying to work out who the hell Andrew was working for when he took her but him and everyone else involved seem to have just vanished off the face of the earth and I am not telling Lainey about that. Them still being out there will only make her worry about trying to get her life back on track and I've put so many things in place to make sure no one can get within 10 feet of her without my permission. It's not just my eyes on here when we get out of the house. I make sure I have more guys hanging around. Just incase. 

Her name was called and she climbed the 3 stairs. I practically jumped out of my seat, making more noise than anyone else in that room had for their kids. I was so beyond proud of her for getting herself here beside everything and if no one else was going to show up and tell her that, I would make sure she fucking knew it. 

She turned in her spot, moving the tassel to the other side of her hat, grinning up at me in the first circle. I could spot the pink in her cheeks from right here. She scrunched her nose up, stuck her tongue out at me and turned, heading to the other side of the stairs and being helped down by Jace. 

The rest of the ceremony was long and I had to fight to stay up but when it was over, I was the first one, running to those doors. They opened and I raised my head, looking through the crowd for a familiar collection of blonde curls and sunlight.

"SPENCER!" Her voice calls through the crowd and my face is swallowed whole by the gigantic smile when I see her running towards me. Her arms wrap around my neck and I spin her round and round and round, holding her as tight as I possibly could. Does she have to be this perfect? It physically hurts. "We did it." 

"No Sunshine. You did it. You got yourself here. You did this. I am not taking that away from you." I sunk her heels back to the floor, holding her face too tight between my hands just so I could stare into those perfect eyes. "I am so proud of you." I kiss the tip of her nose and she giggles, standing up on her tiptoes. 

"Can I have my surprise now?" 

"Hmmm. I dunno." I smirk, wrap an arm around her waist and pull her into me in one sharp move. "How long have you got?"