Eight- Alternative Ending

Dedicated to prfctsabby  ☺️

Three months before the epilogue

~~~~

There's something special about living life with the one you love.

Like if you asked for it, they'd give the world.

That was Josh. He'd give the world for me, and our children.

Josh smiles from the couch as he holds onto Max, who is sitting on his lap, and laughing at the faces Josh is making at him.

Max is only five months old, but he's such a daddy's boy.

Ellie and I are sitting on the floor playing with play-doh.

"Momma, how did you and Daddy meet?" Ellie asks.

She's six years old, but always acts like she's older than she is.

I smile at my husband, who is holding Max to his chest and rubbing his back.

"We met when we were teenagers. Your cousin Riley, she's Daddy's niece. And we fell in love," I say, to shorten the version a little.

She smiles at me and continues playing.

Riley and Lucas come in the house then, with their three year old twin sons who automatically run to Ellie to play with her.

"Hey! How are you?" I ask Riley, who struggles to hug me as she's eight months pregnant.

"Oh, I'm good. Just a little backache but I'm loving pregnancy. The boys keep Lucas on his toes!" She says and Lucas chuckles at his wife.

"So, movie night?" I say.

Riley nods.

"I brought old tapes of Girl Meets World! I figured we could relax and maybe get some popcorn!" She says and sits down in the recliner.

I smile, and turn to the guys.

"We're headed to the park with the boys!" Josh says and he begins strapping Max into his stroller.

Lucas follows him out with Simon and Dawson.

The park is a mile walk from our house.

Riley smiles at me as I sit down on the couch and Ellie climbs into my lap, patting my cheeks.

I kiss Ellie's forehead.

Josh comes back in to puts the tapes in before kissing my forehead and Ellie's forehead before nodding goodbye to Riley.

We smile as the show starts.

"That's you!" Ellie screams as she sees her favorite Momma and Aunt Riley on-screen.

We laugh at her and watch the show, fully enjoying our movie night with Ellie.

••••

Josh and Lucas come back later, helping to set Ellie's teepee up for the kids' sleepover.

Ellie, Simon, and Dawson get in their sleeping bags surrounded by the stuffed animals in the teepee.

We tell them goodnight and shut Ellie's bedroom door; we stop to listen to them laughing and giggling.

"I'm glad our kiddos are friends!" Riley says as we all sit down in the living room and turn back on the tapes.

We smile.

"I love you," Josh says to me.

"I love you," I say and kiss him.

We're happy with our lives.

Joshua Gabriel Matthews was the missing piece to my happy life.

                                              The End

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~ Harrypottersfrog 🤍