Little by little, night fell over everyone gathered there. It was time for the speeches before opening the dance floor with the first waltz.Organizing this part had been tricky—after all, Serenity had three fathers, and making that work wasn’t easy. Especially when Marcus and Maximus kept throwing
After the three men had finally spoken, the microphone was passed to the mothers. The first to speak was Katherine, as she was closest.“Alden & Serenity, I’m so happy to be here today, to witness my son as he truly begins his life. My son, you are strong and wise, and I know you will fulfill your r
The clinking of glasses echoed through the room, followed by the joyful smiles of everyone present. Almost in unison, they all cheered:“Cheers”The master of ceremonies was then called over by the newlyweds, who could barely contain their excitement for the surprises they had planned. Alden took th
After the wonderful surprise orchestrated by Laura and Serenity, Matthew took a seat, and Serenity continued her speech. Maximus had a lump in his throat—this man, who had been a guiding figure in his life since his youth, the one who had taught him more about life than even his own father, was back
After a few more dances here and there, the happy couple finally made their grand exit, heading off to their honeymoon—where Alden had a special surprise waiting for his new wife.Amid applause, cheers, and well wishes, they bid everyone farewell and left the venue.Ethan was originally supposed to
As the night wound down, guests slowly trickled out until only the Bartz and Evans families remained.Marcus walked over to Matthew with a smile.“Matthew, seeing you after all this time was a great surprise.”“The feeling is mutual, Marcus! I’m happy to see that things are going so well for you. An
As Marcus said his goodbyes, Valerie brought over the bassinet with the twins, listening as the children excitedly talked about their future in Hesperia. To them, moving there only meant that their adventures would never end—and Valerie knew that, to some extent, they were right.“Mom, Ethan can liv
After leaving the party, Alden and Serenity headed straight to the airport, where a private jet was already waiting for them.Serenity had no idea where they were going for their honeymoon—Alden had taken care of everything and had been incredibly secretive about it.When they stepped out of the car
Valerie approached, one last time, one of the most important women in her life in Valeria.Emma Fiore—the woman who had taken her in almost like a daughter. While they had grown close during the three years Valerie was married to Maximus, their bond went far beyond that. They were family.Emma had c
After that hug, Valerie walked over to Laura, Serenity's sister, with whom she'd developed a bit of a bond."Laura and beautiful Adele—I wish you both all the success in the world… You must finish your studies and use your degree. You're living proof that it's possible—and that's exactly what your l
The day had finally come—the Bartz family and the newly formed Palmer-Bartz family were leaving for Hesperia.Without meaning to, the three families found themselves gathered once again at the airport.Marcus was saying goodbye to Peter, who, due to his memory loss, only held onto the memories of th
While Valerie packed up their things for the move back to Hesperia, Peter was driving with Celeste and their little girls toward Willowcombe.He was taking her to see how the renovations on the house—where they'd soon be living—were coming along.Celeste was in the back seat with the girls, tending
Valerie was packing clothes into the suitcases, though she kept drifting off, thinking about the reason they'd come here in the first place.At first, everything had seemed simple—quick even. Within a few months, they'd be back in Hesperia. But it had already been over a year.Things hadn't gone as
After Maximus said goodbye to Pierre, he went back into the mansion and headed straight to his son's room. Paul was lying on his bed, facing away from the door."Paul, can I come in?" Maximus asked gently."You're already in, Dad… Are you here to scold me for something that happened years ago?" Paul
"That's right. I'd like to speak with him alone, if you don't mind, Mr. Evans.""I think you're misunderstanding something. Letting you into my home doesn't mean you get to decide whether I'm in the conversation or not. Still, I'm trying to be reasonable—and if Paul wants to speak with you alone, on
Not too thrilled about it, Paul left his room and headed toward the garden, where a man was already waiting for him—one who didn't look his age. And to be honest, the resemblance between young Paul and the man was unmistakable.As soon as he heard footsteps approaching, the man—already sipping a cup
Time had flown by. The Bartzes were about to leave, and with them, Serenity and Alden. In just a week, everything would change again. It was clear that once the Bartzes returned to Hesperia, the families in Valentia would start making moves too. As everyone already knew, Theodore would stay in Flor