Ocean Eyes - Maddie Poppe and Caleb Hutchinson Series (Book 3)

Chapter 40 - Final Chapter

(A/N: This is the last chapter of the whole series :( I enjoyed writing this, even though I could have done better. The new hutchpoppe fanfic will be out next week! So keep a lookout for that. I'm trying to make it better than this series, and I will post here when it's out. Thank you to everyone who read this series, to everyone who voted and commented and shared it with other people. I love everyone! <3)

5 Years Later

Maddie's POV

Today is Caroline's birthday. She would have been 11 today, and this October will be six years since her passing. Allison is 10 now, and she currently has a purple inflated balloon. She uses a black sharpie to write a message for her sister. She has done this every year for her birthday. Mine and Caleb's sweet little boy, who will be 5 in a little over a month, sits beside of her on the couch, also holding an inflated purple balloon, intently watching his sister write on the balloon.

"I can't write!" He giggles.

"That's okay, Greyson. I can help you!" Allison says. She finishes writing on her balloon, and gently takes Greyson's from him, "what do you want it to say?"

"Hmm, I don't know!" He giggles again, "write 'I can not wait to meet you one day'!"

It's so sweet seeing them together. Allison finishes writing the message from Greyson, and she looks up at me, "We're finished! Are you and daddy finished?"

"Yes," Caleb tells her, and then looks at me, "but we're taking flowers first, right?"

"Yeah," I tell him.

We drive to her grave, and walk over to her headstone. Allison puts flowers down, and Greyson puts a stick air balloon into the ground beside of her headstone.

"Happy birthday, sissy. I miss you and love you," Allison says.

"Happy birthday! I can not wait to meet you one day!" Greyson says, before turning his head to look at Caleb and I, his blue eyes shining.

Allison stands up and wipes her eyes, and I put an arm around her as we walk back to the car. When we get home, the kids go in and get their balloons, and Caleb and I get ours as well. We go out into our backyard and release them.

"I hope you like the cakes that the angels made you today!" Greyson calls out to the sky.

I smile down at him, running a hand through his short blonde hair, and he smiles up at me.

When we go back inside, Allison heads straight for her room. I see her wiping her eyes as she's going up the stairs, so I go after her. I crack the door open, and she wipes her eyes with one hand, her other hand holding a picture frame.

I go over and sit beside of her, seeing she is holding the framed photo of her and Caroline that she keeps on her nightstand.

She looks over at me, eyes watering, "do you ever wonder what she would have been like today?"

"All the time," I look back at the picture.

"Even though I was younger then, I always imagined that we would grow up together. But we don't get to," she wipes her eyes again, "but I'm sure she's happy."

"She is, baby," I pull her into me, "I promise."

"I know she's happy to be with her mom again, too," she says.

"She sure is," I say, "she was so heartbroken without her."

"Yeah," she nods, "I just can't help but wonder what could have been."

"I know," I breathe out, "I do, too."

"I miss her so much," she starts to cry.

"I miss her, too," I wipe my eyes, but quickly pull myself back together for her, "hey, maybe we should do something today. Like a distraction for you."

"Like what?"

"Maybe Ella can come over?" I suggest.

"I would love that! We always have so much fun," she giggles.

Ella is Allison's best friend from school. I call her mom and she says she will bring her over. A few minutes later, the doorbell rings, and I answer the door to Ella.

"Hi," Ella smiles at me.

"Hey, sweetie! Allison is upstairs in her room."

"Cool, thanks," she says before going up the stairs.

Considering Allison has a friend over, I figure I could invite a play-date over for Greyson, so I call Gabby.

"Hey!" She answers.

"Hey, I was just wondering if Asher would like to come over and play with Greyson?" I ask.

Asher is Gabby and Cade's son, who is just a little younger than Greyson. They have play-dates all the time.

"Ash!" I hear Gabby yell, "do you want to go play with Greyson?"

"Yes!" I hear him say.

"We'll be over in a few," Gabby says.

"Okay," I say before hanging up.

Later on in the evening, all the kids are outside, in the backyard, playing together. Gabby left a while ago to run some errands, but said she will pick Asher up around six.

Caleb sits beside of me on the back porch, and we watch the kids who are having a blast. I look over at Caleb, and he looks back at me, giving me a warm smile. He takes my hand in his, and I look down at our hands before looking back up at him.

"I love you," I say to him.

"I love you," he repeats, "I always have, and I always will."

He leans over, and I do the same, connecting our lips together. After a moment, I pull away and stare into his ocean eyes, thankful that I get to wake up to them everyday for the rest of my life.