CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Today, seven years after Adrian and I said our vows, our proper vows; I thought I'd tell you one last story.

It's been six years since our story first became available to you to read in 'The Universal Chronicle.' That means it's been six years since you all learned how much of a mess I was before I met Adrian, and what an amazing and loving person Adrian has always been.

I was amazed to find out that subscriptions to the paper had doubled by the end of the twelve weeks of releasing the story. As it turned out, many of you loved the story and shared it with your friends, helping the paper to grow into something that I had only ever imagined in my wildest dreams.

So, to celebrate our seventh anniversary, I wanted to tell you just how special Adrian is.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

A year after we said our vows in front of Aphrodite, Adrian organised the surprise of a lifetime. I wasn't sure that we would do anything for our anniversary since our marriage hadn't exactly been under normal circumstances. Adrian, however, had something else in mind.

It began like any other day, we stayed in bed, soothed by the morning call of the birds perched in a nearby tree. After I took a moment to come round, I rolled out of bed to make breakfast since it was my turn; however, I didn't leave before taking in the sight of a very relaxed Adrian. He had closed his eyes again to appreciate the sunlight that found its way into the room in the gaps at the side of our curtains. The sun hit his face in a way that perfectly accentuated his features, the most beautiful of which was his smile; his lips were turned up as he felt the sunlight hit his face.

"I can feel you staring." I heard Adrian quip as he popped one eye open and looked at me, his smile growing as he did so.

"Sorry," I replied with a sheepish smile that began to morph into one like his. A soft pink began to cover my cheeks as I grew embarrassed that I was caught staring.

"It's okay, I know it's virtually impossible to take your eyes of this perfection."

"Hmm, keep telling yourself that, Kirkman," I responded with a roll of my eyes.

"Happy anniversary Kirkman." At that point, Adrian was sitting up in bed, and he patted the space next to him, inviting me to sit. I followed his silent instructions and perched myself next to him and looked at him inquisitively. Then, silently answering my question, he leaned in to kiss me, only to have me pull away before he could get too close.

"I've not brushed my teeth yet."

"You think I care? Come here, Sunshine."

I relented and kissed him deeply before I pulled myself away from him, slipped into my dressing gown, and made my way downstairs to make breakfast.

The day continued as if it was any other shared day off.

The surprise came at about midday. My mum called me to go out for lunch with her, something that I was more than keen to do since I hadn't seen her in a while and it would be good to catch up with her.

Little did I know what was happening at home while I was gone.

I arrived home at around two in the afternoon to find the house empty. I called for Adrian and checked in every room, a little confused and concerned since the front door wasn't locked, suggesting that he was home.

After a while of searching, I sat on our bed feeling a little bewildered, that was until I glanced down at our garden. What I saw had me falling off the bed in shock, making an unceremonious thumb as I hit the floor. I rushed to my feet to take a better look outside. What I saw was Aphrodite, Eros and Cupid, as well as Adrian, gathered in the garden. They had decorated it just as it had been a year ago when Adrian and I got married, complete with the yellow acacias.

I threw a hand up to cover my mouth as tears gathered in my eyes. Adrian must have seen my reaction because he gestured for me to come outside.

I did just that, rushing outside to find out what on Earth was going on. When I got there, I saw something that had me stumbling backwards with tears running down my face, no doubt ruining my makeup. My brain couldn't quite process what was happening.

Adrian in a suit.

Adrian on one knee.

Adrian holding a ring box.

Adrian.

Slowly, I walked closer to him, close enough for him to grab my hand and enclose his larger hand around mine. He was grinning from ear to ear as he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Clara, a year today, we made some very unromantic, unloving, and reluctant vows. I don't want those vows to be the foundation of our relationship, because our relationship is so much more than that. I know you find this kind of thing overwhelming, but I wanted to do something to fix our original vows because you've come to mean more to me than I ever thought possible. So, Clara, will you marry me... again?"

Adrian's smile grew throughout the speech; his eyes never leaving mine. Tears continued to roll down my face as I felt so much love and warmth come from the man in front of me. I was so emotional that I found myself lost for words, leaving me no choice other than to nod vigorously in response to his question.

"Of course," I eventually managed to choke out.

With that, Adrian slid a new ring onto my finger and stood up. With gentle fingers, he wiped my tears and placed a tender kiss to my temple.

"Aphrodite has a dress for you upstairs, why don't you go and get ready?"

I nodded and began to walk away, signalling for Aphrodite to follow me, however, something stopped me. I spun around, grabbed Adrian by the tie, and pulled him in and kissed him with every ounce of love that I could.

"I love you," I whispered as I pulled away, leaving with Aphrodite before he could respond.

Upstairs, Aphrodite presented me with the same beautiful dress that I had worn a year ago.

"Aphrodite?" I asked her after I was dressed and my hair was finished, spinning to face her as I did so.

"Yes, Clara?"

"Thank you. Thank you for interfering in my life and for giving me Adrian. Thank you for being the reason that I have that amazing man." Aphrodite teared up a little as I spoke, prompting me to take her hand in mine and offer her a soft smile.

When I first met her, I never imaged that I'd owe so much to that Goddess; I never imagined that I'd like her as much as I did. Adrian helped me to see that she meant well, and how could I be angry at her for giving me my husband?

"It's my job, dear."

Soon, I was ready to go and marry the man of my dreams, this time by choice. My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to calm my breathing.

As I made my way to the garden, Adrian headed for the top of the aisle to wait for me, Aphrodite joining him as she was to remarry us.

I looked to my right to see Cupid holding his arm out for me to take. I gladly hooked my arm through his, took a deep breath and began to walk the aisle towards Adrian. All I could focus on was his face; the way his eyes became glossy when he saw me, a tear or two escaping. His bright smile was infectious as I reached him. Cupid kissed my cheek and offered my hand to Adrian, who accepted it with a soft kiss.

"You look beautiful, Sunshine."

"You don't look too bad yourself, Hadria."

After a few moments of Aphrodite speaking, it was finally time for the vows.

"Clara, you have become so ingrained in my life and my heart that I can't imagine living it without you. So, I promise that I will always be here for you, no matter that. I will always love you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'll always do my best to make you feel happy and safe and secure. I will always be honest with you and treat you with every bit of love I have. I promise that you will always be the one for me. You have my heart."

Any attempts that I had made not to cry as Adrian spoke to me were futile, and I found myself sobbing at his words. I never thought that I would hear anyone say such loving vows to me; I never thought that I would let them.

"Adrian, you just made me ruin my makeup, so thank you," I started with a soft chuckle. "I don't know where to start. You managed to do what nobody else has ever managed to do and make me fall completely and irreversibly in love with you. I know I was scared at the start, but you're so patient and understanding with me that I'm not scared anymore. So, I promise you that I will always do the same for you. No matter what you need, I'll be there for you. I promise to continue to try my hardest to let you in and accept your love because it's all I want. I will still look after you and love you when we're old and our teeth are falling out. I promise to love you for the rest of my life."

Adrian, too, was crying by the end of my vows, as were Aphrodite, Eros, and even Cupid.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Aphrodite continued with the exchanging of rings.

"Do you, Adrian Kirkman, take Clara Kirkman to be your lawfully wedded wife again?"

"I do," Adrian responded with a bright smile that didn't leave his face for the duration of the wedding.

"And do you, Clara Kirkman, take Adrian Kirkman, to be your lawfully wedded husband again?"

"I do, forever," I responded, referring to my first response when I told them it would only be for two months. Oh, how wrong I was.

This time, a small, satisfied smile grew on Aphrodite's face.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife; you may kiss the bride," Aphrodite announced happily with the help of her green gummy bears, her favourite flavour.

It's safe to say that our kiss at our second wedding was much more enjoyable than our reluctant kiss at our first wedding.

Apparently, the second time was the charm.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

That was the best day of my life and the most romantic and special thing that anyone has ever done for me.

I have no idea what I did to deserve Adrian, but I wouldn't change anything for the world; I'll always owe everything to Aphrodite and her endless supply of sweets.

Love is a chemical defect, a mixture of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. However, it's my favourite genetic defect of all.

And we all lived happily ever after... Just Kidding, that would be one too many Wattpad cliches.

Yours, Clara.