My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

"Thank you, Aria! I know you helped with all this. I still don't know how you managed it, but you did and it's been such a wonderful surprise."

"That's what my son wanted to give you. We all pitched in-though there might be one little thing we didn't account for..."

"What's that?"

"Don't you feel the dress is a bit tight?" Aria asked, placing a hand on Celeste's stomach.

"Oh!" Celeste blushed instantly.

"It's a surprise! I hadn't even realized... I thought maybe I was starting menopause..."

"I've heard that stage can actually bring more pregnancies..."

"You're not wrong," Celeste said, sharing a laugh with her mother-in-law.

"How far along are you?" Aria asked, intrigued.

"Almost four months, but it's barely showing..."

"Well, today... it's starting to show. When are you going to tell Peter...?"

"I was waiting for the right moment and I think today is perfect."

"He's going to be so happy! Now then, are you ready?"

"Very ready!"

"Great. Time to call Theodore to walk you down the aisle..."

"Theodore?"

"Yes, he helped with all of this too. So who better than him to give you away? Come on-let's go!"

In that beautiful garden, where everything was prepared for an intimate ceremony, several families had already gathered.

The Palmer Bartz family: Alden, Serenity, and Ethan-now a handsome young boy dressed elegantly-stood with his inseparable friend John, who also had grown into a striking young face. And let's not forget little Isabelle, almost six now, the spitting image of Serenity.

Then there were the Evanses:

were

Maximus, who had just escorted his brother to the altar; Diana, with nearly five-year-old Vincent—just as restless as any of Maximus's children; Maurice, now an attractive teen of nearly sixteen; and Paul, twenty-two and recently finishing his degree in international business.

It had to be acknowledged this young man clearly inherited his mother's and father's beauty. Though it pained Maximus to admit it, Paul was preparing to take the reins of the Legrand family legacy.

Paul wasn't doing it for money, but for honor. If he didn't step up, the family name would be lost because of his father's mistakes.

Matthew and Magnus were now too old to travel, so they sent their well-wishes and blessings to the family. Peter and Maximus still traveled occasionally to the Emirates—sometimes with family, sometimes alone—but they remained attentive to those two elders who were enjoying their well-earned retirement.

They both agreed it was the best place to grow old. After a lifetime of work, they now had the luxury of a carefree life.

Also present was

the Brown Evans

family: Adrian and Laura looked more mature, standing beside their beautiful daughter Adele, now nearly seven They still hadn't set anoveldrama

wedding date and weren't sure if one would ever come-but one thing was certain: they had a solid felationship, full of love, with its ups and downs.

Laura, once the shy little girl, now ran the Evans, Palmer, and Bennett businesses. She had proven herself to be a strong and sharp businesswoman.

Her partner and father of her daughter was her biggest supporter-managing the household and raising Adele, something he truly loved. Plus, with Emma's wise advice, this little family needed nothing else.

Also in attendance were the Bennetts: Theodore, the proud father, enjoying a quiet life in the Lunavalle countryside with his wife and daughter. He was also proud of his incredibly creative son who worked in advanced software and tech development.

The Palmer family, of course, was there: Aria, elegant and beaming with pride for her son, the man who was finally marrying the love of his life. Her son, who had unexpectedly found love and now lived gratefully, creating precious memories one day at a time.

Danielle, and Eleanor who was now nearly 13-were slowly adapting to the new world they were part of. The same was happening with Danielle, who was beginning to open up more. She occasionally dated, but the right man still hadn't come along.

Surprisingly, even Anthony Moriarty and his family had been invited. Since Amanda's passing, Angela had grown close to Diana and Laura, even sharing time with Celeste. For Moriarty, the idea of his wife having girlfriends was unexpected-but little by little, he found himself spending time with those two families as well.