"You're not leaving. She's not leaving. You're both staying here, where you belong. With me."

As we stood there looking into one another's eyes we heard a voice coming our way.

"Abraham?" He looked down and back up at me.

"Danielle. Come here." He said not turning around to face her.

I looked at her and saw the confusion spread across her face.

She stood next to him looking at me.

"Danielle this is Alicia." He said.

Her eyes widened and she looked at him. She looked back at me and tears were forming in her eyes.

"You're here." She said.

I just nodded.

"Finally." She said smiling. I furrowed my eyebrows not knowing why she wasn't angry. "You're the famous Alicia I've heard so much about."

I looked at Abraham who was just standing there.

"He always said that if you ever came back he'd never let you go again. Now that you're here I know he will keep his promise. This relationship that we have was only to give one another company while the ones we loved were gone. He still loves you with all his heart." She looked at him and smiled and turned to face me again.

"Now that you are here I should let you guys be." She said turning around.

Before she could leave for good he grabbed her hand and gave her a kiss. I didn't get jealous or mad because she was there for Abraham when he needed someone. I wasn't there so she took my place. I'm forever grateful.

She walked away and Abraham looked back at me.

"Alicia. I'm still madly in love with you. Always had and always will." He looked down and sighed loudly. "About Krystal I would never...." I shushed him with my finger to his mouth.

"It's alright. You don't have to explain anything to me. I already know."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into one of the most special and loving kiss I have ever had from him.

***********************

I was sitting in the sand looking at Vanessa run to and away from the waves, smiling and having the time of her life.

Though she wasn't alone. Her dad was with her. He hasn't left her side since they met officially. The memory still runs through my mind occasionally...

"Can I see her?" He asked.

"Not here." I said realizing we were still at the cemetery. He looked around and realized why. He nodded.

"Then where?" He asked looking at the car where she was in.

"We rented a beach house for the weekend. We'll meet there." He nodded.

********************

I gave Abraham the address to where we were staying. He said he'd meet us here in a little bit. He had to change and then he'd be "right back", his words.

We all changed and were awaiting our guest. My Dad was a little apprehensive but deep down he knew we couldn't live without one another. This was bound to happen, Abraham meeting Vanessa.

"This is your time with him. I'll be in the other room. If you need me, you know...call me." I couldn't argue with my Dad, he needed space. I was fine with that.

Vanessa and I were sitting on the couch watching T.V when the doorbell rang. Even though I knew who it was I was still super nervous.

"Babe why don't you play for a little while ." I said to her. She got on the floor and started playing with her toys.

I quickly went to go open the door. When I opened the door all I seen was a wide-eyed, nervous Abraham. What I also noticed was the amount of bags around him. There was at least ten huge bags around him.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Um. Yeah. I'm okay." He said trying to look past me at Vanessa.

"She's playing right now. Come in." He quickly grabbed all the bags and walked in. As I was shutting the door behind him, the energy in the room changed.

It was an unexplainable energy but it was the most beautiful and serene energy I had ever felt.

That's when I noticed what was happening. Abraham and Vanessa locked eyes. They were looking right into one another's eyes, or a better word would be souls.

Abraham set the bags down and walked towards her. Usually what I would have expected from her was to be shy but she wasn't. She was interested in this guest.

He sat down right next to her, crisscrossing his legs, when they began to talk to one another. I couldn't hear or understand what they were talking about but they had a very strong connection with one another. You could feel it throughout the room.

I just watched them for about ten minutes before I let them be. I decided to cook dinner while they talked.

A few minutes later I went to the living room, where they were at, and seen that she was sitting in his lap and they were both playing with all these toys! The bags that Abraham brought were spread across the room. At that moment I realized what was in them. Toys, for Vanessa.

They were laughing and enjoying one another's company.

I couldn't help but get emotional when I seen the picture that was painted right in front of me. It was the perfect father-daughter bonding moment.

They didn't even notice me when I was watching them. I didn't care though because this is what I always dreamed of. Them two together.

******************

"Daddy! Look what I found!" Vanessa yelled at Abraham while she pointed to the sand. He got on his knees and started digging with his hands until he had a sand crab in his hands.

She was more than interested in what was crawling in his hands.

She was tugging on his shorts to lead him to me so they could show me what was in his hands.

I got up and walked over to them.

"What did you find?" I asked her.

"Daddy said it's a sand crab." She replied.

He opened his hands to show me and sure enough there it was.

"Let's put it back so it doesn't die." Abraham said.

He put it in the water as it was cascading over the sand.

"Vanessa you think Mommy wants to go in the water?" He asked her with a wild look in his eyes.

"You better not." I said through gritted teeth but still smiling too. He picked me up and ran into the water.

Soon enough we were underwater.

I swam up to the surface and started laughing.

"You asshole!" I said to him while he was laughing.

I went back to shore where Vanessa was playing in the sand. Since I was already wet might as well get dirty. I joined Vanessa in building a sandcastle. Soon enough so did Abraham. But of course he took it very seriously. They both did. I was just assistant to both of them.

When we finished building the castle Vanessa went to go wash off the sand in the water.

Abraham put his arm around my waist while we watched Vanessa wash off.

"Look what we created." He said mesmerized. "She forever has a hold of my heart...and finger but that's beside the point." I started to laugh knowing it was true. He laughed too and we looked into one another's eyes. "But you have my heart, always and forever." He bent down to kiss me and grabbed my hand.

"Alicia...?" He said in between kisses.

"Hmmm?" I asked still kissing him.

He stopped by putting his forehead on my forehead.

"You're mine." He said. "The both of you. I want you permanently because I've fallen in love with the both of you. You're my girls. Will you do me the honor in marrying me? This time we are going all the way with it."

I smiled thinking we've been married since we moved in with him. Into the house where he proposed before, where Vanessa was conceived, where I realized that my life had ended yet my soul was born again at this very moment.

This was home. This is where I'm sane and at ease. This is where I my soul belongs, in California.

Remembering all the memories this place holds for me is something I will cherish as long as I could remember them.

Thinking about Abraham and I, I realized that the love was never gone because we both knew deep down that we were meant to be.

"We're bound to be." I said smiling up at him.

"Bound to be." He repeated and gave me the same look he has given me before. The same look when he first told me he loved me. That was the look that told me he was the one.

The one I was bound to be with.

❤️