Epilogue

Grace

Three Years Later

G od, could my sister and brother-in-law be any more in love? I mentally gag watching them together. It was cute when I was younger but now that I'm fifteen, the last thing I want to see is them hanging all over each other completely in love. Maybe it has something to do with watching the boy I thought was my boyfriend kiss another girl in the school hallways just yesterday, but I doubt it. No, it's just how disgusting they are about it

It's been three years since the two of them officially adopted me from my father, and it's been a year and a half since my father was officially sentenced to prison for getting kickbacks from the Silent Death Mafia. I always knew that my father was a slimy piece of work, but watching his trial just cemented it for me. I'm so glad that the second Illeana gained custody of me, we both changed our last names officially to our mothers. No longer were we the Granger sisters, we were officially the Roberts sisters. It didn't help that people still knew who our father was but it at least gave us some degree of separation. My father tried to get me to visit him in prison but Steel helped me shut that down immediately. He made sure I didn't have to go if I didn't want to, and I never did. My father could rot his life away in prison for all I cared. He was dead to me.

"Grace, there you are," Emma calls out as she rounds the corner finding my hiding place. I have been sitting upstairs in her guest room, on the bench seat in the bay window, looking out over the street. It gave me the perfect view to see everyone who was arriving to the house for this celebration. "Why are you hiding up here?" she asks, coming to sit on the small sliver that I wasn't taking up.

"Just needed some time to myself for a minute, sorry. I'll be right down." That was a lie. Everyone knows that I always want to be the life of the party. The fact that I'm hiding away this time is a dead giveaway that something is wrong. The problem is, I really have no idea what that could be. All I knew was that I needed some time to myself.

"It's okay feeling like this," Emma states in her motherly tone as she pats my shin. "It's okay to be jealous of babies. Especially when there are two coming. You know they won't take your place in any of our hearts, right? Especially not Illeana's or Steel's. Those two love you to the moon and back. You are their world."

That definitely wasn't the reason I was hiding out up here. I wasn't jealous about the twins, it was the exact opposite. I was excited for them to be here. Now that my sister is five months along, we're having her gender reveal party today. Emma had organized a bar-b-que to be held. All of us would find out today what she was having and I couldn't wait. I was really hoping to have a niece that I could spoil and mold her into my little shadow.

"That's not it," I answer my Aunt Emma. "I'm excited for the twins and I can't wait until they're here."

"Okay, then what is it? You know whatever you say stays between us," she tries once more to convince me to talk.

"Yeah, unless it's something that my sister desperately needs to know for my safety," I retort with a snort. I know the drill. It's the same speech I've gotten multiple times from all my aunts and uncles. Everyone is on my side unless it involves my safety, then all bets are off keeping it a secret.

"Is this something that involves your safety?" Aunt Emma's back straightens as she looks at me more seriously.

Shit, that wasn't what I meant by my answer at all. "No, no, no," I quickly respond reaching out to grasp her hand on my shin. "I'm not in any danger at all, I promise."

"Okay, then what is?" she tries again more softly, not that her protective instinct could go back on the backburner.

"I'm really not sure," I begin, twisting my hands in my lap. "The boy I thought I was dating, kissed another girl in the hall at school yesterday. It's stupid I know, but I'm still upset about it." It really was stupid. I've never been the girl to let something silly get me down. No, I'm always the bigger person.

"Oh, Grace," Aunt Emma leans forward and embraces me in a hug. "Sweetie, you are allowed to be upset about that. Guys are stupid and you're at the age now where you are going to be figuring it out. Clearly, that boy isn't mature enough to realize what an amazing girl he had. He doesn't deserve you. When you go back to school on Monday, you just ignore him. Hold your head up high and walk right past him. Better yet, is his best friend hot?" she waggles her eyebrows at me.

"Uh, yes?" I answer hesitantly trying to figure out where she is going with this. She's right though he isn't worth me being upset over.

"Good, then you march right up to his best friend, grab the front of his shirt, pull him into you, and kiss him. Then let him go and walk away with a smile on your face. You can play that boy's game, but you'll play it even better," she smirks like she just came up with the best idea ever.

"What are you two doing up here?" Aunt Sky enters the room, her gaze bouncing between both of us. "Whatever you're plotting I want in on it."

I can't help the smile that breaks out across my face as I start to laugh. She doesn't even know what we're talking about and she's already on our side. That is why I love my Aunt Sky. Over the years she has opened up so much and I can see why her husbands are always trying to rile her up. She's fun and I love it. She is also seven months pregnant and is due right before my sister. Seeing her upstairs has me shocked because just earlier she was bitching about walking up the front steps, or well waddling up them as she said. "How'd you make it up here?" I ask. Aunt Emma slams her hand over my mouth as Aunt Sky glares at me.

"She didn't mean it," Aunt Emma rushes out before Aun Sky can say anything. "If you must know, Grace was telling me about her boy drama and I was telling her how to get even."

"Oooo, revenge? I like it. Whatever she told you to do, do it ten times worse. If a boy breaks your heart then you destroy him. No one touches the Rockport women and gets away with it. Now, you two are needed downstairs." Aunt Sky leans against the door frame waiting for us to stand.

"We're coming," Aunt Emma states, pulling me up from the seat at the same time she gets up. "Now, let's forget the boy drama and go downstairs to celebrate. I can't wait to find out the gender of these babies. I need to know what clothes I can buy."

"No! No more clothes," Aunt Sky demands with a laugh. "We have enough baby clothes amongst all of us to share if needed."

Aunt Emma pouts, but doesn't say anything as she guides me to the stairs. Together we help Aunt Sky make it back down before heading out to the backyard to join the rest of the party. Long gone are the dark thoughts that had consumed me and made me go find a spot to hide out. Now I'm excited about the party and getting to hang out with my family. That's exactly what everyone here is, family. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

"About time you three show up," Knox calls out, walking over to us to guide us out to the middle of the yard where everyone else is standing. Everyone except Illeana and Steel. Both of them are standing on the back deck looking out at the rest of us. In front of them are two boxes on the table waiting to be opened. Above them is a banner that says, boy or girl? The excitement in the backyard is buzzing across my skin as I wait for them to open the boxes. These kids are about to be the most spoiled kids ever! "Alright, you two can open the boxes now when you're ready," Knox instructs from beside me. He has one arm slung over my shoulders holding me beside him. He's so excited he's practically vibrating. I'm almost positive he only has his arm around me to help hold him in place.

Quickly Ileana and Steel begin to open the boxes set up in front of us. Illeana squeals right before she bursts out in tears. Happy tears I'm hoping but I'm not positive. Steel looks between both boxes, Illeana, and then to Knox. "Are you sure?" he asks.

"Positive," Knox answers.

"Show the rest of us!" Aunt Emma shouts from beside me.

"Yeah! We wanna know!" I chime in. I'm desperate to know if I'm getting a niece I get to spoil or not.

Steel looks to Illeana who only nods at whatever he asked her. He reaches into both boxes and pulls out a stuffed animal from each. The box in front of him reveals a Stitch stuffed animal and the box in front of my sister reveals an Angel stuffed animal.

"OH MY GOD!" I squeal in excitement, jumping up and down and forcing Knox to let me go. "Tell me you did not just just stuffed animals for their gender reveal?" I turn and glare at Knox.

"What?" he smiles down at me mischievously. "When they told me the story, I thought it was only appropriate. You can't tell me I'm wrong," he taunts spinning me back around to look at the happy couple. "See they love it."

He's not wrong, my sister and brother-in-law really do love the Stitch-themed gifts. It's sort of become a theme in our house. If you look hard enough there's something Stitch in every room. Steel loves to pick out Stitch gifts to give my sister randomly because it always makes her smile and think back to one of the things that he loves most about her. The character pajamas she always likes to wear.

"Congratulations, Sis," I state when I reach her side and wrap her in a big hug. "I can't wait to spoil both of them."

"Thank you," she smiles at me through the tears. "Looks like you're getting your niece to spoil that you wanted." She laughs and places a hand on her growing belly.

"A niece and a nephew,” I chuckle. "I have every intention of corrupting both of them."

"I expect nothing less, Sis," she answers, pulling in for another hug. "Thank you. Thank you for letting Steel and I adopt you. You showed me what it's like to be a mom and I will forever be grateful for that. You may be my sister but you are so much more than that as well."

"I love you, Illeana," I hug her tightly, trying to hold back the tears. My sister really did save me and I know she always will.

"I love you too, Grace," she whispers, kissing my cheek as she pulls back. "Don't think I don't know something is bothering you. We'll talk about it later tonight, for now, go have fun with the rest of the kids."

"Aunt Emma already took care of it, don't worry. Oh, and Aunt Sky agreed with her," I laugh, listening to my sister swear as I walk away.

This really is the best life I could ever ask for. I will forever be grateful to my sister and to Steel. They are the reason I can live the greatest life ever and dream big. I promise to show my niece and nephew they can do the same as well when they're old enough.