My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Now, with her own daughter expecting a child, Valerie did everything she could to take care of her, to spoil her. Everything she hadn't had when she was pregnant with Serenity, she was now making sure her daughter did have.

Serenity and Alden had agreed to keep up the act—that they didn't know their baby's gender. It was a harmless lie, one they both held onto.

At the very least, they wanted to give both of their families the excitement of a big reveal.

And Marcus and Valerie?

They had been the first to know the sweet secret.

"Mom, Dad," Serenity said as they ate breakfast in the garden.

"Yes?" Marcus responded, masking his curiosity with a serious tone-mostly

because Alden, his future son-in-law, was sitting right there.

"We want to tell you something..." Serenity said excitedly.

"Do you finally have a date for the wedding?" Marcus asked again.

"No, Dad... It's something else," Serenity said. "Alden, tell them you give them the news."

Alden took a deep breath, gripping the handle of his coffee cup with his thumb and index finger while his other hand reached for Serenity's.

"We know the baby's gender," Alden said, his voice filled with emotion.

"What is it?" Valerie asked eagerly while feeding the twins.

"It's a girl!" Serenity exclaimed.

"A girl? Really?" Marcus asked, clearly moved but wanting to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Yes, Dad! Our baby is going to be a beautiful little girl!" Alden said with excitement.

"Wow! Congratulations!" Marcus tried to keep his composure, but inside, his chest swelled with joy.

Secretly, he was praying that his granddaughter would look like Serenity. If that happened, it would be like getting to see his little girl all over again.

"Congratulations to both of you!" Valerie said as she got up to hug Serenity. "Come here, Alden! You get a hug too, son."

Hearing that sent shivers down Marcus's spine. He still wasn't used to seeing this man next to his daughter-his baby girl.

"Marcus, aren't you going to congratulate them?" Valerie said, nudging him to get up and hug them.

With no way out, Marcus did as she said, though the situation still made him uncomfortable.

"Congratulations, my girl," he said, holding Serenity tightly. "I hope this little girl looks just like you. I hope I get the chance to see in her the years I didn't get to have with you, my love."noveldrama

As he hugged her, he felt a lump form in his throat. He swallowed hard and, shifting from his tender tone to a deeper, more serious one, said:

"Congratulations, Alden. I know you'll be a good father and that you'll take care of my princesses... But I still don't see a wedding date on the calendar. The days are passing, and you two haven't set a date yet."

"Dad, thank you... I promise we'll set the date soon. I know what I promised, and I intend to keep my word," Alden replied calmly, though inside, Marcus's presence made him feel like he was suffocating.

"Marcus, leave them alone," Valerie said, understanding that her husband had a habit of being intimidating from time to time. "Right now, the most important thing is that Serenity and Alden stay relaxed and that the baby is born strong and healthy."

After the sweet announcement, the morning passed quickly. And just as Marcus

had requested, the topic of Peter never came up.

But Alden was still worried. His father had gone to Galea and hadn't returned.

The more time passed, the more anxious he became. It got to the point where he

had to ask Maximus for help in keeping track of Peter and making sure everything was okay.

Luckily, no intervention was necessary.

Peter and Celeste had made it home without any trouble.