Chapter 31: epilogue | lemon and lavender

Love is blind.

- Unknown

_________________________

Four years later.

- L I L A -

"Are you really going to catch me?"

Staring at Matthew with a weary expression, I watched as a lazy smile made its way on his beautiful face. His arms were outstretched but the smile turned into a slightly humorous smirk.

"Yes, but I'll pretend that I'm going to lose my footing just so you have a reason to kiss me better."

"Matthew!" I exclaimed, gripping onto the sides of the ladder. "This isn't funny!"

He released a loud laugh with a teasing expression plastered on his face. "Lila, it's just a ladder. I'll even hold it in place."

"I'm still scared to come down."

Sighing, Matthew placed his foot on the first rung, slightly laughing as he shook his head. "I'm only doing this because I love you."

I gripped the metal tightly as he came right behind me, his hand curling around my hip as he held me as steadily as he could. "All you have to do is come down with me."

Moving my leg the same time he did, it was a slow and gradual descent until my feet were placed on the ground. Turning around, I brought him into a hug.

"Why were you climbing the ladder in the first place?" he murmured into my hair, his arms around my waist.

"I wanted to get rid of my fear of heights."

He snorted. "And did you?"

"Definitely not."

He pulled back, his hand whipping an errant strand of my hair behind my ear as he pressed a delicate kiss to my forehead. "We have to go soon. My brother is going to meet us at the airport."

Since Matthew and I had graduated university a couple days ago, his brother decided to take us out on a little holiday, and apparently, along with his brother, they had coordinated the whole thing.

"Have you finished packing?" I asked, my arms around his waist as I pressed a short kiss to his mouth.

"Almost," he muttered against my lips, trying to kiss me as I turned my head to look at his opened suitcase. All the clothes had been neatly folded, and it looked highly organised.

"Wow," I grinned, missing his advancing lips again. "I thought you'd be finished before me."

On purpose once again, I tilted my head at the last second, a brief laugh falling from my lips as Matthew sighed.

Cupping the sides of my face, he gave me a playful smile as he shook his head softly. "I know my aim isn't off, you're purposely moving."

Raising my eyebrows, I smirked. "What about if I don't want to kiss you?"

Snorting, his grey eyes shone with mirth. "Then I wouldn't kiss you." He answered, giving me a pointed look. "But, if all the begging from last night is anything to go on, I know you won't feel that way for long."

My jaw dropped and he left me speechless as he pecked me on the cheek, picking up his white cane and giving me a dangerously smouldering look.

"You let me know when you want me to kiss you," he smiled sweetly. "I'm going to finish packing."

---

Toby laid across our feet, sleeping soundly as Matthew's fingers played with mine softly. My head rested on his shoulder whilst I watched a movie on the screen in front of me, and the fingers on his free hand skimmed a book written in Braille.

When I tilted my head slightly, my eyes glided over to him and I felt a small smile climb across my face as he bit his bottom lip gently. His eyes turned to mine and he smiled infinitesimally.

"Is my face more interesting than the movie?" he asked quietly, intertwining our fingers.

"Definitely." I answered quickly, grinning when he pressed a small kiss to my nose. My lips skimmed his ear as he leaned back. "Are you going to kiss me now?"

"I don't know," he bit his lip again, and I knew if I played it right, he would be biting mine. "Are you going to curve me again?"

Pressing my hand to the cheek furthest from me, I pulled him closer and placed a hard kiss to his mouth. He smiled against me, softly latching onto my bottom lip with his teeth.

"I told you you wouldn't last long," he giggled, giving me a short kiss. "I'm always right with this sort of thing."

Laughing momentarily, I pulled back and watched my movie for the remainder of the flight.

When we had finally arrived in Athens, I was practically buzzing with excitement. The sun was blazing down and there was a certain smell in the air that I could only associate with foreign countries.

"This is our first holiday abroad together." I blurted out with a slight expression of realisation flitting across my features.

Matthew set his suitcase down on the hotel floor, opening his arms for me to step into. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I rested my head on his chest, feeling it rise and with every breath.

"We've been together for 5 years," he softly whispered into my hairline, placing a kiss there. "And you've made me so happy ever since the accident."

Tilting my head up, I glanced at the slightly faded scar on his neck, pressing my lips to it. "I love you, Matthew."

"I'm the luckiest man in the world."

_____

The next day, Matthew laid across from me, sleeping on his side as his arm was draped over my waist, his long eyelashes just about brushing his cheekbones as he emitted soft breaths through his rosy lips.

"You know," he murmured sleepily, his voice husky. "Even though I'm blind, I can tell when you're staring."

A soft smile made its way onto my face. "Yeah? Well, I can't keep my eyes off you."

He huffed a laugh through his nostrils, smiling blissfully. "I would so kiss you if I didn't have morning breath."

His arm pulled me closer and he laid a quick kiss to my forehead before sitting up against the headrest. I watched him quietly as he ran a hand through his messy hair, scooping his white cane before he placed it back down, rendering me with a heart-stopping grin.

"There are benefits to not using my cane or Toby," he stood up and held out a hand. "Lead me to the bathroom?"

Crawling across the bed, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he gave me a hug, taking my feet off the floor as he held me to him. My red hair fell over my shoulder, and he stared down at me with his bottom lip in his mouth.

"I'm so in love with you." He murmured against my cheek, kissing it softly before pulling back.

Cradling his face, I leaned in to kiss him, but he moved his head back, shaking his head with a soft laugh. "I'm going to brush my teeth and clean up, get ready."

"Where are we going?" I asked excitedly, watching a smile climb its way onto his face as we began to walk to the bathroom.

"To the beach." He grinned widely whilst biting his lip, something he only did when he was nervous. "I'm so excited."

"Why?" I questioned, giving him a small smirk. "Because of what I'm going to wear?"

"I can't even see you," he chuckled, his shoulders shaking lightly as he accurately placed a kiss under my jaw. "But, that doesn't mean I can't use my other senses."

Slapping his shoulder, I grinned when he laughed loudly, leaving him when he began to take his clothes off. "Only you would say something like that."

When he emerged from the bathroom with a plushy, white towel wrapped tightly around his waist, I couldn't help but stare. When we were in high school he was toned and good looking, but four years later, he never ceased to amaze me with how beautiful he was. Both inside and out.

With a light summer dress over my bikini, I sat ready in front of him as he changed into a shirt and shorts. Even in the simplest of clothing, he looked amazing.

He held his hand out to me, and as soon as my hand touched his, he tugged me upwards and cupped my cheeks as he laid a breathtaking kiss on my lips.

His forehead rested on mine as he breathed out softly, bringing my bottom lip with him as he pulled back. "Your kisses are so addictive." And without even allowing me to respond, he grabbed onto my hand, lightly pushing me to lead the way downstairs. "Let's go."

Upon arriving at the beach, we were greeted by Matthew's brother, Wyatt, and his wife and son. Matthew's nephew was beyond adorable, he was nearly six and had to be the cutest thing ever.

"Lila!" he exclaimed, running towards me with his tiny legs and wrapping his arms around mine.

"Hey, Tobias." I smiled, lifting him into my arms as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Mommy said that uncle Matthew wanted to-"

"Tobias!" Yara, his mom, interrupted in a shocked manner, her eyes wide as Tobias rendered his mom with a cute, pointed look.

"Mom!" he responded in a more mimicked way, giving me a smile that reminded me of Matthew. "I wanted to say that-"

"Alright," Wyatt intervened, walking towards me with a soft smile. "How about we go get that ice cream now, buddy?"

Tobias' attention was immediately drawn to his dad, and he released his hold on me and reached forward to go into his dad's arms. "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"

Matthew brushed his hand on my arm, linking our fingers as he gave me a small smile. He wasn't wearing his glasses, so when the sunlight hit his stormy grey eyes, I vaguely saw flecks of blue. He had my attention for the entire time Wyatt and Tobias were gone.

"You two are so in love, it's cute." Yara commented, pulling me from my reverie and capturing Matthew's attention.

He placed his white cane on the sand, wrapping his arms around my waist before pulling me close. "Well, I do love her a lot."

Warmth flooded my cheeks and I met Yara's eyes with a shyness I was surprised by. She gave a smile as I nuzzled into his chest.

As soon as Wyatt returned with Tobias, Matthew stepped back from me, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. "We're going to leave you girls to it."

Drawing my eyebrows close, I gave him a slightly puzzled look. "Where are you going?"

Giving me a small smile, Matthew shrugged his shoulders. "I have to help Wyatt with something, we'll be back later, though."

Without waiting for a response, Matthew left Yara and I to our own devices. "This totally calls for a spa day. These knots in my back aren't going to loosen by themselves."

_____

After a day of pampering, nighttime was slowly setting over the beautiful sky. Athens was truly beautiful, but that thought scattered when my stomach grumbled obnoxiously.

Despite the fact that Yara and I had snacked throughout the day, we had yet to eat a proper meal.

"They're back at the hotel," Yara murmured as we were seated in a taxi, turning her phone screen off before rendering me with an excited smile. "Wyatt's planning to propose to me again."

My eyes slightly bulged. "How do you know?"

"Well," she began, her brown eyes filled with love. "There was this beautiful ring in his suitcase, and this whole week he's been reminding of how he proposed to me for the first time. I think he wants to renew our vows."

I could only dream of that happening to me. Matthew and I occasionally talked about marriage, but the one deep conversation we had a couple months ago had me thinking of actually being Mrs Lane.

"Wyatt is such a hopeless romantic." I gushed.

"So is Matthew," Yara laughed. "I guess it runs in the family."

Rolling down the car window, I glanced at the pure excitement that was etched on Yara's face. She couldn't wait to get into the hotel, and knowing how loving their family was, I knew Matthew and I would be there to witness it.

When we entered the hotel, the jovial hotel manager met us with a grin. "Your husband has reserved the VIP restaurant for tonight for you two lovely ladies. Just follow me."

I wasn't surprised that Wyatt was able to afford this because he was a highly successful lawyer. A light blush scattered across my cheeks, and I nudged Yara softly with my elbow. "Look out for baby number two."

Her golden skin flooded with warmth and she laughed as she twisted her fingers together.

The excitement hit its peak when Wyatt's suit clad figure came into view, a bouquet of red roses in his hand. I hung back as she walked over to him, but Wyatt didn't hand her the flowers. Instead, he walked over to me, and placed them in my hands.

"This isn't our night, Lila." He grinned happily. "It's yours."

Shock overwhelmed me and my mouth opened as I zeroed in on the petals that were laid out on the floor, leading to a part of the room that I couldn't see.

Yara stood beside him, her hands pressing gently on my shoulders. "Your boyfriend is back there."

My feet moved of their own accord, and I felt nervous as I followed the petals. My heart was beating erratically and I'm sure that I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.

When Matthew came into view, he was standing in front of a candlelit dinner, wearing a suit that made him look much more ravishing than the food. I ambled towards him and at the sound of my footsteps, he removed his glasses, folding them and placing them in his pocket.

"Hi," he softly spoke, his grey eyes focusing on nothing in particular as his hand reached out to me.

Without hesitating, I took his hand and couldn't help the smile that graced my features. "Hi."

His other hand caressed my cheek softly as his lips pressed to my cheek. He took a deep breath and bit his lip nervously before I watched him slowly go down on one knee.

I gasped and my eyes widened as I fully realised what was happening. This was our night because Wyatt wasn't proposing to Yara, Matthew was proposing to me.

That was confirmed as soon as he took out the ring. The very beautiful ring.

"Lila Reed, I'm head over heels in love with you. I know I can drone about all reasons why I love you, but we'd be here forever if I did that. This is probably the most honest speech I'll ever give because I mean every word of it. You're the love of my life, and everyday I feel so lucky to have met you in the bakery when we were teenagers. I thought I'd never have another girlfriend again after what happened with Vanessa, but you captivated me that day, and I knew you were the one for me from the second you asked if I was deaf. We've had a lot of ups and downs, but we both pulled through it together, and after being with you for five years, I realised I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore, I want to be a lot more than that because I love you with everything in me."

"You've been my rock ever since the accident, and you've made me so much happier since then. I know for a fact that I could never love anyone as deeply as I love you because you completely have my heart. Me being blind never stopped you from giving me a chance and falling in love with me and I'm going to be forever grateful that we always found our way back to each other. So I just have one question. Will you marry me, Lila?"

Throughout his whole sentimental speech, my eyes had watered immensely, and I was very close to crying. He gripped the box in his hand tightly, hope evident in his eyes as he looked up at me.

"Matthew," I let go of his hand and his smile faltered just a little bit. "I can't. I'm-I'm just not ready yet."

He bit into his bottom lip and released a shaky breath. "Really?" he inquired, standing up from his kneeling position.

I cupped his face, seeing the defeated expression climb its way onto his features, a frown replacing the grin. "I'm sorry, Matthew." I apologised, taking the box from him before shutting it, and placing it in his hand. "I'm so sorry for messing with you."

I felt bad about my little stunt and Mathew visibly relaxed, releasing a deep breath before laughing. "I don't know what I'd do if you were serious."

"I love you just as deeply, Matthew. Ask me again." I smiled, pressing my lips to his for a passionate kiss.

Pulling away from me, his forehead rested against mine as he took the ring in between his fingertips. "Will you marry me?"

"A thousand times yes."

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