Chapter Epilogue

Dean looks out to the back yard as he steps out onto the deck. He can't help but smile a little at the sight of everyone standing around; besides the younger kids as they were running around like normal. Everyone… his family. This is his family. Whether by blood or not, everyone here is his family. He walks off the deck and makes his way over to where Kaitlyn is standing with Paige and Eve.

Kaitlyn smiles up at him when he reaches them. "Hey," she says.

He leans down and kisses her quickly. "Hey back," he says. "We're missing a daughter." He looks around again to try to find Kelsey.

Kaitlyn laughs softly. "Dean, she's not a little girl anymore."

"She's my little girl."

"She's downstairs with Milo. And don't try to go big bad father on him. Kelsey is twenty years old and Milo is a nice boy. We like Milo."

"I like him better when he's not with Kelsey."

Paige laughs. "I can't wait to see what he's like when Kendall starts dating."

"She's never dating."

Kaitlyn raises an eyebrow. "Hmmm… but Kennedy and Dixon will, right?"

Dean starts to say something, but he stops just as quickly. He knows where this is going and in the end he knows Kaitlyn is right. "I think I'll stop talking now."

"I think that's a very good idea." Kaitlyn laughs softly as she slides her arm around his waist. "We still have some time before the other three start dating."

"Kendall will likely be the first one, huh?"

"You never know." She looks up at Dean. "We'll worry about that when the time comes."

Dean smiles at her. "Fine."

"So what's going to happen when Kelsey gets married?" Eve asks.

"Eve," Kaitlyn says with a laugh. "He's barely managing her dating, let's not think too far ahead."

It's nearly an hour later when Dean is finishing grilling the meat. He sets the plates of meat on the table with all the other food and lets everyone get in line to grab their food. He looks around, frowning when he doesn't see Kelsey or Milo. He walks over to Kaitlyn.

"Kelsey still downstairs?" he asks.

"Yes," she answers as she loos up at him. "Should I go get them?"

"No, I can go."

"Be nice."

"I will." Dean walks inside and makes his way down to the family room where he finds Kelsey and Milo sitting on the couch playing a video game. He knows she's not a little girl anymore, but that doesn't mean he wants her to grow up yet. "Food's ready."

"Okay," Kelsey says. "We're just about done with this level. Can we finish it?"

It takes everything he has not to tell them to come out now. "That's fine." He watches them for another moment before heading back out to the deck. He takes a plate and starts getting his own food.

Dean is sitting down across the picnic table from Kaitlyn when he sees Kelsey and Milo walk out onto the deck. He watches them walk over to the table of food. Why did she have to grow up so quickly?

"Dean," Kaitlyn says.

"I'm fine," he says. He looks beside him at Kendall. How is it possible that she's already ten? Where has life gone? He leans over and kisses the top of Kendall's head.

Kaitlyn has seen this look on Dean's face before. The last time she saw it was Kelsey's high school graduation. She knows Dean's worried about the kids growing up too fast. While she feels the same way, she knows it's different with him. He didn't have the family life growing up; at least not until high school. Even that wasn't the same. It wasn't his family. It was Seth's. He was always included and made to feel at home. But Kaitlyn had always understood why it wasn't the same. When they got together, Kaitlyn began to see a difference in him. And then when Kelsey came into their lives he changed even more. He was obviously scared, but he became such a good father. Dean finally had the family he always wanted. They had their own family. It hasn't always been easy, but it's all been worth it.

Kaitlyn watches as Kelsey walks over to the table with Milo behind her. Their daughter leans down and kisses Dean's cheek before moving to the other side of Kendall to sit down. Milo rounds the table to the remaining seat beside Dixon. She can see the way Dean looks at him, but she also sees the approval. Milo has been nothing but good to Kelsey and that's all they can ask for.

Dean sits down on the couch after everyone leaves that night. He knows Kelsey is out on the deck with Milo still. He slides his arm around Kaitlyn's shoulders and lets out a soft breath. "How long do we give them?" he asks.

Kaitlyn laughs softly. "Dean, she's twenty," she gently reminds him.

"I know." He groans. "Where did the time go? Seems like yesterday she came to us."

"I know." She looks up at him as best as she can from this position. "She's a smart woman, don't forget that. And Milo is a good young man."

"I know he is." He leans down and kisses her softly.

"We've come a long way over the last fifteen years."

"We certainly have. I'm starting to turn gray."

"Don't blame me. That's all on the kids."

"Yeah, I'm sure you have nothing to do with it." He kisses her again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Thank you for putting up with me for all these years."

She smiles as she pulls him down to kiss him. "Thank you for wanting me to put up with you for all these years."

The End

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and love for this story. It was a blast to write, even though there were times I did get stuck. But in the end it was a great ride. I hope you all enjoyed the story as much as I did. J