3 YEARS LATER

Steve parked the car in front of the house and listened to the noise coming from inside. He looked at flowers he had on the passenger’s seat and smiled. He picked them up and got out of the car and in to the house. There was loud music coming from the leaving room and just when he thought he'd see his wife making something nice, Danny showed up from the corner.

“oh baby you're home so early?”
“where’s Amelia?” he asked, ignoring his joke.
“she’s outside.” He looked at flowers “are those for me?”

Steve ignored him ones again and walked to the door that led to the beach. Just like Danny said his wife, Amelia was standing barefoot in the sand with her back at the door. Dressed in a long beach dress. Her body startled as he wrapped his arms around her, seeing that she didn’t expect it at all. He left kisses in her neck, making her laugh and giggle and then she saw the flowers and she swooned at the sight.

“are those for me?” she asked
“yes, and you should take them before Danny decides to steal them.”
Amelia snatched the roses from his hands and turned around to face him “they look beautiful.”
“happy anniversary.” He whispered kissing her.
Amelia smiled “you too commander.”
“where is Carol?”

Amelia turned back at the ocean “in the water with grace! Those two are like sisters- hold up I think she saw you! Yeah, here she comes-"
Steve and Amelia watched as Grace helped Carol out of the water and in the sand. Steve kneeled down as she run towards him with all the speed her tiny legs had, all the while she kept calling for him “DADDY! DADDY!” Steve picked her up and spun her in the air while her laughter sounded like blessing in his ears. Grace came up to them too, smiling at Steve. “how is my little mermaid doing?”
“I swam the entire ocean-"
“all of it?” asked Steve in shock and Carol nodded at him. Her little curls moving up and down as she did. “then you're probably really hungry!”
“MHM!” she hummed, leaning her head on the crook of his neck. Amelia watched them in awe while she smelled the flowers.
“that’s not good! We can’t let you starve to death.”
“Danno is making food.”
“thank God it’s not your mother”
“HEY!”

Danny called for them a few seconds later, telling them the food was ready and they should set the table.

“Carol, you wanna come with me and set the table?” asked grace. Carol nodded in the most adorable way and climbed down her father's arms. Running in the kitchen with Grace. Amelia and Steve stood where they were and looked at each other smiling.

“I swear I fell more in love with her every time I lay my eyes on her.” He spoke.
“I know the feeling” she put her arm around his back and he looked down at her, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.
“are you guys coming or what?” asked Danny, while he served the food.
“I’m taking you out today.”
“hm?”
“I spoke with Danny, he us babysitting for us. We can go on a real date.”
“that sounds perfect” she admitted, smiling and reached up to his lips to kiss him.
“I thought you might like that.”

They walked over to the table hand in hand and sat next to their family. Steve sat next to Carol and helped her eat, while Grace and Amelia started talking about teenage stuff and Danny was serving the food. At some point Danny and grace were got in a different conversation and Amelia started staring at her husband and daughter without even realizing it. She wasn't checking anymore with thoughts and ghosts and in front of was a future of possibilities and she wasn’t afraid of it. Not one bit, because she knew that no matter how evil tome could get, she would always have him by her side. He noticed her staring and he mouthed an ‘I love you’ back at her, she whispered that she loved him too and then turned her head to the clock they had in the garden. Time, her biggest enemy had no hold on her anymore, it was just a clock going…

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.