𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 | 𝗆𝗂𝖽90𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗅

EPILOGUE.

Maybe we could've done it differently—loved a little softer, fought a little less. Maybe in another life, we wouldn't have been so reckless, or maybe we wouldn't have found each other at all. But even with all the mess, the chaos, the heartbreak—we made it. Somehow.

     It's a weird thing, really. Love. It's so complex.

   Once upon a time I was wanting to strangle him and tell him to never step foot back into my life, and I suppose most people would've told me to do just that. Maybe I'm stupid. I don't know.

     All I know, is I'm here now. And I'm no longer bitter. I'm no longer angry. I'm at peace. I feel like I've been gifted the world.

   Ellie folds the paper slowly, running her fingers along the crease like it deserves to be perfect. A soft sigh slips from her lips just as the breeze from the open window picks up again, brushing the loose strands of hair on her shoulder and sending a little shiver down her spine. The good kind—the kind that reminds her she's here. Alive. Done.

She reaches for the pen once more, clicking it with a soft snap before pressing it to the back of the folded paper. There's only one thing left to write. Something simple. Something true. Something they'll understand one day.

"To my babies."

She leans it gently against the wall where the desk meets the paint-chipped corner. For a second, she just stares at it. Like it's something sacred. Like she finally exhaled after two years of holding her breath.

"Baby? Baby, gotta gooo. Already late."

Her head turns at the sound, slow and familiar. And there he is. Olan. Fuckshit. Standing in the doorway in a damn suit—somehow already rumpled like he'd sprinted through a war zone just to get here. His hair—still way too long—is pulled into a messy bun on top of his head. Her doing, obviously.

"Babygirl, love you to death, but hurry."

She laughs, soft and warm, pushing up from the desk chair. Her dress falls around her ankles like water, skimming across the wooden floor.

Then, a little coo from the corner.

She turns just in time to see their son reaching up, tugging at Olan's pant leg with chubby fingers. Fuckshit bends down to scoop him up, effortlessly, like it's second nature now. And it is. A giggle slices through the room as their daughter barrels in, all sunshine yellow and tangled hair, despite Ellie spending an hour fixing it this morning.

"Girl, stop running. Go get Mr. Bear," he barks, gentle, but firm. The Dad Voice. She giggles, dashes out, brushing Ellie's hand as she passes.

Two kids in, and somehow Fuckshit had mastered the dad voice.

"You finish?" he asks, nodding toward the note as Ellie takes their son from his arms, kissing his soft cheek.

"Months later," she says, glancing back one last time. "Yeah."

"Perfection takes time, Ma," he hums, pressing a hand to the small of her back as they move toward the door. Their daughter reappears, bouncing onto the porch like she's never walked a day in her life.

Fuckshit holds the door open with one hand, the other still resting on Ellie's lower back as they step onto the porch. Their little girl's already halfway to the car, but she's stopped again, distracted by a single flower growing wild near the tire, crouching beside it like it's the most important thing she's ever seen.

"God, you're so beautiful," he murmurs against her ear, voice low and easy, the kind of love-drunk tone that still makes her stomach flip.

Ellie shakes her head, a slow smile curling at her lips as the California sunset spills across her skin. "You're full of it."

He hisses through his teeth, his hand never leaving her back as she leans into the car, clicking their son into his car seat. The baby babbles as she tightens the straps, and their daughter proudly climbs into her booster, already buckling the seatbelt like a pro. Fuckshit made sure she knew how by the time she turned three.

The car door shuts with a soft click, and suddenly his arm is winding around her waist, tugging her into him until her arms have no choice but to loop around his neck. His lips find hers easily, tasting of coffee and peppermint and everything that feels like home.

"So beautiful," he breathes again.

The words ripple down her spine. No matter how many years pass, they still undo her.

Two kids. A house. A fucking marriage that somehow held. There were nights she swore she'd never make it here.

Her gaze flicks up to his, steady and warm and hers.

"I love you," she whispers.

He smiles against her lips, then presses another kiss there, slow and lingering. His hands drop to her ass, squeezing - still a teenager at heart, always.

This was peace. The kind she used to pray for when the world felt too loud. The kind she never thought would be hers.

"And I love you more than life, mama."

And just like that, the girl who once thought she'd never make it past seventeen steps into the kind of love that holds her steady and never let's go.

THE END.

A/N

HIIIII. WOWZEERRE SOOOO, I did intend to write a third book, but I truly think this book could be the end of their story, and I think this last chapter really pulls it all together. I thought about it for so long, and just could NOT figure out what the third book would be about !

So, this is it. Two books is enough I think :)

I loved loved loved writing about fuckshit, and loved how much you guys loved the books. I will never take these down, so if you're rereading, I hope you suck it up every-time. (I know I do, so..)

I do intend to post many more fanfics for different characters (Coriolanus snow, many others), even some original books, so if you're interested you can follow me :) if not that's okay!

I hope you guys enjoyed this 🥹 love you so badddd, thank you <333