Chapter No.43

Evelyn's POV:

"This is something I wanted to do for the longest of time but waited till you completely recovered. I fell in love with a girl who had suffered more than anyone could tell. She smiles so brilliantly no one could see past through her; the pain she had." Archer started and I couldn't help but look at him with nothing but awe in my eyes.

I know what this is but still couldn't believe that it's happening here and now and I am able to be here witnessing this all. If anyone told me 2 years ago that I'd be allowed to have such happiness in my life I would've simply laughed at their creativeness. Now here I am listening to the words of the man that I love more than life itself.

"I was a blind person and honestly selfish to force my feelings upon that girl. She held my heart the first time I saw her but was incredibly stubborn to ever give in to my feelings."

Archer came forward and held my hands in his, looking into my eyes with nothing but absolute love, passion, and something even deeper a promise. A promise to always be by my side no matter what life might throw at us.

"I love you so much Evelyn to the point I can't even imagine a moment in which you wouldn't be there by my side. I honestly think that I'd go crazy. You hold my heart and are the most important person to me..." Taking a deep breath he lets go of my hands, and goes down bent on one knee and takes a small velvet maroon-ish box from the inner pocket of his jacket and opens to reveal the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, "Evelyn Rain Colton, will you give me the honor to hold you in my arms forever and stand beside you through the journey of life? Will you marry me and make me the luckiest man on the planet to ever walk upon?"

At this point I can't hold back the tears that desperately were trying to escape and started crying, it is a really emotional moment for me. I never expected that I'd find happiness in a place in a person who I'd known about but never sought out because I never wanted to drag him into my horrors filled world. But he jumped in it himself.

"Pretty girl? Hey, what's wrong?" He asks panicking and getting up he hugs me to himself, and I whisper the words that originally I wanted to say, "Yes."

He froze for a moment before pulling me back for a second just enough so I could see his handsome face, his eyes searched mine, and he asked again, "What did you say?"

I smile, "I said yes; yes Archer I'll –" but before I can continue I cut off with a passionate kiss.

He kisses me as I am his oxygen and I kiss him back with intensity. I can't hold in the feelings I'm feeling right now and there's nowhere I'd be right now than the man I love' arms.

We separate after I start hearing clapping and wolf whistles all around. I blush as I can't believe that everyone since my eyes were closed I didn't notice that the lights had been turned on and there stood all of our family. Smiling with the biggest smiles on their faces. And I see who was wolf-whistling obviously it was Chris and Mark.

The first to come to us is Charlotte and Archer immediately picks her up and she pecks her father's cheek and mine as well as he has one arm around my waist and with the other, he's holding Lotte, "Daddy! You did it! And look I told you that Mommy would say yes and she did! She looks at you the same way as you do too! KYAH! We're finally becoming a family!"

"We are already a family, Lotte," I say as I kiss her cheek while she's still in Archer's arms.

"I know, Mommy... But now everything will be official. Now, no one can say that my Mommy isn't mine." Lotte says and I don't miss the sadness that passes her eyes.

I and Archer stare at one another, "What do you mean, Charlotte?"

"It's just that I've often heard teachers' talk behind my back that about Mommy and you won't last together far too long without wanting to let me go. Since, I'm a Theodore princess everyone would choose me over Mommy. So Mommy saying that she wants Daddy with everything that comes along with him is just... It means a lot to me." Charlotte says and I'm the one who's on the verge of crying.

I never thought that she was going through so many emotions, "Mommy! Please don't cry! I didn't mean to make you cry." Charlotte panics.

"Pretty girl..." Archer says as he lets Charlotte down and hugs me, "It's alright. It's not your fault. It's those teachers' fault and I will see to it personally that they aren't allowed to teach again. No one knows what we've been through... Please don't cry. You know none of us can withstand your tears." Using his thumb pads wipes away my tears and softly pecks my lips and pulls me into a hug.

Everyone, amongst the family, also becomes completely silent and I assume they've heard it as well. This leads me to question no one was able to notice what Lotte was going through until she didn't express it herself. Only.... If I'm not wrong Ron noticed it. That's why he wanted me to spend more time with her because he knew she was hiding her real feelings. Damn! These kids might be even smarter than I was at their age which kind of scares me a bit.

The rest of the evening is literally a fairytale with the way Archer had planned it all with the help of Mark and Ly who know more than anyone has ever known. God! These guys seriously went completely all out.

Everyone is dead tired, retired early tonight. By early I mean 4 in the morning. But not me, Archer, Amalie, and Austin. We all are still awake just having a light snack as for the reason I became hungry.

"I still can't believe that our little Charlotte actually hid something so big from us. When did she start keeping secrets from us?" Amalie asks.

Austin's hold around Amalie tightens and she leans into his warmth something I am doing right now with Archer. He's gently stroking my hair with one hand and the other hand is unconsciously is on my ring finger hand and his thumb is playing with it as if he still can't believe it.

"I have a very funny feeling that Lotte tells Cameron everything. Even the things she consciously or unconsciously hides from us." I reply.

Everyone looks at me and I feel Archer's eyes on me now but I only snuggle deeper into his chest, "Ron, kept on insisting since I recovered that I need to spend more time with Lotte. Even if I was super busy I would make out time for her and even if I wanted to spend time with Ron he would literally ask me to bring Lotte along with us."

"That explains a lot. Cameron is really overprotective of our little Charlotte." Austin says.

"Hmm... I have a funny feeling that as I was right about Archer having feelings for our Evie. I will turn out to be right that little Cameron has feelings for our grand-daughter. But he chooses not to act on them, not unless necessary." Amalie says thoughtfully.

Austin sighs, "I stopped going against my dear wife because whatever you say tends to be true each and every time."

She giggles in turn, "Now only if our younger son could also find a girl like our Evie then I'll be the happiest." She sighs at the end.

I become stiff on that one because I know that won't be happening not in a long run from what happened a few years ago. They say true love comes rarely but if it does cherish it with your entire heart. Chris did cherish it but he was unable to protect his true love from getting into harm's way. Till he even found out it was too late to save her. So it still hurts him from the inside. And he hasn't been able to move on since. I really hope he finds a girl that cherishes him for who he is and can melt his frozen heart that froze on the day when he lost her.

Archer kisses my forehead, "Come on, Pretty girl, we've all had a really long day." I nod and yawn at the same time as it's true.

We bid our goodnight and head to our room. Changing my clothes quickly I get into bed and feel not more than a couple of moments later the bed dip and Archer joins me pulling me to him and wrapping his warm, strong-build around mine.

"Thank you Pretty girl for making the happiest man walk on this planet." He says.

I turn in his arms to face him, "Archer, why do you keep thanking me? I'm as madly, deeply in love with you as you are."

He chuckles in turn, "True, but there is another factor that's why I fall in love with you more and more, every day. You accepted a girl who wasn't even mine by blood. In this cruel world, people don't accept their own blood but you accepted Charlotte even though, she isn't my biological daughter."

I shake my head at this, "Archer, she's the cutest little girl I've ever met. Even before meeting you, and eventually falling in love with you, I was already in love with her. She reminds me a lot about my own self. It was how I used to be before Daddy passed away." I blink away the traitorous tears that made their way to my eyes.

Somehow, they still manage to escape. Archer quickly swipes them away using his thumb pads. He leans in and captures my lips with his. I really love that he can understand me more than anyone else could ever. It's like he was my missing half. The half I can no longer imagine my life.

We break apart since we both run out-breath of, but he still kisses my forehead, "Pretty girl, you know I can't stand your tears. Please don't cry." He appeals to me.

I softly smile at his words as it's so true, be it me or Charlotte, he literally can't stand our tears, even if they are fake.