Epilogue

Arielle had listened to Alexander. Although she had the letters written and ready to be sent to Jeremy, Claire, and Lorenzo, she waited. She realized that anticipation caused days to feel like weeks, and weeks to feel like years. Especially with the expanse of changes that came one after another. All too quickly to absorb them all, but thankfully she was able to absorb the truth of her coming union with Alexander.

She believed that one day she would be able to send those letters when it was the right time but now was not that time. She didn't know when that would be, but she would put this chapter behind her. There was no use in thinking about it too much.

She was still amazed at the various transitions that happened one after another. Alexander moved from his estate, leaving the large home empty with tales of a life lived before. Greta and Richard moved to a different state to be closer to their children and their grandchildren. Arielle smiled at the memory of them waving goodbye as Richard drove them off into the sunset. It was as if they were newlyweds all over again.

Arielle sighed.

"Love is beautiful," she thought.

Yet that wasn't the last surprise that took place. Vincent and Meghan broke the news that they too were engaged. Arielle was shocked to say the least, mainly due to not seeing them in many weeks, or so it felt. It was like returning to a favorite sitcom seasons later and seeing the main characters married and settled down. Yet she wondered if time slowed down for them as it seemed to for Alexander and herself.

Flashbacks of Meghan smiling with happiness that Arielle hadn't witnessed in her eyes before then. Before, there was anger, at times jealousy, and at other times indifference. That was until she met Vincent. The two were head over heels for each other from what Arielle could see.

And Alexander did continue his discipleship courses, even sharing his faith with Vincent. She remembers the night Alexander came over for dinner with her and her mom. He was so excited that he shared the gospel with his cousin thoroughly and he wasn't discouraged by Vincent's nonchalant response. Instead, he asked Arielle and her mother, Angelina, to pray with him for Vincent.

Seeing the light in him was inspiring to say the least. Even Julia began to take her faith more seriously. Both Arielle and Julia would meet regularly to pray together during the week. She looked out the window, up at the sky, and sighed with contentment.

"I don't have to look up to find You. You're beside me." She smiled and looked back down at her hands. "Thank you, Lord, for what you've done for Alexander, for Julia, for my mom, for... Lorenzo." She whispered.

As she looked down at her fingers, from the corner of her eye, the colors of a beautifully arranged bouquet pulled at her gaze. With her smile never leaving her face, Arielle reached for the small bouquet and held it gingerly within her grasp, carefully inspecting each flower that seemed to hold a story of its own. From their start in the ground, hidden from the sunlight, away from the curious gazes of people like her. Yet soon being hit with a refreshing flow of water, bringing it to life, only for each one to stretch toward the sky. Declaring the glory of the One who made them.

"You make beautiful things, God." She spoke quietly. She placed the bouquet back down on the large church table. Time was ticking, but not too fast, yet again. Despite knowing what that day meant for her.

Arielle turned her head to the side, capturing sight of the large floor-length mirror. It caught the beauty of the sun rays as they flowed in streams through the window, decorating the floor, her skin, and the wall on the other side of her.

Arielle smoothed her dress down, fully turning to ensure that the fabric didn't bunch up in any area. The floor-length gown seemed to glisten with how bright it was. Bright, white, and gifted by her mother. The flowy sleeves gently moved back and forth as the wind of the ceiling fan pushed and pulled at them. In a way, this moment didn't feel real to Arielle. It felt like a dream.

Her eyes traced the details of the gown. She could see her mother's creative choices from when she first purchased it.

"It held up well," Arielle thought.

Finally, her eyes rested on the reflection of her face. Her eyes were bright, filled with excitement for what was to come. She would soon become Mrs. Marquee. Not something she had ever expected when applying for the internship at the AMI tower.

Her mother had helped her with her hair, pulling it into an elegant, but simple updo. Leaving out curly fringes to frame her face. Her mother took the time to define them carefully and pulled curly strands from her bun intricately. Arielle could see how much she enjoyed the process and because of that, Arielle enjoyed it even more.

Knock! Knock! The sound of each knock seemed muffled due to the thickness of the church door.

"Come in!" Arielle yelled. She smoothed the fabric of her dress once more with both of her hands. Light from the hall poured into the room as her mother pushed the door open.

"I'm back, sweetheart. I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly. One of the waiters needed to know where to go for the banquet after." Her mother spoke softly. A smile adorned her face as she took in the portrait-like appearance of her daughter.

"You look beautiful," Angelina whispered. clasping her hand over her mouth. "You look like an angel."

"Ma," Arielle cried as tears pricked her eyes.

Angelina quickened her pace, taking Arielle's hands in hers. "I know this is a big change, but just know that as long as the Lord keeps me on this earth, I will always go out of my way to be here for you. I love you, mi hija. Alexander is blessed to call you his bride and soon to be his wife."

"I love you too, Mama." Rogue tears slipped from Arielle's eyes causing her mom to chuckle as she wiped them away.

"It's a good thing you always opt for no makeup, huh?" Angelina joked lightheartedly.

"Same goes for you. You're also crying," Arielle replied through laughs of her own. She carefully swept away the tears that flowed down her mother's face.

"Yes, but that's because I'm the mother of the bride," Angelina explained still laughing.

"And I'm the bride," Arielle rebuttled playfully.

"And your father would have been so happy to see you in this moment," Angelina answered softly as she readjusted some of the strands that delicately framed Arielle's face.

Arielle nodded. "I know. I'm grateful you're here. Dad's with Jesus in Heaven and I know he'd be happy to see not just me, but us. Seeing all God has brought us through." Over the years, Arielle had dreams of her dad walking down the streets of gold and talking with Jesus. It was a comforting thought to know that her dad served the Lord until the very end. He did his duty and it made her heart sing.

"I agree, honey. I agree. Now let's head on out there. They asked me to come in here to get you ready to make your entrance. The ceremony starts in" Angelina paused to look down at her phone. "In now!"

"Mom!" Arielle yelled while laughing.

Angelina laughed too, but still gently pushed her daughter along. The music could be heard from the hallway.

"It was time," Arielle thought.

Her new chapter was only a page away.

Alexander stood out at the altar, staring out at the crowd as his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He hadn't experienced stage fright since his teen years, but he knew this was different. The bubbling in his stomach held anticipation.

He, Alexander Marquee, would become a husband. And likely one day a father too.

This crowd that gathered was a blend of family, friends, and coworkers. His godparents had arrived from Italy, Greta and Richard were able to fly back due to Vincent's generosity, and some of his old employees sat in the room.

Susan waved excitedly from the crowd. She sat in the third row next to her husband and another employee of his. Alexander nodded in her direction and gave her a subtle wave back. He felt quite relieved that despite inviting most of their intimate circle, the guest list wasn't too long. It didn't exceed one hundred people, and most of them were from the church. Pastor Henry's wife and children could be seen sitting in one of the pews up front with his family.

The Pastor's wife offered a polite smile that Alexander returned before he shifted his eyes to the sound of a moving door. Gasps filled the room as Arielle walked in with her mother's arm looped in hers. The two women stood at the end of the long walkway.

Arielle beamed, causing Alexander's heart to grow warm. He smiled back, so much so his cheeks were beginning to hurt. Alexander could see how marriage was meant to represent Christ and the church. The purity of the love that flowed through his heart could only come from God. He desired to love and protect Arielle the same way Jesus loved and protected them- and still did and always would do.

Is this real? He wondered as his eyes filled with tears at the sight of the woman walking up to him. Each step flooded him with more excitement than the one before.

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22," he thought.

"Thank You, Lord, for showing me Your goodness even when I did not deserve it." He spoke under his breath as the tears continued to fill his eyes. "Thank you for keeping her safe- for keeping us all safe."

The excitement where he stood was palpable. Beside him were his best friend, Devin, and his cousin Vincent. And on his right-hand side, further away stood Arielle's best friend, Julia, and to his surprise, Meghan also stood alongside her. Yet that wasn't his focus now. Instead, he stayed fixated on his bride.

Arielle's floor-length gown fit her personality perfectly. She was beautiful outwardly and somehow even more beautiful inwardly. Alexander could feel the tears pressing against the border of his lower lid, refusing to be held back any longer. He wondered if his father felt this way, seeing his mother walk down the aisle to become his wife.

Arielle's eyes were bright, but he could only partially see them beyond her veil. He wanted to know what thoughts raced through her mind and if they were similar to his. Was she thinking about running off with him to a small home like the one she lived in? A new start where they could make their memories, raise their children, and most importantly, where they would serve the Lord all the days of their lives.

Had she thought about every sunset they would see together? And every family reunion that combined his family with hers? The years he had not yet lived caused the tears that were at the brink, to flow over.

"If it is God's will, we will have a future like that," He thought. It was all in the Lord's hands. Wherever that took them and whatever that brought them, Alexander was willing.

Angelina released her daughter's hand, making her way to her seat. Arielle stood there before him. The veil could not hide the joy in her eyes.

"You are lovely," Alexander spoke softly. Too soft for the crowd to hear, but loud enough for Arielle to hear. She lowered her gaze as a smile grew on her face.

Pastor Henry stood ahead of the two with a large smile plastered on his face as well. He raised his hands and greeted the crowd. As a reflex, the world seemed to go quiet for Alexander as reality greeted him. This would soon be his wife, but he fought to remain focused. He needed to hear what the Pastor was saying. His cheeks surely hurt from smiling so much on this day and it had just begun.

As Henry led them all in the ceremony, first beginning with prayer, then with the lines Alexander had heard many times before, but at other weddings- he allowed them to say their vows. He could hear the sounds of light crying from the first few rows that had people like Arielle's mother and his godmother sitting there as they read their vows one to another.

"You may now kiss the bride," the Pastor announced. Alexander swept Arielle into his arms, kissing her for the first and knowing that it was well worth the wait. She was worth more than her weight in gold.

Three Months Later

The two walked hand in hand. It had been three whole months since they had wed. Arielle found that as each day had passed, she peeled back the layers of Alexander one by one. There was so much more to him than what meets the eye and although she had known a lot about him by the time they had married, she did not know about how his mother and father had met, or how his godmother had been one of the few Christians in his life growing up, or how he would stare out at the night sky to find the very star his mother would always point out to him when he was a young child.

Yet one big thing that she didn't know was that he never truly enjoyed his life before. His job before had been a goal of his. He wanted to make something of himself. He wanted to avoid the periods of instability that he faced as a child. Yet he never planned for that extreme level of wealth that he had reached. It was much more than he ever dreamt of and soon it became too much.

The very rivalry that pulsated between Alexander and Lorenzo had birthed due to their very strong personalities and goals that caused them to cross paths much more than either one of them had liked. Lorenzo didn't take kindly to Alexander beating him at every turn.

So much so that he had been the one to send out his men to burn down Alexander's childhood home that held memories. Some memories were too painful, but there were many more that weren't. It was a confession that shocked Arielle when she heard it as a part of Lorenzo's trial, but Alexander was not shocked and completely unphased by it. He seemed to heal since then, not pressing charges, but arson was still a crime. With or without pressing charges.

Alexander had truly become vulnerable. Uncovering the things that caused him pain in the past, the same things God had healed him from. The Alexander who slept beside her every night and spoke to her every day was a free man. Free from the things that once haunted him.

Arielle watched him bloom into this other person. Someone with greater emotional stability, more joy, more peace, and more focus on God. It seemed as though a new electrifying love flooded through his veins bringing him to life and it was because there was love pulsating through him, directly from the source.

Jesus.

They entered their home which wasn't too far from where Arielle once lived. She didn't want to leave her mother behind again. She had already been away from home for years to attend the university in NYC and that was already too far. Alexander seeing this pulled some strings.

For the first few weeks in their new home, Alexander could be seen outside with a small crew, including his best friend, and on occasion, Vincent would swing by too. After four days of this, he revealed the surprise to her.

He stood before her beaming. His eyes glistened as he reached out for her hand.

"I know how much you miss your mom," Alexander began. Arielle nodded, placing down the vase that she just filled with more water.

"And I know you're using your last few paychecks from AMI to help her like you promised you would. I would like to help you keep that promise as your husband. Devin and I and a few of his construction buddies are working together to build a small home for your mom on our property. She'll be nearby where you can visit her, help her, and where she can be mortgage-free." He explained.

Arielle's eyes grew wide. "What!? Really?" She exclaimed. Her eyes were wide and the smile on her face would stretch from ear to ear if it could.

"Yes," he laughed.

"Oh my- oh my! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Arielle shouted as she jumped straight into his arms.

"No need to thank me, Ari. You're worth even more than that." He spoke softly.

Arielle pulled away slowly, tears filling her gaze. "And so are you. Much more than you may realize. I love you, Alexander."

"I love you too, Arielle." He spoke barely above a whisper.

Arielle was amazed at how quickly it had gotten done. Alexander worked every day. He seemed to pick up new skills from Devin's friends, as every night after work, he would share something new that he learned and Arielle enjoyed hearing about it. She made the men lunch each day and set out healthy, energizing snacks for them to have throughout their work day along with something cool to drink.

The entire build came to less than 100 thousand. She could imagine all the money saved by putting it on their land and having Alexander and Devin work on it even while the crew was away.

"This is beautiful," Arielle spoke in awe as she took in the small home. A home her mother would love to retire in. Just as their home previously, it had only one floor, but this house had three bedrooms instead of two. Alexander's reasoning for that was just in case her mother would want her future grandkids to come over. A thought that made Arielle's heart sing.

The horizon over the two homes welcomed the sun as it set. The wondrous colors of the sky matched beautifully with the flowers that arrayed the property. They had ten acres of land that thankfully didn't sit too far out of town, with a hospital being only five minutes away by car and the nearest supermarket only being seven minutes away. Arielle wondered if it would be too different for her, but it was perfect.

And holding to living minimally and living on less altogether, they opted to purchase one of the cheaper properties in the area. The land only costs 15 thousand due to the amount of trees on the property. Alexander planned to cut them down over time for firewood. Arielle thought it was a wise idea. She imagined the homes that may one day array the property. The future homes that would belong to her children and maybe even some of her friends, God willing.

"We can all garden together," Arielle thought.

"I think she'll love it," Arielle spoke as she looked over to Alexander.

"I think she will too. I'm happy we can have your mom close by. Not everyone gets to experience such a loving parent-child relationship as the two of you have." Alexander replied staring off at the horizon.

"You're right. It makes me sad to think that some never will. I wouldn't want to have this any different for us, but I wish I could give them this too. I hope I can have a relationship like that with our children one day," Arielle spoke with a sigh. Alexander walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her while placing his head on hers.

"I believe you will. They'll love you. It's easy to love you. At least from my experience," Alexander laughed lightly, kissing the top of her head.

"I could say the same about you," Arielle answered him, turning to face him, and leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you," Alexander spoke. He declared it with conviction. As if it were one of the few truths he had ever known. That he loved her.

"And I love you," Arielle replied through a breath. Leaning forward, she met his lips.

"I should go inside, I've been needing to use the bathroom for the past ten minutes," she laughed.

"You've got to stop doing that," Alexander sighed but chuckled as he released his hold on her.

"One day!" Arielle yelled as she began to jog back into their home. The home was larger than her old home at 1600 square feet. Their home had 5 bedrooms that were average to small in size and three bathrooms. For some reason, Alexander was convinced they would have many children.

Arielle sighed. One day she would be a mother or so she believed. As the thoughts of children filled her mind again, she looked over at the calendar on the bathroom wall. It was the bathroom attached to their bedroom and Arielle kept a calendar to remind her of when her period would reappear. She usually checked the days as time went by, but she felt that she should have had it by then.

Glancing at her calendar again, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Her period wasn't meant to return until the 18th of that month.

"It was only the 16th," Arielle thought.

She walked over to the toilet when a pink box caught her eye. Arielle chuckled at the sight. Julia had purchased it for her out of excitement that she may become a godmother very soon.

"It wouldn't hurt. I've been feeling super bloated lately," Arielle mumbled aloud to herself.

Arielle quickly went about her business before placing the used test onto a small pile of toilet paper. She washed her hands and looked at her face. She appeared to glow. Yet she appeared to glow the day of her wedding too or so others told her. Her skin just seemed more vibrant to her on this day.

With a small smile, Arielle dried her hands on the hand towel that was hung up by the sink before her eyes dropped to the pregnancy test.

Two pink lines stared back at her to greet her. The towel fell from her hands and onto the floor and Arielle grabbed the test, rushing over to the calendar. Her eyes widened. It was not the 16th. She had stopped marking her calendar on the 16th, but it was the 23rd.

"Alex!" Arielle called. Her voice was shaky with excitement and wonder of the unknown.

"Yeah! Are you okay, honey?" He called back. Arielle could hear him racing up the stairs.

He rushed over to the bathroom door, both hands on either side of the door frame. "What's the matter, Ari? Are you okay?"

Arielle still held the positive test in her hands. "Yes. Yeah, I'm okay," she whispered, shaking her head, feeling shocked and amazed all at once.

"What's the-" Alexander began, but Arielle saw the realization appear on his face. "You're...?"

"I'm pregnant." Arielle finished as she looked back down at the test, but she lifted her eyes from it, looking over to her husband again. His face broke out into a large grin as he raced over to her, but he was careful to hug her gently.

"You're going to be the best mother like I told you. You hear me?" Alexander spoke so quickly he was running out of breath. He held Arielle close to his body as he shook from excitement. When he pulled away, there were tears in his eyes. "I'm going to be a dad?"

Arielle nodded. "You already are," She whispered.

"I love you and our baby so much already, Ari. I don't know who this little one is just yet, but we'll find out together." Alexander spoke reassuringly as he rubbed her arms up and down.

Arielle nodded.

"Together," she replied. Tears had welled up in her own eyes. Alexander and Arielle Marquee, bringing a child into this world.

"The Lord has blessed us," she whispered. They stood there and they hugged. Despite the past, there was hope for the future. God had kept every promise and Arielle knew that regardless of the trials she faced and the trials she would likely face in the future, that God was good and He always would be.

A/N: The End! Sort of. I will be trying to complete other stories that I have up on my account, but I do hope to create a sequel to this story. Yet that story will have Julia as the main character, God willing.