69

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Thirty-Six Months Later

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I finished cleaning the countertop of the bar. Genevieve ran up to me and grabbed the towel from my hands. "I'm headed out after this."

I turned to face her. "Have fun."

She smiled, "Thanks."

She walked back through the kitchen door. I waited to hear the back door shut before making my way to the storage room. I grabbed the case of bourbon that was delivered today and walked back into the bar. I slid the box onto the bar.

The front door opened with a bell chime. "We're closed!" I pulled out two bottles and sat them on the bar.

"It's just me."

I looked up to see Oliver. He was holding a box with a bow tied around it. I made my way around the bar as he got closer. He sat the box down before sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me against his body. I slid my arms around his neck as I kissed him slowly. He delved his tongue into my mouth as he walked me backward.

He lifted me onto the bar and settled himself between my legs. I moved my hand to his shoulder and pulled back from the kiss. He whined. I smiled as I looked into his eyes, "Hi."

He smiled as he tilted his head. "Hi."

I looked over at the box sitting beside me. "What's that?" I looked at his face again.

He moved his hands to my waist. "Part of your surprise."

I rested my hands at the sides of his neck. "Surprise?"

He nodded once. "Yes. For your birthday."

I moved my hands to his, "Can I open it?"

He pulled my hands behind me, leaning into me and kissing me again. "Not yet."

"Why?"

He stared at my lips, "You'll find out." He looked into my eyes as he moved his hands to my hips. "We have to go now, or we're going to be late."

I moved my hands to his chest. "I'm running a bar here, I can't just -"

"I've got it covered."

I furrowed my brows. "What do you mean?"

He slid his hands to my thighs. "I called Isaac."

My heart started to beat faster. "You want that lunatic to do my job?"

He pulled me off the bar and then grabbed the box. He grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of the bar. "Come on, sweetheart."

I reluctantly followed him. "What if it catches on fire? Or he fire everyone because he sleeps with them?"

He laughed as he stopped walking. "Breathe, Evelyn. Isaac can handle it for a few days."

"Days?! Are you -"

He cut me off by kissing me, making all of my anger dissipate. He pulled back and stared at me, "Breathe."

I sighed. "Fine."

He smiled as he pulled his hand away. He opened the door for me to get in the car. I got in and buckled up as he walked to get in.

After he showed up a month after I moved here and told me thinking about me was driving him crazy, we've been together ever since. Everything has been incredible, which isn't really something I'm used to. The relationship feels too good to be true, but I'm accepting it. I left to find this, and now that I have it, I won't question it and ruin it for myself.

...

"Will you please tell me where we're going now?"

He glanced over at me as he squeezed my hand. "No." He looked at the road again. "But you can open the gift now."

I smiled as I reached for the gift in the backseat. His hand rested on my thigh. I untied the bow and then lifted the lid. I lifted a camera out of the box. I looked at him. "This is yours."

"It's full of pictures of you and me."

I felt my heart skip a few beats. "Oliver."

He glanced at me. "There's another thing."

I sat the camera on my lap and then grabbed the piece of cloth out of the box. "A... blindfold?" I looked at Oliver.

"Put it on."

I was hesitant. I put the camera in the box and replaced the lid. I put the box back in the backseat. I tied the blindfold around my eyes. He grabbed my hand, sliding his fingers between mine.

"We'll be there in five minutes."

"So I have to keep this on for five minutes?"

"Yes."

I didn't know how to feel about this surprise. "You're never allowed to get me a gift again."

He laughed softly and squeezed my hand. "Whatever you say, baby."

For the next ten minutes - not five - he kept driving down the smooth, boring road. Once he parked, I asked to take it off.

"You're so impatient." I heard him get out of the car. A few seconds later, my door was opened. Oliver took my hands and helped me out of the car. He pulled me a few steps forward and pushed my door shut. He stepped behind me. "Are your eyes closed?" His low, quiet voice sent shivers down my spine.

"Mhm."

He pulled his hands from mine and pulled the blindfold off. I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the sunlit world. I felt his fingers run through my hair. It took me a second to realize where I was, but once I did, I couldn't believe it.

I saw the front door open. Two young girls ran out the front door, and then Caroline stepped out, followed by Stefan, who was holding her hand. I took a few steps further, getting down on my knees as Lizzie and Amelia got closer.

Their excited screams of my name filled my ears as I wrapped my arms around them. They squeezed me as tight as they could.

I haven't seen them in person since they were just babies. Now they're walking, talking little girls who know who I am. Once they started to pull away, I did. I moved my hands to the sides of their faces, looking between the two of them.

"Auntie Evelyn, are you sad," Lizzie asked slowly.

"Why are you crying," Amelia added.

I shook my head and looked at Lizzie first. "I'm not sad." I looked at Amelia. "I'm just really happy to see you."

They both smiled. "Is that your boyfriend," Amelia asked as she looked at Oliver and pointed to him.

"Amelia," Caroline warned.

Amelia looked at me again, and I nodded. "Yes, he is."

She leaned closer and cupped her hands around my ear, "He's staring at you."

I smiled as she pulled away. "I know."

"Hey, girls, why don't we go inside for a minute," Stefan suggested.

They pulled away from me, and I stood up. I turned to Caroline as she walked closer to me. There were tears in her eyes as she was smiling.

Our arms wound around each other. The most comforting hug I have had in a while filled me with more emotion than I could convey or express. The feeling of her arms around me made me remember what I've been missing.

"I missed you."

I opened my eyes as tears rolled down my face. "I missed you too, Care."

After a moment, we pulled back, wiping our tears away. It's not like we haven't talked or looked at each other. We kept in touch, but through our phones.

She looked at Oliver, "Hi."

Oliver stepped beside me. "Hi. It's nice to finally see you in person."

She smiled, "You too."

I looked at Oliver. "Was this her idea?"

He looked at me, "It was a team effort." His eyes flicked to my lips before returning to my eyes.

I looked at Caroline, and she was smiling as her eyes darted back and forth between us. "You two look really cute together." Her eyes focused on me, "Yet I still haven't really heard anything about your relationship."

I tilted my head, "I didn't really think you wanted the details."

"Then you've obviously forgotten who I am."

I started to respond, but Oliver squeezed my hand. "Why don't we talk about this at dinner?" I looked at him, and he kept staring at Caroline. "We still have to go unpack."

"Unpack?"

He looked at me. "Yes." He looked at Caroline.

She pulled a key out of her pocket and held it out. I took it before he could. "Where are we going?" I stared at Caroline.

She smiled. "See you later."

She started walking away before I could say anything else. Oliver pulled me to the car and opened the door for me to get in. I stopped in front of him, moving my hand from his to the door. I stared up at him, "This is starting to feel less and less like a gift."

He moved his hand to the side of my face. "Because you're stressing yourself out."

"Because I don't know what's happening."

He kissed me. "Get in."

I sighed as I got in. He shut my door, and I buckled up as he got in. I asked about a hundred questions as he drove us to Elena's lakehouse. He opened my door for me and I got out. He walked to the trunk, and I followed him.

"How did you even know what to pack?"

He looked at me. "Because I know you." He shut the trunk after pulling out our bags. I started walking as he did. I opened the door and walked in. After he walked in, he kicked the door shut behind him.

I turned to face him, "Can you tell me what this trip is about? Besides my birthday?"

He set the bags down and walked toward me. "Even though I know a lot about you, I still don't know much about your family. And from what Caroline said, I don't think they know much about us."

I sighed, "I know you told me to tell them, but it feels like once they know, the relationship starts to go bad. So I've put off telling them basically everything. Except for the fact that we're together."

He cupped my face in his hands, "Breathe."

I exhaled slowly. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize." He kissed me. "The whole point of the trip is for them to get to know about us." He kissed me again. "Okay?"

I put my hands on his wrists. "Okay."

He kissed me one last time before pulling away.

...

Oliver walked to the bar and got us drinks while I sat at the booth. He sat my drink in front of me as he sat next to me. I took a drink and then sat the glass back down.

I looked at him. "Thank you."

He looked at me. "For the drink?"

I tilted my head. "For bringing me home."

He smiled as he put his hand on mine. "Thank you for letting me." He started into my eyes. "I love you."

I leaned over and kissed him. His phone started ringing. He groaned as he pulled back. He pulled his phone out and sighed. I glanced at the screen to read Isaac's name. I looked at him and smiled. "Go ahead."

He kissed my cheek before pulling away and walking off to answer it. Stefan and Caroline walked in and sat across from me. Amelia and Lizzie sat between them.

"Where's Oliver?"

I looked at Stefan. "Talking to Isaac."

"Who's Isaac," Caroline asked.

I looked at her. I was sure she knew about him. I thought Damon had filled them in on everything the minute he got back from lecturing me years ago. "He lived with me and Oliver in Seattle."

"Was this before or after you two were together?"

"Before." I furrowed my brows. "I thought you knew about Isaac."

She furrowed her brows as she laughed softly. "Why would I know about Isaac?" She shook her head. "I didn't even know you had roommates there?"

"Because when Damon showed up... I thought he told you."

She shook her head. "No."

"Mommy, I have to use the bathroom."

Care looked at Amelia. "Okay." Caroline got up and took the twins to the bathroom.

I breathed out slowly before taking another drink. I kept my hand on the glass.

"I thought he was just your boyfriend."

I looked at Stefan. I followed his line of sight to the engagement ring on my finger. I forgot I had it on. "Um." I looked at him as I pulled my hands back. "No."

He looked at my face. I couldn't tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking until he smiled. "It's okay, Evelyn."

I sighed a breath of relief. "No. I should've told you guys."

He shook his head. "You don't have to, Ev. All we care about is if you're happy and safe. And it really seems like you are."

As I thought about Oliver, I felt even happier. I smiled, "I am."

He smiled, "Good."

Amelia and Lizzie climbed in the seat again, and Caroline sat next to them. A few seconds later, Damon walked up to the table. "You're back."

I looked at him. I remembered our last encounter vividly, making it hard for me to stay friendly. "Yes." Then I thought about Lizzie and Amelia. Me fighting with Damon is the last thing they need to see. "I just got back a few hours ago."

"For good, or are you leaving again?" His tone was hostile.

"Damon," Stefan warned.

He exchanged glances with his brother. "Relax, Stef, I'm just curious if she's abandoning us to disappoint her mother again." He looked at me again. "Congrats on the invite to move on up in the business, by the way."

"Damon, stop antagonizing her," Caroline demanded.

He looked at her, "I'm just here for the kids."

Oliver walked back over, stopping beside Damon for a second before sitting back down beside me. I looked at Oliver again. Before I could even open my mouth to speak, Damon was mouthing off again.

"You brought the bodyguard?" I looked at him. "Are you going on tour?"

"Bodyguard," Caroline asked as she got up from her seat.

I looked at her. "It's not a safe conversation for kids." I was starting to not be able to breathe.

Lizzie and Amelia got out of the seat and rushed to Damon. He took both of their hands and looked at me. "It's so great to see you again, Evelyn."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything. Damon walked away with the twins.

"Are you okay?"

I looked at Oliver. "I'm fine."

"What was he talking about?"

I looked at Caroline, who was sitting now. "He didn't tell you about going to Seattle?" Both Caroline and Stefan answered no. I took a breath before explaining it to them. "About three years ago, Damon and Kai decided to find me. At the time, I was working in a strip club. That's how Oliver and I met. He was my bodyguard. After they found me, I moved as far as possible."

"You were a stripper?"

I looked at Caroline. "Yeah."

"But you said you were a lawyer... I thought-"

"Yeah. I lied. Damon's reaction was the reason why."

"How did he react," Stefan asked.

I looked at him. "He basically told me I was wasting my life and that I made the wrong choice."

"That's why you left," Caroline asked.

I thought back to that night. It was more of what Kai said, but I wasn't going to admit that to anyone, especially not Oliver. "Yeah," I lied. "But it's fine now. He kind of helped me realize I wanted more than that."

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what your life was like, but I can imagine it, and you seem a million times more happy." She looked at Oliver. "Especially with Oliver." She looked at me again, smiling.

I put my other hand on his. "I am."

"So when you moved, did he just go with you?"

I shook my head, "No. We had only known each other for a few months."

"Going with her didn't sound like a good idea, but going after her did. As I'm sure you both know, living without Evelyn is like living without air."

I looked at him. "I don't think it's that hard."

He looked at me, "Well, you are you."

I smiled, "And what a wonderful thing it is." He shook his head. I looked at them again. "He found me, and we've been together ever since."

"You guys are nauseating. I love it." Caroline smiled.

...

The last two hours were spent talking about Oliver and our relationship. Somehow, the subject of our engagement was avoided.

I stared out the window as he drove, twisting the diamond ring around my finger.

"Are you tired?"

"I don't know," I answered without thinking.

"What?"

I looked at him, "What?"

He glanced over at me with furrowed brows. "I asked if you were tired."

"Oh. Yeah."

He parked the car and turned off the engine. "Are you okay, baby?" He turned to me, reaching over and pushing my hair behind my ear. "You seem upset."

I was trying to think of a way to shift out of the subject without just saying I'm fine. "It's just that thing with Damon earlier. It made me realize why I never wanted to come back."

He moved his hand to mine. "Don't let him ruin your visit, Ev. He's probably just upset that you left so suddenly. It seems like you guys were a big part of each others' lives, and when something disrupts a close relationship, it can make one or both of you blame the other. Eventually, he'll forgive you, and it will go back to normal. Maybe while you're here, you can sit down and talk to him about it."

Explaining to him that Damon doesn't communicate well feels too exhausting.

"How about we just go inside for the night? We can sort everything out tomorrow."

He kissed me before getting out and going to open my door. He took my hand and helped me out. He walked me to the door, and we walked inside. He shut the door while I walked further into the house. He walked up behind me and put his hands on my hips. I felt his lips press against my shoulder before he guided me to the bedroom.

He turned me to face him, and I slid my arms around his chiseled torso, pressing my cheek against his chest and closing my eyes. He breathed out slowly as his hands settled on my back. He slid his hand to the back of my head, tangling his head in my hair. He placed a kiss on the top of my head.

He moved his hands to my arms and unraveled me from around him. He led me to the end of the bed. I stood still as he undressed me, then pulled one of his shirts over my head. He gently pulled my hair out of the shirt and let it fall down my back. He started kissing me slowly as he walked me back toward the bed.

He held my face in his hands as he stared at me. "Lay down."

I tilted my head. "My hair."

He nodded, "I know."

I huffed as I moved to lay on the bed. I laid on my stomach, pulling a pillow under me and hugging it.

After he turned the lights off, he lay next to me. I felt him gather my hair back, then start brushing it slowly. Tingles sparked in my hair and then traveled down my body, settling in my stomach.

"Oliver," I mumbled. He hummed in response. "Hold me."

He put the brush away and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him. He led kisses from my shoulder to my cheek. I moved my hand to his, and he turned his hand to slide his fingers between mine. "Sweet dreams, Evelyn." I hummed in response, too overtaken by sleep to respond with words.