Ally looked into the box and noticed another baby book, this one blue, sitting on top of the pile. She gently picked it up, setting it on top of Faith’s baby book. She opened the first page...

Name: Nathaniel Dylan Paul

Born: June 24th, 2009

Place: Boston General Hospital

Time: 1:30 p.m.

Weight: 6 lbs 5 ounces

Length: 22 inches

She smiled; this birth was a lot more normal. The circumstances she would have preferred Faith to have been born under...

“Get it out of me!!!!” Ally screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Okay, we’re ready for delivery,” the nurse told the doctor.

“This is it honey!” Renee squealed with delight.

“You’re doing great honey!” Larry was holding Ally’s sweaty hand, beaming with pride.

“You shut up!!!” Ally turned her head and glared at him, causing Larry to step back a bit, still holding her hand cause she wouldn’t let it go. “You did this to me! NO MORE SEX!!!” she bellowed as they shoved her over to the delivery room.

Larry looked at her like he’d been traumatized for life and the nurse squeezed his shoulder and whispered, “They always say that, but I usually see them another two or three times,” the nurse let out a lighthearted laugh.

They got Ally propped up in the stirrups and the doctor was ready. “Okay Ally, let’s deliver your baby! Now do me a favor and breath deep,” she did, “now I want you to give me a BIG push.” Ally glared at the doctor and squeezed Larry and Renee’s hands as she pushed with all of her might. Larry groaned in pain and Renee shrieked.

“The head’s out Ally, you’re almost done!!!” Renee was bouncing off the walls.

“Okay Ally, now one more BIG push and we’ll welcome your handsome baby boy into this world.”

Ally nodded and pushed, while squeezing the hands. This time Renee was the one who groaned in pain and Larry was excited.

The doctor pulled the baby and umbilical cord out and Ally let a huge sigh out and rested back against the bed she was lying on. Her face was dripping with sweat and she felt like she just lifted one thousand pound weights with her thighs.

The doctors and nurses cleaned the baby up a bit, Larry got the honors of cutting the umbilical cord, and then they wrapped the child up in a blue blanket and handed him to Ally. “You have a beautiful baby boy,” Ally’s doctor said as she handed the child to a now crying Ally.

She looked up at Larry who now had tears in his eyes as well. “You did it sweetheart,” Larry kissed her forehead and then looked at his son.

Ally was speechless. “He’s so beautiful Larry,” the child took Ally’s finger with his hand and held on for dear life.

Renee took this as her cue to go. “I’m going to go tell everyone else,” and she was gone.

Larry and Ally were just staring at their child, in complete awe at how perfect he seemed.

They looked at each other, “I love you,” they said simultaneously and then smiled and looked back at their little boy.

A tear rolled down Ally’s cheek. Larry was right; until you have a child, you have no idea of the capacity you have to love somebody. She slowly flipped through the rest of the book cooing here and there at little things like footprints, memories of the first steps, words, etc. She set the baby book down on top of Faith’s and reached into the box for more. She pulled out a huge photo album and realized there was another one that filled the box up.

Ally noticed her sudden thirst and decided to grab the two albums and then the Christmas one she set aside earlier and go upstairs to look through them while getting a drink and maybe some lunch in a half hour or so. She pulled all three of them out and stumbled to get up. She walked up the stairs to the first floor of the house slowly, her back tensing up a bit. When she got upstairs, she set the three albums down on the kitchen table, which was almost right in front of her as she exited the basement, having shut the door behind her.

She opened the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of iced tea. She poured some into a glass with a crocheted afghan thing surrounding the bottom half of the glass to hold in the perspiration. Ally took the glass to the table and sat down. A loud clap of thunder diverted her attention out the window. The skies were clouding up and then all of a sudden she saw a flash of lightening, followed by an Earth shattering clap of thunder, causing her to jump slightly.

She smiled as the rain began to fall.

“I love the rain!” Ally exclaimed as she ran outside and started spinning around in circles.

“You silly girl!” Larry called after her, outside with a jacket over his head looking slightly discontented. “It’s wet out here!” Larry objected.

Ally stopped twirling and looked at him. **How adorable!** she thought, **he looks like a curled up kitten under that coat!** Ally grabbed him and pulled him out into the street, “Of course it is silly, it’s raining,” she replied like it was nothing and tried to dance with him. He hesitated at first and then let go of his jacket and let himself get drenched, overwhelmed by her happiness and energy.

They must have danced for a good 20 minutes in that street. Larry all of a sudden pulled Ally close to him and looked her deep in the eyes. “I love you Ally,” was all he said, and he said it softly. They were so close that all he had to do was whisper it and she could hear it, even over the rain.

All Ally could do was melt in his arms. “I love you too Mr. Larry.”

Mr. Larry, her Mr. Larry. Ally smiled and then took a sip of her iced tea. She opened the first album and stared at the pictures that greeted her. They were pictures from her and Larry’s wedding. It really was a beautiful wedding. She remembered the roses being what dominated the beauty element of it the most. She had always had the highest obsession with roses for as long as she could remember. Her wedding of course was no exception. She remembered specifying the need for every color of roses, but more importantly, white roses. They were the sheer pictures of perfection in her eyes.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the minister finished and smiled at the happily married newlyweds as they kissed. When they broke away, the minister spoke one last time. “I now present to you, for the first time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Paul!”

There was an overwhelming response of applause as Ally and Larry looked at each other adoringly. Renee handed Ally her bouquet, made of white roses, and Ally and Larry walked back down the aisle, arm in arm staring at each other. Renee followed, holding Sam’s hand.

“I love you so much Larry,” Ally sighed, as she was staring at him over the wedding dinner.

“Well I would hope so, we ARE married now,” Larry let out a little chuckle as Ally proceeded to smack him playfully on the arm.

It was time for the speeches and Renee tapped on her champagne glass with her fork and looked up at Ally and Larry. “Well honey, you did it. You finally did it. You found Mr. right,” Renee smiled. “Ally, Larry, I’ve seen you two grow up together and mature together. I’ve seen the love grow stronger every day, as well as, other things,” Renee and everyone else let out a little chuckle. “Living with you two, has made me see what true love really is. You both have found yourselves in each other and that doesn’t happen often,” Renee’s eyes were getting glistening and she swallowed a tear, “And I am just glad to know that that is possible and it has happened for my very best friend,” Renee stopped, trying to choke down her own tears. “I love you guys and I wish you the very best in the whole wide world for the rest of your lives,” Renee finished and raised her glass. “To Larry and Ally,” everyone chimed in. “May they live long, prosperous, and be always together,” everyone drank at that. Ally and Larry were just looking at Renee who was beaming with joy for the two of them.

Ally looked back to Larry. “Mr. Paul?” she started.

“Yes MRS. PAUL?” Larry got a kick out of that. Finally, he could call the love of his life by his last name. For some reason that gave him a strong thrill.

“Thank you,” she simply said as she gazed deeply into his big brown eyes, which were beaming with delight.

Larry knew what she meant and just stared at her. **It doesn’t get any better than this,** he thought blissfully.

It was time for the first dance and Ally and Larry had walked to the dance floor. Larry left Ally in the middle of the dance floor and made his way to the microphone stand. Ally was somewhat confused, but thought maybe he was going to sing.

Everyone was hushed and Larry proceeded. “Ally, Mrs. Paul, my new blushing bride, you truly are my world, my everything. I love you, and I dedicate this to you,” he cued the band and they started playing the song that he had written for her so long ago. He grabbed a white rose from a bouquet nearby and made his way slowly towards Ally, holding the rose delicately in hands. “Mrs. Paul, may I have this dance?” he offered the rose.

Ally took the rose, “For the rest of our lives,” she simply replied.

“For the rest of our lives,” Ally said softly to herself. She had found love, true love in Larry Paul. She looked down at her wedding ring, which lay right beside her engagement ring.

“A cruise??? Oh Larry!!!” Ally squealed ecstatically as she threw her arms around Larry’s neck.

Larry wrapped his arms around Ally’s back and laughed. “Yes baby, a cruise. We need to get you away from the cold,” Larry continued laughing. “Besides,” he added, “you look hot in a bikini.”

Ally pulled away and smacked Larry playfully on the arm. “Leave it to a guy to reason out why going on a cruise...to see his girlfriend in a bikini,” she smacked his arm again and turned to walk away into the kitchen.

Larry grabbed her waist from behind her and brought her to him, squeezing her tightly. “Do you really think that that’s why I wanna take you away?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He kissed her cheek and Ally melted in his arms, forgetting why she was going into the kitchen in the first place.

Larry and Ally had been on the cruise ship headed for the Virgin Islands for three days and it had been three blissful days full of sunbathing, fine dining, dancing, gambling, and lovemaking...there’s always something irresistible about making love on a cruise ship with the waves rocking the boat slightly.

Ally couldn’t remember having a better vacation, even the longer ones didn’t compare to what this one was shaping up to be.

Larry also had been having the time of his life, and it further prepared him for what he was about to do and he was happier that he was about to do it than the first time around.

Larry had taken Ally down to the main buffet hall right next to a gigantic ballroom. The two dined on chicken Marsala, not really saying much to one another, just admiring how hopelessly wonderful they looked to each other. Larry noticed how peaceful Ally looked and Ally noticed how calm Larry looked. Something that wasn’t typical for either of them. This cruise was a good idea and they both knew it.

A song came on and Larry and Ally looked at each other and simultaneously stood up, not losing eye contact, and their hands met as they moved towards the dance floor.

There was a time, I was everything and nothing all in one

And when you found me, I was feeling like a cloud across the sun

I need to tell ya, how you light up every second of the day

But in the moonlight, you just shine like a beacon on the bay

And I can’t explain

But there’s something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

It’s that feeling I get about you deep inside

And I can’t describe

But there’s something about the way you look tonight

It takes my breath away

The way you look tonight

They were looking at each other and smiling. Larry pulled Ally closer to him, breathing in her scent.

With your smile, you pull the deepest secrets from my heart

In all honesty, I’m speechless and I don’t where to start

And I can’t explain

But there’s something about the way you look tonight

Oh, takes my breath away

It’s that feeling I get about you deep inside

And I can’t describe

But there’s something about the way you look tonight

Takes my breath away

The way you look tonight

Ally held her breath as she felt Larry’s grip tighten on her back. Just being in his arms, knowing he loved her, nothing else could be better than this.

The way you look tonight

The way you look tonight

The way you look tonight

When the song ended, Ally held onto Larry. He pulled away gently though and reached into his pocket. He then handed her a black velvet box, much to her surprise. Ally was close to tears. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She was about to be proposed to the man of her dreams.

“Well open it Ally,” Larry softly whispered.

Ally obliged and opened to see a small delicate round diamond on a silver band. Ally looked back up at Larry quickly, tears in her eyes, about ready to fall.

“This is something I should have done a long time ago. I love you Ally. I always have, and I always will. I want to know you’ll love me forever too. Will you marry me?”

Ally nodded and threw her arms around him. “Yes Larry!” She whispered in his ear, “Yes.”

Okay, so maybe there was something better. Ally just smiled.

Ally fingered her engagement ring, fascinating herself with the sparkle that it still obtained. She brought her hand up to her lips and kissed the ring. Marrying her Larry was the best thing she ever did...well, besides maybe having her children. A montage of images flew through her head right then, of Faith and Nathan in school plays, when they asked for help on the next math test, and their first dates even.