Bonus Chapter

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Sorry if this chapter is lame ☹️ I've just been working on other books and I tried my best so please bare with me!

Two years later
Arabella's POV

"Dad!"

"What?"

"Wha–that's no way to answer when someone calls you dad, you know that, that is disrespectful isn't it mom!?" She exclaimed, her hands winding around her chest as she huffed out in frustration, her brown eyes glaring directly at Tyler's head.

"That's right darling, you tell him!" I replied in enthusiasm, chuckling deeply as Tyler shifted his piercing eyes towards me. He sighed and suddenly his eyes softened as he turned towards hope, "yes princess?" He spat and her mouth hung low before she huffed out once again.

"You didn't apologize."

"Okay woman! I'm sorry, now seriously what do you want!?" He cried out and she glared at him before sighing and pivoting on her heels, "I'll just go bother uncle Malcom." With that she sashayed out of the room, her hips swaying from side to side fiercely.

Tyler turned towards me, his mouth hanging low as he gestured towards the door in exasperation, "she has a smart mouth for a seven year old doesn't she!" He exclaimed as he slumped back down onto the bed. "Tyler aren't you supposed to be like attending to the guest?" I inquired as I slipped on my dress.

"Meh, it's not like they're gonna die if I'm not there. Malcom's here, he'll greet them."

"Babe, he's also a guest."

"Oh my god, I thought dealing with one bossy monster was enough but then you came along!" He exclaimed and I parted my lips to correct him but he raised his hands in a halting motion before feigning that he was zipping his lips.

I pursed my lips in a thin line and trekked towards the mirror. I trailed my eyes down the white sundress that I have yet to pull over my chest. My eyes flickered towards the scar beneath my breast and then the one in the middle of my shoulder.

I know that I see them everyday whenever I look in the mirror but today was the day everyone other than Tyler got to see it. I never wanted to show it; show my wounds, to me they were a sign of almost losing my life after a lapse of right judgement.

Almost losing everyone I cared about.

And almost losing Tyler.

Although he doesn't like to talk about it and acts as if it never happened he was shot as well. The bullet that shot me just beneath my heart pierced through my skin and went through Tyler stomach since he was taller than me.

The bullet was lodged in there and he also was rushed into surgery.

Although he had a higher chance at surviving than I was he refused to accept the fact that he almost lost his life as well. But last week at our counselling session he finally opened up about getting hurt as well, he said he didn't care, he still doesn't care that he almost died.

He cared that I did.

And our unborn child could have died too.

"The more I see them, the more braver and beautiful you look." I flickered my gaze upwards and they immediately interlocked with Tyler's through the mirror. He smiled down at me and slowly pulled the rest of the dress over my body.

He leaned into my back and zipped up the dress, his eyes never leaving mine as he did so. His hands trailed from my back and to my stomach and he leaned closer, a smirk stretched across his lips. "So. . . when are we gonna have baby number two?"

"Yeah we're done here." I mumbled, giggling at the stunned look on his face as I maneuvered towards the bed and grabbed my white sandals. He pouted and rolled his eyes before grabbing the sunscreen and marching out the door.

"C'mon, Tyler. Don't be mad!"

"I want four babies!"

"Over my dead body." I mumbled, stumbling out of the room and gasping in surprise at the tall body that towered over me. He peered down, his eyes narrowed in slits, "I heard that."

"I know." I shrugged nonchalantly as I brushed him away and made my way towards the stairs. He followed in suit behind me in silence and I peeked over my shoulder, when our eyes made contact he huffed out and turned his head away, pouting more deeply. 

"Okay, babe fine! We'll have more kids but not four, Jesus Christ sometimes I think you truly don't love me." I exclaimed as we stumbled down the stairs and sauntered into the family room where our 'guests' currently were. I'm surprised they didn't barge upstairs looking for us.

"Okay fine, three."

"No, two."

"Okay one!"

"Good we already have Hope."

"What? No! I want four babies!" He exclaimed once again and I couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter, shaking my head in disbelief as we approached Malcom and his girlfriend Kacey who he's been dating for a year now.

After the story Tyler told me about Malcom and his ex girlfriend Daisy, I expected him to never get back into the dating life. But when he introduced us to Kacey I saw the redemption sitting right before my eyes.

There was suddenly a loud bang on the door and before any of us could get to it the sound of the door careering against the wall already told us that whoever it was invited themselves in. I rolled my eyes and motioned for Hope to come beside me.

She flew off Malcom's lap and tumbled towards me, squealing as I hiked her up onto me.

"Hey biatches! Guess who's in the house!" I groaned deeply and shoved Tyler forward, he flashed me a glare and I motioned towards the entrance, "He's your baggage to deal with!"

"Uncle Ace, auntie Erika!" Hope squealed as she leaped onto them both, a squeal escaping her lips once again. I smiled up at Erika who hugged Hope tightly, mumbling incoherent words into her ears that sent her into a giggling fit. "You better have not offered her any candy!" I scolded and she raised her hands in surrender as she approached me.

"I promise I didn't!" She exclaimed as she pulled me into a hug. I chuckled deeply and hugged her back, sighing softly. Ace and Erika moved to California two years ago, right after Tyler and I moved to New York. We visit one another every year but there are still moments where I want my best friend beside me, and not on the other side of the screen.

It was nice having her here, having everyone here actually. We talk over the phone whenever we can. Erika is now a veterinarian, she never really had a lifelong career set in life but she seems to be in content with her job now. Ace on the other hand became a paramedic, funny huh?

After moving to LA he went back to school to study for it. I always expected Ace to join the MMA like Tyler but I guess he'd rather save people's life than have them near their deaths. Not for Tyler though, he still gets a thrill pummelling faces into the floor, ah such great stories to tell our kids when they grow up.

"Hey! Where's my hug!?" Ace cried out as he shoved Erika out of the way. I chuckled deeply and enveloped him in a hug. "Is there room for one more?" I snapped my head towards the familiar voice, my eyes widening in shock at the person who stumbled into the living room, a small smile etched on his face.

"I almost didn't recognize you without your uniform," Tyler huffed out as he crossed the room frantically, a wide smile etched on his face as he enveloped Aaron in a hug. Ace pulled away from me, his eyes glistening in excitement as he propelled across the room, shoving Tyler off of him.

"What's with him and shoving?" I mumbled to Erika who shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I just hope he isn't doing that to patients," Malcom exclaimed from behind me and I burst into a fit of laughter, the thought of patients crying in pain as Ace shoved them into the ambulance seemed quite amusing to me although that was lowkey evil.

Aaron's eyes flickered towards me and for a moment I lost my breath. The last time I saw him he was off to Afghanistan, in the army. Yes, Aaron joined the army and to say it scared the living day lights out of me was an understatement. He thought that he didn't have a place in the world anymore, a place where he truly felt at home.

I opposed to his decision but he's a grown man and from what I can tell it makes him happy; helping people, serving his country to the best of his ability. And now, looking back as everyone stood in my living room, I realized that no one went in the path that they originally planned out for themselves.

That's why life is unexpected. You expect it to go a certain way, to be perfect. But it takes a whole other root and sometimes going off track is what makes you the happiest. "Aren't you happy to see me? I'm not dead," he exclaimed and I smiled as I crossed the room in long strides and crashed into him, my heart slamming against my chest rapidly.

"It's good to see you," he mumbled into my ears, his arms tightening around me. "I am glad you're not dead," I said and he chuckled deeply. We remained this way for some time until someone cleared their throats, tearing us apart from one another. "I thought for a moment you were trying to steal my boyfriend," A familiar voice exclaimed and I chuckled in amusement as Max trekked towards us.

"Oh you're still here?" He inquired and I raised my hands I surrender as I pulled away from Aaron's arms and into Tyler. "Good to see you dude, I thought you were fucking dead!" He shouted, his arms flying around Aaron's neck as he pulled him in for a hug.

No, Aaron and Max aren't dating –much to my dismay. Max was currently in a relationship with that girl he met at the cafe a few years ago which none of us took seriously. He proposed to her a year ago and they're soon to get married this year. Aaron on the other hand was single, I don't think he's ever had a serious relationship and if he did I knew nothing about it.

Still, he seemed happy with his life and that's all that mattered. Everyone was happy doing what they now loved, and now that we were all together again, even if it's once a year-it felt good. It felt like old times, it always felt like old times, before we all went our separate ways. And yet still, even if our lives were all totally different, we still remained a family, a family that I never want to lose.

"The whole gang is here!" Ace squealed and I rolled my eyes, chuckling softly as my eyes flickered to Hope. "Can one of you have a baby already so Hope has someone to play with?" I asked, flickering my eyes towards everyone. Silence enveloped us before the room bustled with laughter.

I flickered my gaze towards Erika whose lips were pursed into a thin line as she and Ace shared a knowing look. His arched were perched upwards and a small smile stretched onto his lips, his eyes flickering down to her stomach.

My mouth fell agape and I gasped absentmindedly, causing their gazes to snap towards me. Erika's eyes widened when our gazes interlocked and she bit down onto her lip before a giggle escaped her lips. "Guys," she cleared her throat, her eyes swivelling towards Ace once again as he wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her into him.

"Ace and I have news to share. . ." She trailed off and the room fell into a comfortable silence. She lowered her gaze to her stomach and I watched as Ace's hands slid over her stomach, "we're pregnant," she whispered and a loud squeal escaped my lips as I flung myself towards her and shoved Ace away, ignoring the stunned look on his face as he crashed backwards.

That's what you get.

"You're having a baby! Oh my god you're having a baby!" I cried out as I fell down onto my knees, my hands flying towards her stomach as my eyes suddenly began to brim with tears. "You're having a baby," I whispered softly and she laughed loudly as her hands slid into mine, her head bobbing up and down slowly. "I am. . .and I want you to be her or his godmother," she said.

"What?" I gasped as I pulled myself onto my feet. "I mean who else would I want the godmother of my unborn child to be? You're my best friend, Bella. My sister from another mister– you're family. I wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Erika," I mumbled softly as I pulled her into a hug, chuckling through the tears that spilled down my cheeks. "I'm so happy for you," she nodded her head slowly and pulled away, "now Hope's gonna have a little god-brother or sister."

"Yeah can we have a child as well? I'm having baby fever," Kacey exclaimed and Malcom flashed her a horrified look. Even from here I could tell he was being playful but behind his eyes still held the trauma from losing his first child. That's not something anyone should go through, I almost went through it and just having that knowledge scared every bone in my body.

"Can we have a baby, Aaron? Can we, can we, can we!?" Max chanted and Aaron flashed him a blush as he flipped his imaginary hair, "lets go make one right now!" He exclaimed in falsetto and they intertwined their hands before skipping out of the living room.

"The room is that way!" I called out as I trekked behind them. "We're doing it in the bushes, wild style!" Aaron exclaimed and Tyler chuckled deeply as he fell into step beside me, his arms trailing around my waist and Hope hiked up on his hip.

"See, everyone wants a baby, why can't we have another one?" Tyler whispered into my ear and I peered up at him and caressed his cheek softly, "we can, I want more kids. Just not four because I'm not ruining this beautiful body whilst yours is still in shape."

"I'll love you even more whether you look the same or not. Because you're still my Bella and I'll be forever thankful for the gifts you bring into this family." He said and I paused as I stared into his eyes, smiling wider than I was before.

I tip toed and placed a chaste kiss onto his lips, ignoring the way Hope's face scrunched up in disgust. "I love you," I mumbled and he smiled that charming smile, his teeth on full display. "I love you too, Bella."

"Come on love birds! The beach is waiting for us!" Erika exclaimed as she trekked past us, Ace struggling to pull her beach bag after her.

We all trekked down the stairs and I couldn't help the warm feeling that resided in my chest. The warm feeling I got to feel once a year for the past few years. I got to be with the people I love, reliving the best moments of my life and there's nothing that could ever tear us apart.

That day, when my life flashed before my eyes, I thought I'd never wake up. I thought I would never get to see Erika again, my sister. Aaron, my best friend. Max and Ace, my goofy friends that I've grown to love as much as brothers and Tyler, the love of my life.

I thought about everyone I never made amends with, especially my parents. The people I never got to confront for hurting me in ways I never expected; Tony and Ryan.

My life flashed before my eyes and I didn't fear losing it, I feared losing them.

The people who made me who I am today.

The people who made me the Arabella Smith I know now.

At the beginning of College I never expected my life to turn out this way. I thought I'd go to school, get into the fashion industry, get married and live my life. But it was the total opposite. I went to college, reunited with the man I love, made amazing friends, experienced what it felt like to work in the fashion industry.

Almost had an arranged marriage, had a near death experience, had a baby and then got married to the love of my life.

If anyone told me that this is what it took for me to be happy years ago. . .I would do it all again. Even get shot again, yes crazy I know but if that didn't happen none of us would be where we are today.

Everything happens for a reason.

And I'm glad it all worked out.

"So. . .four babies?"

"God no Tyler!"

This chapter is unedited so if there are any mistakes feel free to point it out!

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