Finally! I sighed in relief as the car stopped in front of my house.

After a week of getting my head eaten by my so called wife, I am finally home. At least she won't eat my head now.

The sound of her gasping made me realise that she was still with me. I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the car and she followed me, her jaw dropped on seeing the house.

"You live here?", she asked in surprise.

"No. That's just for show off. I live in a cottage."

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously I live here. Don't ask stupid questions."

She grumbled underneath her breath before following me inside.

"Your house is amazing!", she exclaimed.

"I know", I said cockily.

"You could have said 'thank you' instead."

"What's the fun in that?"

She rolled her eyes and came closer. Standing in front of me, she slowly wrapped both of her hands around my neck and my breath hitched.

She inched her face closer. "You better stop being so cocky around me or you won't like the consequences."

"I don't like people with such attitude", she added.

"And I am not asking you to like me either", I said sharply.

She glared. "But unfortunately I have to live with you and I won't tolerate this attitude."

I smirked. "Don't forget you are in my house, not the other way around."

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by someone's clearing of throat. She instantly moved back and we turned towards the door where Gareth and Carmel stood.

"Sorry to disturb you guys but I was just dropping Carmel here", he said with a slight smirk on his face.

Carmel was bitting her lips to stop her from smiling.

"Thank you, Gareth", Aeryn said with a smile. "For dropping her."

"No problem, Aeryn." He then turned to Carmel and winked at her. "We are best friends now."

"Are you?", Aeryn asked Carmel and she nodded happily.

Carmel then came to Aeryn and they both hugged each other and Aeryn kissed her forehead and I couldn't help but smile seeing them.

I glanced at Gareth and he was already looking at me with a smirk on his face. My smile faded on looking at him and I gave him a glare.

The smirk turned into a grin and I rolled my eyes.

"Meet me in my study", I told him and walked upstairs to my study.

I sat down in my swivel chair and Gareth entered with his signature smirk on his face.

"Brother, brother, brother", he spoke dramatically. "It has been such a long time since I last saw you."

"It has been just a week, Gareth."

He ignored my statement. "You seem to be really happy. Did something happen in Australia?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

He took a seat opposite to me.

I massaged my temples. "Nothing that you think happened."

His lips curled downward. "Well, that's sad."

"Did you find her?", I asked hopefully.

"Finding someone whose name you don't even know is not easy."

"Did you find her? Yes or no?"

"Of course not! That's what I am saying."

Disappointment hit me hard. "Oh...any clue?"

He shook his head. "No, brother."

My palm folded into a fist. Why am I not able to find her?!

"It's not easy, brother. You should stop searching. It's impossible."

My head snapped to him. "If you don't want to help me search her, then don't. But stop discouraging me."

I sighed deeply. "I am just hoping that someday, I'll find her."

"You have been hoping for the past twenty years, Eve."

"And I can hope for another twenty years."

He leaned forward. "Hoping, sometimes, burn us. Slowly. Painfully."

A fire ignited in my eyes. "And I don't mind getting burnt by it."

"You are hurting yourself, Everette."

"I told you, I don't care!"

"Aeryn, she...she is good for you. Just accept her and forget about that girl."

"Aeryn is crazy. She acts like a teenager. In one week she ate up my head", I snapped. "I still have two and a half months, if I don't find her till then..."

"Then you are going to whole heartedly try and make this marriage work?", he completed for me.

I gulped. "Yes."

"But you are also going to give your full effort in finding her", I said.

"I am giving my full effort, brother. I even went to Austin, to that colony. I went to their house but they moved from there a long time back and no one knows where they went."

I held my face in my hands. "I need her, Gareth. I need her."

I heard him get up and he stood beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder in an assuring manner.

"What if she is already married?", he said.

I gritted my teeth and removed my face from my hands. I glared at him. "Are you consoling me or making me more sad?"

He lifted up his hand in surrender. "I was just stating a fact."

"I don't need your facts."

He walked away from me with his hands behind his back. "I can't believe you never asked her name!"

"I just forgot."

He turned to me. "Forgot? How can you not ask her name? If only you knew her name, everything would have been easier."

"I know...I know...", I said gloomily.

"I was thinking", he said. "Aeryn's eyes, they are brown too. She owns a restaurant...what if..."

I looked at him hopefully. "Is it possible?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."

"Ask her to make you a cheese grilled sandwich", he suggested.

"She doesn't have that on her menu."

"It's a simple recipe, she must know it. Ask her to make it here."

"Or just ask her whether she once fed a boy a sandwich", he added.

"I am not telling her anything. I will just ask her to make the sandwich."

He hummed in response and made his way towards the door. "I am leaving. Will inform you if I get any clue."

"Okay", I whispered gloomily.

.

.

.

During night, after I showed Aeryn and Carmel their respective rooms, I knocked softly on Carmel's door.

"Come in!", came her reply.

I slowly opened the door and peeked in, she was sitting on the bed cross legged with a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other.

I sat down beside her. "Am I disturbing you?"

He shook her head immediately and kept aside her notebook and pencil. "Of course not."

"This bed is so comfortable and the room is so beautiful; thank you so much, Eve", she expressed her gratitude.

I smiled. "Glad you liked it."

I eyed her notebook. "What are you making?"

She scratched her neck. "Some...umm...sketches."

"Can I see them?"

"Okay..." She picked up her notebook and flipping over to a page, she handed it to me.

My mouth parted in surprise looking at the sketch. She sketched me.

It was so perfect.

"That's awesome, Carmel! You are so good at it", I remarked.

She blushed. "Thanks!"

I handed the notebook back to her.

"Thank you, Eve for marrying mama", she said. "And...and for accepting me."

"You don't need to thank me for anything, okay? You are under my care now."

She nodded. And then she nervously started playing with her fingers.

"I...umm...wanted to ask something", she spoke nervously.

"What happened, Carmel?", I said in a worried tone.

She looked at me hopefully. "Can I call you...dad?"

For a second, my heartbeat stopped and then it started beating at a fast rate. My heart warmed and it skipped a beat.

A wide smile formed on my face. "Yes, yes you can."

She jumped on the bed happily. "Really?!"

"Yes!"

She jumped and hugged me tightly wrapping her arms around my neck. I hugged her back. "Thank you, dad."

My heart yet again skipped a beat when she called me dad. It feels so good.

Pulling back, she placed a kiss on my cheek.

Smiling, I got up to leave. I kissed her forehead lingeringly and muttered, "Goodnight, Carmel."

"Goodnight, dad."

Feeling satisfied, I left her room and came face to face with Aeryn. She was watching us.

I noticed some tears at the corner of her eyes.

I put my hands in my pocket and moved past her and she walked beside me quietly.

"Are you crying?", I asked and turned to her.

"No. I am just happy."

I raised a brow at her and she spoke, "Thank you."

"For what?"

Smiling through the tears, she stared at me. "For accepting Carmel as your daughter."

"Stop thanking me for that and get used to it."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. "Okay..."

Her hair was opened and I brushed a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

Before I could comprehend what I was doing, I leaned in and brushed my lips gently against her forehead.

"Goodnight", I whispered and quietly left.