Keller and Callahan

Epilogue

It was time to create new memories on the 4th of July. So Olivia said. Even though Sam had secretly wanted to just avoid the damn holiday for the next decade. So when Olivia had suggested that ill-fated date as the date they get married, you could have knocked Sam over with a feather. He had suggested getting married on June 14, his birthday, because what better gift could he be given than the chance to spend the rest of his life with Olivia.

When she had nixed that idea because she wanted a full day to solely celebrate and spoil him, he had to roll his eyes and laugh. And frankly, he would do just about anything for this woman. Because when she told him she wanted to not only get married on July 4th, but also have it take place on the dock where his father had poisoned things all those years ago, Sam thought she was completely fucking with him. But when she explained how she wanted to walk down the dock to him standing at the end, overlooking the lake they had grown up on, she said every step she took towards him would be taking back a year they had lost. And by the time she reached Sam at the end, they would have taken the power back, and solidified this place and their lives as their own, and mark a new beginning. How can a man argue with that?

So he agreed. Of course he had. So here he stood, at the end of the dock, on the evening of July 4th, the setting sun dipping below the lake at his back, wearing the tuxedo Olivia had picked out for him since she had refused his request to wear board shorts and a backwards ball cap, (it was worth a shot), he had never been any god damned happier in his life. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and saw the faces of their intimate circle of family and friends seated in the chairs in Olivia’s backyard (well, now their backyard). He had to pinch himself every day to remind himself that his life was truly real.

Instead of marrying him on his birthday like he wanted, Olivia had presented him with a gift that was the next best thing. When he had opened the small box with a key, he was initially confused. But when they had taken the short walk up the hill to the property Olivia had been secretly working overtime on, he almost passed out. When she had taken the blindfold off him, he was standing in front of a beautiful, brand new building with his Callahan Center logo smack dab in the middle.

“Now this place is Keller and Callahan’s - the way it’s always been. And the way it will always be,” Olivia whispered to him with tears of joy in her eyes.

Sam was unable to speak, Olivia giggled as she looped her arm through his and gave him the full tour of his newest center. It boasted a full sized kitchen and dining area, a state of the art Game Room, designed completely by Ray, and a perfectly cozy library with a fireplace so children could do their studies in comfort. And it was only a short walk down the hill where the kids could use all of the other facilities the campground had to offer. It was the most beautiful display of love he had ever received.

And each day since then, when he walked into the Center for work, he could not believe all of the goodness he had been given in his life. And he didn’t intend to waste it.

So as the music began to swell, the guests stood and waited for his bride to make her way down to him. When she finally came into view at the start of the dock, she literally took his breath away. She floated towards him over the water, and as she got closer, he realized she had a smirk in her eyes. Arching his eyebrow at her, she reached into her ginormous bouquet of flowers and tossed him a pack of powdered donuts. As he caught them in his hands, he threw his head back and let a booming laugh go. He couldn’t help it, he swooped her up into his arms and planted a deep and longing kiss on her lips.

“Ahem, you’re supposed to wait until after the ceremony to kiss your bride,” the pastor whispered gently.

“When have we ever done anything conventional? Right, Callahan?” She gave him a wink.

“I don’t care if it was conventional or not - it led us here together, and now I get to hold onto you forever,” he said softly as he kissed her knuckles. A tear slipped down her cheek as she took his other hand and they turned to pledge their vows to each other forever.

So under the setting sun and the cover of the colorful fireworks, Olivia Keller and Sam Callahan had officially become one unit, the way it had always been.

The End