Sorry about the wait everyone, but the epilogue for Can't Run from Love is here. I can't believe it has come to an end, but it was a great journey writing this. I want to thank you all for sticking with me and I'm very sorry about the long waits. Losing your muse is not fun. This chapter goes out to my beta Reese. I love you gurl and thank you so much for helping me out with this story. You are the best!

Epilogue

"GABRIELLA SAMANTHA EVANS!" Mercedes Evans yelled upstairs to where her six year old daughter was currently in her room. "YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

A little patter of feet could be heard upstairs and then coming slowly down the stairs. She rounded the corner and Mercedes saw her, looking all innocent for whatever she had done this time.

"Explain this." She pointed at her year old son and their dog Stitch that were laying on the floor. They had gotten Stitch when Ella turned two for her birthday. She was obsessed with the movie Lilo and Stitch at that time and was adamant that they name the puppy Stitch. Sam being how he is immediately gave in to her. He had gone through his puppy stage and mellowed out now, still playful with Sam when her husband egged him on though. Their son Grayson loved to play with him and the Australian Shepherd let him and most of the time thought he was like a sheep that he had to herd.

"Well… I was bored soImadeGraysonintoasmurfandstitchintostitch…" Her daughter rushed out.

"Repeat that slowly." Mercedes said, crossing her arms and giving her a glare that could melt an ice sculpture.

"I made Grayson into a Smurf and Stitch into Stitch." Ella said with a guilty smile on her face.

"And why would you think that it would be okay to do a thing like that?"

"I don't know." The daughter shrugged her shoulders. "But Addy helped."

Addy was short for Adelina. She was the middle child and was three years old. Ella and Addy normally got into trouble a lot, but Ella was always the instigator. Mercedes wondered if Ella really threw Addy under the bus or if she was lying. "Are you lying to me?" The mother could always tell when her oldest lied because she would stick out her tongue and lick the corners of her mouth before responding.

"Umm…" She paused to lick the corners of her mouth. "No…"

"You are lying and I can tell. Since you lied to me, you get no TV, no toys and a time out in your room for two hours. One hour for turning your brother and dog blue and the other because you lied."

"But mom…" Ella started to cry.

"I don't want to hear it." Mercedes shook her head. She guided her daughter upstairs to her room and started to collect all the toys she had taken in there from the toy closet. "The time begins now and I want you to think about what you have done."

The oldest sibling was still crying that her words came out unintelligible.

Mercedes shook her head and closed the door, dropping off all the toys into the toy closet on her way to Addy's room. "What are you doing Addy?"

The middle child glanced up from what she was doing at her desk to look at her mom. "I'm coloring."

"Now are we supposed to be coloring when your mom asked you for something which you clearly haven't done yet?"

"Uh I guess not." Addy shrugged.

"What did I ask you to do?" Mercedes asked.

"Clean up my room."

"And have you done that?" The mother gave the room a once over, shaking her head a little.

"No…" The daughter shook her head.

"So can you please stop coloring and do what I asked?"

"But why mom? Nobody is going to be in my room." She pouted.

Mercedes shook her head. "I've already told you. We are having company later. Sam's family is coming over. You know your grandpa, aunt and uncle right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"And I know that you are going to want to show them your room since we gave you bunk beds last week. Am I right?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked at her daughter.

"Yes."

"Then would you want to have them see a messy room or a clean room?"

It took Addy a little while to think about it, but she eventually came to a conclusion. "I guess a clean one."

"That's right. Now can you please clean up your room? I wouldn't want to have to ask you a third time." The mother stated.

"Okay." The daughter said, getting up from her desk to clean up.

Mercedes then went back downstairs, wondering how the heck she was going to clean up Grayson and Stitch. She wondered what her daughter had used to color them, but then spotted the culprit right away. The acrylic paint that they used during arts and craft time. This meant that it wouldn't come off easily and the mother already had enough on her plate to deal with. She was just lucky that she bought the toxic free paint as well otherwise she would be stuck in the emergency room all night.

Sam chose at that moment to come home. He walked through the door and set down his things, going over to his wife to give her a kiss on the lips which she rebuffed.

"Look at what your oldest daughter did." She pointed to where Grayson was still playing with Stitch in his play pen.

The dad saw what his wife was pointing to and immediately started to laugh.

"This isn't funny Sam." Mercedes yelled. "Of all the days she chose to do this, it was today. When I still have to cook dinner for your family that is coming over in an hour and still clean up the rest of the house."

When seeing how stressed his wife was, Sam stopped laughing. "Okay, take a deep breath in and out." He stated.

She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked.

"Now give your husband some sugar." He said pointing to his lips.

She chuckled, but then leaned up on her toes to give her husband a passionate kiss.

"Feel better?" Sam asked.

"A little." She nodded her head, her husband always had a way of making her feel better.

"Good." He smiled. "Now why don't I take Stitch and Grayson up for a bath to see if I can get them clean and back to normal, but I'm sorry baby I just have to take a picture of this because it really is too funny."

"Yeah…" Mercedes chuckled. "It kind of is."

Sam found the camera in the kitchen and went back, taking a couple of pictures of his son and dog. He put the camera back and then picked up his son who immediately said dada and then looked back down to where Stitch was and said doggie. "After I give them a bath and put Grayson in fresh clothes, I will clean up the upstairs and you my love can start cooking dinner and clean up the downstairs. Does that sound like a plan?"

The mother nodded her head. "Yes."

Like her therapist said so many years ago, things were going to be hard. Sometimes they were and sometimes she felt so blessed. She was graced with three beautiful children and a wonderful husband.

After their therapy session, Sam and Mercedes continued to grow closer. They also started to be more intimate with each other, but didn't go all the way until their six month anniversary.

Before that Sam had introduced her to his dad and siblings and she fit right in with them which he was grateful for. They really warmed up to Mercedes fast and adopted her into their family with talks of when he was going to put a ring on it already. His family also finally met Ella and they were as taken with her as he was.

On their one year anniversary since getting back together officially, Sam proposed to Mercedes. She of course said yes and was beyond happy.

Since she didn't really have any family, she wanted to elope as soon as possible. Sam however wanted his family and friends there and wanted a wedding. They settled on a small wedding in front of friends and family with Santana being the one to officiate their wedding. It was held in a beautiful ranch outside of Nashville Tennessee. Ella was the flower girl, a task that she loved. Brittany was the maid of honor and Artie was the best man. They only had one groomsmen and one bridesmaid which were Sam's siblings, Stevie and Stacie. The people in attendance were mainly Sam's family, some family friends and some of Sam's friends. Mercedes didn't really know anyone to invite, but Sam had manage to wrangle up some of her friends from her work jobs all over which was a surprise to her on the day because she never thought she would see them again.

Mercedes wore a simple but elegant gown that Santana and Brittany had helped her to find. The dress had a lace bodice that showcased her breasts quite well. The rest of the dress was made of silk and the fabric stopped right below her knee.

Ella's dress was kind of like her mother's, but was floor length and higher in the front.

Brittany got to choose her dress, but the color had to be purple which was Mercedes' color. The style was mermaid with a one shoulder strap that made her look pretty.

Artie got to pick his own tux as well just as long as he had a purple handkerchief. It was a great four piece suit that looked great on him.

Sam's tux was similar to Artie's, but his vest was purple instead of black because he wanted it to be slightly different.

Stevie wore the same suit as Artie did and Stacie wore a two strap dress similar to Brittany's.

When the music started, Sam couldn't wait to see the mother of his child walk down the aisle. Ella was first and she scattered roses here and there. Once she caught sight of her dad though, she ran to him and forgot about the basket with rose petals in it. Sam chuckled as well as the guests in attendance and he scooped up his daughter, holding her to him.

Stevie and Stacie were next and they both looked great as they walked down the aisle.

Brittany chose to sit on Artie's lap as he wheeled them down the aisle. It was a really cute picture.

Then finally it was Mercedes. Since she didn't have anyone to walk her down the aisle, Sam's dad offered to do it which she gladly accepted. She was so thankful to him for doing this for her. She squeezed his arm a little tightly because of her nerves, but once she saw Sam all of it went away. He was holding on to their girl and he was such an amazing dad. She didn't think they would get to this point again after what happened, but they did. She loved that he loved her. The way that he did it. The way that he forgave her and everything more. He was the best lover and companion that she could ask for and she was truly lucky. She didn't realize that she was crying until they stopped right before Sam and Dwight hugged her and then wiped away her tears.

"Mercedes, I'm so happy that Sam found you. He really needed that special person in his life and I see the way he loves you. I also see the way you love him and I just know that you two are going to last. I'm proud to call you my daughter-in-law." He pulled away.

"Thank you Dwight. That means so much to me." Mercedes wiped away the rest of her tears.

"Please call me dad."

"Okay dad." She smiled at him and then Dwight placed her hand in Sam's. She stepped up to meet her soon to be husband and their daughter he was holding in her arms.

Sam passed Ella over to Dwight and then the ceremony started.

Santana who was always frank, narrowed down the ceremony to all the brass tacks. Sam and Mercedes' love spoke for itself. It didn't need any love quotes or talks about it. "So we are gathered here today to witness the union of Samuel Nathan Evans and Mercedes Zanella Jones. Finally. I honestly thought we would never get here, but we did." She chuckled as well as all the attendants and the happy couple. "They have both prepared their own vows. Sam if you will go first please."

"Mercedes, from the moment I first saw you I was entranced. You stole my heart and though we have had a bit of a bumpy ride. We've made it here today and I know that our love will last. I love how good of a mother you are to Ella and I can't wait to add to our brood. I love how friendly you are and how you light up when you smile. I love your laugh because it is so infectious and causes me to laugh with you. I love that you let me in and gave me your heart as I have given you mine. I will continue to cherish it always from right now until forever." Sam choked a little throughout on his words and some tears escaped his eyes, but he managed to say his vows that he prepared.

Mercedes was full on crying after Sam's speech. She had no idea how she could continue.

"Let's have the bride pull herself together before she says her vows." Santana said which made the crowd and the couple chuckle.

Santana's words were just what the mother needed to continue. "Sam, we have been through a lot. I am so grateful that you found me. I am so happy that you stuck around and loved me through all the bad stuff. You are a wonderful father to our daughter and I know you will be a great dad to any more children that we have. I didn't know that I gave you my heart until it was too late, but I'm so glad that I gave my heart away to such a wonderful man. I don't deserve your love, but I will work every day to deserve it. I love you so much baby." She wiped away the tears that had spilled during her vows.

"I love you too and you do deserve my love." Sam smiled through his tears.

"Now can we have the rings please?" Santana asked and then winked at Artie when he handed them over. "Now Sam, place the ring on Mercedes hand and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

Sam gently placed the ring on Mercedes ring finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Mercedes place the ring on Sam's finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed."

Mercedes placed the ring on Sam's finger and repeated the phrase.

"Okay! Now by the power vested in me by the online certification course I took, you are now husband and wife."

Sam and Mercedes smiled at each other.

"Kiss each other people so that I can get some cake. I'm starving." Santana rolled her eyes at the couple and then clapped along with the rest of the guests when they shared a sweet and passionate kiss.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur for the couple. Looking back, they just remember the highlights of the wedding. They danced the night away and shared a hotel room while Ella was watched by Dwight. They couldn't really afford a honeymoon, but they promised each other that they would go on a real honeymoon when they could afford it.

They both started to save up since that day and after Ella turned two, they asked Santana, Artie and Brittany to watch her for half of the week and Dwight to watch her for the other half while they went on their honeymoon. They had both decided on Jamaica and had a wonderful time. They walked on the beach, made love, and reveled in each other.

A couple of weeks after that, Mercedes found out that she was pregnant again. She told Sam right away and he was ecstatic. Now they were both saving up for the baby and hopefully to move into a house big enough for their growing family. The dad didn't want to know the sex of the baby so they both didn't find out until the birth.

The father was with his wife the whole way, maybe going a little overboard at times. Mercedes allowed it though because it made him happy and she had to make things up to him. That's why when they found out it was a girl after the delivery, she allowed her husband to pick out the name. She dreaded that he was going to go with a sci-fi or superhero character like Leia or Gamora. He surprised her though when he said Adelina Mary for her name. She loved that he was honoring his mother by using her name as their kids' middle name.

Being in their apartment with two kids was a tight fit. Addy was in the room with them so that Mercedes could breastfeed, but the little space was becoming a problem. It took them a little while to find a great house for their family. They were house hunting for a couple months, but came up empty. That changed when another house came onto the market. It was a beautiful four bedroom home with a big kitchen and dining room. Mercedes and Sam both fell in love with the house that they just had to have it. Luckily they managed to close on it and the house was theirs. It took them a full weekend to move in. The house still needed some decorating, but it was their home.

A little while after Addy turned two, Mercedes found out she was pregnant for the third time. They never really said how much kids they wanted to have, but she was happy and so was Sam. He didn't go as overboard with this pregnancy as he did with Addy's. They both wanted to find out the sex this time and Sam was happy that they were having a boy. He needed someone to agree with him instead of him always being outvoted because he was the only guy. He wanted to play catch with him and teach him all sorts of things.

They both settled on a name for him, siding with Grayson Dwight. When their youngest arrived and Dwight arrived at the hospital, the grandfather was thrilled. He was so thrilled that he wanted to move closer to them and he did along with Stevie and Stacie. They were all happy about the move and that meant they had some more babysitters close by. It also meant that Mercedes could give the family some home cooked food. Dwight had learned enough trying to support two kids by himself, but he wasn't the best cook. Stacie and Stevie always loved going by Sam and Mercedes place for dinner which is why they had them over often.

While the ham and scallop potatoes she made was cooking in the oven, Mercedes cleaned up the downstairs. She set the table then and made some green beans. Her husband joined her, wrapping his arms around her while she stirred.

He started to kiss her neck which made her smile.

"How was work baby?" She asked.

"It was kind of hectic with a lot to do, but I'm glad I'm home now. Grayson and Stitch are clean. Not all of the blue paint would come off, but most of it did. The upstairs is also clean." He nibbled on her ear.

"I'm sorry it was hectic baby. I'm glad that you are home too. Thank you. Your dad and siblings should be here any minute." She turned off the stove and moved over the beans to another burner. Turning around, she nestled into her husband's arms. "Thank you for cheering me up. Sometimes our kids just drive me crazy. I think Ella just knows how to push my buttons." She shakes her head.

"You're welcome baby. It's my job and I understand. She is a precocious one, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is." She chuckled, reaching up she grabbed onto Sam's head and brought his lips down to hers.

They kissed passionately, only stopping when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go get that." The dad said, giving his wife one last kiss.

"I'll finish up in here and then grab the kids." She waved him away, grabbed a hot pad and the beans and put them on the dining room table. She went upstairs as Addy was coming down. "Go greet our guest sweets." She smiled at her girl. Getting to Ella's room, she opened the door to find her daughter reading in her chair. "Okay Ella. You're time out is over. Go say hello to your grandpa, aunt and uncle."

"Yay!" She screamed, running out of her room immediately.

That made the mother chuckle. She went into Grayson's room and grabbed him from his crib. Going downstairs, she greeted her guests who were seated at the table. "I made ham and scalloped potatoes everyone. Please dig in." She looked all around the table and celebrated her family. She might not have been born with them, but they adopted her all the same. She was truly blessed with a beautiful home, a wonderful husband and amazing kids. She didn't know how life could get any better and even on her worst days, her family turned things around for her. She wondered how life would be if she never met Sam, or if he never had found her. Honestly she didn't want to think like that because she couldn't imagine life without all of these wonderful people.

And then they lived life to its fullest.

So what did you think?