by JD Penley
They arrived at work and went upstairs to his office to continue their conversation. They talked for hours about life, love, and new submissions she had been reviewing. She kept him busy all day and kept him distracted so that he wound up staying past time to go. Lucas and Krystal were the last ones to leave for the day, and they headed downstairs to the car to leave. Meanwhile back at the manor, Alice and Eryn had been working to get everything set up for his surprise party. Everyone from the office had arrived and the cars had been hidden away from the house so he wouldn’t become suspicious as they arrived home. Lucas pulled into the driveway just after sundown, and parked the car in the garage to head inside. As they walked into the house Lucas could hear multiple heartbeats each with a different rhythm masking the number of humans in the house. He immediately worried about Jaidyn and Eryn and immediately started listening out for his heartbeat. He found it in the sea of hearts and quickly and quietly snuck towards the kitchen. As soon as he entered the room he was surprised by the chorus of voices united in shouting “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” He was immediately relieved when he saw Jaidyn in his mother’s arms and both of them standing in the crowd. Jaidyn ran to him and jumped into his arms and hugged him. “Happy Birthday Lucas!” he exclaimed. “Thank you little one” he replied as he hugged him back. “Thank you, all of you for coming. This is rather unexpected” he said as he addressed his guests. Eryn and Alice came over to hug him and stand next to him. “I suppose that you both are behind this?” he asked with a sly grin on his face. “Daddy you never told me your birthday. We spent all these years and we never celebrated yours but you never forgot mine. Eryn told me that your birthday was this month and we wanted to do something special for you” Alice said as she hugged him. “Thank you little one. I haven’t celebrated this birthday in centuries, and only Eryn would have remembered it. So thank you both” he replied with a tear in his eye as he hugged them both and then he kissed Eryn.
They spent the night celebrating and when everyone went home he tucked Jaidyn into bed before sitting down to talk with Alice. “Why did we never celebrate your birthday daddy? It makes me sad that I missed being able to do this with you all these years” she said as her smile faded away. “I’m sorry little one. After centuries of being alone, I had gotten used to having no one to celebrate it with. After you came into my life, you were my sole focus, and I wanted you to feel special and have birthdays rather than worrying about myself. You had become my life, and you were all I cared about” he replied. “Oh daddy, everything you’ve done is always for someone else and never for you. We have to celebrate your life too. None of this would have been possible without you” she said as she hugged him. “I love you little one, you’ve always been the best daughter I could have ever hoped for. I’m proud of you, Alice. You’ve become an amazing young woman and such a great big sister to Jaidyn. So thank you, for making me the proudest father in the world” he said as he kissed her forehead. He said goodnight to her and headed towards his bedroom to spend time with Eryn. He found her waiting for him on the bed, wrapped up in the sheets. “What is this?” he inquired. “Your present of course. I’d say it’s time you unwrapped it” she said as she winked at him. He smiled as he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her. “Thank you, my love. I had forgotten that anyone other than my parents could possibly remember my birthday. As I told Alice, I haven’t celebrated my birthday in centuries. This was more than I ever expected” he said. “Well the clock hasn’t struck midnight yet, so unwrap your present and let’s celebrate it then” she replied. He spent the rest of the evening tangled up amongst the sheets with her, and as they lay in each other’s arms just before midnight he realized that this was the best birthday he had ever had in over four hundred years. He smiled to himself as he realized that he finally had everything he could have ever dreamed of.
Nine
Forever and Always
Lucas spent the next few months making sure all of the details were finalized and ready for the wedding, and celebrating the holidays with his family. Lucas wanted to make sure everything was perfect for Eryn and Jaidyn’s first Christmas there. He searched for days to find the perfect tree and decorated the manor for the first time ever. Alice was excited to help decorate and was happy to see Lucas finally coming out of his shell. Even though he had done Christmas with her in the past, it was always all about her, and now she had a chance to do things for him for Christmas. She looked forward to Christmas with her little brother and Eryn. Lucas counted down the days like a child waiting for Santa, excited to see the look on everyone’s face as they opened his gifts. It was one of his favorite feelings in the world to watch someone he loved opening his gift and seeing the smile on their face. He had spent weeks looking for the perfect gifts for everyone. He bought bikes and toys for Jaidyn and Susan, and he found matching diamond necklaces and earrings for Alice and Krystal. For Eryn, he saved the best for last. Just before Christmas he left for a business trip and decided to make a stop in Greece to buy a home for them so that they could visit for vacations whenever they wanted. He remembered how beautiful it was there, how much she enjoyed their first trip together, and he wanted to be able to enjoy that with her again. He was so excited the morning of Christmas as he watched everyone open their gifts, enjoying the smiles and laughter. Just as they were wrapping up, they all surprised him with gifts they had hidden away just for him.
Alice had bought him a Rolex with an engraving on the back that read “May time always stand still for us”, and a laptop computer so that he could always have a way to write when he traveled. Krystal bought him a tablet so that he could read e-books when he wasn’t home. Eryn had gone with Alice to a jeweler to have a ring made with his family crest stamped on it. He was so amazed by it all that he began to cry tears of joy. “What’s wrong my love?” Eryn asked as she sat down in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. “I finally have everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I have the love of my life, a family, a home I dreamed of as a young man, and a life that I never would have thought possible. I’ve lived for centuries across every continent, experiencing the various cultures and people of the world, and I’ve learned almost everything I thought I could learn and yet it’s being here with all of you that I realized it has taken me all these years to learn what true love and happiness truly is” he said as he held her close and kissed her softly. She smiled at him and kissed his neck before whispering into his ear “I have another present for you after we get Jaidyn into bed tonight”. He began to blush and he smiled at her as he kissed her and held her tightly. “You always know just what I need to relax, just how did I ever get so lucky?” he asked. “We both got lucky Lucas. We both had to endure hell to truly understand and appreciate the heaven we found in each other’s arms” she replied as she leaned back into his arms.
For New Year’s Lucas took everyone to New York so that they could ring in the New Year in Times Square. They watched the ball drop and rang in the New Year together, and Lucas finally did something he had wanted to do since the first time he witnessed the New Year spectacle; he finally had someone to kiss to ring in the New Year. It was perfect, and everyone he cared about was together for the holiday just like a regular human family. The sight was amazing, seeing thousands of humans packed together, celebrating, sharing a singular event, and yet no one cared about any of the things that normally separated them. It was a beautiful thing to behold, but no one had the view that they did. Lucas and his family were watching from the rooftops, far away from prying eyes. It was the first time Krystal had been back in New York since Lucas had saved her from Billy so long ago, and getting to enjoy this with Susan was something she had never thought she would be able to do. Lucas and Eryn held each other close and Alice held Jaidyn up so he could see everything. After the celebration was over they waited for the streets to be clear and they flew back to the penthouse. Everyone got settled for the night and the kids were put to bed so that they could all sneak out to find food. Alice and Krystal headed out first
, quickly moving through the city searching for prey, and they found their meal in a pair of criminals in the process robbing a store. The two of them quickly snuck into the store while the criminals were in the middle of demanding money from the clerk, and then snatched them up so quickly the owners saw nothing more than a blur and then their guns falling to the floor. They carried them swiftly into a nearby alley, drained them, and disposed of their bodies afterward. When they returned back to the penthouse, Lucas took Eryn up into the skies to enjoy the moonlight before they went to search for food. Together they stopped a woman from being attacked in the park and saved a police officer from being killed, and they never left a trace they had been there.
They returned home the next week and Lucas went back to work on finalizing the plans for the wedding and working on his novels. He spent his days working or playing with Jaidyn, and his nights talking with Alice or with Eryn in his arms. Eryn would often find him in the library writing and she would sit in his lap with her arms around him as he wrote. He began to start teaching Jaidyn during the day since he wasn’t going to school. He taught him about earth’s art, history, and sciences and he taught him several different languages and taught him to cook different cuisines. He taught him how to defend himself as he had done with Alice, and he taught him how to be a gentleman. While he would spend time with Jaidyn during the day Eryn would read Lucas’s novels or sneak nearby to watch Lucas with him. Each day as she watched how close Lucas and Jaidyn became she fell more and more in love with him. She would often catch him looking at her while he would write and she would see how he much loved her when she listened to his thoughts. He was absolutely and undeniably in love with her, and not a day went by that he didn’t tell her. She had never known anyone like him and she had never been with anyone that loved her like he did, or looked at her the way he did. Jaidyn adored Lucas and they were partners in crime. They shared all sorts of imaginary adventures while Lucas taught him all about the world. Jaidyn and Alice became the cutest big sister and little brother team, and she played with him every night before dinner. She would chase him around the manor, play with him in the pool, or push him on the swings on the playground. Every day they seemed to grow closer to being like a normal human family would be, and Lucas enjoyed it.
When the big day finally arrived, Lucas was on edge all day. Alice sensed it and went to calm him down. “Daddy, are you ok?” she asked. “I’m scared little one, and I’ve never been scared of anything. I want everything to be perfect for her, I need it to be perfect for her” he said as his voice trembled. “Why does it have to be so perfect daddy? I’ve never seen you stressed like this” she replied. “It has to be perfect for her, because she’s perfect for me” he replied. “Daddy, that is so sweet. Everything is going to be fine, and she’ll love it” Alice replied. “I hope so little one” Lucas replied. Lucas took a breath and forced himself to calm down. He had done everything he could, planned every single detail, and there was nothing left to do. All that was left to do was to marry the girl of his dreams. The ceremony started and everything went perfectly just as he had hoped for. Susan was a flower girl and Jaidyn was the ring bearer, and they were both adorable together. Alice stood on Eryn’s side beside the queen and the king stood beside Lucas to act as his best man. Everyone fell silent and they stood up when Eryn entered into view as the music signaled her entrance. She was a vision in white, and she was the most beautiful bride anyone had ever seen. It was like seeing an angel walking on a cloud, and she was so stunning that Lucas was moved to tears. It was the happiest day of his life, and she felt the same way as him, and it was everything he had hoped and dreamed for. He watched as she walked down the aisle towards him, and it was as if she were floating as she stepped towards him. The ceremony was beautiful, and they had both decided to write their own vows. Lucas took Eryn’s hands and recited his vows to her. “I promise to love you forever and to never let you go. I promise to never let you face anything alone and to always be by your side through the darkest of nights. I promise to always kiss you goodnight and to fall in love with you all over again each and every day. I promise to share everything with you, and to never let you feel unloved or unwanted. I promise to love you, always and forever” he said as tears began to roll down his cheeks. She reached up and wiped away his tears and took his hands, and recited her vows to him. “I promise to never let you go to bed alone and to always be your light in the dark. I promise to always be by your side to face anything and everything with you that comes our way. I promise to love you unconditionally and to strive to always make you as happy as you’ve made me. I promise to be there for you as you have always been there for me and to never let you face a battle alone. I promise to be with you and love you forever and to never let the spark between us die. I promise to love you, always and forever” she said as she too began to cry. He smiled at her and wiped her tears away and he took her hands again as he looked deeply into her eyes as she looked into his. The officiant concluded the ceremony and everyone stood to their feet as they were announced as husband and wife.
As the ceremony concluded everyone headed inside the manor for the reception. They had converted the dining room into a ball room and they shared their first dance together. Lucas shared a dance with Alice and they talked as they danced. “Everything was beautiful daddy, it was absolutely amazing. I hope one day I can find a man that looks at me the way you look at Eryn, and you can help me plan my wedding” Alice said. “I’d be happy to help you do that Alice, I always dreamed of the day you would find love and I could give you away” he replied. “Daddy how did you know Eryn was the one for you?” she asked. “It was easy little one. I looked into her eyes and saw everything I ever wanted. I looked into her eyes and saw my future. I looked into her eyes and my heart told me I was home” he replied. “So how do you find that?” she asked. “You don’t little one. Love like that finds you when you least expect it, and you just have to be open to it. For so long it was right in front of me and I didn’t see it, and then I was too scared to admit it. It was my best friend who knew all of my secrets and trusted me completely and was with me through everything. We were the place we felt safest in the world for each other, and that’s not something you just find little one, you have to build that with someone” Lucas replied. “Daddy she’s lucky to have someone like you. You’re amazing, and the way you look at her is so sweet and romantic” Alice said. “No little one, I’m the lucky one. Fate saw to it to send me the love of my life when it gave me my best friend back, and I couldn’t be happier” he replied. “Do you mind if I steal your father away Alice?” Eryn asked. “I don’t mind at all mom. I’m happy for the two of you. Congratulations!” she said as they hugged each other. “Thank you Alice, I couldn’t be happier. Your father makes me happier than I could have ever imagined I could be” Eryn said to her. “You make him happy too Eryn, more than I’ve ever seen him before in my whole life. I’m glad you both found each other again” she replied. “He makes me feel the exact same way Alice, and I am beyond happy that I have him back again” Eryn replied as Lucas took her into his arms and they began to dance. Alice smiled as she watched her father move across the dance floor with a smile on his face she hadn’t seen before, and it made her happy to know that he had Eryn.
