Chapter 150

Stella

One Year Later…

The beach breeze is warm against my skin. The sound of laughter and light conversations fill my ears, causing me to smile more than I have for in the past. My brother's sit on the opposite side of the table, while my parents, Lillian, Adrian, and I are on the other.

We decided to take a vacation as one big family. We landed on a place that means a lot to Adrian and I, the same beach resorts that we almost reconnected at before things fell apart. This time around, though, we do not have the distraction or problems of Clara and our wild emotions to stop the fun.

My mother and Adrian's mother, Lillian, smile and talk with one another. They both have a glass of wine in front of them, their laughter is infectious while Adrian and my father talk about his business and how he can provide medical services to my father's mafia. He even suggests ways to legitimize my father's crime organization, to change it to work for something good instead of evil.

My brothers are loud and rowdy. They argue whether an ostrich can beat a cheetah in a running race, something so stupid and unimportant yet it causes them to speak with each other with passion, prominent in their voices.

Sitting here at the table, I realize that there is not another place in this world that I would rather be. There is not a single place that could make me happier in this moment than being with Adrian in our families. The pieces of the puzzle have slowly fallen into place with one another, the mysteries of life having been solved throughout the last year.

I turn and look at Adrian once I feel his touch on top of my hand. We lace our fingers together and share a small smile, leaning into share a quick kiss. Adrian gently brings my chair closer to his, nodding his head at Luca, who tries to get into joining on the conversation I roll my eyes and wave my brother away, turning to look up at Adrian with a smile on my face.

“How did we get here?” I ask, the question slipping from my lips before I can even think about it. “How did we get to a place where we could all be so happy with each other?”

“I don't know,” Adrian responds with a light chuckle, “last year, your brothers would've beaten me up and throw me into the ocean just for being around them.”

“I think it is great growth on their side of things,” I comment, an amused smile spreading across my lips. “you should be thankful to not be in the ocean.”

“I am very thankful actually,” Adrian continues the slight banter with me, “I am very grateful that they have finally come around to the idea of us being together.”

“Me too,” Lillian chimes in with a small smile. My eyes flicker to my mother, and she nods in response, agreeing with Adrian's mother's comment.

Our mothers’ eyes dropped to my hand. They stare at the diamond ring that sits on my finger, something that Adrian gifted to me just a couple of days ago, before we got onto the plane to come to the resort. A blush creeps on my cheeks, turning away to hide the light embarrassment on my face.

I am still in shock that Adrian and I are engaged with one another. We decided to take our time with things, yes, so that is why we decided on a very long engagement.

We knew, though, that we were going to be married with one another. We wanted to spend the rest of our lives at each other side instead of being far away from one another. The diamond ring that sits on my finger merely acts like a promise, a sweet ending to the tumultuous story that we have been through with one another.

My brothers don't know of our engagement. Just our parents know. We did not think that it would be appropriate to tell our brothers just yet, not wanting to hurt Sebastian's feelings since he has avoided Adrian and I in the last few months.

I sigh and smile at the ring. I quickly move her hands underneath the table before my brothers can catch on, slipping the ring from my ring finger to another hand, acting as if it is just another gift that Adrian has bought me since his business is doing astronomically better than it has before. I feel Adrian's lips brush against the shell of my ear, his breath hot on the side of my face.

“It's killing me not to tell them,” he admits to me. I roll my eyes and shake my head, gently pushing him away. He laughs.

“Patience is a virtue, after all, you should try and practice it more often,” I shrug and response, playing coy with my fiancé.

Adrian shakes his head and laughed at me some more. I can't help but smile at the site, the sound of his laughter, making me feel so happy. I lean forward and placed my hand on his leg, gently shaking it.

“What? What’s so funny?” I ask, quietly chuckling alongside him.

He let out a deep breath and looks down at me, gently pushing a few loose strands of hair out out of my face and behind my ear. He shrugs and places his hand on the back of my head, smoothing out my hair as best as possible. It is a sign of his affection that makes me so happy, makes me feel so seen and loved.

“I just think you're right, that's all,” he admits, tilting his head to the side, “I think that we are exactly where we need to be.”

I nod in response. I can feel my cheeks heat up, another blush overtaking my face. I turned away and look at my brother, the way my father has joined in on their conversation. Even our mothers joining on their argument, knowingly, poking the bear to make Luca even louder than before.

Adrian is right. We are exactly where we need to be. The life that we have created with one another, the one that we have fought for over the last couple of years of our lives, has finally come into fruition. The fruits of our labor are on full display.

If somebody were to tell me five years ago that Adrian and I would be engaged, in a happy relationship with one another, that I have finally met my birth family, and have gotten away from Clara and my horrible foster parents… I wouldn't of believed them.

It would have been a future, that I never thought would be possible for myself. A future that I always dreamed of instead of thinking would become a reality for me.

Life is nice like that, though. Life can be so cruel at times, making people wish that they were never born, to make them struggle and suffer in silence with no way of winning against it. I like to think, though, that one needs to take life by the reins and make it bend in the way they see fit. It is what I did with Adrian.

I turn and look up at him, meeting his emerald gaze with happy eyes. He leans down and I meet him halfway, our lips connecting, and a sweet kiss, content with the lives that we are living and eager to see what sits on the road ahead.

END.