My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

"Peter! We have guests..."

"That's why I designed the guest rooms far from ours..."

"You're such a sneak!"

"It's called... shark mindset."

"Peter!"

"Come on, let's go or they'll think we're actually getting busy in here!"

"You really are hopeless..."

Peter knew that now wasn't the time for celebrations, which is why the surprise wedding he'd planned for Celeste had to be postponed. He knew there would be time to reschedule it.

He also knew his brother wasn't doing well, and that with Amanda's death, all the calm they'd been living with had vanished. These kinds of shocks sometimes brought families closer-or at least showed that they'd be there when needed.

That was the case with Lucius reaching out to Peter about starting a business with him in Hesperia, now that he was moving there.

Peter didn't need more business ventures, but Lucius wanted to do something with the money Moriarty had just given him. He couldn't just rely on that, so he suggested investing with Peter. Peter had a better idea.

He'd heard about his nephew's skills and wanted Lucius, along with Alden, to manage their North American operations. Alden was grateful for the opportunity, and Lucius, aware of the responsibility, accepted gladly.

Peter's long-term plan was for one of the companies he owned to eventually become Lucius's, due to the large investment he was making. But that was something Peter would tell him in the future. First, he wanted to see his potential in action.

Peter looked at his family and saw how each one was walking their own path. It was strange to think that many years ago, it had just been Marcus Bartz, Frederick Sanders, and him.

Now, several families had been formed. Some were just beginning, others were already established. Life was wonderful-he couldn't deny it. Everyone carried their past, but everyone had to learn to live with it.

Maybe they weren't together like before, and maybe they never would be again, but history had given them incredible moments. Friendship, loyalty family, honor, and keeping your word—those were the things that made men like Marcus Bartz and Peter almost brothers.

Peter had flashes of memory about a woman named Mary. He knew who she was, and whose wife she had been. So he let those memories come and go- there was no point clinging to something from a past that was no longer his present.

That night, as he caressed the body of his wife, partner, and life companion, he whispered softly in her ear:

"I promise to love you, protect you, respect you, and cherish you until the last of my days—until I have to say goodbye... I love you, Celeste.

"I'm the happiest, luckiest man in the world for the gift life gave me—to wake up, fall asleep, and live by your side. I have everything I need, and all I ask for is many more years to feel this every day..."

"Peter..." she said, turning to look at him. "I love you too, and I have no doubt that you've been the best gift life could have given me-just like our daughters and the family you've brought into my life. I'll never be you, protect

alone aga

i love

you, respect you, and cafe for you

every day of my life..."

He sealed their vows, whispered in the darkness of the night, with a passionate kiss that led to many more things-things that words never quite captured but that they always used to express just how

much they loved and cherished each other. noveldrama