Chapter 110

I sit on the bench at the patio, facing the backyard as I wait for Aiden and Dad from their morning walk. I sip the tea in my hand, wondering about how my future will unfold after everything that happened.

So many things are going on inside my head, and while I'm pondering in thought, Aiden walks toward me. He takes a seat beside me.

"How was the walk with my dad?" I ask.

Aiden sighs, and to my surprise, a smile touches his lips. "Pretty good."

His answer makes me raise my eyebrows in question. But then, I laugh softly.

Aiden told me what Dad did in the previous morning walk, and judging from Aiden's answer just now, I hope that today is different. I hope that Dad has warmed up to him.

Since I overheard Dad's conversation with Mom the day the accident happened, I know that sooner or later, he will give his blessing to us.

I return my gaze to the backyard when my thoughts consume me again.

"What are you thinking about?" Aiden asks.

I huff, blowing a strand of my hair. "College. What I'm going to do in the upcoming months."

"Tell me about it."

"Now that I think again, I want to extend my exchange program in Seattle," I say truthfully. "It's going to end soon. One semester, remember? I'd already thought about extending it a few months ago, you know, before..."

My words stop. I don't know how to talk about the time when we separated. It's painful to remember, and I know that Aiden would always feel guilty for what happened. It might have hurt him more than it did me.

I feel Aiden's hand taking mine. He puts it on his lap. While he's holding my hand, I turn my head to look at him and find the pain crossing his expression.

"Nevaeh..." he rasps, and I know without him saying it that he wishes he could turn back the time to undo the heartbreak.

"I didn't tell the universities that I wanted to extend the program because of how things went that time," I say, "and I should tell them now that I've decided to continue."

Aiden nods. "What's holding you back then?"

"I don't know. My dad?" I sigh again. "Even if I continue the program in Seattle, I don't know if he would be okay with me living with you again."

Aiden squeezes my hand, looking me in the eye. "Don't worry. He'll understand."

My brows furrow. "How?"

Aiden chuckles, and the look in his eyes is everything. It's like he has this big secret, a key to unlock my happiness, something that can erase all my worries.

"Everything will be alright, Heaven," he whispers. His eyes are smiling.

I want to believe him. "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah. Just trust me on this." With that said, he kisses my forehead and pulls me to him so that I can rest my head on his shoulder.

"I want to come back to our home when I'm back in Seattle," I mumble. "Speaking of that, I wonder how Ashton, Ian, and Sam are doing." I miss them.

Aiden laughs. "They're probably busy predicting what will happen to us in a group chat."

His sentence makes me smile. I'm really grateful that we're surrounded by those people who care about us.

"I still want to spend more time in Seattle," I say. "I'm really looking forward to the new semester there."

Aiden tightens his hold on me, and even though I don't see his face now, I have a feeling that he's smiling.

"Do you know what I'm looking forward to?" he asks.

I look up at him and shake my head. His question fills my mind with curiosity.

"The winter break." He smirks, making me raise my eyebrows.

***

One month later

Winter break

I never expected that today would be such an important moment in my life. Had I asked myself six months ago if I would be doing something like this with Aiden Klein, I wouldn't have even dreamt of it.

My heart is still thumping hard against my chest after what we just did. We're now holding each other's hands tightly.

"Ready to meet the rest of them?" He looks at me with a grin on his face, and I can't help but chuckle lightly.

I feel like I'm still dreaming. The happiness overwhelming me feels like it will never fade. I'll treasure this moment forever.

I nod at Aiden. He opens the door in front of us so that we can step out, and we're immediately greeted by squeals of joy.

"Oh, my God." Sienna's loud voice, filled with excitement, echoes in the air as she snaps a picture of my face using her phone, like she wants to capture my happiness forever. "Look over here, Mrs. Aiden Klein."

I laugh. Before I can respond to her, I'm already pulled into a tight hug. Mom's warm embrace surrounds my entire body, and when she pulls away, my eyes water at the sight of the tears in her eyes.

"My baby girl." Her smile can melt even the coldest ice. She's looking at me like I'm an angel, while in fact, she's my real-life angel. "I know that this day would come. I just didn't expect it would be so soon."

I wipe a tear rolling down my cheek, letting out a soft laugh.

No, I'm not wearing a wedding dress.

No, we're not in a wedding reception.

But, yes, I'm married to Aiden Klein.

Here, in NYC City Hall.

Me only wearing a white short dress and a white blazer.

Him wearing a simple suit.

When we showed up at the City Clerk, we were only allowed three other people to come in with us, and since we didn't want to decide which one among our parents, our mothers decided to wait outside.

Our fathers had come into the wedding room with us. The photographer tagged along as the third guest, hired to capture the moments of our wedding ceremony -- me and Aiden exchanging our vows and placing our wedding rings.

The ceremony literally only took about a minute or two, and boom! We were married.

My gaze darts to my husband, who is now being hugged by his mother. She's crying happy tears, and when she pulls away to look at her son's face, I can see her eyes filled with so much love, contentment, and relief.

I smile softly at the sight of Aiden beaming with happiness. It's like I'm falling in love with him for the first time again.

Two years ago, he was so happy before his world crumbled so suddenly.

I don't need a grand wedding, and neither does Aiden. We don't need a majestic wedding reception inviting famous celebrities, socialites, and politicians, one that makes headlines and pulls the media's attention.

At least, not yet. We're still going to have it sometime next year.

Still, it's not the size of the ceremony that matters to us, but the fact that we have each other. I am here by his side.

"Congratulations, honey." Aunt Melanie hugs me. She's been crying as well. When she pulls away, she has a smile on her lips. "I'm so happy for you and Aiden. He is a good man."

I nod, smiling through tears. She squeezes my hands. "Thank you, Aunt Melanie."

Uncle Vaughn steps forward from behind her, and we hug each other too. A big smile spreads across my face. The amount of gratitude I'm feeling is indescribable.

Sienna is still snapping my pictures with her phone. I don't even want to know how many photos she has taken.

When she finally comes to hug me, it's so tight that I can barely breathe. We sway as we hug each other. She pulls away, grabbing my shoulders. A look of determination crosses her expression. Now, she's the one who looks like a woman on a mission.

"We need to talk about your wedding reception as soon as possible," she urges. "About the kind of wedding dress you fancy, I've been looking all over Pinterest and, oh God, you need to look at some of them. I can't wait to see you in a wedding dress. And about the color and theme for the party, have you decided? At least for the color palette?" she starts blabbering with so much enthusiasm. She's talking so fast that I can't even focus on a single thing she's saying.

Even though the grand ceremony and reception will only happen next year, she's more excited than me, the bride herself.

My phone rings, and I take it out of my purse. Ash is requesting a video call, and I answer it with a grin on my face.

"Congratulations!" four loud happy voices greet me.

Ash, Maya, Flynn, and Kai are all in the frame. Are they having a double date?

Ash squeals. "I'm so, so happy for you. I want to see the recording of the ceremony."

"Aiden finally stepped up his game, huh? Good for him." Flynn smirks. "Please send my regards to your mother and Gorilla."

"You look really happy, Nevaeh." Maya beams with joy.

"Congratulations, Nevaeh," Kai says genuinely, smiling at me.

"Thank you so much, guys," I say, feeling so much warmth in my heart.

"I can't wait until next year," Maya says giddily.

"Speaking of it, do you remember the dress preference that you told us?" Ash asks me. "Maya actually drew something based on your description. I think you should see it."

Again, my girls are so damn excited about it.

Maya bites her lower lip, as if she feels a little bit shy about the drawing, but then Ash moves the camera so that I can see what Maya has been working on. There lying on the coffee table is her drawing book, and when Ash flips the page, the wedding dress comes into view.

I stare at the drawing in awe. "Oh wow. I love it--"

"Wait. What is that?" Sienna quickly grabs my phone, and her eyes zoom in on Maya's drawing of my wedding dress. "Oh, my God. That's fucking gorgeous."

Before any of them can respond, Sienna adds, "By the way, I'm Sienna, Nevaeh's cousin. I think we need to talk more about making that dream wedding dress come true." She continues blabbering, getting the same enthusiasm from Ash and Maya.

Flynn and Kai throw a side glance at each other and slowly disappear from the frame, probably knowing that it would take forever before the girls stop talking about the dress.

I laugh, shaking my head. When I turn to walk, I see Luke standing with his back against the wall and his hands in his pockets. He's watching Aiden talking to Uncle Vaughn. Luke's gaze shows how much he is proud of his son, I can even see Luke's eyes turning glassy.

The sound of someone sniffing catches my attention, and I see my dad facing the other direction. His shoulders are shaking. He's crying.

Slowly, I approach him. I touch his arm, causing him to turn around. The moment I see his face, I almost burst into tears.

"Oh, Dad." I wrap my arms around him, and he hugs me back.

He doesn't say anything, but I know what he's feeling.

"I'm happy, Dad. I really am," I whisper through tears. "And it's all because of you too. Thank you for accepting Aiden." I pull away and stare up at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm still your girl. Forever. Remember?"

He nods, closing his eyes as he lets out a soft cry. I smile sadly, and when I turn my body, I see Mom walking in our direction.

I step away to leave them together, and that's when I notice Aiden's eyes on me. He gives me a knowing smile.

While my legs are bringing me closer to Aiden, I meet his mother and Luna along the way.

"Nevaeh." Cassie holds my shoulders gently. Tears are rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know what to say." Her voice is barely above a whisper.

She doesn't need to say anything. Her face says it all.

She engulfs me in a warm embrace, and when we finish hugging each other, she says, "I'm so glad. I'm very glad that Aiden found you. Thank you, for just being you."

I'm the one who should be thankful because she brought him into this world, because she gave birth to a boy who became such an amazing man. The man who loves me endlessly.

Behind Cassie, Luna steps forward. Although she also has tears in her eyes, her smile is so big, from ear to ear. "I'm so happy that I have you as my sister, Nevaeh."

We squeal before we know it and then hug each other tightly until we sway.

Cassie and Luna make their way across the room to talk to Luke, and I walk closer toward Aiden. His back is facing me while Max is talking to him at his side.

"I can't believe that Nevaeh and you got married earlier than me and Luna," Max says, sounding slightly annoyed. "How the hell did you manage to convince my uncle?"

Aiden chuckles, and I can sense that he enjoys teasing Max. "You want to convince my dad? Say something to him?" He leans closer to Max while their gazes follow Luke, who is now talking to Cassie and Luna. "Let me tell you a secret."

Aiden is about to whisper something to Max, but then he seems to change his mind when his eyes dart to his baby sister.

He grips Max's shoulder instead, shaking him. "Nah. Don't worry about that. For now, just finish college and find a job first." He only claps Max's back as support, earning a scowl from Max.

"Whatever." Max rolls his eyes and walks away.

Just as I'm about to approach Aiden closer, his phone rings. He greets whoever it is from the other side of the line, and when he turns around, he looks surprised to find me already in front of him.

"Nevaeh." He smiles. "Someone wants to talk to us."

My eyebrows shoot up. Aiden shows his phone, and I see Ashton.

"Hello, you two. Enjoying this happy day?" Ashton's lips curl up into a wide grin.

"Absolutely," Aiden says.

I laugh, for two reasons. First, I am truly and extremely happy. Second, I laugh to prevent myself from crying again. Looking at Ashton makes me remember everything that we went through.

Ashton never stops believing in me and Aiden. He has helped me stay with Aiden throughout his journey to healing.

"Good," Ashton says. "We can't wait to welcome you back here with us. Nevaeh, you're officially a part of the Klein family now. Congratulations, both of you. Someone here wouldn't stop crying, though."

Ashton moves the phone, and there in the frame is Ian sitting at the kitchen counter. He's wiping his eyes with a handkerchief and sneezes.

"He's too happy, he's at a loss for words. Someone else can't stop moving around the house." Ashton turns his head around. "Oy, Sam, you're going to fall off that ladder. Watch out," he exclaims, and we notice the confetti balloons hanging from the ceiling. Sam is putting the Welcome Home banner.

Ashton shakes his head and faces us again. "Well, that's a sneak peek." He sighs. "Sorry for ruining the surprise. In the meantime, just enjoy spending more time with your family. And don't forget to pack more coats."

With that said, he hangs up, leaving me wondering about his last sentence.

Our parents are somehow already gathered in the middle of the room. Dad huffs, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. "So, where are we going now?"

Luke shoots Cassie a meaningful look. A smirk creeps on his lips. Cassie squeals before she tells all of us the idea that has probably been going on in her mind for quite a while.