The Hardest Thing

Chapter Nine: The End

© 2003

A couple of days later, Emily had to head back to New

York. Both Courtney and Dylan was sad to see her

leave, but Emily promised to visit again soon. The

very sam day Emily left, Courtney received Jason’s

letter. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she read his

words over and over again. Her heart screamed at her,

telling her to just go to him and let herself be

happy. Her head kept telling herself that it was still

too soon. She needed some advice. Courtney put Dylan

in his car seat and headed to Carly’s with Jason’s

letter.

They sat on the patio as the boys played in the

sprinklers and little Maddy slept in her play pin

beside them. Carly read the letter twice before

setting it down. She looked at Courtney with a sad

smile.

“He still love you very much.”

“I know,” Courtney whispered.

“Do you still love him?”

Courtney didn’t wipe the tears that began to fall,

“Yes.” Carly leaned across the table, taking her hand

in hers.

“Then why are you making both him and yourself

miserable, sweetie?” Carly paused for a moment,

“Zack’s gone. He was a good man, a good husband, a

good father, but he’s gone. There’s nothing you can do

to bring him back, and you can’t change what happened

before he died. Okay, so you blame yourself for not

loving him enough and never truly giving him your

heart. Honey, that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“But our entire marriage was a lie. He believed in our

love Carly, but I didn’t.”

“Your marriage was not a lie. You might not have loved

him as much as he loved you Courtney, but you did love

him. Zack wasn’t stupid, okay. I’m sure he had to know

that there was part of yourself that you kept tucked

away that no one could see or touch. He was content

with the love you gave him Courtney. He was happy.”

“You don’t think it’s horrible of me to want to go to

another man’s arms just month’s after his death?”

“It’s been seven months now Courtney. Zack would want

you to be happy, and he would want you to find a good

man to help you raise Dylan.”

“I know he would. I just….I guess I feel guilty

because after all the love he gave me and Dylan and

the love that I refused him, he’s the one who’s no

longer here. It just doesn’t seem fair Carly.”

Carly had finally had about enough, “Alright Court,

this is how it is. You’ve been carrying this guilt

around in you since mine and Sonny’s wedding. It’s

time you let go of it. You’ve worn it long enough. You

have to move on with your life and stop dwelling on

the past and look to the future you can have with

Jason. He’s the man you’ve always loved and he’s the

man you can have if you stop feeling sorry for

yourself and just get over it!”

Courtney stared at Carly wide-eyed, surprised at her

sudden outburst. She suddenly burst into a fit of

giggles, “So tell me how you really feel Carly.” Carly

couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted everything out

like that, but it was all true. You’ve mourned enough

and you’ve carried the guilt around too long already.

It’s time you rejoin the land of the living. Take my

word for it, it’s a lot more fun there.”

“You’re right, I know you are. I need to get on with

my life, not just for me, but for Dylan too.”

“Of course I’m right. I’m always right.”

Courtney laughed, “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“So are you going to call Jason?”

“I don’t want to jump into something Carly. I think

taking things slow is the way to go. We really need to

get to know each other again. We’ve been apart for so

long, and I know we’ve both changed.”

“That’s the smart approach, but I’ve always been one

to jump in head first.”

“I know, and it might be different if it wasn’t for

Dylan. I just have to think of him first.”

Carly nodded, “Yeah, that’s true. I’m just so proud of

you for taking the next step. I just know this is the

right thing for you to do.”

“I hope you’re right Carly.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Over the next few weeks, Courtney and Jason emailed

each other back and forth and even shared several

phone called. They quickly learned that neither one

had changed much over their time apart. Jason couldn’t

be more thrilled with Courtney’s decision and

completely understood Courtney’s need to take things

slowly.

Before they knew it, it was time for school to start.

Courtney found it easy to adjust to the new school,

and she completely loved the children that were in her

class. Courtney and Jason spent more and more time

talking, and she realized that her feelings for him

only grew stronger over the years. The time apart did

nothing to change them. Jason even began to talk to

Dylan on the phone. Sometimes he talked to him longer

than he talked to her. Dylan began to ask her all the

time when Jason was going to come see them, but

Courtney never knew how to answer him. Was it too soon

still, or was the time right? But the time finally

came when she had to answer that question, she had to

answer to Jason.

“Hello?”

“Hey beautiful. How was your day?”

Courtney smiled, her heart immediately warming at the

sound of his voice, “Hey. It was wonderful. We finger

painted today in class. It was a lot of fun.”

“Sounds like it.”

“What about you?”

“My day was mostly filled with meetings. Boring stuff.

Where’s the little man?”

“He’s over at Carly and Sonny’s. Jake wanted him to

spend the night.”

“It’s good that he has someone his age around.”

“Yeah. They’ve been so good for each other. They’re

practically inseparable.”

Jason was silent for a moment, “Court, I have

something to ask you. I don’t want to be pushy or

anything, but I just think it’s time for us.”

“For us to what?”

“It’s time for me to come back home and see you guys.

I want to meet Dylan again and I want to see you. It’s

been too long.” Courtney remained silent for a moment.

She knew he was right. He needed to get to know Dylan

and Dylan needed to really get to know him. “Courtney,

are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. You’re right. It’s time we all meet

again.”

“Would it be okay if I flew in this weekend? We could

take Dylan trick-or-treating.”

Courtney smiled at the thought of them taking Dylan

door to door in his adorable little costume, “It

sounds wonderful.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can’t wait to see you Jason. I’ve missed you

so much.”

“Oh, Courtney. I’ve missed you too. You just don’t

know how happy you just made me.”

For the rest of the week, Courtney was a basket case.

She wanted everything to be perfect when Jason came.

She made sure everything was spotless, including

Dylan’s room. Courtney wanted to meet Jason at the

airport, but he insisted that she stay at home and

just wait for him to arrive. She stood in front of the

mirror, checking her hair and make-up for the hundreth

time. Dylan watched his mother pace back and forth

across the living room floor with a confused

expression on his little face.

“Mommy, what wrong?”

“I’m just a little nervous baby. It’s been a long time

since I saw Jason.”

He smiled at the mention of his name, “Jason say we go

trick-treat.”

“That’s right sweetie. When Jason gets here, we’re

going to go trick-or-treating.” Courtney jumped when

there was a knock at her door. She smoothed down her

hair before opening the door. A bright smile spread

across her face when she saw Jason standing in front

of her. She quickly fell into his arms, hugging him

tight.

“It’s so good to hold you again,” he whispered into

her hair, breathing in her scent.

“I missed you so much,” she fought the tears that

threatened to fall. Jason pulled away slight, leaning

his forehead against hers.

“Hey, no more tears okay? I’m here, we’re together.”

She nodded her head in reply, knowing she wasn’t able

to speak at that moment. He gently brushed his lips

across hers, feeling them tremble beneath his touch.

He couldn’t seem to get enough of her taste, her

smell. Once he was able to get a grip on his own

emotions, he turned and saw Dylan sitting quietly on

the couch looking up at him with Courtney’s blue eyes.

Jason smiled down at him, kneeling to his level. “So

this is Dylan. Have you been taking good care of your

Mommy little man?” Dylan nodded anxiously, a big smile

on his face. “That’s my little man. I’m Jason.”

“Hey Jason, we go trick-treat now?” Jason laughed

softly.

“That depends. Can I get a hug first?” Dylan smiled

shyly as he walked towards Jason, putting his little

arms around his neck hugging him tight. “Boy, that’s a

good hug.” When Dylan finally let go, Jason looked him

up and down to inspect his costume. “I love your

costume.”

Dylan smiled proudly, “It Scobby-Doo.”

“It is? Scobby-Doo is the best.” Dylan nodded happily.

Jason stood with Dylan in his arms, “Are we ready go

to trick-or-treating Mommy?”

“Don’t you want to get settled in first?”

“That can wait.” Courtney grabbed Dylan’s jacket and

his pumpkin bucket as they headed out the door. They

walked down the streets of their neighborhood going

door to door. Dylan was so cute as he tried to climb

some of the bigger steps that led up to some of the

houses. Jason actually carried him up most of them.

Courtney stood back and watched the two of them

together. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they

were really father and son. Dylan adored Jason from

the moment he spoke to him for the first time, and she

knew Jason always had a soft spot for Dylan since he

was a baby.

On their way back home, Dylan fell asleep in Jason’s

arms. Courtney went to take Dylan from Jason, but he

stopped her.

“Let me,” he whispered. She smiled softly, showing him

the way to Dylan’s room. He gently lay him on the bed,

removed his shoes and dog ears, then pulled the

blankets up over his still sleeping form. He placed a

kiss on his cheek, then Courtney followed suit. They

softly closed the door behind them, careful not to

wake him. Jason put his arm around her shoulders as

they walked back into the living room. “I had such a

good time tonight.”

“He did too. You wore him out.”

They sat down on the couch beside each other. “He

really is a great kid Courtney.”

“I know he is. I love him so much.” They sat there in

silence for a while, “Are you tired?”

Jason smiled sheepishly, “I hate to be a party pooper,

but I’m beat.”

Courtney laughed, “Don’t feel bad. I’m tired myself.”

“So, direct me to my quarter’s madam if you will.”

Courtney took him by the hand and led him to the room

he’d be sleeping in. It was hers. “Are…..are you sure

about this Courtney?”

She nodded her head, wrapping her arms around his

waist, laying her head on his chest. “I just want to

sleep in your arms. It’s been so long.” He held her

close, feeling his heart melt with her admission.

Jason knew nothing was going to happen, and he was

okay with that. He was willing to wait as long as it

took for her to be ready to be with him completely

again. That night, they had the best sleep either of

them had had in all the years they’d been apart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Their weekend together had been magical. Jason was

everything she remembered and more, and Dylan

completely adored him. They spent Saturday afternoon

at Courtney’s parent’s house. Courtney’s parents

couldn’t have been more thrilled, and neither could

Carly and Sonny. They were happy that Courtney was

finally happy. That night, Carly and Sonny kept Dylan

while Jason and Courtney had dinner with Jason’s

family. Everyone in their family had always loved

Courtney with the exception of Edward. Then again,

Edward didn’t love anything except money. He did have

a soft spot for Lila, but everyone that knows Lila

loves her. Monica and Alan were thrilled to see Jason

and Courtney back together. Both of their children had

finally found their happiness.

That night when they returned home from Jason’s

parent’s, they headed to Courtney’s room to change.

Jason quickly pulled off his shirt and began to

unbutton his slacks when he felt Courtney’s hand on

his. He looked up at her in surprise.

“Is something wrong?” Courtney simply shook her head,

leaned forwards and kissed him. When she pulled away,

Jason looked into her eyes questioningly, “Are you

sure you’re ready for this?”

“I want you Jason.” She didn’t need to say anymore.

Jason pulled her hard against his chest, burying his

hands in her abundant blonde locks as his mouth

devoured her own. Courtney moaned softly as his hands

grabbed her ass, pulling her against his already hard

manhood. He wanted to take it slow, but his need for

her was too strong. Jason quickly removed her clothes

and his own then joined her on the bed. His hands

gently caressed her breasts. Courtney let herself get

lost in the pleasure Jason was giving her. No one had

ever made her feel this good. Her hands gripped his

shoulders as he lowered his warm mouth over her

nipple. She gasped, throwing her head back in

pleasure. When she finally opened her eyes, the glint

of the moonlight on her wedding rings brought her back

to reality. Jason felt her tense and looked up at her.

“What’s wrong?” She didn’t answer him. His eyes looked

to see what she was staring at and he knew what was

wrong. Jason had noticed the fact that she still wore

her wedding rings, but he didn’t want her to feel

pressured, so he didn’t say anything. Now he wasn’t so

sure it was a good idea to keep quiet. Especially now.

Courtney looked into Jason’s eyes and she could see

the hurt she had caused him. Hot tears began to stream

down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry Jason.”

“It’s okay. I told you I wasn’t going to push you,” he

looked away, trying to hide the hurt. Courtney gently

caressed his face, wanting him to look at her.

“I want to be with you Jason. I’m just so sorry for

all the pain I’ve caused you….and the pain I’ve put

myself through trying to make up for staying married

to someone I didn’t love out of obligation.”

“But you did love Zack.”

“Not the way I should have, not the way I love you.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “I should

have listened to my heart a long time ago. Who knows

what might have happened if I had? Maybe Zack would

still be here to be a father to Dylan. Maybe I

wouldn’t feel so horrible for loving you.”

“You can’t help who you love Courtney.”

“I know you can’t, but you can help who you hurt. I

never meant to hurt you. How could our lives get so

screwed up?”

“Everything happens for a reason Courtney. Maybe we

had to go through all of this to really realize just

how much we mean to each other. It just makes us

appreciate everything more and not take anything for

granted. Who the hell knows?” He kissed her softly.

“The one thing I know for sure is that I love you more

today than I did yesterday and I completely adore that

little boy. I want us to be a family.”

“I love you Jason,” Courtney smiled at him, feeling a

weight lift from her heart. She felt better than she

had in years. She looked down at her left hand and

removed her rings, placing them on the nightstand

beside her. “We’re finally free Jason. We’re finally

free to love each other.” Jason smiled down at her

before capturing her lips once more. He entered her

slowly, remaining still to allow her to adjust to his

size. Slowly they began moving together in that

perfect rhythm they always had together. After hours

of intense love making, they finally collapsed into

each others arms completely spent.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning when Courtney and Jason arrived at

Carly and Sonny’s to pick up Dylan, Carly could

definitely sense something different about them.

Courtney followed Carly into the kitchen while Jason

and Sonny went outside to watch the kids play.

“Okay, spill it.”

“Last night was so amazing Carly. We made love for

hours,” Courtney blushed slightly. “I even took off my

wedding rings.” Carly gasped in shock, then gave her

sister a big hug.

“I’m so happy for you Courtney.”

“Me too. I feel free for the first time in years. It’s

incredible.” They stood by the window and watched the

men play with the boys. Jason fell into the role of

daddy with such ease. Seeing the men she loved most in

the world together just made her heart swell with

happiness. She looked away for a moment, her happy

smile fading.

“What is it?”

“There is still something that I have to do.”

“What?”

“I have to go back to Florida. I need to say goodbye

to Zack.”

“Honey I thought you’d already said goodbye to him.”

“Not really. This is just something I feel like I need

to do.”

“When are you going to go?”

“In a couple weeks. I’m going to take Dylan with me so

he can see Zack’s parents. I’m going to let them know

we’re coming into town so they can make arrangements

to come in from the Keys.” She could see a worried

expression on Carly’s face. She smiled, trying to

reassure her. “Don’t worry Carly. This is my final

goodbye to Zack. Jason, Dylan, and I are going to be

happy together.” Carly finally smiled. She knew

Courtney knew what she was doing.

After lunch, it was time to take Jason to the airport.

As they waited at the terminal, Jason held Dylan with

one arm, while his other arm pulled Courtney close. “I

miss you already,” Courtney pouted.

“I know. I probably won’t be able to come back until

Emily’s wedding.”

Courtney put on a brave smile, “Two months. We’ve

waited years to be together, what’s two more months

right?”

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“What?”

“When I come back in December, how would you feel if

it was permanent?” Courtney’s eyes widened in

surprise. He could see new tears glistening in their

depths.

“Really?”

“I want us to be together Courtney.”

“Nothing in the world would make me happier.”

“Two months will give me enough time to put in my

notice at the firm, put my apartment up for sale, and

get my own contracting business going here.” Little

Dylan had no clue what the two adults were talking

about. He had been too busy watching the planes out

the window. When he looked back at his mother, he saw

tears running down her cheeks.

“Mommy, why you cry?” Courtney could tell that Dylan

was getting upset because he thought she was sad.

“Don’t worry sweetie. Mommy’s crying because she’s

happy.”

“You ‘appy?”

“Listen buddy, I have to go away for a little while,”

Jason told the toddler. Dylan’s face crumpled into

tears as he buried his face in Jason’s neck, holding

onto him tightly. Courtney couldn’t believe Dylan was

reacting this way. It was making her heart break.

Jason was shocked at the little boy’s outburst and

tried to soothe him. “Shhhh, it’s okay Dylan. I’m

coming back.”

“You weafing me and Mommy.” he continued to sniffle.

“I promise you I’m coming back soon. I’ll talk to you

on the phone every night until I come back okay?”

“Pomiz?”

“I promise.”

“Okay.” Suddenly the boarding for his flight was

announced over the intercom. Jason handed Dylan to

Courtney, hugging them both tightly.

“I love you guys.”

“We love you too. Call me when you get in.”

“I will.” He gave Courtney a quick kiss, kissed

Dylan’s forehead, then boarded his plane. When they

got home from the airport, her phone was ringing.

“Hello?”

“Courtney! Hey, it’s Emily.”

“Hey Em. You’ve got perfect timing.”

“Why’s that?”

“I just got back from dropping Jason off at the

airport.”

“Did you guys have a nice weekend together?”

“It was wonderful. Everything is perfect. He’s moving

back here in December.”

Emily squealed in delight, “I’m so happy for you

guys.”

“Thanks Emily. You’ve always been there for me and I

really appreciate it.”

“Well, you’re my sister Court. I know you’d do the

same for me.”

“You know I would.”

“Good, that’s why I want you to be my maid of honor.”

Courtney was speechless. “Is that a yes?”

“Ye…..yes, of course it is. I’d be honored.”

“I can’t wait to come back home and see you and Dylan

again. How is my little guy?”

“He’s a little upset. Emily, he started crying when

Jason told him he had to go away for a while. It broke

my heart.”

“Are you serious? Poor little guy.”

“Jason was so good with him though. I think he’s going

to be a wonderful father.”

“I know he will. And who know, maybe we’ll be planning

your wedding soon.”

Courtney laughed, “I don’t think we’ll be getting

married anytime soon.”

“Well, you never know.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Probably in a few weeks. I need to have a fitting for

my dress and we need to find one for you.”

“Who else is in your wedding party?”

“Summer, Lucky’s girlfriend. She’s coming too. I think

you’ll like her.”

“I think so too.”

“Well, I just wanted to call and ask you about being

my maid of honor. I’ll call you at the end of the week

to let you know when we’re coming into town.”

“Okay. Take care of yourself Em.”

“I will. Give the cutie a kiss for me.”

“You got it. Bye.”

“Bye Court.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks later, Courtney was back in Florida. Zack’s

parents flew in to meet them in Tallahassee. They were

thrilled to see her and Dylan again. Courtney decided

it was only fair to tell them about Jason. They were

very understanding and knew she had to move on with

her life. They were just happy she had found someone

she loved and someone who Dylan seemed to love just as

much. Saturday morning, Courtney left Dylan with

Zack’s parents and headed to the cemetery. She knelt

in front of his headstone, placing a bouquet of

daisies in front of it. It took her a moment to find

her voice.

“It’s been a while Zack. Dylan’s doing good. He loves

our new home and he loves having his cousin Jake to

play with. He’s gotten so big, which I’m sure you can

tell when you look down on him.” Courtney paused for a

moment, “I’m sure if you’re watching us from above you

know why I’m here. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t the kind

of wife you deserved. I know you were happy with me

and I know you loved me very much, but I couldn’t

return that love. My heart has always belonged to

another. I tried to move on and forget about him, but

I simply couldn’t do it. He was always there between

us, even if you never knew it. When I went home for

Sonny’s wedding I ran into Jason again. All the

feelings that I had worked so hard to push away come

crashing down around me. There was nothing I could do

to stop it. Everything I had been lying to myself

about was true. I still loved him. I almost made love

to him that weekend, and I would have if he hadn’t

stopped me. I’m sure you noticed how I changed when I

got back from my trip. You weren’t stupid, but for

whatever reason you chose not to confront me about it.

I don’t know why you did that and as I look back on it

now I wish you had. Then everything would have been

out in the open and I wouldn’t have had to live with

the guilt I’ve felt all these years. Maybe you would

still be here to watch your son grow up, or maybe you

still would have died in the crash. No one but God

knows what’s in store for us. All I do know for

certain is that Jason was who I was meant to be with.

I’m just sorry that I took what little bit of time you

had on this Earth, when you could have truly been

loved the way you deserved to be loved. I will have to

live with that regret for the rest of my life. You

will always have a piece of my heart Zack, and I

promise to take good care of Dylan. He will know how

much you loved him. I just hope you find some way to

forgive me for everything I’ve put us through. I hope

one day, a long time from now, I see you again. You

were a very special person Zachary Ryan. Goodbye.” She

kissed her hand and placed it atop his headstone

before walking away. Courtney finally closed the door

on her painful past and was ready to open another with

a fresh start with Jason.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next two months went by fairly quickly. Emily and

Summer came in from Manhattan to look for their

dresses. Summer easily fit into their little group of

friends. Before Courtney knew it, it was Christmas

time which means Jason was coming home. She had missed

him so much the two months since he left.

Courtney and Dylan were putting up their tree when

there was a knock at the door. When Courtney opened

it, she was face to face with the man she loved. She

squealed happily and launched herself into his arms.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were

coming in tomorrow.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“It worked. I missed you,” she kissed his lips softly.

“I missed you too. Where’s Dylan?”

“He’s in the living room. We’re putting up our tree.”

They walked into the living room and round Dylan

covering the bottom of the tree in icicles since that

was as far as he could reach. “Dylan, look who’s

here.” Dylan looked over and saw Jason. A huge grin

spread across his face when he saw him. He ran towards

him, and Jason scooped him up into his arms.

“Daddy’s back!” Dylan exclaimed. Courtney and Jason

looked at each other in surprise. Neither one of them

expected to hear him say that.

“Are you okay with that?” Courtney asked. Jason smiled

down at her, then looked at Dylan.

“You bet I’m back buddy. I won’t be leaving you

anymore.”

“Yay!” Dylan laughed as Jason tickled his stomach.

“I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too Courtney, me too.”

The Christmas holidays were extra special that year.

Everyone finally got to meet Nikolas. He was just as

amazing as Emily described and everyone could tell how

much they loved each other. After the craziness of the

holidays, everyone began to prepare for Emily’s

wedding. Lucky, Summer, Luke, Laura, and LuLu came in

for the wedding. Lucky and Jason stood beside Nikolas

as he took Emily to be his bride. The ceremony was

beautiful and Emily looked radiant. As Nikolas and

Emily took their vows, Courtney and Jason’s gaze never

left each other. They knew one day they would stand

there professing their love to one another, making

their union official. Until that day, they would

simply go on loving each other and make each other

happier than they’d ever been.The Hardest Thing

Chapter Ten: Epilogue

© 2003

~*~*~*~*~*~Two Years Later~*~*~*~*~*~

“Push Courtney!” Jason coached as he sat behind her,

supporting her as she worked to deliver their babies.

They had been married for just a little over a year.

“Come on baby, you can do it.”

“Alright Courtney. Just one more push and the first

one will be out,” the doctor said. Courtney took a

deep breath and pushed with everything she had.

Suddenly they heard the cries of their first child.

“Congratulations. It’s a boy.” Courtney wanted so

desperately to hold him in her arms, but she still had

some work to do. She had one more child to deliver.

“Take a deep breath and push Courtney!” Not two

minutes later, they heard the cries of their other

baby. “It’s a girl,” the doctor smiled. She handed her

over to one of the nurses to clean up, while the other

nurse placed their son on her chest.

“Oh, Jason. He’s so beautiful.” Courtney looked up at

Jason with tears in her eyes. He kissed her lips

softly. “So, what’s our son’s name? We had a deal

remember? You’d name the boy and I’d name the girl.”

Jason looked down at his son for a moment, then back

up at his wife.

“Zachary Ryan.” Courtney was shocked at Jason’s words,

but the gesture meant so much to her. She kissed his

lips softly.

“Thank you.” The nurse placed their daughter in

Jason’s arms. He stared down at her in awe. He

couldn’t believe he helped make something so perfect.

“She’s gorgeous Courtney. She looks just like you.”

Courtney laughed softly.

“I look terrible right now.”

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” Jason

smiled down at her. “Now, what is our daughter’s

name?” Courtney sighed heavily.

“Picking out girl names is so much harder than picking

out boy names.” Courtney looked at her daughter as she

lay quietly in her husband’s strong arms. “I wanted to

name her after Emily and Carly, but I couldn’t come up

with a combination of their names that I really liked.

What if we named her Emily Caroline, but we call her

Emmy?”

“I think it’s perfect. They will love the fact that

she’s named after them.”

“Look at our babies, Jason. We created two perfect

little angels.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Because you never stopped loving me, because you gave

me Dylan, and because you helped me create these two

amazing beings. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

A few hours later, a very pregnant Emily and Nikolas

walked in to see them. Emily waddled over to the bed

and gave Courtney a warm hug.

“Em, I can’t believe you came here in your condition.

You can go into labor any day now.”

“I know, but I had to come see my new niece and

nephew. They are so beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“I can’t believe you named her after me and Carly.

That was so sweet of you.”

“Well, you guys have been there for me. I just wanted

to honor you both.”

Emily fought her tears. She was so emotional being so

close to her delivery date, “That’s so sweet.”

“Oh, Nikolas. Make her sit down. I don’t want her to

get all upset. It could make her go into labor.”

“Baby, sit over here and calm down okay. You don’t

want to go into labor early.” Nikolas pulled Emily

over to the chair across the room, and helped her sit.

Carly, Sonny, Jake, Maddy, and Dylan came into the

room next.

“Mommy!” Dylan grinned when he saw her. “I saw my

little brother and sister. They’re so small.”

“Hey sweetie. I know they are. Are you going to help

me take care of them and be a good big brother?”

“You betcha. I’ll protect them. I won’t let anything

happen to them.”

Jason looked over at Dylan with a smile, “That’s

because you’re the best older brother Zack and Emmy

could ever have.”

Dylan blushed slightly, “Daddy, when does Mommy and

the babies get to come home?”

“Probably tomorrow. Are you anxious to have them

home?”

“Yeah.” Everyone laughed at how excited Dylan was over

his new brother and sister. Carly smiled down at

Courtney and took her hand in hers.

“Emily Caroline?”

Courtney smiled, “You like it?”

“I love it. Thank you so much Courtney.”

“You’re welcome. She has quite a name to live up to.”

“She can handle it,” Carly winked.

“They’re beautiful Courtney. I’m so happy for you and

Jason.” Sonny leaned down to place a kiss on her

forehead.

“Thanks Sonny.”

Courtney looked around her hospital room, her heart

swelling with love and pride for everyone in it. She

had fought an uphill battle to finally get where she

was, but everything she went through was worth it. She

had everything she ever wanted, and nothing was ever

going to take away her happiness ever again.