[Nivera’s POV]
Six months had passed since Tyler had died and our lives had taken a turn for the best. I no longer had nightmares because I knew he was never coming back, and I got to spend the rest of eternity with the only man that had ever shown me love, even when I didn’t deserve it.
“You’re deserving of much more than my love,” Lucien said, planting a kiss on my lips as he rested his head on my thighs, as though he could read my thoughts.
I smiled, running my fingers through his hair, as my eyes scanned the beach, wondering where the kids were.
“Mum, dad, look what we found!” Luca and Lucille chorused, running towards us with their hands full of shells.
Lucien sat up, and we both stared at Lucille in disbelief.
“Mum? Dad?” Lucien asked, surprised, even though I nudged him not to say anything.
She fiddled with her fingers nervously. “Is… is it okay if I call you guys that?” she asked, wide-eyed.
“Of course, we’re your parents after all. We’re just… we’re just shocked because
it’s the first time you’re doing so,” Lucien responded.
“Well, that’s what I’ll call you henceforth,” she said, grinning from here to here.
“You’re such a cute little thing,” I said, pulling her into a warm embrace.
Lucille was Malia and Tyler’s daughter, whom we had taken in after the death of her parents. At first, she had been shy and way too cautious around us, but with Luca’s constant disturbance and Lucien’s natural fatherly spirit, she soon eased into the family.
Since they were age mates and were born on the same day, the only logical explanation to obtain her birth certificate was that she was Luca’s twin who had been with a distant cousin of ours. We wanted to keep her birth name, but she had opted for a change since Talia sounded too much like
her late father’s name.
“Aunt Celeste definitely thinks I’m cuter,” Luca said with a pout.
“How would you know what she thinks? You’ve not seen her since that day,” Lucien said, with an underlying tone of sadness in his voice.
I squeezed his hands, heaving a sigh. He had been so used to having Celeste around all the time, and I knew her departure still affected him till this day.
“That’s a lie. I was on a video call with her last night,” Luca stated.
“What are you talking about? She hasn’t contacted us ever since she left to travel around the world,” Lucien said.
“Speak for yourself, Mr O’Hara. I haven’t contacted you ever since I left. I’ve always been in contact with Luca and the newest member of the family, Lucille,” we suddenly heard a familiar voice say behind us.
It was none other than Celeste, and her skin was back to normal. Also, she wasn’t wearing all black with gothic makeup as she used to in the past. She was wearing a bright yellow summer dress with sandals and she had on a bright smile as Luca and Lucille ran into her arms.
Lucien stood up and gave Ryle, who had accompanied her a handshake and a side hug, giving him a warm smile.
Six months ago, while we were busy with Tyler, Ryle had broken free from Jocelyn’s witches and seeing her laying on the floor dead, he had taken the herbs and he was able to make sure she was cured. The remaining herbs were replanted at the Oregon coast, which was now protected by a powerful spell so that no one ever destroyed it again.
Lucien and I were pleased to see that she was alive, and after her surgery which got her skin back to normal, she decided to take a trip around the world with Ryle by her side.
According to her, she thought she was immortal and there was enough time left for her. Now that eternal life wasn’t guaranteed for her, she wanted to make the most of her youth, especially now that Lucien obviously didn’t need her by his side anymore.
“Jeez, Celeste! You told the kids not to tell me you were speaking with them, why?” Lucien asked, hugging her tightly.
“No reason. I just wanted to surprise you,” she said, then proceeded to walk over to where I was and embraced me warmly.
“I actually kind of missed you,” she said.
I laughed. “Same here. You look amazing,” I stated.
“I didn’t look amazing before?”
“No, you didn’t. You looked scary,” I teased, and we both laughed.
“So, are you guys back for good?” Lucien asked.
Ryle answered, “No. We just came to invite you guys to our wedding before we continue our journey,” he explained.
“OMG! Congratulations!” Lucien and I chorused.
“Can I be the little bride?” Lucille asked, jumping up and down.
“Sure, why not?”
“How about me? Can I be the ring bearer?” Luca asked.
“Yes, yes, yes. We’re the only ones that’ll be at the wedding anyway. Who cares?”
The kids kept bothering Celeste and Ryle with questions as they went down to play in the gentle waves, and soon, their voices trailed off.
“I’m so happy for Celeste and Ryle. They look so good together,” I stated, as Lucien placed his hand over my shoulder.
He nodded, agreeing with me. “Yes, they do. She always felt so guilty after carrying on with her life when several of the witches died. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to die because she wanted to make sure I was okay. That’s why I was always so concerned about her, but seeing her in bright clothes and looking so happy, I no longer have to worry about her,” he said, with a broad smile on his face.
“I understand,” I said.
“That day, when Jocelyn asked, I only said I loved Celeste more than I love you because I thought she’d give me the herbs if I said so. I love you more than anything in the world, I swear, and I never should have said that,” he stated.
“That happened months ago. I was a little bit hurt when you mentioned it, but I knew you had to do what you had to do. I already know how you feel about me. You waiting for four centuries just to have me is proof of that. Celeste was by your side the whole time, but you thought of only me each day for the whole of those four hundred years. That’s why I say I don’t deserve you every time, and I’ll never understand why you chose me of all people,” I stated.
“I didn’t choose you, my love. Fate brought us together, and I am merely grateful that I had a second chance to be with you for you, Nivera, are the essence of my existence,” he said, caressing my cheeks tenderly.
A smile appeared on my lips, “I love you, Lucien. Thanks for waiting for me, thanks for loving me, and thank you for not giving up on me,” I told him, looking deeply into his eyes.
He smiled back at me, before leaning in to kiss me softly on my lips.
I couldn’t believe that this man was mine, and looking back on everything I had gone through, I was thankful that I had endured it all, because at the end of the day, it led me to him.
My Love, My Lucien, My Everything.
THE END.