Summary: five years have passed and Brendan has kept his promise to “not give up on you.”
Warning: fluff, angst, time jump
Author’s Note: So, what I got from the poll was that everyone pretty much wants a happy ending. Which I think is great! Because of that, I’ve chosen to do a bit of a time jump so that the happy ever after seems natural. I love that people have enjoyed this series; I love writing for Gally and his smiley little face -- I mean look at him in that GIF -- so I’m always happy when people enjoy how I write him or what I write for him. This got a bit more angsty than I thought it would which is why it's a bit of a longer chapter (I wanted it to get fluffy eventually so I just kept writing until it did!) but I hope you continue to enjoy these last two chapters and thanks for reading! Stay Golden, loves! <3
Fun Fact: Grammarly calls my writing in this "confident" and "formal" so... I apologize for that. Typically, I try not to write super formally so I don't know what happened here.
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xx
Brendan’s P.O.V
You couldn’t count how many times you’d proposed to (Y/N) over the last five years but you knew that you were gonna keep doing it until she said yes because you wanted her. You’d always wanted her.
“Wanna marry me?” you asked as the two of you laid in bed, groggy from just waking up
“Sure” she groaned, making you pop your head up in surprise
“Wait, really?” you asked
“Someday” she smirked, tucking herself into you to cuddle a little longer
“You’re gonna kill me” you chuckled
“No!” she scoffed
“Yes!” you replied, wrapping your arms tightly around her body and kissing her neck playfully
“STOP!” she squeaked, finally pushing you away so she could get out of bed, “I love you and I would love to stay here, in bed, with you but your parents are expecting us in like an hour”
“We have tons of time!”
“You might but I don’t...” she laughed and you jumped out of bed, meeting her across the room
“What are you talking about? It’s not like you have to do anything. We’re just going for lunch,” you smiled, kissing her temple as she looked in the mirror, “they love you. What’s going on?”
“I don’t think your mom has ever really... liked me for you”
“What? Of course she has”
“I’ve spent close to 10 years trying to get her to see that I’m good enough for you, especially after the break up...”
“(Y/N), you have nothing to worry about,” you assured her, turning her around, “she knows that you love me and that’s all she needs” she smiled at you, kissing you quickly before walking away
“If you say so”
“I do say so,” you smirked, “trust me.” When you pulled up to your parents house, you noticed (Y/N) sigh heavily and you reached out to grab her hand, “if you need me, I’m right here”
“Okay” she smiled
“But you won’t need me” you teased
“Bren…” she scoffed before you threw open your door and ran up the stairs to greet your family inside.
“(Y/N),” your mom said as your girlfriend walked through the door slowly, placing her hands on (Y/N)’s arms before embracing her in light hug. “It’s so good to see you”
“You too” (Y/N) said, looking over your moms shoulder to you as you smiled and mouthed ‘I told you’
“Let’s sit down and have some lunch okay?” your mom said as she pulled away from (Y/N), who nodded in return
“See?” you smiled, kissing her forehead and wrapping your arm around her waist while you walked to the back patio, “nothing to worry about.”
xx
Della had liked you when you first met. She thought you were sweet and that you were good for Brendan but when she found out you cheated, her opinion of you changed, as you thought it might, but Brendan seemed completely oblivious to all of it. He still believed that she loved you because you loved him; because he loved you.
“See?” he said as he directed you to the patio outside with his family, after his mother had given you a, rather passive, hug when you first arrived. “Nothing to worry about!” you wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that he was blind to the inner workings of female interactions, but this was his mom and you weren’t there to cause drama.
“So, (Y/N),” Della started from across the table, “what have you been up to these last five years? We still don’t get to spend too much time with Brendan except during the summer and he’s mostly stayed in Montreal with you so we haven’t got to see either of you…” you smiled to yourself, looking down at your lap as you tried to evade her tone
“I’ve been working,” you said, looking at Brendan beside you before smiling at him, “keeping myself busy when Brendan’s at practice or at games, ma—”
“Do you go to the games still?” Nolan asked
“I mean, he’s gotta have at least one fan there for him” Erin laughed
“I try,” you admitted, a blush creeping across your cheeks as you prepared to say the next words; fearing what they all might think of you. “But sometimes our schedules don’t match up and I have to watch from home…”
“But you still make sure you always watch the game?” Della asked and you could feel the heat from her glare reach you for across the table
“Most of the time,” you said slowly before Brendan reached out his hand to grab yours, “but there have been a few times when I’ve had to get the score from someone else because I didn’t have a second to even look at the game…”
“Well that makes sense,” Ian added before Della could argue your answer, “stuff like that is going to happen. You can’t stop working to watch the games or else you’d get fired” you laughed, nodding in response
“I mean,” Breanne added, “unless you quit your job”
“Yeah,” Della said, almost giddy at the thought, “have you thought about quitting your job? I’m sure Brendan could keep you both comfortable”
“Mom...” Brendan finally said, shaking his head at her while you took a sip of the water in front of you
“I was joking, Mom...” Breanne said, presumably seeing your discomfort
“But it’s a serious question, something to consider,” Della added, semi-defensively, “I don’t think that’s something to get so up in arms about”
“Why don’t we just enjoy the weather, okay?” Ian said, diffusing the situation the best he could while Brendan followed Della inside
“I’m sorry, Ian,” you sighed as the two of you walked toward the grass, “I didn’t mean to make things uncomfortable”
“It’s okay” he smiled
“I know she doesn’t trust me much anymore” you added, dropping your head as kicked your foot in the grass
“She just loves Brendan,” he answered, “he’s the first-born, you know? It’s a special bond between them”
“I know,” you said before the two of you stood in silence, watching Breanne, Erin and Nolan played some game you’d never really seen before; laughing at each other when one seemed to do something wrong.
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you,” Ian said, after a while of not speaking, forcing you to look at him suddenly, “it’s just that she watched Brendan mope around for months after the two of you broke up and then when you got into your accident, she listened to him talk about how the two of you were getting back together but to her…”
“She didn’t believe it” you sighed, your eyes still trained on the ground as you interrupted him
“It felt like he was putting all his faith into something that was gonna break his heart again” he continued, making you look up at him and your eyes grew wide at the thought
“I never wanted to break his heart,” you admitted, “it’s complicated I guess but I love him. Breaking up with him felt terrible but being together, then, didn’t feel right either and I felt like I was holding him back. I let him go so he could find what he really wanted”
“But what he really wanted was you,” Ian argued, “it was always you. He told us that all the time, you were always on his mind and in his heart”
“I know,” you smiled thoughtfully, “he’s always felt like the one to me, too, I guess I just needed him to know that I didn’t want him to feel trapped… I don’t know how to explain it really”
“I get it,” Ian smirked, “but do me a favour, don’t try explaining it to my wife. Because she absolutely will not understand any of it”
“You have my word.”
xx
Brendan’s P.O.V
“I just don’t see why she doesn’t even want to try to change her work schedule…” your mom argued as the two of you washed the dishes
“Mom…” you whined
“I’m serious, Brendan,” she exclaimed, “she misses your games because of work, she doesn’t make time for the two of you to see us..”
“That’s not on her,” you interjected, “we live in Montreal, which means we can’t just pop out here to say hi”
“But you could call” she challenged
“Yes, you’re right,” you scoffed, “but that’s on me. Not (Y/N), so don’t turn it into her problem”
“She doesn’t want this relationship to progress any further than what it always was…” she frowned and you shook your head
“She does” you confessed
“It doesn’t seem like it”
“Because she wants to have a job? Because she doesn’t always stop everything to watch a game?” you asked
“Because she doesn’t try. Not the way you do”
“Mom,” you rubbed your temples, “she does try. There’s more to it than what you can see. You know, she was reluctant to come here today because she thinks that you don’t think she’s good enough for me and I had to keep telling her that wasn’t true. But it is true, isn’t it? She was right and you’ve never liked her…” you questioned, drying your hands
“That’s not true!” your mom yelled, stopping you from leaving, “I loved her for you, I thought you two were perfect for each other and she fit so well with us but she proved time and again that she just didn’t care. She cheated, she didn’t communicate with you, she ended things because of some vague excuse that you two weren’t good together anymore and then she used you to make her better after her car accident”
“She didn’t use me. She needed help so I offered my help,” you corrected, “because I love her and no matter what happened between us, I wasn’t going to let her be in pain" she seemed to drop the conversation after that but not without a heavy sigh before walking into the backyard to join everyone
"Hey," you whispered to (Y/N) as you draped your arm across her shoulders, "how're you doing?"
"I'm okay," she replied quietly, "how are you?"
"I'm good" you smiled, hoping she wouldn't see how the conversation with your mom annoyed you
"I didn't mean to start anything," she said with a sigh, wrapping her arms around your waist and you looked down at her as she looked up at you, "drama or whatever. I didn't mean to make things awkward..."
"You didn't" you smiled, kissing her forehead
"It feels like things are tense" she admitted and you shrugged, looking out at your family but still feeling (Y/N) looking up at you
"Wanna marry me and get outta here?" you joked, hearing her scoff in return
"No," she said, hugging you tighter, "but maybe."
xx
It had been two weeks since you and Brendan were at his parent's place for a BBQ, two weeks since you could feel Della's hesitation of you being with her son and two weeks since Brendan last asked you to marry him. The proposals were becoming less frequent now and your mind was running wild with reasons why that might be but you hoped that he was waiting for the perfect moment. And that that perfect moment came when you were absolutely ready to say yes.
“He used to propose every day,” you told your best friend, Rebecca, has the two of you sat on her balcony, “and now, nothing. Not a single mention of marriage”
“If he asked you today, would you say yes?” she asked candidly
“I don’t know” you replied
“Maybe he knows that, finally, and he just wants to wait long enough,” she said, “you said he proposed at the barbecue and you said no, right?”
“I mean, I guess…” you scoffed
“So…” she smirked, “he probably feels that you’re not ready yet and he’s just tired of small proposals”
“Small proposals?” you furrowed your brow
“Yeah,” she said before taking a sip of her drink, “he probably wants to do something big but he wants to know you’re ready to say yes…”
“And how would he know when I’m ready?” you chuckled
“I have no idea,” she laughed, “maybe he’s got a checklist”
“Oh my god, if he has a checklist,” you laughed, throwing your head back, “I swear to god, I would die”
“You know how he is though,” she said after the two of you stopped laughing, “his first proposal was in a public place”
“Yeah but that was so much pressure and we fought about it afterwards”
“Yeah because you weren’t ready to say yes,” she said, “you needed to air out the reasons why...”
“Do you think he’ll listen to them?” you questioned, raising your eyebrow at her
“Why wouldn’t he?” she asked
“After what happened with his mom, I think he’s starting to revert back to the idea that I should just be the ‘holly housewife’ type” you admitted
“I don’t think that’s true”
“I hope not...” you sighed, finishing up your water and heading inside. After realizing that you had been there for almost three hours, you decided it was probably time for you to go home, surprised to see Brendan sitting at the table when you walked into the apartment. “Bren...?” you asked hesitantly
“Hey,” he said plainly and you couldn’t think of anything to say, he seemed very focused and you weren’t sure why. It made you nervous, “so, I... don’t know where to start...”
“What’s wrong?” you finally asked, setting down your bag and pulling out a chair to sit beside him
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to marry me,” he admitted and you shook your head in confusion, “or that if we get married, you’ll lose yourself”
“I--”
“I don’t want my mom to feel like you’re not good for me for whatever reason,” he admitted, stopping you from interrupting him, still not looking at you. Oh god, you thought to yourself, he’s gonna break up with me, “and I don’t want you to be mad at my mom because you resent her for whatever reason”
“Bren--” you started but he stopped you, his eyes finally looking into yours
“I love you,” he confessed, “and I realize now, though I should’ve realized before, that you don’t want some grand gesture of a proposal. Maybe because you don’t like all the attention or maybe because it feels like too much pressure. Whatever it is, it’s not what you want. I should’ve known that. I should’ve paid attention to that” you took a breath as you listened to his words, not really knowing where this was going. “But here’s the thing,” he said, holding your hands in his while his eyes danced between yours, “I told you I wasn’t giving up. And all it takes is once. One time. One proposal for you to say yes to and then, what do ya know? we’re engaged. So, I won’t give up because I love you and if you keep saying no, eventually I’ll take the hint, but I’m gonna ask you right now. Right here. Like this. Because I love you and I want to marry you, Do you want to marry me?”
“Yes,” you whispered without thinking about it; everything he said just took away any fears that you had and you couldn’t think of your life without him. “Yes,” you repeated, feeling a tear fall down your cheek before giggling happily, “yes, I will marry you”
“Wait really?” he said, the shock in his face making you laugh
“Yes, baby” you said softly, placing your hand on his cheek
“Like really really?”
“Really really” you smiled before leaning in and pressing a kiss to your lips, feeling a tear graze your cheek as it feel down his
“God, I love you,” he scoffed when he pulled away as if he was catching your breath, “but I am exhausted”
“I know, I’m sorry” you laughed
“You’re serious right?” he asked again and you smiled brightly, squeezing his hands tightly
“YES! Brendan, baby, I’m serious”
“I just needed to check” he smirked
“I love you,” you cooed, “and I can’t imagine marrying anyone else, being with anybody else”
“Fucking finally” he sighed and you laughed
“I won’t sacrifice myself for your job though” you insisted
“I wouldn’t dream of it” he smirked, capturing you in a kiss before picking you up and taking you to the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him and throwing you on the bed.
Author’s Note: I found the GIF on Google because it didn’t come up on Tumblr’s GIF search but I think the credit goes to @nhl-imagines-posts but if I’m wrong please let me know so I can give proper credit. I’m so grateful for those of you that have read this little series and I’m happy that those of you who enjoyed it have done so :D I decided to end this series at 11 because it’s Gally’s number, even though I truly hate uneven numbers, but also because I couldn’t see it really going anywhere other than this. I’m always happy to take your requests for Gally or anyone but be patient with me; sometimes, I forget I have anything saved and it’s like a month before I start a request. I hope you enjoy this finale! Stay Golden, loves! <3
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It took longer than you ever thought it would, to finally be getting ready to walk down the aisle to the man you had loved and lost and loved again. You put your dress on and looked in the mirror, taking in a sharp breath when you saw yourself for the first time
“Whoa” you whispered
“You look beautiful” Breanne said
“Like a princess” Erin cooed and you laughed at the two girls who would soon be your sister-in-law’s
“Thank you” you blushed before taking another breath
“You’re getting married” Rebecca sang as she came up behind you, squeezing your shoulders
“Did you ever think you’d get here?” you heard Della ask from the doorway, presumably having just come from seeing Brendan
“No,” you scoffed, “but yes. He was always the one for me. I know we’ve given everyone here whiplash for... like ever but he’s always just been this, lighthouse to me. Something that tells me I’m safe and I’m home, you know?” You noticed your mom smile from where she sat on the couch before turning back to the mirror, “I wish we didn’t have to go through what we went through to get here but I’m so happy that we’re here and that I get to marry this wonderful man who I love so much.”
“You found each other,” Della said after a pause before walking over to where you stood, “you love each other and the road to this day was meant to be. Sure, it was rocky but it was meant to be.” You smiled at her words, taking a deep breath before your mom came over to squeeze your shoulders
“You are so beautiful,” she said, tearing up as she spoke, “inside and out. I am so proud of you, baby girl, and everything you are and the strong woman you’ve become”
“We should probably get going,” Rebecca interrupted with a smile, “someone’s waiting for you downstairs.”
xx
Brendan’s P.O.V
You were starting to panic. You stood in front of your family and friends as you waited for (Y/N) to walk down the aisle but, after almost 45 minutes, she still hadn’t shown up
“Where is she?” you mumbled under your breath
“Don’t worry,” Nolan replied and you realized, if he heard you, the rest of your groomsmen probably did as well, “she’s not gonna bail. She’s probably just too busy staring at herself”
“Maybe you’re right” you smirked before taking another deep breath and trained your eyes back to the door. The soft music continued to play and you felt your palms getting sweaty as another 10 minutes passed, “maybe I should go check on her...” you said to Nolan before preparing to walk down the steps
“Hold on,” he scoffed as he watched you get ready to dart, “just another minute or two and then you can freak out.” You sneered at his smirk when, suddenly, the door opened and the music started again; finally. Her bridesmaids walked in first, wide grins on their faces as they made their way to the altar to parallel your boys. The flower girl was next. Her white princess dress bouncing as she danced down the aisle, sprinkling daisies happily before finally reaching her parents in the pews. Then you finally saw her, noticing how the flower girl's dress nearly matched hers perfectly and you smirked to yourself. With every step she took, your heart began to beat more and more out of your chest, imagining the moment you'd finally be able to hold her hands in yours to become husband and wife. You watched as her father kissed her forehead and tearily gave her away
“You look stunning” you whispered when she stepped in front of you, smiling before squeezing your hands
“I'm sorry I'm late” she whispered back as the Priest began to address the vows
“Is everything okay?” you asked quickly
“Yeah,” she smiled, “we were just gushing about you”
“Oh well then,” you smiled back, “you could've spent as much time as you wanted.” You both caught the stern glare from the Priest and stopped talking so he could continue. When it finally came time to say your vows, you held back tears but (Y/N) let them fall freely, laughing as you wiped them away as she spoke.
“I now pronounce you,” the priest smiled, “husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” She squealed before placing her hands on your face and pulling you in so the two of you could share your first kiss as a married couple. You took her hand and raised it in a sort of victory pose before the two of you walked down the steps and out the big wooden doors at the end of the aisle.
“We did it!” (Y/N) giggled when you cleared the room, “we’re married!”
“We’re married” you sighed happily before kissing the backs of her hands.
xx
You convinced Brendan to go to the closest fast food place because you were starving
“There's gonna be food at the reception...” he questioned
“You actually think we're gonna be able to eat?” you laughed and he shrugged in return
“Okay, where do you want to go?” he asked
“We have like half an hour, so let's go wherever is closest so we can just eat everything,” you chuckled, “then go to the reception and chat up all the guests and take pictures with everyone”
“Alright,” he agreed, “let's go then.” You rushed out to the car, carrying the pile of fabric that was your dress close to your chest and watched Brendan tail close behind. You ordered a chicken wrap to start and some fries to share while Brendan ordered a double cheeseburger, practically engulfing it. “Soooo good!” He mumbled with his mouth still full of food
“Ew, B,” you scoffed, turning your attention to your food, “that’s so gross. Don’t talk with your mouth full” he looked at you and you could already see the thought forming in his head
“Oh I’m sorry,” he teased, moving closer and closer to you with his mouth practically bursting with food before he took another bite, “is this bothering you?”
“Stop!” You squealed, pushing his chest from you, “oh my god! Stop!” he stopped, laughing once the food had cleared his mouth
“You want anything more? You haven’t had much” he asked
“Just a drink” you smiled and he was quick to jump up to grab you something. When you showed up at the reception, you were rushed to take pictures in almost every space you could and you could hear the guests begin to arrive. The rest of the night was filled with lights and laughter and singing and dancing until you couldn’t feel your feet anymore
“How are you feeling?” Rebecca smirked when she saw you slump into a chair
“My feet hurt” you whined
“You’re married!” she cooed as she helped you stand back up, wrapping her arm around your waist so you didn’t fall
“I know!” you exclaimed silently
“Let’s get some champagne to celebrate!” You had a few more drinks than you intended and Brendan came up behind you
“Someone ready to sneak out?” he whispered and you turned around quickly, falling into his chest
“Yes!” you whispered back, “how should we do it?” he pointed to the back exit and cocked his eyebrow before tilting his head in the direction
“Let’s get out of here” he smirked. You tried to be as quiet as possible, catching only a glance from your aunt at the bar who just raised her glass to you as you walked out the door.
xx
Brendan’s P.O.V
You had told (Y/N) that it was probably a better idea to get a room at the hotel so you wouldn’t have to go far to ‘celebrate,’ and she agreed, but when you finally got up there, carrying her dress through the hallways, both of you just passed out.
“How are you, wife?” you smirked
“I’m sleepy,” she replied, “how are you, husband?”
“I know, baby” you laughed
“Help me get out of this dress” she said as she stood up and you happily obliged. When the dress fell to the ground, she quickly jumped under the covers and you followed suit.
“So…” you started
“Hmm?”
“We’re married” you continued, a smile creeping across your face as she opened her eyes
“Yes, we are”
“So what’s next?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean... do we want 2 kids or more?”
“Baby, I’m tired. We can’t do that tonight…” she laughed and you kissed her forehead
“You do want kids though?” you asked almost insecurely which she took notice of
“Of course I do,” she replied, her hand resting on your cheek as she continued to speak, “especially if they’re yours”
“Alright,” you smiled once more before your question, “2 or more?”
“Brendan!” she giggled, turning away from you
“I mean I would have a whole hockey team with you,” you joked, “but I don’t even know where we’d put them all…”
“2,” she said firmly, “no more, no less. Just two kids”
