Five times

Epilogue

ONE YEAR LATER

"Happy birthday dear Serenity, happy birthday to you!"

"Yay! Happy birthday baby girl!" I kissed the top of her fuzzy blonde head, while her face looked at me in a mix of confusion and delight. She loved the little purple smash cake in front of her, she kept on digging her little fist into with with a slobbery and toothy grin.

"She's a year old already, feels like she was a tiny newborn baby only yesterday" Meredith wrapped her arms around me from behind as we watched our daughter continue to smash her cake.

"She's so big; I can't believe it" I mused, relaxing into Meredith's arms.

When we'd kissed, it was the same day I decided to take Serenity home with me. The social worker had showed up not two hours later and had me fill out all the proper forms; by the next day they'd had a house inspection and background check conducted and I was granted fit to take home Serenity. The adoption would later be official when she was four months old.

Meredith didn't want to be a parent, but she loved me, so we continued our relationship and she stayed clear of Serenity. They had little to no interaction for a while, until the adoption and legalized and Meredith realized that if she loved me, she had to love Serenity too. And damn, did she love her. From the moment she first considered herself Serenity's other mother, she was the happiest I'd ever seen her. And the look on her face the first time Serenity called her 'Mama' was a look I'll never forget. Meredith had a family now, and she loved the both of us more than I ever thought she could. And I loved her more and more each and every second, the time passed and each new minute held more love.

She was the love of my life.

"We should have another baby" Meredith decided "adoption again, I think that we should be parents to another baby who doesn't have any"

I smiled, and was about to wholeheartedly agree with her, when Serenity pulled something small out of her smash cake. She tried to bite it, so I quickly rushed over.

"Give it to Mommy please" I gently took it from her and dropped the icing covered square on a napkin. It was wrapped in plastic wrap, and was about the size of my palm, if not smaller.

"What the hell is this?" I ask Meredith "what bakery did you get this from? She could've eaten it, it could be poisonous!" I wiped off the box and unwrapped it from the plastic. When I opened it, and saw a diamond ring, I knew it was no mistake.

"So what do you think?" Meredith asked me "will you marry me?" Everyone at the party was quiet and now looking at me looking at the ring.

But it still felt like Meredith and I were the only two people in the entire room.

"Yes!" I could feel my eyes well up "yes, yes to marrying you and to more babies, yes to everything!" I threw my arms around Meredith as she chuckled lightly.

"We've been together for a year now; you're the love of my life. So how about you put that ring on and we tell our baby the good news?"

I nodded and Meredith slipped the ring onto my left ring finger; it fit perfectly, and looked like it belonged there. Always and forever, there it would stay.

"Seri" I pick up the baby, who's covered in icing but I couldn't care less, and show her my hand "Mommy is going to marry Mama" Meredith smiled and kissed Serenity's head, before taking her from my arms and into her own.

"How's that sound, kiddo?" Mer asked her "sorry to crash your party, but Mommy wanted you to help make it special!"

As if in reply, Serenity squealed happily with the biggest smile on her face and promptly stuck her little icing hand on Meredith's face.

Watching Meredith covered in icing while beaming at our baby, it made me the warmest and happiest I'd ever felt. This was going to be the rest of my life, and I couldn't wait.