- - - - - THREE YEARS LATER - - - - -
~ Killian ~
"Alright baby, it's your first day, are you excited?"
Today was her first day in kindergarten. Audrey and Killian were dropping her off in front of the school. Some other kids were crying because they didn't want their parents to leave them with a bunch of adult strangers, but not Gracie. She was fearless, like her mother.
"We'll be back in a few hours to pick you up," Killian said and kissed the top of Grace's head.
"Listen to your teachers, be nice to your friends, and have fun," Audrey added.
"Bye, baby. We'll see you again soon,"
Audrey and Killian waved back as Grace raced to the doors. Her teachers were greeting her and she greeted them back politely.
"I can't believe she's in kindergarten now," Audrey sighed and linked her arm around Killian's. "Time flies so fast,"
"I know," Killian agreed.
It felt just like yesterday that Grace was born on their bathroom floor and Killian got to hold her in his arms. One blink of an eye later, she was five and in kindergarten. She was now racing into the building, away from her parents, and she grabbed a boy's hand as she ran.
"Wait a second," Killian's eyes widened. "What was that?"
"That's just Dylan. He's her friend from pre-K," Audrey giggled.
"Why are they holding hands?" Killian couldn't hide the fear in his eyes.
Audrey scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.
"Killian, stop," she said. "They're five,"
"We need to tell her she can't have a boyfriend until she's thirty!" Killian warned.
Audrey just laughed and shook her head.
"Oh, you're so funny," Audrey muttered and turned around, headed for the car.
Killian stood in his spot. He was glaring at Audrey, but she was ignoring him.
"Hey, I'm being serious!" he said.
"Come on, we gotta take the boys to preschool. We're gonna be late," Audrey said instead.Her hand was waving for Killian to follow her.
Oh, right. The boys.
Killian quickened his steps and followed Audrey to the car. Their driver still had the engine running as he waited. Killian opened the door and saw his twin sons seated in their car seats. They beamed as soon as they saw their parents were back.
"You ready for preschool, boys?" Killian asked.
"Yes!" they screamed in unison.
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~ Audrey ~
"Alright, Harlan, you have to be nice to your brother. Andyou too Carter, listen to your teachers, okay?" Audrey was bending down and fixing the bowties on her sons' collars.
Today was also the first day of preschool for Killian CarterJr. and Caspian Harlan Jr. Audrey and Killian would call them by their middle names because they seemed to like it more.
"Yes, mommy!" Harlan and Carter nodded obediently.
"Okay, have fun, boys. We'll see you two ina bit," Killian ruffled the two boys' hair. Then he gave each one of them a high five.
"Byeee!" Harlan and Carter yelled as they raced into the preschool building.
Most other kids would cry and cling onto their parent's legs when theywere being dropped off at preschool, but not the Vanderbilt boys. They were ready and eager to tackle the world. And also tackle each other.
"We literally just told them to be nice to each other two minutes ago," Killian sighed as he stared at the two boys.
"Were you and Caspian like this too?" Audrey asked.
"Oh, absolutely," he stifled a laugh.
Audrey smiled and stared at her two boys. Time really was going by so fast. Life with Killian and her kids felt like a dream. Every day was always chaotic, but beautiful in its own way. Audrey couldn't help but feel emotional about it all.
"Hey, you said you weren't gonna cry when dropping the kids off," Killian said as he pulled Audrey into a hug. This only made her cry even more.
"I know," she sobbed into his chest. "The kids didn't even cry, but I'm a mess,"
"You're not a mess," Killiansmiled and tilted her chinup to him. "You're amazing,"
Audrey's heart swelled at his words. A small smile escaped her lips. It had been years already, but every time she stared at Killian's piercing blue eyes, she still felt the butterflies in her stomach. It was nice to know that no matter how fast time may fly, some great things remained the same.
"Come on, let's take you to youroffice," Killian kissed her cheek and turned their bodies around.
Oh, right. Myoffice.
Today was a big day for everyone. Not only that it was the kids' first day at school, but it was also the day where Audrey would receive the first printed hard copies of her book. After successfully writing a play on Broadway, the play was now adapted into a novel and a movie. Audrey Huntington Vanderbilt was a big-name writer now. People all over the world had heard and loved her story. It was something she never thought was possible, but it was.
Making their way into the Broadway Theater, Audrey stopped for a moment to see the big banner hanging on display. The title of her playand novel was shown in big bold letters. She couldn't help but smile.
The Devil's Triangle.
Audrey then pulled Killian inside and they walked past the grand lobby and marvelous theater. They kept walking past the stage and into the backstage area. People who were practicing on stage greeted her and she greeted them back.
Killian and Audrey arrived at a special room in the back that was designated as Audrey's office. She pushed the door open and revealed a wall full of pictures and newspaper clippings. There were many pictures of Audrey, Killian, and their kids. There were news articles with glowing reviews of the play, as well as news about Killian Vanderbilt, one of the most successful businessmen in this era. And of course, the wall wouldn't be complete without a picture of Caspian and Audrey. It was their engagement picture, and he was smiling like a king.
"Oh, I can't believe it's finally here," Audrey gushed as she opened the large cardboard box on her desk. It was filled with hardcover copies of her book. She took one of the books out and smelled the pages. "Hmm, it's freshly printed," she sighed.
"This is so cool," Killian agreed and picked out another copy. Then he leaned over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart,"
"Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you,"
Killian smiled and started flipping through the book. He stopped when he saw thededication page and his eyes glazed over.
"He'd be so proud of you," Killian whispered.
"He'd be so proud of us," Audrey whispered back.
Killian swallowed hard and put the book down. Then his hands went to cup Audrey's cheeks and he leaned his face into her. He captured her lips and she surrendered completely into him. She ran her fingers through hishair and deepened the kiss, inhaling his intoxicating scent that sent the butterflies up and down her spine.
When they finally pulled away from the kiss, Killian was still hugging her body, and she was hugging him back. Audrey rested her head on his shoulder and her eyes traveled to the desk. She saw the book that was left open and the dedication page was shown. Her lips twitched into a knowing smile and Audrey closed her eyes.
For Killian and our children, who are my entire world.
And For Caspian, my other half, who I love always and forever.
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- - - - - -- The End - - - - - - -