Over the next couple of weeks I realised how lucky I was, and how much the people I surrounded myself with actually meant to me. There were people who I didn't know a few months ago, who had since became my entire world.

Liam and I had been given a date for him to move in with me. Permanently. I was going to be my little brother's legal guardian in a matter of weeks, and nobody was gonna take him away from me this time.

I wanted so much, to give him the life he deserved. I wish I could have done it sooner, but we have to play the hand we've been dealt.

We had already spoken about going on holiday after he had settled in. We had never been on holiday together before, and we both agreed it would be amazing. I already started to save some money before I started seeing Liam again, which would be a good start to a holiday fund.

Liam had been speaking to Dana a lot, which made me think she was gonna be visiting us often. She seemed nice enough, so I told Liam that she was always welcome.

My brother had been so happy since we had gotten back in touch. He was so different than I remembered him when we were younger, but that was definitely a good thing.

Our pathetic excuses of parents were no longer around. There was no guarantee that my mother wouldn't rear her ugly head at some point in the future, however I wasn't worried about that. She was no longer a concern of mine, thanks to Tracy.

And my father, the vile, evil man that he was, had been laid to rest, which gave Liam and I peace of mind that we were safe. We had escaped our childhoods relatively unscathed, and were heading for a brighter future together as a family.

After a visit to the hospital, I had been reassured that both me and my brother were not high risk for Marfan syndrome, which had caused our father's death. However, we would have regular check ups to make sure that didn't change.

Rob and Alice had returned from Berlin, and Alice came to my apartment as soon as they got back to show me her engagement ring. She told me all about how Rob had taken her to a romantic meal, before taking her for a walk and getting down on one knee. He had arranged for some street performer to play the guitar and sing her favourite song while he proposed. Honestly, I was impressed that Rob had done all of that, and slightly surprised. I guess he did have game.

Alice and I had become really good friends since she had been with Rob, and I couldn't have been happier for them. She had started her new job in the vets, and was already planning her wedding. I was a little concerned about what to expect from her, I was sure she would turn into bridezilla, but I refused to get involved with her in wedding talk and just agreed with everything she said.

Rob was less than helpful with any wedding preparations, but I couldn't really blame him. They had been engaged for a little over a week and she already had a folder full of ideas. I knew responsible Rob would kick in when he needed to. He had told Alice minutes after they got engaged, that I would be his best man, and she didn't even question it. She was a keeper.

Alice didn't put too much pressure on Rob about the wedding, as he had other things to focus on. Tom had finally hung up his apron and handed the keys down to Rob. He agreed that he would be frequenting the coffee shop every day for breakfast, until he was satisfied his son had everything under control. I knew that it wouldn't take long though, Rob was trying his best to make everything perfect.

When I asked Tom what he would do with his free time, he told me that he wanted to travel for a while. He planned to go to several countries over the next year, and try out a few popular fishing destinations. I never understood the attraction with fishing, but each to their own.

And that brings me to Larissa. Sweet, beautiful, perfect Larissa. Since our first date, I had not slept alone. She stayed in my apartment while Liam was staying with me, and I had been staying at her house when Liam was at the foster home.

I had finally plucked up the courage to ask her if I could call her my girlfriend, and she gave me the most endearing smile I had ever seen, before nodding shyly and kissing me. I told her I loved her at every opportunity I got, and I always got the reply I had wanted since the day we met. I honestly felt like I was living in a dream.

She had introduced me to her dad as her girlfriend, and he wasn't shocked or upset or anything really. He just seemed happy that she was happy. We had lunch at his house one day, and he was so friendly and cheerful. I could see why he and Tom were such good friends, they had very similar personalities, and they were both really good men. Jack had told me of his plans to join Tom on his fishing trip, and we spoke for a while about fishing. Well, he spoke and I nodded and pretended to be interested.

When Larissa was in the bathroom at her father's house, he told me how much happier she seemed, and how he believed she and I were perfect for each other. Although I already thought that, it was amazing to hear it from somebody else, especially my girlfriends father.

Honestly, I had noticed a change in Larissa's mood, too. I didn't want to take full responsibility for that, but I was proud to say that it was clear I made her happy. I planned to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she made me.

Every morning, I woke with a smile on my face, and even though it had been two weeks since our first date, I still got butterflies every time she kissed me or held my hand. I hoped that feeling would never go away. I hoped that it would always feel like our first kiss, and that I would still be shy when she winked at me. As much as it annoyed me, I wanted to always stutter when she caught me off guard with her flirting. All of those things are what made me realise she was the one.

No other girl had ever made me nervous. Getting girls was almost a sport for me, until I met Larissa. My whole world changed the moment she walked into that coffee shop. I imagined how different my life would have been, had I not gone to work that day. And I probably wouldn't be with Larissa, if I hadn't fallen from the climbing wall. She could have been planning her wedding with Brandon now, driving her posh car and having money thrown at her by him. Instead, she was sitting on my sofa, in my tiny apartment, with a blanket draped over her legs, watching terrible daytime TV.

"What?" She asked, catching me staring at her.

"Nothing," I grinned, receiving a questioning look. "I'm just so fucking happy right now."

She grinned back at me, and took my hand in hers, tangling our fingers together.

We sat in silence for a while, just looking into each other's eyes. Neither of us needed to say anything. It seemed obvious what we were both thinking. Those three little words that I was once so afraid of, were now my favourite phrase. I would say them to her until her last day if she would let me. And the look in her eyes told me that she would.