Page 91 of The Burdens We Share
Next, the movie takes us on the journey of my struggles with an eating disorder and being stalked and harassed for months. It makes me uncomfortable to watch, to relive, but I have Dallas by my side and he holds my hand the entire time. The movie ends with us in the hospital after I woke up, and well, you know how that went. That was four months ago and since then, much has changed, and much hasn’t. For starters, Brody’s wedding is only a couple of months away, Aria and Sly are finalizing their own wedding plans, Selene is nearly ready to have her baby and Dallas and I are officially living together at his house. Oh, and one more thing, there is in fact a giant emerald-cut diamond on my finger. Dallas did stick to his promise that he made me in the hospital. It sparkles off the light of the screen and glistens magnificently. My fiancé has excellent taste.
One more thing that hasn’t changed? My mom is still well…my mom. But Sam is on the right path and I’m proud of him. He and Dallas have grown extremely close and Dallas continues to help him with his homework. In many ways, Dallas acts as the father figure my brother doesn’t have and I love him all themore for it.
I feel a tap on my shoulder from behind me and turn to find Nate grinning wide at me. I return the smile as he leans forward and whispers into my ear, “No way you don’t get nominated for a Screen award. Your acting is fucking insane. All of you are amazing,” he compliments. It would be quite the accomplishment to win a Screen award for our acting after we won a Muse award for our music. Fingers crossed.
“Thank you,” I say appreciatively. Nate and I sort of fell off when Calvin was prime time stalking and Dallas and I spent every minute of the day together. He got busy with his schedule and I was too busy being tortured by a psychopath for months, but I’m glad to share that Nate and I have rekindled our friendship and have been back in the studio playing together or just hanging out. Dallas is a great sport, cocky though. He knows damn well I don’t have eyes for anyone but him and he accepts my friendship with Nate even though Nate’s jack russell energy drives him a tad over the edge at times. I think Nate has grown on him in the way a tumor would grow on someone else.
Since the events that transpired with Calvin, his cousin Connor was released from prison and I made it a point to contact him and apologize that he got wrapped up in this mess. For someone who was wrongfully convicted of a crime and brutalized in the media for targeting a well-known celebrity, he handled it very well. He explained he wasn’t angry with me and had no qualms with me and also was sure to point out his lack of relationship with his deranged cousin. Now, he’s a free man and I keep in touch with him from time to time.
One more thing that’s new? I don’t have panic attacks every time my phone rings with a call or a new text anymore. Calvin Worshire is dead and buried where he belongs and he can never hurt me or my friends again. He’s the past, a nightmare I wish I could forget. My future is seated beside me, holding my hand.I look up at him and admire his sharp jawline. He turns to face me with loving eyes, “What?” He asks.
I shake my head as I smile at him, “Nothing. I just love you.”
His eyes soften in the way they only do for me, “I love you, too Little Devil.”
Epilogue
Ivory
Eight years later
I plate the lastof the dishes I fully intend to lie and say were homemade before washing my hands of pasta sauce. Eight years may have passed, but there will never come a day when Ivory Aslan cooks for two reasons. The first is because I fucking suck at it so bad that Dallas actually requested I never step foot in the kitchen, and the second is because well…I don’t want to. I’m a rockstar, not Martha Stewart.
The doorbell rings and I shout over my shoulder, “Babe! They’re here!” I drop the dishrag next to the sink and hurry to answer the incessant banging on the door. The only downside of Dallas and I moving onto the same street as Brody, Harvey, Aria, and Slater is that we constantly have company, even when we don’t want it. Who am I kidding? I always want it. Dallas on the other hand would much prefer if our very limited alone time after having kids wouldn’t be interrupted. Selene even moved to our street with her family and she claims it’s because the property was a good investment, but we all know it’s because she got a bad case of FOMO.
The knocking does not stop and I shake my head as I unlock and open the door. I look down to find a tiny little girl with platinum blonde hair and eyes as deep blue as the ocean. Her hair is a mess of waves and hangs past her shoulders. She wears a frilly white top with red leggings and I grin at my niece. “Hello, Danica. I heard you knocking the first ten minutes you were doing it.”
She shrugs, “I know.” Of course she does. Brody and Harvey’s daughter is exactly like her mother in more ways than just one. She inherited Brody’s looks for sure, from the wavy blonde locks to her blushing cheeks and gorgeous blues, but she also inherited her mother’s affinity for troublemaking. I swear when I look at her it’s like I’m looking at a tiny version of Brody. Harvey definitely has his hands full.
I bend down and wrap her in a hug which she returns before she darts past me and inside the house. Brody and Harvey are behind her, hand in hand and each hug me hello. Brody and Harvey had Danica, their only child, about a year after their wedding and their little seven year old has kept their hands so full that they never mentioned having a second.
Harvey closes the door behind them and leaves it unlocked the way we usually do on Sundays when each of us hosts family dinner and Brody sighs, “This girl is full of energy today.”
“Oh boy,” I raise my brows dramatically. We all know what that means. Something is bound to get broken in my house.
Brody shoots Harvey an annoyed look, “Because someone’s daddy can’t say no to her when she asks for candy.”
Harvey smirks at his wife and wraps his arm around her shoulders, “Little Rockstar, I find it nearly impossible to say no toyou. Our daughter is no different.”
I laugh at Harvey’s response. He was never much of a warm or friendly person, but being a father definitely softened him a bit. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still hard around the edges and I sometimes question whether or not he even has a soul, but when his wife, daughter, or sister enter the room, my question dies. We’ve even grown pretty close over the years and I would call him a good friend now. Family even.
We make it to the dining room just as my handsome husband descends the stairs in one of his perfectly tailored suits. He wears them even to the most casual occasions and I’m definitelynot complaining. His jaw is hard until his eyes land on me and then they soften as he smirks at me and greets Brody and Harvey. “Where’s my niece?” He asks Brody.
Brody rolls her eyes and laughs, “Probably destroying your house somewhere.”
Dallas chuckles and the front door closing suddenly steals our attention. Footsteps pad down the hall and into the dining room just as Aria and Slater appear with their two kiddos in tow. “Hi!” Carrie greets, excitement in her eyes. She loves family time and it’s so heartwarming.
She rushes over and starts hugging all of us and I just melt in her little arms. Aria and Sly had her a couple of months after Brody and Harvey had Danica. The two little girls are the closest of friends. Where Danica inherited her mother’s traits, Carrie inherited more of Sly’s traits. She looks strikingly like Aria, from her auburn hair to her creamy skin, but her eyes are sky blue like her father’s, and her personality is just as sweet as his too. It’s ironic really that they named her after Carrie from the horror movie, only for her to be such a sweet pea.
Cole, who was named after theSixth Sensemovie, rushes over to hug everyone the way his big sister did. The little five-year-old has the cutest cheeks and is a complete spitting image of his father from his hair to his skin and eyes. “Where’s Dani, Austin, and Houston?” He asks.
“They’re all probably in the playroom,” I nod towards the stairs and Carrie and Cole are off in an instant.
Aria and Sly greet us and Sly sidles up to Harvey, “I think my son has a crush on your daughter.”
Harvey whips his head so fast at Sly that I’m surprised it doesn’t snap clean off, “Do you want me to have a heart attack?”
Brody laughs and I chuckle, “She’ll have to start dating one day, Harvey.”
