Chapter 0875
Alden and Serenity were having breakfast at home. He couldn’t help but notice how her belly was becoming more and more prominent–a beautiful reminder of the little life growing inside her.
At times, he felt a bit intimidated by Marcus’s intense personality. In the past, their relationship had been different–back then, Alden had been nothing more than an eager young man hungry for knowledge, and Marcus had been the owner of Palmer Group.
But now?
Marcus wasn’t his boss.
He was his father–in–law—a protective, worried, and; above all, territorial father. His firstborn daughter had suddenly ended up married and pregnant.
Alden had promised to set a wedding date. It was understandable that he hadn’t done so yet–Peter’s health issues had complicated things–but it was time to do things the right way.
“Serenity… when would you like us to get married?” Alden asked, genuinely curious.
“What?” she nearly choked on her food.
“Yes. We need to set a date for the wedding, and I want to know when you’d like it to happen.”
“Alden… Being with you is more than enough for me,” Serenity said, getting up from her chair and walking toward him.
Alden pulled her into his arms, resting his forehead against her belly before speaking.
“You deserve a real wedding. Not like the one we had–that was just to make sure nothing and no one could separate us. That wedding was for protection, but your father is right. He loves you, and I completely understand. He wants to walk his daughter down the aisle.
“I think it would give him some peace of mind–he’ll see that we’re truly committed to building a family together. That this isn’t just something that happened in the heat of the moment.”
Serenity’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Alden…” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Serenity had always been a strong woman. Her father had raised her to be independent, and her mother had taught her to be resilient. But knowing that someone else cared about her unspoken dreams–that, combined with her raging pregnancy hormones–made the tears impossible to hold back.
“What’s wrong, my love?” Alden asked, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“It’s just… I never imagined myself in a wedding dress. I never even considered being a mom–not until I met you. Now, all I think about is you, Ethan, and our little girl. I already love her so much, even though I haven’t met her yet,” Serenity admitted, completely sincere.
Alden stood up, lifted her effortlessly, and set her down on the table.
Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he cupped her face, looking deep into her eyes.
“Serenity, you are the most incredible woman I have ever met. You’re strong, you’re intelligent–you’re… God! You’re brave and extraordinary! I can’t imagine a life without you.
“And yes, I do want you to have the wedding of your dreams. I want you to be the center of it all. I want us to take
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0875
all those ridiculous wedding pictures, stash them away in a drawer, and then pull them out years later to show our kids when they’re older.”
Serenity gazed at him, tears slipping down her cheeks.
It was a strange mix of emotions..
Alden was, without a doubt, the best man she had ever known.
She had already seen the kind of father he was with Ethan and John. And she had no doubt–he would be the best father to their little girl.
“Well… then I guess we have a wedding to plan,” she finally said.
“First, we need to set a date.”
“Well, it’s autumn right now–it’s a beautiful season. What do you think?”
“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon?”
“Everyone who needs to be at the wedding is already here. Except for Theodore, but he can easily fly to Valentia. I don’t see why we should delay it. Besides, the longer we wait, the closer we get to our little girl’s arrival. We don’t want any surprises during the wedding, do we?”
“You’re right… What date were you thinking?”
“Mmm… We should do it as soon as possible. What about November 1st?”
“November 1st?”
“Yes, I’d really love that date.”
“Well, I don’t have a problem with it. We should tell our parents and give them the news.”
“You know… we’ve never had a real family dinner before,” Alden pointed out.
“No, we haven’t. If you want, we can organize one as soon as my dad gets back. We should invite Maximus too, don’t you think?”
“Yes… It’ll be a little tense, but I trust that my mom and Diana will play mediators,” Serenity said, remembering the complicated dynamic between those two stubborn men
“I think so too. But we need to talk to your dad first. He has to be the one to tell your mom about my father’s condition–otherwise, she’s in for a big shock when she sees him.”
“You’re right! We have to talk to my dad. He needs to tell my mom about Peter before she finds out in a way that could upset her.
“She’s doing so much better now, and I don’t want anything to set her back.”
