‹ Prequel: Bound to You

Blanket of Fear

Chapter Forty-Five

One Year Later


It had been a year since Eliza and Zack had faced off against Sean Castro, and things had gone back to normal for the couple. Or, at least as normal as things could be for them. A lot had changed in the last twelve months, and the redhead was pleased to know that all changes were for the best.

The day after Val had died, Matt had gone and found his daughter. For awhile, it had been hard to him to adjust to being a Dad. The little girl looked so much like her mother and aunt that it was hard for Matt to deal with and accept. He still felt an emptiness in his soul over Valerie’s death, but he knew that it was for the best that she was gone. She was with her sister now, wherever they were. He didn’t want to decide whether or not they were in Heaven or Hell, because he wasn’t their judge. All he could do was concentrate on raising Kimberly Eileen to the best of his ability. Everyone else pitched in as well, and the small girl had a large, supportive family full of adoptive aunts and uncles that loved her like their own.

Jimmy and Leana also had a baby on the way, and both of them were ecstatic. After the whole battle had taken place, both of them realized that what they wanted most out of life was to have a family with each other. Shortly after everything had gone down, Jimmy had sat everyone down and told them that they were expecting a baby. They had moved into their own smaller house, although Jimmy still came by every day to attend to business for Bat Country and to help make sure that everyone was alright.

Johnny’s death was still taking a toll on everyone, and they knew it was something they would never overcome. It was a devastating loss, and he had been given a very elaborate funeral to make sure he was put to rest in the most peaceful of ways. Leigh was the one who had been most affected by his absence, however. He had been one of the only ones who had accepted her right from the beginning. They would never forget the bravery he had shown by trying to protect them all; for trying to keep Eliza, Leigh, and all of the others safe. He had been an excellent friend to all of them, and even if their relationship with Johnny had been rocky for a few months before he’d died, they all understood now that he had been as loyal as any person could be.

After his death, Leigh had decided that it was best to leave. She couldn’t stay in an area where Johnny’s presence was still so strong, and she knew that, despite the fact that Sean Castro was dead, there was still tension between her and the rest of them. She knew her presence wasn’t necessary or wanted, so she left to find her own home. She still sent letters on occasion, letting them know how things were going and saying hello, but for the most part, she was a piece of the past that they were trying to forget in order to soothe the pain. Thinking of her meant thinking of Johnny, and that hurt.

Matthew had decided to stay, much to everyone’s surprise. He and Zack were on far better terms than they had been in a long time, and everyone was glad to see it. Zack hadn’t forgotten the fact that his brother had saved his life, and that he had protected Eliza as well. He hadn’t forgotten that Matthew had asked him to kill him, either. He was glad to have his brother back; to have a piece of the family he’d lost back in his life and still with him. Matthew had found a girlfriend, though no one knew quite who she was just yet.

Brian was still having a hard time adjusting to everything. After the battle had taken place, he’d up and left for a few months. Everyone had been worried that he’d gone off to commit suicide, though once they’d gotten a few letters and a phone call, they realized that he was just taking time to himself to sort through the feelings going through his body. He had discovered that, upon her death, Michelle had been pregnant with his child as well. Sean had kept a diary and had it written down as a potential way to weaken Avenged Sevenfold, and it had nearly killed Brian to know that he’d had a hand in killing his child. He couldn’t understand why Michelle had never said anything to him, even though it was both of their child. He mourned for the loss of his family, and everyone knew he was never going to be the same again. They hadn’t seen him for awhile, and Eliza had serious doubts that he’d return full time to Bat Country. The place was simply too full of hurtful memories for him, and it was best that he stay away most of the time. He was fragile emotionally, and although Eliza hadn’t ever fully gotten an opportunity to get to know him, she didn’t want to see him in pain.

And perhaps the most surprising of all was the fact that Eliza was expecting twins in the fall. After Zack had nearly lost her, he’d realized just how important starting a family was. He didn’t want to leave her with no piece of himself if anything ever happened to him, and likewise, if anything should (God forbid) happen to her, she wanted to make sure there was still a physical piece of her for him to cherish as well.

They had already discovered that they were expecting a two little boys, and Zack planned on naming one after Johnny and the other after his father. Eliza had teased him that they needed a little girl as well, and he didn’t think that was a bad idea. He knew that he loved Eliza with all of his heart and soul, and he saw nothing wrong anymore with wanting to give her the family she’d wanted for awhile now.

Today, however, was not a day that they wanted to be spending thinking about the past. Today was all about their future; about the life they were going to build with one another. Today was the day that Zack and Eliza were going to be getting married. As cliché as it seemed to Eliza, she could only imagine ever spending her life with one man, and that man was Zachary James Baker. She loved him more than life itself; she was willing to die for him, and she’d nearly proven it a time or two. She wanted his hand in marriage, and it thrilled her to know that he wanted that as well.

Zack had never thought he’d marry her, but he knew he needed to. Not so much because it was the socially acceptable thing to do because she was pregnant, but because his heart needed hers to beat. God only knew how she’d fallen in love with someone like him—a monster like him, if he really wanted to dig in to the nitty gritty of it all—but it had happened and he couldn’t be happier about that.

They had decided not to go through with a huge, lavish ceremony. Instead, they were simply doing a courthouse wedding, with Jimmy and Leana as their witnesses. Eliza didn’t want to wear a wedding gown because of her pregnancy, and Zack didn’t want to go through a huge ordeal just to marry the woman he loved. A huge wedding wasn’t important, and they both knew that.

The county clerk asked them all the necessary questions before pronouncing them as Mr. and Mrs. Zachary James Baker, and they shared a simple kiss before exiting through the back, not wanting anyone to see where they had come out from. Jimmy and Leana followed suite, and they got into the back of a limousine before they started making their way back to the mansion for a small party.

Eliza giggled when she felt Zack’s arm snake around hers before pulling her closer to his body, his lips pressing against her forehead before he pulled her over onto his lap. “I can’t wait until James and Jonathan get here,” he murmured against her neck before he ran his hands lightly over her swollen stomach, causing a grin to break out on the newly married woman’s face.

She was ecstatic that Zacky was just as happy about the baby twins as she was. She tilted her head against his shoulder, looking up at him with a happy smile on her face. “After they’re born, we’ll need to start practicing for a little girl,” she teased him, poking his stomach with her finger before she rested her head against his shoulder.

“Baby, we can have as many babies as you want, as long as you keep loving me,” he told her, grabbing her hand and squeezing tightly.

Eliza smirked and nodded, leaning forward to connect their lips in a smooth kiss. “Not as much as I love you,” she whispered, holding on to him tightly. She couldn’t believe that they were finally at this point with one another.

They would never have to worry about Castro again, and they never had to be scared for their lives again either. All of that drama was in the past, and now all they needed to worry about was what colors to paint the nursery and how many outfits each baby would need. They were both looking forward to parenthood, but even more than that, they were both looking forward to spending their lives together.

The End
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This is the end of the Bound To You series. There are no current plans for another sequel, as I feel that every plotline that I put into this series has been completely wrapped up and finished. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to comment on this story, read it, or subscribe to it. It's been one of my favorite projects that I've written on Mibba and I feel as though it helped me grow a lot as a writer. :)

Starting with this batch of updates, I’m going to start something new with my stories. Each week, I’m going to promote five stories from five different authors on Mibba whose stories I think are amazing and deserve promoting. This week’s five stories are below:
Wishful Thinking by vacant hope. Feat. Matt Sanders.
Fallen Stars by destroya. Feat. Matt Sanders.
Nothing To Fear by CharmedLuna. Feat Matt Sanders.
You Had Me At Hello by for I have Syn. Feat. Arin Ilejay
Spineless by shylaSATIRE. Feat. Jimmy Sullivan & Matt Sanders (not a slash.)

Also, this month since several of my stories are coming to a close, I have two new stories starting. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Love is a Matt Sanders story, and Give Me A Chance is a Ryan Dunn story. I’m excited about both, and I hope you enjoy them as well.