Living With Ian

Epilogue

Sarah finished curling her last strand of hair and she looked in the mirror. Her makeup was done to perfection, her nails had just been manicured, and she was finally finished with her hair. She was interrupted from her thoughts as Ian knocked on her door.

“Yeah?” she called. He walked in and looked at her.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked. Sarah looked back in the mirror and then took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. “I am.” Ian smiled at her.

“You look beautiful,” he told her. Sarah smiled.

“Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself.” Ian smirked.

"Glad you like it. "I'm only wearing this damn tie for you." Sarah giggled and looked at him. He was wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks with a tie around his neck. Sarah could tell that he felt really uncomfortable wearing it and she appreciated the effort that he put into looking nice for her special day.

"Well I feel really special that you would get all dressed up, just for me." Ian smiled.

“Are you ready?” he asked. Sarah smiled and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. “I am. I’m really excited.” Ian smiled.

“I bet you are. I know I was jumping out of my seat when I was in your shoes.” Sarah smiled. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late. This is an important day for you.” Sarah nodded and they headed out into the living room. Ian grabbed her cap and gown for her and then they walked to his car.

When they arrived at Sarah’s high school, they parted ways; Sarah going to join her graduating class and Ian going to find a seat with all of the proud parents.

As Sarah marched onto the football field, she smiled brightly in line with the rest of the senior class as she saw Ian standing with her aunt and uncle and Ashley and her husband, all smiling proudly back at her. As she sat in her seat she began thinking of everything that had led her to this point.

She had lived with Ian ever since she was thirteen and they had both only gotten closer. Sarah hadn’t heard from her mother or brother ever since Ian had hunted Chris down. They had left her alone and Sarah was finally able to feel peace. She no longer looked behind her back when walking down the street. Nightmares were a very rare occurrence now, and her scars had eventually began to fade.

Five years later, here she was, sitting with her class waiting for her name to be called to receive her diploma. Behind her she knew that she had Ashley and her husband and their two sons, Bradyn and Zachary, who had all become a close family to her. Ashley was like her older sister; she was always there for Sarah whenever she needed to talk whether it be about boys or drama or anything else, and Darren, Ashley’s husband, had become a great friend. With his witty sense of humor and ability to make anyone laugh, Sarah felt like he was an older brother just like Ian.

 She also had her Uncle Roger and Aunt Kay, who were like the mother and father that she no longer had. And even though her and Caitlin still were not close, they got along with each other and Sarah knew that if she ever needed anything her cousin would be willing to help. She had graduated the year before and was attending a university out of state. Sarah didn't see Caitlin as often now but their relationship had gotten better and they stayed in communication through texting and e-mail.

 And then, of course, there was Ian. He had looked after her in so many ways and Sarah couldn’t thank him enough for forcing her to go with him that night years ago. He had helped her so much.

No longer was she the skittish little girl who always jumped at the slightest sound and was scared to trust anyone she met. She was now an eighteen year old young woman who was outgoing and successful. She had multiple friends in school and a family who would support her through anything. Today she was graduating in the top ten of her class and in the fall she would be attending a highly ranked university where she planned to become a child psychologist. She wanted to help kids who had gone through the exact same thing that she had gone through while living with her family. She knew that not everyone had an Ian who would be willing rescue them from an abusive situation and Sarah could only hope that she could do what Ian had done with her.

As Sarah heard her name being called, she was brought out of her thoughts. She walked onstage and received her diploma. She looked out into the crowd and saw her family standing up and cheering for her. Sarah smiled brightly as she shook hands with her principal and then walked off the stage.

After the ceremony was over, Sarah ran over and jumped into Ian’s arms. He gave her a tight hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said as he squeezed her tightly. Sarah looked up at him.

“Thank you,” she said. Ian smiled and put her down. She was immediately engulfed in Ashley’s arms.

“I'm so proud of you!” she exclaimed as she wiped away a tear. Sarah laughed and hugged her back.

“I’m so glad you got to come.”

“Well it was a long ride,” said Darren. “But it was definitely worth it.” Sarah smiled.

“Sarah!” Zachary called. Sarah smiled and picked him up. He gave her a hug.

“You look pretty today,” he told her. Sarah laughed.

“Thank you Zach. And you look very handsome.” Zach giggled and rested his head on her shoulder.

“Sarah,” said her Aunt Kay as she gave her a hug. “Congratulations sweetheart.”

“Thanks Aunt Kay,” said Sarah. She smiled as she gave her and her uncle a hug.

“I can’t believe you just graduated,” said Roger. “You’ve grown up so much.” Sarah smiled.

“No matter how old I get though I’ll still be your favorite little niece.” Roger laughed and hugged her again.

“Of course,” he promised.

“Well,” said Ian. “I think we need to celebrate. How about we go out to eat?” Sarah smiled and nodded as she began to follow her family out to their cars. She got stopped several times by her friends all wanting to take last minute pictures before they all parted ways for the summer.

It was an hour later before they actually got to sit down in the restaurant. They were all laughing and joking around when Ian stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone turned their attention to him.

“Well,” he said. “I would like to propose a toast to our graduate.” Ian looked down at Sarah.

“Sarah,” he said. “I am so proud of you for everything that you have accomplished. We probably have one of the weirdest families out there, but just know that we all love you so much and are all so happy and proud of you. So congratulations on your graduation and I know that you are going to do amazing things.”

“Cheers!” called Darren as he held his glass up. Sarah laughed as they all toasted to her. She looked up at Ian.

“Thank you,” she said. “Words can’t describe how glad I am that you decided to kidnap me in the middle of the night when I was a kid.” Everyone laughed as Ian put on his famous smirk. “I’m really glad to be a part of this family.”

Sarah looked around the table at everyone smiling and laughing. She knew that her family was perfect. She had never felt so loved before. She was so happy that she had met Ian and been introduced into what a real family looked like. No longer did she have to go around scared, or hungry, or hurting. Now, she knew that whatever happened, she had plenty of people she could count on and that she would always be loved. 

Well, that is the end of Living with Ian. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Be sure to comment and vote and tell me what you thought of the story. I am going to begin working on a new story so stay tuned to see what else I have in store!