At NexGuard,
Aveline stord into Alaric's office without knocking. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, and her breath a little uneven.
"Alaric Lancaster," she announced, marching towards his desk, "let's get married. Also… let's go on a babymoon."
Isabella and Edward, who had entered just behind the Laurents, froze mid-step. Then they choked on air before bursting into laughter. To watch the always graceful lady run with excitent was amusing.
Alaric lifted his gaze from the file in his hand. For a second, he looked at her, the way her eyes showed, the way she was certain about him, filled him with pure delight.
He wasn't certain if he was ready to be a father. To be accurate, he had imagined a life like this. But he knew one thing with absolute clarity: he would choose her. Every ti. In every lifeti.
And he would absolutely do anything for her.
He stood up. He slid a black velvet box across the desk toward her.
"You already chose the rings!?" Aveline exclaid, moving closer, disbelief and delight mixing in her voice.
He had. When she asked for ti, he wondered what she wanted. He had reached his conclusion quietly. This was the only future that made sense when he stood in her shoes.
Aveline opened the box, and her shoulders dropped when she found it empty. She turned toward him in confusion.
And he knelt before her, right there in front of both families.
Her breath caught. "You don't have to do this," she whispered.
He ignored that gently. Kneeling before her had never ant surrender to him. He would kneel a thousand tis more if it ant she was his.
Alaric looked up at her and spoke, his voice steady, unembellished, and completely him.
"I don't promise ease," he said. "I don't promise perfection. But if you walk with , I will never let you walk alone. Marry , Sunshine."
Her eyes filled up as her grin broke through instantly. "Yes. Yes, absolutely yes."
He slid the diamond ring onto her slender finger, rose, and leaned in to seal it with a kiss, but…
"Wait." Aveline cut in.
The room froze. Alaric paused.
She lifted a finger in all seriousness. "You need to learn to change diapers. And sing lullabies. And bathe the baby, stay by even if I go crazy. You don't get to be a father who only earns money."
He blinked once. He pursed his lips, then nodded solemnly. "Understood."
She continued listing responsibilities, completely unaware that her priorities had already shifted, protective and thoughtful.
He kissed her forehead quietly, letting her speak.
The families stepped out, smiling through tears. The joy of them getting married doubled with the little life they were bringing.
"I'll start the wedding preparations," Henry declared.
"You?" Edward scoffed. "Don't forget us."
"The wedding will be at Obsidian," Isabella decided calmly. "It'll be easier."
Margaret was tempted to join the wedding activities but, "I'll handle Lina's health and doctors," she said firmly.
"I'll take care of the nu and decor," Charles added.
"The guest list," Henry and Edward said together.
Ezra stood in the hallway, watching the chaos unfold, sighing deeply. Because his boss would run behind his wife, and he would have to run the whole company.
....
The Wedding,
The spring ca gently. The Obsidian clubhouse blood in white and soft green, sunlight filtering through the gardens like a blessing. The place that once held Aveline's breaking point beca the place she would treasure most.
Ezra and Charles stood as groomsn. Scarlett walked as a bridesmaid, her eyes shining.
Alaric waited at the altar, immaculate in his suit. Nothing mattered once she appeared.
Aveline walked down the aisle, escorted by her father. Her gown hugged her curves before flowing into a soft trail behind her.
The flowers, the guests, the garden, all faded against her happiness.
Henry wiped his tears quickly. It was the second ti he walked her down the aisle. But this ti, she wasn't trembling. She wasn't scared. She walked like she couldn't wait to get married.
And Alaric couldn't take his eyes off her, even when she reached him.
Standing face to face at the altar, they exchanged their vows in steady voices, promises spoken without flourish but filled with certainty. Their wedding rings slid into place, warm and final.
When the officiant stepped aside, Alaric leaned in and kissed her, slow and affectionate.
As their foreheads rested together, he murmured, almost like a secret ant only for her, "I love you, Sunshine."
Aveline stilled.
It struck her then. They had never said it out loud before. Not once. And yet, she had never felt its absence. Because he had always shown it. In the way he stood between her and the world. In the way he listened. In the way he stayed and supported.
She smiled, eyes glistening, and whispered back for the first ti, "I love you, my dear husband. You are the best thing that ever happened to ."
Alaric didn't answer with words.
He kissed her again, deeper this ti, as the garden erupted into applause, petals drifting through the air like quiet blessings.
And just like that, their forever began.
....
Epilogue
At Lancaster mansion, Aveline sat in the garden, one hand resting on her small bump, another holding a book. And she completely ignored the banter of her parents and in-laws.
Her mother wanted to bring her to the Laurent mansion, and her mother-in-law wished the sa.
Alaric lay on the mat with his head in her lap, eyes closed, listening to her heartbeat and the quiet evening.
Aveline gently massaged his head, happy that his relationship with his mother was healing slowly.
"Aunt Aveline!" Elara Vale's voice bood from the mansion patio.
Aveline waved her hand at the little girl who was standing in a ballet dress. Then, noticing Giselle by the window, they smiled in greeting.
Everything felt surreal. It was as if she were in another dream.
"Do you think the future still wants to punish ?" she whispered.
Alaric didn't open his eyes. "It can try," he said calmly. "But it'll have to go through first."
She smiled. For the first ti in two lifetis, she felt safe.
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