Poison Kiss

Epilogue:

Poison Kiss:

Epilogue:

Three Years Later...

Ashlynn's POV:

I took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and sighed. It was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet before the rest of my noisy household awoke and began badgering me to do something for my twenty-first birthday. Ever since I had moved in with Vincent two years ago, silence was a treasure. Not that I was complaining about my current living situation. Whatever hassle came out of living with my boyfriend and his almost four year old daughter was made up for many times over in love and laughter.

A gentle breeze drifted by, scattering some freshly raked leaves. From my place on the porch I could already see the signs of summer beginning to set in. Even thought it was only six a.m., the temperature was already uncomfortably warm. Oddly enough the heat seemed to help me think.

A lot had changed in the past three years. After dating Vincent for only six months, we had decided that it was best to live together. I accepted Raven as my own daughter, and to this day she knew of no other mother. We were planning on waiting until we felt she was old enough for the truth to tell her.

My mother and Nico's father had broken up, but Nico still dropped by every now and then for a visit. Sadie and Simon, on the other hand, had married a few months after graduating. They were now expecting their first child.

Even more shockingly, Stacy and I had become very close friends and were currently both studying to become forensic analysts, while Vincent worked full time as a bookstore clerk.

We were a happy family, to say the very least. Nothing very bad had happened in the past three years. My mental scars had begun to heal, and the fear was beginning to fade. After many rigorous hours of therapy, I felt ready to face the world again.

All in all, life had been pretty fair to me lately, and for that, I was grateful.

"Momma, momma!!" Raven shrieked, waddling out onto the porch and startling me out of my thoughts.

I turned around and scooped her up, gently tickling her belly. "Who let you out here, honey? You know you're not supposed to come out here by yourself."

I heard some gentle tapping on the sliding glass door and glanced up. Vincent waved to me sleepily from inside the house. "Good morning, beautiful." he mouthed through the glass.

I grinned sheepishly as his breath fogged up the glass. "I love you too." I whispered, before standing up, Raven still nestled securely in my arms.

Vincent slid open the door and allowed us to enter. As soon as I passed through the doorway, the aroma of either pancakes or waffles hit me.

Raven grinned up at me. "Daddy made waffle cookies for you!" Vincent shot her a joking glare. "Oops..I forgot that they were supposed to be a surprise. They're for the party. You can't have them now, mommy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Party?"

Vincent pressed his hand into his mouth and chuckled. "Honey," he murmured, leaning down until he was eye level with Raven. "That was supposed to be a surprise for mommy too."

She blushed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sowwy daddy..." she mumbled.

He ruffled her hair and straightened up. "Well now that you know," he said, smirking at me. "You have two options. I can kill you, or you can help with the decorations."

-:- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -:-

Five hours and two boxes of glittery streamers later, the party was in full swing. Vincent had vanished about an hour ago, and had still not returned, so I was busy watching Raven, not that I minded. She looked so cute in her little blue princess dress, her hair a mess from dancing with another toddler girl from the neighborhood. I was glad that she was making friends at such an early age.