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Two Years Later

Alette unlocked the front door of their home and walked inside, shutting it closed behind her.

"I'm home, lovebug!" she called as she kicked off her shoes, juggling her purse, her files and a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

Aresius walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a pink towel.

"Hello, my angel girl."

Alette wasted no time in rushing to him, wrapping one arm around his neck as he bent down to press his lips against hers.

She pulled away beaming, her arm still around his neck, "Hi, gorgeous."

He smiled softly at the most beautiful girl in the world.

His Alette.

"Hi darling, how was work?"

She pecked him on the cheek, moving her arm away from his neck.

"It was busy! But I loved it!" she beamed, handing the flowers to him, "Flowers for my lovebug!"

He smiled softly, grabbing the flowers from her hands, and pecking her on the forehead.

She bent down to give Grasso and Carino both kisses on their heads. Carino had gotten quite big, while his father was still at war with Ares.

"What did you do today?" he implored, taking her purse and files from her as they walked into the kitchen.

She told him about the busy day she had. She was nearing the end of her specialization program, having worked extremely hard for the past two years. That would make her qualified to begin consulting with clients, and she was beyond excited.

In that time, she had also used part of the inheritance that her parents left her to buy a place in downtown to use as an office for her new venture. With sponsorships and connections from Ares, Jakob, Uncle Syl, Oscar and Dr. Esa, she had been working towards opening a rehabilitation and therapy centre, fittingly called 'Bloom,' for children and youth.

It was close to being opened soon, and Alette was over the moon that she had the facilities to create something like this and help others who were in a dark place.

Ares watched as she lit up whilst talking about her training and all of the work that she did to prep for the opening of the building.

She stretched her arms out, taking a slow sip of water, as she stood beside her husband in the kitchen.

"How about we take a walk tonight, hm?" Ares asked her, "Would you like that?"

She nodded earnestly, "Oh yes please! That would be so nice."

He knew how fond she was of being in nature; working and studying in the city was difficult for her sometimes, and every night, she would walk with him in the backyard, or sit in the porch swing that he had installed for her.

Every so often, he would whisk her away after dinner for walks in the surrounding fields.

He saw how she blossomed and was instantly rejuvenated in the silence that the nature provided.

He kissed her lips softly, "Let me run you a bath, yeah?"

She leaned into his touch, wanting to just hold him for a moment.

Despite how fast and hectic life got around her, Ares was her serenity.

He brought her tranquillity and love like nothing else.

She kissed his chest, "Will you join me in the bath, my Reecie?" she asked coyly, fluttering her lashes at him.

He smirked, snaking his hands down to her butt, giving it a squeeze.

"What my wife wants, my wife gets."

She blushed, and giggled blissfully as he scooped her up into his arms.

He carried her into their room, placing her beside the bed with one more kiss on her forehead.

She grabbed some clothes to wear, a nice light pink dress with pockets, and a knit cropped dark pink cardigan that Grams had knitted her.

Alette left her clothes out and made her way to the bathroom.

"Bath's ready, my love"

She smiled, kissing his cheek, "Thank you, Reecie."

"I'll be waiting," he kissed her again slowly before walking out of the bathroom.

She didn't spend too long in the hot water, just enough to feel her muscles ease slightly.

She wanted nothing more than to go on that walk with Ares; to be around him.

She quickly rinsed off in the shower, wrapping her towel around herself as she walked out into the room.

He sat on the bed, rifling through a stack of papers.

The moment she entered the room, he smiled, putting the papers aside.

"You promised to join me in the bath, my love," she narrowed her eyes playfully.

"I didn't want you sore for our walk," he smirked, making her cheeks tinge red.

He pulled her into his arms, seating her sideways on his lap.

"I'll make it up to you tonight," he whispered into her ear.

He watched as her face lit up with a blush, but noticed how her eyes darkened.

He chuckled, getting up and placing her down on the bed. He grabbed her clothes and some moisturizer; he took his time, massaging it into her arms and legs.

He helped her changed into her clothes, using a towel to dry her hair completely.

He watched as combed through her hair lightly, the afternoon sun making her glow.

He still couldn't fathom the idea that she was real; that she was a part of his life.

"Ready now!" she stated, reaching out for his hand.

For someone who had gone through his whole life hating human contact, he didn't want to spend a moment where he wasn't holding her hand, caressing her cheek, kissing her lips.

The two walked downstairs as Alette asked him about his day.

She loved hearing his voice, the way that he talked and explained things. She loved everything about him.

That fact hadn't dwindled over the two years that they had been married.

He led her to the kitchen, grabbing a plate of the food that he had made her, and she took her seat in his lap, as they fed each other.

They talked about nothing and everything. The whole world seemed to grow quiet when she focused on him.

His world shined when he looked at her.

They finished dinner, and Ares put the dishes away while Alette refilled the water dishes for their precious cats.

"Was your dad mean to you today, Grasso?" she asked the cat in an exaggerated whisper.

Ares rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide the smile as he leaned against the wall, with his arms crossed.

Grasso meowed and Alette raised her brow, looking back at Reece whose eyes widened just a bit.

"So you were mean to him today," she said, standing up.

"Baby...he's a cat...you're going to take his word over mine?"

Aresius Adler didn't pout.

He wasn't pouting.

"Stop pouting, gorgeous," Alette giggled, kissing his bicep.

Unless of course, Alette Adler was involved.

"I'm not," he huffed under his breath, and the moment that Alette walked towards the front door and had her back to them, Ares stuck up his middle finger at Grasso.

"Saw that!" she sang, as she grabbed her purse.

Ares bent down close to Carino, "Eat all of the Fat Bastard's food tomorrow and I'll give you extra treats."

He gave one last glare to Grasso, who hissed, and walked towards the door, slipping his shoes on.

"You're going to turn father and son against each other," Alette asked amusedly.

"Grasso deserves it," Ares grumbled as he held the door open for them to walk outside.

Alette poked his stomach, "You're obsessed with Grasso, Reecie, he's literally your best friend."

Ares let out an incredulous chuckle, "As if."

Alette giggled as he buckled her seatbelt, and started reversing out of the driveway. A few more houses had been built on their street over the last two years, and it was getting quite crowded.

There were people and cars littered on the street, despite it being the middle of the workday.

Ares drove, his hand on her leg as she stared at him.

The best view in the world.

He eventually parked the car, and Alette looked around confused. He saw her look and cleared his throat.

"There's a trail here, heard its nice," he said lowly.

"Oh okay, sounds exciting," she said, her face happy again.

She would follow him to the end of the world, so a trail in the fields wasn't that difficult.

He opened her door for her, and she got out, looking around with a content sigh.

The place he had taken her was only a fifteen-minute drive from their house. It was in a similar area to Grams' house; probably a ten minute drive to get to her place.

He held her hand, and she smiled at him as he led her to the start of the trail.

"For being in the middle of the fields, this area is really well landscaped," she mused, looking around happily.

Ares prayed she couldn't feel his clammy hand, or his apprehension.

But she was Alette, and she knew him too well.

"Are you alright, my love?" she implored as they walked hand-in-hand.

He cleared his throat, "I'm alright, darling."

She wrapped her arm around his bicep, moving in closer, but kept walking.

She wouldn't ever push him for answers, just hoped that she could provide him with comfort until he wanted to talk.

As they walked on the tree-lined path, staring at the short rolling hills around her, she hesitated, her brows furrowed.

"R-Reece? I think this is..." she looked around, noticing the path ending, and structure up ahead.

She looked up at him, "Ares...I think we're on private property," she watched as he swallowed, his eyes up ahead as the structure in front of them finally came into view.

She looked ahead.

He watched her.

"R-Reecie? T-This is..."

He cupped her jaw, turning it to face him, seeing confusion in her eyes.

"Our home."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open slightly.

"W-Wh-" she looked at the beautiful house ahead of her, and then she looked at Reece. Then back at the house, and back again at him.

He turned to her, cupping her face, staring into her eyes, hesitant.

"I-I..." he swallowed, "This is our house baby. I had it built."

He kissed her forehead softly.

"Your uncle owned this land, your father was going to build a house on it so that your mother and you could be closer to Grams and Sylvester. I-I...should've asked first. I'm sorry. Truly. You just love surprise-"

She cut him off with a desperate kiss.

How could he be real?

The tears shone in her eyes when she pulled away, and she smiled at him, overcome with emotion.

"You did this all for me? For us?"

He nodded, wiping the tears from her beautiful eyes, "Always for you. Everything for you."

She sniffed and kissed him again.

"Show me," she gestured to the house, and he grinned, scooping her up and striding towards the stunning house.

He knew that she loved the house that they lived in, but she thrived away from the noise of everyone.

Somewhere along the way, he too had fallen in love with the feeling of being in the countryside; where the breeze was sweeter and the trees danced more freely.

He wanted to make her a sanctuary, give her the biggest garden so that he could plant her a million flowers.

When he talked to Sylvester, the man had lit up and handed him land documents. Once he saw that her father had plans to build her mother a home on that very piece of land, he knew what he wanted to do.

He carried her up the wraparound porch, watching her eyes take in the architecture.

She smiled giddily at him, her eyes bright as he walked in through the main door.

Ares had given Jakob the task of making sure that the place was all finished and spotless and that the door was unlocked so that he could bring Alette here after she came home from work.

He carried her through the front door, watching adoringly as she took a deep breath in excitedly.

He placed her on the floor, right in front of the door, and closed it behind them.

He watched a she took in the space, her eyes wide with awe.

She looked at him, her eyes wet with moisture, "Will you give me a tour of my surprise, my love?"

As if he could ever say no to her.

He held her hand, and walked her around the main floor; through living and dining rooms, as well as the cosy lounge with a fireplace by the large kitchen.

They both loved to cook, and he couldn't go a day without eating something that she baked, so he had gotten two extra ovens built in, alongside the large stove.

Alette grinned when she saw the Jakob had left them a bouquet of flowers in the kitchen, congratulating them.

The house was unfurnished; Ares knew that he wanted his Alette to choose everything that went inside their home.

The house was perfectly quaint, the way a small wooden cottage would be, despite its size. It fit in perfectly with their surroundings, and Ares's face hurt from smiling as he watched Alette's face light up at every room he showed her.

He finally opened the double doors that led to the backyard, and she gasped when she looked at the huge backyard. It had a massive oak tree and acres of grass.

Ares pointed to her left, "That part is for your flowers," he said softly, turning her attention to a small garden sectioned off within their yard.

She squinted her eyes and saw that he had already planted one type of flower in there.

"D-Daffodils," she whispered.

He smiled softly, "New beginnings."

"Wow..." she mumbled something under her breath that he couldn't quite catch.

"What was that, my love?" he asked her, and she smiled, shaking her head dismissively as she grabbed his hand again.

"Show me more, Reece!" she said brightly, and he chuckled, leading her back inside and up the stairs.

There was a small landing upstairs, with bookshelves and a window seat that looked onto the yard.

She could already see herself sitting there with him as they read together.

He showed her the four rooms upstairs, every space in the house coated with beautiful sunlight.

He led her to their bedroom last, and she looked at the room beaming. It wasn't too big, just enough space for the two of them, but it looked onto the rolling green hills, and it brought her bundles of peace.

She saw the bathroom, looking at the bath and walk-in shower, noticing that it was even larger than the one they already had.

She raised an eyebrow up at Reece, and he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

He liked it when they showered together. So what.

She giggled at his slightly red cheeks, but then her gaze fell onto one more door on the top floor.

It was seemingly connected to their bedroom, and she tilted her head at Reece.

He cleared his throat and grabbed her hand, leading her into the room.

It was smaller than the rest of the bedrooms, but it had a large window.

Her breath caught and she looked at him.

"I..." she couldn't finish.

He sucked in a breath.

"T-This is for...um...if y-you know," he couldn't get the words out, watching her as she looked around the room.

He heard her take a breath, and she finally turned around to him, a hesitant smile on her face.

"I-I love the house Reece. It's perfect," she bit her lip and walked closer, reaching into her pocket.

She pulled out a small, flat box. It was the size of a ring box and he looked at her confused.

"I was going t-to give this to y-you a f-few days ago but um..." she held it out to him, and he didn't miss how her hands shook.

He took the box from her silently and she stood in front of him, biting her lip.

His brows furrowed when he grabbed it; the box was so light, it seemed empty.

He took off the lid of the white box slowly, his heart pounding.

A friendship bracelet?

She made him another one?

It was exactly the same grey and pink pattern than she had given him so long ago, when she showed up to his house with flowers for the first time.

He looked at her, relieved but slightly confused as to why she looked so anxious.

He used his finger to pick it up; it was placed in a pile, so when he began to lift it up, it unravelled.

His eyes widened at the size of the bracelet.

It was too small for him.

Too small for her.

His heart felt as though it was on the verge of exploding.

His vision became unclear as tears clouded in his eyes, and he sunk to his knees in front of her, clutching the bracelet in his hands.

His shaking hands came up to her belly.

His touch was feather light as his ears rang.

He looked up at her, tears falling down his face; a stream of tears fell steadily down her face.

"A-Alette," his voice was shaky.

She placed her hands on top of his, on her stomach.

He looked at her stomach, and then back at her, the bracelet she gave him pressed against her.

The bracelet she had made for their baby.

"I...I'm going to be a father?"

His voice caught at the end, and she couldn't help but cry harder.

The emotion in his voice made her heart shake.

"W-We're having a baby, my love," she told him softly.

He leaned forwards, his forehead rested against her belly, as his whole body shook with silent tears.

Alette and he were going to be parents.

Alette cupped his face, and he looked up at her.

He sat back, wiping his eyes, and pulled her into his arms, holding onto her tightly.

"I love you," he said the words over and over; softly pressing kisses into her head and face.

"I...we're going to be parents?" he asked her again, his tone coated in disbelief.

She laughed through her tears, nodding her head, "We're having a baby, Ares."

He kissed her lips softly, leaning his head against hers, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

No words were needed as the two sat in each other's arms, embracing one another in the room that would soon be filled with a crib.

He kissed her slowly again, and she sighed in bliss.

His very own family.

The setting sun cast a light onto them as they sat, his arms snaking down to feel her belly. She laughed softly, knowing that it was too soon for him to feel anything, but her heart fluttered at his excitement.

Alette and Aresius.

And soon enough, a little baby lovebug.

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