Time of Our Lives

*Dakota’s POV*

“I can’t believe you’re making me do this.” I said as I turned off the engine.

I stared up at the small house. My old home, where everything use to be perfect before my parent’s divorce. I swallowed. A hand covered my own. “I’m not making you do anything. You’re choosing to do this.” He brought my hand up, kissing the back of it. “Plus, I thought we agreed that as long as I got to introduce you to my parents you would introduce me to your mother as your fiancé.”

I sighed some. “Well, your parents were a little more accepting to the idea.”

Louis smiled. “I think they know just how happy you make me. Now, come on, let’s prove to your mother just how strong of a girl you’ve become!”

He gave my hand a squeeze before opening the car door to step out. Seeing how I wasn’t moving he stuck his head in. “What’s the hold up?”

I stuck my tongue out before opening the driver’s side door. I stepped out, beginning to walk up toward the steps to the porch. Louis was right behind me as I walked up to the door. “I’m seriously regretting ever making that deal with you.” I said, staring at the door.

Louis gave me one of his little smiles before reaching ahead of me, pushing the button for the doorbell. We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home.” I said quickly, ready to leave. Louis grabbed my arm, keeping me from moving. I pouted as we waiting for a moment.

The door slowly opened, revealing my mother’s face. She’s changed so much since the last time I’ve seen her. Her hair was full of gray and her face seemed more sullen and sunken in. I swallowed some. She stared down at me, taking in my looks. Looks of confusion flashed before her face before she finally recognized me. “Dakota.”

“Mom? Who is it?” I heard another familiar voice ask.

My brother, two years older than I was, someone who I haven’t seen since the last time I’ve seen my mother, stuck his head out, curious. His eyes landed on me, as if he knew who I was immediately. He came flying out the door and pulled me into a hug. “Sis!”

I could already feel the tears welling up in my eyes. “Bub…” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him and put my head to his shoulder.

I forgot just how tall my brother was whenever he set me on my feet. He must’ve gotten taller in my absence, he seemed to be about 6’6 now. A head and a half taller than me and a good head taller than Louis. “You must be Louis.” Bub said, reaching out to shake hands with him. “Thanks for calling before coming down.”

I blinked at him. “You called?”

“I had to warn somebody.” He shrugged. He offered a small smile. He looked up toward my mother, who just stood at the threshold, not saying anything.

He took a step forward, holding out a hand. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Louis Tomlinson. I’m not sure if you know me already, but it seems I’ve caused a stricken relationship between you and your daughter. What happened three years ago with that magazine, I take full responsibility. I was careless upon trying to take care of your daughter, but I learned my lesson then.”

“You were the boy on that cover?” She asked, staring down at his hand.

Louis seemed awkward holding his hand out like that, but he kept it there, determined for her to acknowledge him. “Yes, ma’am.”

“And you take full responsibility?”

Louis nodded, keeping his eyes on her. She cocked her head, ready for questioning. “Tell me, Mr. Tomlinson. Was anything in that magazine that was said true then?”

Louis shook his head. “No, ma’am. All of it was false. There was never an affair going on. Not then, not now.”

“Okay…” She thought for a moment. “But tell me, why do I see matching engagement rings on both of your hands?”

“Well, you see…” He started.

I decided it was now I should step in. Louis was right, I had to be brave and be honest with myself. I took Louis’s free hand into my own. “Mom… we’re engaged.” I said, looking up at her. “That is why we’re here.”

I felt his hand squeeze tightly with mine. My mother seemed to notice this. “What good will the news bring me?”

“Mom!” my brother spoke. “I don’t understand why you keep doing this. Sis is here to obviously make amends with you, something you wanted to happen so long ago, and upon seeing her here with this man you’re still trying to push her away.”

She clenched her jaw as she stared at my brother for a brief second. My brother came up to my other side, taking my hand. “I’ll just go ahead and say this right now. She knows everything that was said in that magazine isn’t true even though she believed it then. Mom does truly love you, but it was the fact that you kept blowing her off and not see her that got her angry and upset, making her say those things to you. She thought she was doing you a favor, but I suppose not.”

I looked up, shocked to hear the words. She was looking away, anywhere but at us. “Mom…” I started, feeling the emotions starting to rise. She looked back at me, eyes slightly pained seeing the look on my face. “I really miss you. And no matter what has happened in the past, you’re still my mother and I love you. It was wrong of me not to be honest with you, but I was just a stupid teenager that was being rebellious toward her mother because of the stuff that has happened in the past. Excuses can’t fix that now, but Louis brought me here to help make amends and even personally invite you to our wedding that will be coming up soon. I know you and Dad don’t get along at all, but I still want both of my parents there and I’ll arrange seating or anything to keep you two apart if I have to. I really want you to come…”

The tears were falling and Louis kept a tight grip on my hand. I really appreciated him being here. I looked at my mother, seeing the tears already filling her eyes. “Oh, honey…” She started as she stepped out of the door.

My brother let go of my hand, as did Louis whenever my mother came to me and put her arms around me. “I’m at fault to. I’m such a terrible mother.”

I held her tight. “You’re not a terrible mom. No what has happened between us, you’ve only done so because you wanted to protect me.”

She invited us into the house right after that. She shook hands with Louis and the two of them began to talk. My mother was a high religious woman, something she caught onto whenever she remarried to my stepdad. He wasn’t exactly happy to see us there, but after seeing my mother smiling and sitting beside me, he seemed to settle down some. They didn’t seem especially happy whenever we were flat-out honest with them saying that we didn’t practice the bible in the way they did, we debated for a bit but my mother calmed down my stepdad. She was really starting to understand me. She knew she raised her daughter right and trusted me to make the right decisions in life.

She was curious about everything though, how Louis and I met and the events that led up to now. I was pretty honest about everything, not leaving a single detail out. She even asked Louis about some of the stuff we experienced with each other. He even told her how he had to work to get me to go out with him. “She was scared, but I think I changed that.”

His hand found mine, squeezing tightly. For the while we spoke until it started to get late and we had to catch a plane. “You’re everywhere these days.” Mom said, hugging me. “I see you on TV all the time with that friend of yours.”

I smiled. Kariann and I often worked together on projects. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, sweetie. Stay in touch, okay?”

“I’ll call as often as I can.” I said, smiling.

“And that boy…” She whispered into my ear. “I’m not so sure about my husband, but I think he’s a keeper. I love his voice.”

I grinned. Don’t even get me started on that. “I’ll call you when we land, okay?”

She nodded, waving me bye.

Everything seemed to fast-forward after that. I got to speak to my mother more often and I often found myself talking about what work was like. She never knew what I went to college for and she got the gist. It seemed like a lot of fun to her, and I told her it was as long as I got to work with the people I liked. She even went to listen to some songs I produced in studios, claiming she loved them. It made me happy how even though everything that has happened between us was something we could count as a part of the past. I found myself forgiving her for whatever she has done. I just wanted to be with my mother, whatever mistakes she made.

The wedding went great. It was on the beach, something Louis wanted. It was at the very same place Kariann and Harry had their honeymoon, where Louis confessed his feelings for me, and where so many emotions lingered in the air. This would be our honeymoon too. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was where Bonnie and Niall would marry, if they ever hurry up and do so.

Now everyone was gone and Louis and I were alone as we walked down the pier to check out the familiar shops. “You two!”

Louis and I jumped, looking over. A grin came across our faces as we saw a familiar older lady as she waved her hands in the air. “My, you two are together still! I’m so happy! I knew it was you two the moment I laid my eyes on those bracelets.”

Yes, we still had on our matching anklets. Louis’s blue with my orange. We smiled at the lady as she sat down in her seat. “I play a pretty good match-maker, eh? Look how smitten you two are!”

I started laughing as Louis spoke. “Thank you for these. I’m not sure what would happen if we never got these.”

The lady waved her hand to brush away the thank you. “I saw your wedding, no need to be so nice. I’m glad to see a happy, young couple around.”

“You were at our wedding?” Louis asked, looking at me.

I smiled. “I invited her. I didn’t see you there though. Where were you?”

The lady smiled. “Up on the pier. My old body can’t handle those steps anymore. Even so, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It reminded me of my own wedding when I was younger.”

“He must’ve been a lucky man.” Louis said.

The lady laughed. “Oh, please, don’t flatter him like that. He was so slow on things. It took him two years to even realize that I was in love with him.”

“What made him realize?” I asked, curious.

The lady grinned. “I think the kissing did the trick.”

“Doesn’t it always?” Louis asked. He looked over at me, which made me roll my eyes at him.

She laughed.

That was it. There was nothing left to be said. Our lives were one now and we had so much to look forward to in the future. Our careers, possibly a family, love. Everything. We were one step closer to reaching to the peak of our lives. I never wanted to let go of any of this. The ring that was on my finger was proof of everything. It showed the hardships Louis and I faced together, all the solutions we’ve come across, and the mere fact that we belonged to each other.

He was all I ever needed. For now anyways, later on, that may change.