What A Beautiful Thing Hope Is

Chapter 37 - Epilogue II (Rachel's P.O.V.)

My life couldn't get any better.

First of all, it took months, but I managed to pay back to my parents up to the last penny they said I owed them. Either way, they didn't show up at my wedding, but I was prepared for it, asking Apollo to walk me down the aisle. Actually, I wanted Caesar to do it, but he was busy as Octavian's best man.

Second, I got married. Yay!! I didn't want something big, but Octavian insisted that I should have 'the wedding of my dreams', which surprised him when I told him that I wanted to get married in front of a peace judge. We ended having a small beach wedding. That was enough for me.

Right now, I was on my honeymoon's hotel room, sitting up on bed, while Octavian snore besides me. I was so filled with adrenaline that I couldn't sleep. If like I had millions of ideas in my head and I had to write them down or I'll forget them? The same, except that everything was a feeling.

I'd look down at my ring and smile, remembering our first dance. The way Apollo asked for the second as 'father of the bride'. Or, how he threaten Octavian if he didn't make me happy. Though the horror face on him wasn't, the rest of the situation was funny.

The sun started to come out and it peeked over the curtains of the room. I didn't want to disturb this moment, but I didn't have to. While I was paying attention to the sun, a couple of arms sneaked around me, pulling me to the chest of the person I'd love the most for the rest of my life.

"I have my own goddess..." he whispered in my ear, making me smile and blush. He raised my left hand and kissed it so many times, I was afraid he'd never return it to me. It was as he was hypnotized with the ring in my hand "And, I made her my wife..."

"You sound like a lucky guy..." I teased him, still watching the window and the sunrise "I hope I could meet her soon enough..."

"Well, I could arrange a meeting... but, I'm afraid you'll feel intimidate by her beauty and charisma" he continued. Did he actually thought those things about me? "She's one of the most beautiful woman, inside and out..." I smiled again. As if I couldn't stop doing it. The smile was numbing my cheeks, but I could take that feeling anytime.

"In that case, I'm lucky to have the most brave and trustworthy husband in the whole universe..." It was my turn to play with him. I felt as his arms tighten around me and his nose buried in my hair "I can't say he's a god, because he's not perfect... But, the fact he's always trying for me makes him perfect to me..." I finished before I could feel the panic crawl into his mind.

"I'm so glad you're mine..." he mumbled, kissing my temple. I finally turned to see him and noticed that his blue eyes were sparkling in happiness, a happiness I haven't seen so far, even when we had our share of moments "I know you're not an object, but..."

"I'm glad you're mine too..." I completed his sentence, kissing his cheek. He smiled and laid me down in bed.

"I love you" he said, a few inches away from my face. As if he was getting away.

"I love you too" I replied, kissing him.

~oOo~

We spent almost all day in bed, talking and watching TV (with an occasional kiss every now and then), because there wasn't much that we could do. We didn't have money to go to Mexico, like Octavian wanted, but going to New Orleans wasn't that bad.

"I can't believe how things changed..." he said after dinner, when we were taking a stroll down the main road "How fast..."

"I wouldn't say things went fast..." I argued, not in the intention to actually argue. He stopped and looked at me "I think things went their own way... Just that, maybe... maybe for us it was fast..."

"So, we're in a fast lane?" he checked with me, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head.

"No, we just skipped a few stops" I tried to explain "We didn't had 'friends' stop, we stopped at the 'I love you' stop before even knowing us..."

"Because, we were destined. We were fated to each other" I smiled at his defense.

"You don't see me arguing" I pointed at myself, smirking. He chuckled and we began to walk once again, his arm around my shoulders, mine around his torso. People watched us walk pass and stared at us, some with jealousy, some with admiration. Which made me think about something else "Ian..?"

"Yeah, baby?" he kissed the top of my head, making me look at him.

"Remember we talked about adopting?" He nodded at my question "Well, would you be ready to adopt now or when Caesar's at college?" I wondered to him. His face was a mix of emotions. I couldn't distinguish any of them and that scared me a little. I always could see them.

"I don't want to adopt with anyone but you..." he admitted, making me relax "If you want to adopt right away, we'll adopt right away..." I smiled at him "I just don't want to rush you into anything..."

"It's OK... We can wait till the 'honeymoon stage' is over to think about it..." I promised him. He hugged me tight against him.

"I'm never gonna get tired to say this... I love you so much, Rachel..." I looked up at him with the same adoration.

"I love you too so much, Octavian..." He smirked down at me and sealed our promise with a kiss.

Turns out, Hope is the most wonderful thing of all...