The Little Things He Didn't Know

Epilogue

Well... this is it, guys. The final chapter of TLTHDK :( I'm kind of sad to see it go, but there was only so far that the story could've realistically gone. Hope you guys enjoy this last chapter, it's been a work in progress for a few weeks now.

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Ten Years Later

My car was idling outside the school as I waited for my daughter, Shay, to come running out. Today was her first day of preschool, and as a mother it was literally my job to worry about her.

And I had. All day.

She had always been stubborn and independent, just like her mother, so I had no doubt that she would come racing toward me and tell me that she had been fine at school without me and no longer needed me to smother her.

I guess you could say that Shay was a bit… unexpected. I had given birth to her when I was twenty four, and had conceived her out of wedlock. Her father, like every other man in my life since Trevor, had bolted when he found out that I was pregnant.

With the exception of Carter, I had never found a man that I actually loved, and I had become accustomed to relationships that supported themselves with lust. Shay definitely changed my life for the better, and she encouraged me everyday to be the best mother and the best person that I could be.

I had never told her about Carter, but I’m pretty sure that she knew about him either way. She was pretty intuitive for her age, and she could read me almost as well as I could read her. Whenever she asked me about love, she told me that my eyes sparkled. My mother brought up Carter all the time when we went to visit, so she just put two and two together.

After I’d returned from my vacation during the summer after my junior year, things were just different between Carter and me. We exchanged pleasantries when needed and occasionally saw each other at parties during senior year, but our relationship never returned to how it was.

Strangely enough, I never regretted admitting my feelings to Carter; I actually believed that it made me stronger. It made me less vulnerable and more resilient.

After high school, I went to Purdue for college, but I couldn’t stand being so far away from where I grew up. After I graduated with a master’s degree in Social Sciences, I found a job as a counselor at Kholton Middle School and moved back to my hometown to start my family.

Today had been Shay’s first day at the local preschool, and I was thrilled with my decision to return to Kholton. Honestly, Shay loved it here. She loved the people, the atmosphere, and of course, she loved “going to school where mommy grew up.”

I turned off the engine and stepped out into the brisk September wind. Shay would be released from school any minute, and I couldn’t wait to see her. She was the light of my life, and I never once regretted having her at such a young age.

She was most definitely an “oops” child, but she also turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I loved her with all my heart and wanted to provide the best for her, starting with getting her into preschool early. She was three at the moment, so she was a bit of an early bloomer, but she loved to learn and made new friends easily, so I knew she’d be fine.

I glanced up to see Shay say goodbye to a little boy, presumably from her class, and sprint toward me with a giant grin plastered across her face.

“Mommy!” She screamed as she ran into my arms, “I missed you,” She confessed, laying her head on my shoulder as I carried her to the car.

Her blonde hair was naturally curly and had fallen in loose ringlets next to her face as I picked her up. Her green eyes twinkled and perfectly complemented the baby blue dress and the matching bow that I had bought her for the first day of school.

“How was your day, sweetie?” I asked, smiling as I peered down at her exhausted body in my arms. “Did you meet any new friends? Was your teacher okay?”

“It was great!” She shrieked, smiling from ear to ear. I knew that she would be in her element in school, but I had been a little nervous about having her go to preschool all day as opposed to half a day.

“My teacher is named Miss Harrison and she loves me already. She told me she liked my dress and then she told me my drawing was really pretty. I met some really nice people, too. It was so much fun, Mom!”

“And who was that cute little boy you were talking to just a minute ago?” I asked, laughing a little as I did so. A crimson blush spread across her pale cheeks as she processed my question, and I had the feeling that my little daughter had her very first crush. It was pretty freaking adorable.

“I don’t know…” she said, suddenly acting shy.

“It’s okay honey, you can tell me,” I said, smoothing her hair as I stepped off the curb and headed toward the parking lot.

“His name is Ethan… Ethan Starks,” she replied.

My eyes shot wide open as she told me the little boy’s name. At first I didn’t know what to say. I completely panicked. After a few seconds, I managed to laugh and relaxed a little. Like mother, like daughter I suppose.

“Well that’s nice, he seems like a pretty handsome boy.”

“Yeah, he really is,” she sighed as I buckled her into her car seat. As always, she was asleep by the time I climbed into the front seat of the car.

Well, she wouldn’t be the first woman in this family to fall for a member of the Starks family…  I thought to myself.

Before long, she would be telling me all about the time they spent together and the feelings that she had for him, and I would inevitably be reminded of the time that I used to spend with Carter.

Here we go again.

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And so it ends :( it's been a crazy ride, but TLTHDK had to come to an end eventually. If any of you liked/disliked the ending, feel free to leave me a comment! Thanks for everything, you guys rock :)

The cast for the entire story is listed back on Chapter On, in case any of you were curious about how I envisioned each of the characters, so feel free to go check that out.

The first few chapters of my new story, Lessons in Love, are posted as well, so if you enjoyed this story, please go check that one out! It would mean a ton :)