Several weeks after the trial, Keon and Aria went to visit Estelle at her house. However, they were unaware that Ronan had also dropped by; and he had a confession to make.

"Estelle and I have decided to give each other a chance," Ronan held Estelle's hand, smiling widely.

"Hold on for a second..." Aria narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to tell us that you guys are dating?"

"Yeah, we are!" Estelle embraced Ronan as he gave her a gentle kiss.

"Oh my gawd, I'm so happy for you two!" Aria gave them each a hug.

"Guys, that's amazing!" Keon smiled sweetly. "But I never saw it coming! What's the story?"

"Estelle and I became closer than ever after Hunter's demise," Ronan explained. "I grew more fond of her as the days passed, and I eventually caught feelings for her. I tried my hardest to deny them, because it felt wrong to think about Estelle in that way. Then about two months ago, I confessed my feelings for her; and to my surprise, she told me she felt the same way."

"Then one thing led into another and now," Estelle gave Ronan a joyful look. "Now we're inseparable, quite like you two. And Aria, I hope you're not mad..." Estelle spoke nervously. "You know what I mean."

"No, not at all!" Aria giggled. "On the contrary, I'm delighted to see you two be so happy with each other."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Estelle smiled before giving Ronan a kiss on his cheek.

During the next two months, Keon and Aria began to talk a lot about their plans for the future, which made Keon think long and hard about the desire to spend the rest of his life alongside Aria. Before making any big decisions, though, he decided to talk to his parents.

"Mom, Dad..." he announced one night at the dinner table. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Tell us," Ray looked at him. "What's on your mind?"

"Well..." Keon began. "I've been thinking a lot, and I realized that I want to be with Aria for the rest of my life. The way I love her and the things I feel for her are something that can't be described with words. We've been through hell together, but I can't deny that being by her side has been gratifying. I think she's the one. I hope it's not too early, but I think... I'm seriously considering asking Aria to marry me."

"You're what?!" Fatima's face lit up.

"Yeah," Keon grinned. "I want to make her my wife."

"When will you propose?"

"As soon as possible. But I don't want her to think that I'm rushing things between us."

"Son," Ray began. "Are you sure you truly love her?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I love her with every cell of my body."

"Then the time in which you propose marriage to the girl of your dreams shouldn't have to matter. Keon, I've seen the way in which you and Aria treat each other. That alone is more than enough to let me know that she's the one for you. If you two have gone through so much together, and your relationship is still going strong, then this should let you know that you're both meant for each other."

In the days following the conversation with his parents, Keon bought Aria a beautiful golden ring, which was encrusted with a medium diamond. After giving it all some thought, he decided to propose at the Surfside beach; the place where they began their friendship.

Keon picked Aria up from her house the evening after he bought her engagement ring, and was stunned at how beautiful she looked. She wore a yellow sundress, paired with some golden sandals and golden accessories. Her hair was shiny and wavy, and her precious green eyes glistened in the sun as they were framed by black eyeliner.

"You look unbelievably gorgeous today" Keon brushed her bangs away from her face, looking into her eyes. "I mean, you've always been beautiful, but right now... hot damn."

"Stop, I love you," Aria giggled and kissed him.

They both had a blast on their way to Surfside. Though the drive was always short, Aria's entertaining presence made it even shorter.

"Are we gonna watch the sunset?" Aria asked eagerly upon their arrival.

"Yeah," Keon smiled. "But the main reason why we're here is because I need to talk to you."

"Let's talk, then."

"Okay, here goes," he took a deep breath. "Aria... do you remember the night we met?"

"I always have. That night was iconic. I think I was almost as nervous as you were, but I didn't let myself show it. I didn't want you to think I was desperate. You, however... you did seem quite nervous. But I didn't mind at all; if anything, it made me even more interested in knowing more about you."

"Oh, really?" he giggled.

"Yeah," she smiled. "When we met again here in Surfside, I was delighted to see you and have the opportunity to get to know more about you. Watching the sunset with you was the perfect way to start doing so."

"Now I'm gonna say that one thing you always tell me," Keon smiled widely. "I'm flattered."

Aria laughed out loud after that, making his heart leap out of joy. Her happiness was his favorite sight, and her voice and laugh were his favorite sounds. It became even harder for Keon to resist proposing right away when he saw her like this.

"As I was saying..." he cleared his throat. "That was the night in which I laid my eyes upon the most beautiful young lady I've ever seen; that young lady being you, obviously. Of course, looks aren't everything, so when we met for the second time, I decided to get to know who you are as a person. Imagine my joy when I discovered you were even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside..."

"Aw, bear," she held his hands, smiling sweetly.

"Our first kiss made me feel like I was on top of the world. As you already know, I had been daydreaming about you ever since I first saw you, and kissing you was like seeing one of those dreams come true."

"Believe me, I felt the same way you did... and I still do."

"I know you do. Besides showing me affection, you helped me tremendously when I was at my lowest point. You were one of the only people that could make me smile genuinely in those moments. In fact, I think that's what made me fall in love with you."

"The same thing happened to me when I was at my own lowest point. You were basically the reason why I smiled each day. I had already fallen in love with you by then; but you being there for me made me fall even deeper. When Hunter passed away, you were the one that always called me before bed to make sure I never felt alone. You always moved Heaven and Earth to bring a smile to my face. And when I was in a coma, you talked to me as if I could respond to you. You played music for me, you reminded me of how much you loved me... you were a very important part of my healing process. Your love healed me. Bear, I love you because even after what we've gone through, you still chose to love me. I can't deny it, you're my everything, Keon."

Keon began to tear up while hearing those words. He knew that Aria loved him deeply, but hearing her talk that way about him made him remember the true reason why he fell in love with her in the first place.

"Angel... you truly are the woman of my dreams, and there are times in which I still can't believe that I'm lucky enough to get to love you."

Keon then pulled Aria close to him for a slow, loving kiss. Goodness gracious, how are you even real? he thought as he felt her wrap her arms around his body and kiss him deeply, which made him want to get down on one knee and propose to her right away.

"Listen... there's something important I need to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"I just..." Keon took a deep breath. "I chose this place to talk to you, because I remember it as the place in which you and I first became friends. Now, I want to remember it as the place in which we had one of the best days of our lives. So hear me out. Aria Isabella West..." he knelt on the sand, his heart beating wildly as he pulled out the ring box from his pocket and held it out to Aria, making her gasp in excitement. "Will you marry me?"

"You already know the answer," she grinned widely, her eyes glistening with happy tears. "I'd love to be your wife."

"Come here, you," he pulled her body close, his tears mixing together with hers while he kissed her passionately. It gave him great joy to know that he would soon get to marry the girl he loved the most.

After spending half an hour at the Surfside beach, Keon and Aria reunited their parents to tell them the good news; needless to say, they were all overjoyed and eager to begin planning the wedding. Their friends were similarly excited, if not more.

"You're getting what now?!" Austin almost spat out his drink when he heard the announcement.

"We're getting married," Keon laughed out loud, wrapping his arm around Aria's waist.

"We knew it! Goodness gracious, we knew it!" Amy, Scarlett, Leah, and Daniella jumped in excitement, giggling to their heart's content.

"When's the wedding? Tell us! When is it?!" Estelle asked eagerly.

"I dunno yet," Aria chuckled, looking at Keon. "We still haven't started planning it."

"You better tell us when you do!" Estelle widened her eyes.

"I told you, Keon!" Devon spoke enthusiastically. "I told you long ago that you guys would end up together. And now look at that! You're engaged!"

"Literally everyone knew it," Ronan smirked. "Seeing you two together is all it takes to see that you are meant for each other."

"Even if everyone knew it, I still can't believe it," Keon grinned.

"Neither can I," Aria caressed Keon's cheek. "It still feels like a dream. And that's what it is; a dream come true."

About a year later, Aria sat in the limousine, eager to walk down the aisle while Estelle, her maid of honor, performed a final check to make sure that Aria's makeup, dress, and veil were on point.

"I bet you're nervous," Estelle told her.

"You know that's right," Aria raised her eyebrows. "I can't believe we're getting married. I still remember the day I met him as if it were yesterday."

"And I'll never forget how you saw him at the beach the next day. You know, I still ask myself how you reacted so smoothly. You didn't seem nervous at all! I don't know what I would've done if I were you."

"I literally didn't know what to do!" Aria giggled. "I was nervous, but somehow I was able to respond in such a way that it didn't seem like it."

"It sure didn't seem like it," Estelle smiled widely.

"Then one thing led to another and bam!" Aria beamed. "I'm getting married today!"

"That's right," Estelle completed the final touches. "Anyway, you're good to go," she gave Aria a tight hug. "I love you, sweetheart. Go marry the man of your dreams."

"I love you more," Aria blew her a kiss, taking her father's hand to walk down the aisle by his side.

Meanwhile, Keon stood still as a statue at the wedding altar; with Devon as his best man.

"She'll be here any minute now, Devon," Keon blurted out. "Gawd, I'm so nervous. I really can't wait to marry her."

"Relax, brother," Devon smiled reassuringly. "Once you see her, everything's gonna be just fine."

A few seconds after that, Aria made her way down the aisle with Nick by her side. Keon was immediately overcome with emotion when he saw her, his eyes welling up with tears as he admired his bride.

"Angel..." Keon beamed, looking deeply into her eyes when he saw her standing in front of him. "You're so beautiful."

"So are you, bear," she grinned lovingly.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the wedding officiant began. "We are gathered here on this lovely day by God's blessing to unite this man, Keon Chappelle, and this woman, Aria West, in the bonds of holy matrimony. You may now read your vows."

"Well," Keon began. "The sun smiles on us today; and how can it not? With our hearts beating together as one, I feel ready to take on the world. I love you with all my heart. You're the person that keeps me smiling every day of my life," he gently slid the wedding ring into Aria's finger. "I'd love to give you this ring as a sign of my love that's forever, eternal, and never ending; like the circle in this ring."

"Keon..." Aria cleared her throat, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm beyond lucky to call you my husband. Your love makes me a better person each and every day. You were there for my greatest challenges. You helped me believe in myself and become the woman that I am today. In your arms and by your side, I know I can do anything. Like I've told you dozens of times, bear..." she beamed. "You're my everything."

"Keon Darius Chappelle," the officiant stated. "Do you take Aria Isabella West to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Keon replied confidently.

"Aria Isabella West," the officiant looked at Aria. "Do you take Keon Darius Chappelle to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"By the authority vested in me by the United States of America, I now pronounce you as husband and wife; and what God has joined together, let no man nor woman put asunder. You may kiss the bride."

He kissed her passionately, his heart feeling an incredible amount of joy as he married the love of his life. Their family and friends cheered on while they kept kissing under the flowered arch; and much to their delight, Keon and Aria could feel Cash and Hunter's spirits deep down in their souls. It seemed as if they could hear their voices say "we love you"...

THE END

A/N: Thoughts?

We have reached the end of this story. Thank you all so much for sticking with me throughout this wonderful journey. Until next time, my loves <3

One last thing!

Don't forget to vote <3