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Star
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It took a long ti for the four of us to break apart. When we did, it was Artem who left first. I knew that he had other things that he needed to do so I wasn't worried about him leaving my side for the ti being. I had other people here to keep company right now. I finally had the family that I should have had all along.
I heard whispered voices about moving into the other dining room down the hall, but I didn't pay them any attention. I was too wrapped up in this mont. This mont and the arms of my parents.
Oddly enough, this was the first ti I felt like a child since I was saved by Artem. I haven't actually felt like a child in years, but right now I did. Right now, I felt like all I wanted were my parents. And that was fine because I had them.
When the room around us was silent, and I knew we were the only ones left in the room, I finally pulled myself away from them and looked at my parents sitting together for the first ti in my life.
"I..I never thought th..th..that this w..w..would ever h..h..happen." I was still crying so hard that it was hard for to talk. "There w..w..was a ti w..w..when I thought I..I..I..I would n..never see either of y..you. B..but t..th..then I t D..D..Dad and I w..w..was h..h..happy with j..just that. M..M..M..Mom I..I..I'm so s..s..sorry. I thought y..you were d..dead." I cried even harder as I spoke, looking into her eyes.
"Shhh, it's ok baby." She wiped my eyes as she shushed . "I..I thought you were dead too, sweetheart. I..I let Howard, that a..asshole run out of t..t..town." She was crying just as hard as I was. If I would have d..d..doubted him for a m..minute, I wouldn't have l..l..left."
"And I let him make think you didn't love , Vivian. I knew the truth of your heart and mine. I knew that we mated, and that we were ant to be. But I let those words sway while we were apart. I am so sorry."
I laughed for a mont. All we were doing was crying and apologizing. My parents looked at with awkward looks on their faces when they heard the laughs.
"What is so funny?" Mom wondered when I stopped giggling.
"All we're doing is apologizing. All three of us. That's what we've been doing this whole ti." I giggled again. "I think what we need to do is stop blaming ourselves and move on. We have another chance. All of us. We all thought we lost what was the most important to us, but we have all found it again. I know we have all suffered for years on end, but it's over now."
"You're right." Mom laughed too.
"Yes, we've all been doing our fair share of saying that we're sorry, haven't we? I know that over the last several days, I have said it a lot. Since the night that I t you, Star. And even more now."
"Aaron?" Mom looked at her long lost mate, and for the first ti, I thought she did so with hope in them. "You truly loved back then? You never intended to leave or abandon at all, did you?"
"Vivian, my love, I loved you then, and I still love you now. I have not been with another woman since the night that I left you for the compound nearly nineteen years ago. I let people think that I had been with other won; it was easier than explaining the truth of it all to them."
"But, I saw you in town after you left. I saw you with other won." Mom looked like she wanted to cry."
"Mom?" I got her attention so that she would look at , and I didn't speak again until she did. "That wasn't him. You were fooled in the city just like you were when soone told you I had been killed. That sa person illusioned himself and made you think that he was Dad."
"I just don't know why he did that. Why did he choose , our family; why did he want to destroy us?"
"He told once. When he thought that I was going to be his forever and didn't need to hide anything else."
I told her everything that I could. She had heard a lot of it from Artem before coming back here with him today, but there were so things that he left out. I hoped that she didn't find the whole thing too upsetting. I know that it wasn't that pleasant of a story to hear.
She looked like she was going to cry again when I was done, but I was happy to see that she managed not to.
"Star, my little Star, I think that out of all of us you suffered the most. Aaron and I lost things, the sa as you, but we weren't mistreated. I wish I could take it all back, I wish I could go back in ti and make it not happen to you at all." She was cupping my cheek as she spoke.
"Don't worry, Mom, we're here now."
There was a knock on the door that got our attention. I didn't expect Artem to knock before he ca in, but he was trying to give us our privacy.
"I am sorry to intrude, but the boys would like you all to join us for dinner. They're waiting for you before they eat." Artem's face lit up with a bright smile then as he must have been thinking of the kids. "They say they now have a full family, even if it isn't a traditional one; they don't want anything else and will wait for all of you to join us."
I laughed at that. I could just imagine that it was Cohen who was insisting on not eating and the others just following suit. He really was the ringleader of them all. He was about to turn eight; he was the second youngest, and he led them all. That was so cute.
"I, for one, can't believe that I am about to have thirteen grandsons." Mom laughed as she stood up and held a hand down toward .
"Well." I took her hand and smiled as she pulled to my feet. "It's actually going to be fourteen grandsons." I grinned mischievously.
"But I thought they said that the oldest boy, Nico, wasn't going to be adopted?" She was confused.
"Oh, he's not. The fourteenth will be the youngest. He isn't due until January." I placed a hand over my belly and blushed.
"Star?" She gasped at . "You're pregnant?" She was worried and shocked. "W..w..who is the father? Please tell it's Artem."
"It is." I reassured her quickly. "Artem and I are in this together."
She was finally happy. She pulled to her and hugged tightly.
"I can't wait to et him."
After another few hugs, she walked toward the door, and Dad went to follow, but I held him back.
"Wait a minute. Can I talk to you for a mont?"
"Yeah." Dad nodded and stayed behind.
"We will be over in a mont."
After Artem shut the door, Dad looked at with worried eyes.
"Is everything alright, Star?"
"Yes, it's just fine." I smiled at him. "I think life is perfect right now, for all of us. And since this new developnt, I think you should have this back." I slid the ring off my finger and placed it in his palm. "I think that you should give it to Mom like you had planned."
"But what will you use for your wedding?" He was conflicted, uncertain of what he should do.
"Artem and I will work that out. For now, I think you and Mom deserve this more than I do. If you play your cards right, maybe it will be a double wedding next month." I winked at him, happier than I could ever rember being in my entire life. Everything and everyone was right where it should be.
We went into the other room then and had that long awaited al with my mate, my boys, and my family. Everyone was happy. Everyone was celebrating. Not a single person had a negative thought at the mont.
I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I was looking forward to the happiness and the joy of the future. I just knew that now that there was no one standing in the way of our family, we would all have a chance at a happily ever after.
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