Micah leaned on the shopping cart while walking around the store with Aidan, collecting supplies and some food. They weren't supposed to be shopping together, but Aidan also had some errands to run so he invited Micah along and here they are.

Micah filled his basket in silence. He was feeling slightly awkward as he and Aidan didn't typically do this. Meanwhile, his dad gathered some stuff that might be useful and enjoyed his time with his son.

"So you and Mariana will be heading to Hungary soon to find Mona?" Aidan asked and picked up some food in a can. He juggled it lightly as Micah faced away from him.

"Yup," Micah replied and took some cookies.

"That's good. I'm glad this investigation worked out in the end." Aidan smiled broadly at his son, his own blood and flesh, that he's now got back. But Micah didn't see as he was looking the other way.

"Me too. It's been a extensive journey but we got there in the end." Micah sighed with a peaceful face and looked up at the bright shelves with a glint of hope shining in his eye.

"So are you going to celebrate once you bring them back?" Aidan asked with a tinge of hope lifting his voice. But it quietened down as he got increasingly nervous about what he wanted to really ask, but was too nervous.

"Yeah, me and Mariana can have a celebration party for them," Micah said. He examined a packet in his hands and noticed Aidan had gone silent. He sharply turned around and blinked in confusion as Aidan just stared at him, slowly sucking in his bottom lip like he was begging for something.

Micah stiffened under the uncomfortable, lingering stare because he had a feeling of what he wanted to ask. He was a bit hesitant to grant his supposed request but felt like it was the proper time after everything that had happened.

"If we do have a party..." he muttered without eye contact, only a side glance as hesitation crept in, forcing his eyes to the floor. But he gulped it down and let his head lift. "We can have it at you and Mom's place."

"You mean... you'll let me meet my grandkids?" Aidan clasped his knuckles together, highly hoping his guess was right.

"Sure." He shrugged and mindlessly started searching the shelves. "It's fine but only once." He pushed the cart down the aisle while Aidan was beaming behind with happiness. He quickly followed before Micah completely disappeared.

"Thank you, Micah, I promise things will be different this time," Aidan said while Micah grabbed a packet of water bottles.

"I promise I'll be a better father and grandpa to you and your kids."

"That's good," Micah said and put something back that he didn't like. He then caught a glimpse of a petal that slowly fell like a feather onto the floor. It came from a group of bouquets that were leaning over.

He rushed over and grabbed one for Mariana. It was encased with paper shaded in rose gold. It was saturated with red roses but had drops of white here and there. He also took a packet of Ferrero Rocher and chucked it into the cart.

"Can I see a picture of your kids?" Aidan asked out of the blue. "I just want to see what they look like."

Micah side-eyed him suspiciously. He almost said no but since Aidan had improved the past couple of months and didn't get on his nerves as much, maybe one photo wouldn't hurt.

He scrolled through the gallery and found the perfect picture. Elisa and Axel were seated at the edge of a glistening water fountain. It was in the middle of a blazing, summer's day when a ball fell behind and made the waters flare-up. Elisa laughed and kicked out her legs, while her hair sprang everywhere. But Axel scrunched back uncomfortably because of the water.

"Here they are." He gave the phone to Aidan, and he gripped it intensely. He stared at the photo and didn't take his eyes off them for one moment. His lips warmed into a smile as these were the grandkids that he was still waiting to meet.

"Your kids are very beautiful," Aidan said and handed the phone back to him. "And your daughter looks so much like you."

"Thanks." Micah smiled as he put his phone back. "I know, she really does." He chuckled.

"How old are they?"

"Well, Elisa is almost 3 and Axel will be turning 2 soon."

"Wow they are growing up really fast," Aidan said, slightly surprised but had a light sigh at the end.

"I know. Sometimes it feels like they are growing up too fast for us." Micah smiled a little at him. "But the time they've been gone has just made it go even faster." His smile then dropped.

"I know it must be devastating to lose so much of that time. But it will be okay soon because you'll be getting that."

"Yeah and about time too. I don't know how long they'll be able to go on," Micah said, hoping their kids were still hanging in there as they were so close.

"Don't worry Micah, you'll soon be able to bring them home," Aidan said as they moved on to a different aisle.

"So have you got anything else planned after you get your kids back?"

"I will have a grand opening of my restaurant once we've got them back safely," Micah replied.

"You have your own restaurant now?"

"Yeah, I do. I've just delayed the opening since I've had to find my kids."

"Oh, that's nice. Can I come to the opening?"

"Well, you can if you want. You don't have to, because I don't know if you'll be interested as it's not really your thing."

"No, I want to. I want to be there to support you on your big day." Aidan smiled and stepped into the tile where the light shone on, revealing his sincere grin. "I will also like to get you a present if that's alright."

"Hm okay. I'll tell you the date when I've got my kids back."

Aidan grinned and patted his back proudly. He brought him closer while Micah smiled uneasily as they continued down the aisles, picking out more food.

When he got home, he had a bit of time before Mariana came back. So instead of leaving her gifts on the table, he had the idea of writing little words of affirmations and placing them around the room. So his flower can have a little scavenger hunt and get little surprises. Which will to the biggest one that's sure to put a smile on her face after a tedious day at work.

He acquired some paper and began writing some notes and then tucked them inside the white petals. He hid them around like little Easter eggs, starting with the table. Then he had a path towards the kitchen where he had the bouquet and the chocolates at the end of the trail.

When everything was done, he smiled proudly to himself and snatched Rio from the couch. "Come on Rio, let's go wait for Mariana to come home and get a big surprise." He carried him to the kitchen to sit and hide.

Rio meowed and licked his finger with his dry and bristly tongue. Micah kept him steady on his lap and went on his phone.

He couldn't help but smile to himself as going out with Aidan today was unexpectedly a little enjoyable. It was much better than arguing. Maybe there was a chance Aidan could be a better grandpa than the father he was to him.

Suddenly he heard the door slam open and a couple of footsteps walked in.

"Micah, you in yet?" He heard Mariana say, "I brought some champagne that we can have for dinner later."

He heard her gasp and settle the bottle down. He smiled as she probably saw the rose on the table, as she muttered a small 'thank you.'

Her footsteps went around the room. Micah kept an eye on the living room and waited for her to come out. He held Rio and stroked him which made him purr and his tail shot up.

Eventually, Mariana came to the kitchen and saw the presents laid out for her. She burst out in cheers and accidentally threw the notes like confetti.

"Thank you Micah!" she exclaimed and them up. She raced towards him and Micah let Rio go before she jumped into his arms.

"You're welcome, my baby. I hope you like them." He caressed her hair as she settled herself onto his lap.

"I do my baby and thank you for the notes. They made me feel really special." Her smile was made up of a thousand feelings that those affectionate messages produced. How she was the best thing in his world, the sexiest girl in his eyes, the strongest girl he knew and much more.

"I can see they made you very happy." He smirked and lifted her chin up. He slowly caressed it and gently kissed her honey-dew lips.

"It did! Did you get the flowers and chocolate from the store when you went shopping?"

"Yeah, I saw them and thought of how you can come back to a nice surprise."

"Aw, that's so sweet. I really appreciate it," she said, "so did you get anything we might need?"

"Yep, I got about everything. I just hope we find Mona soon so we don't need to go on a wild goose chase."

Mariana giggled and bound her arms around his neck. "Well, I'm glad we're all set now. Then tomorrow we'll be on that plane to our kids." She leaned on him and then flipped her head up. She pressed out her lips, and he bent down to kiss them.

Then he swept her clean off her feet. Holding her tight and kissing her deeply with passion. Her lips melted under his touch like sweet ice cream on a hot day. His other finger slowly scaled down her curl, which rested over her glazed face.

"Mi hermosa amor, te amo tanto..." (My beautiful love, I love you so much).

He stared deep into those chocolate pools with a smirk and another soft, rippling kiss. It went down to her stomach, and the ripple grew into butterflies. Her heart pounded loudly like a drum inside her ear, and she felt her whole face in flames. But her hand snaked around his neck and stroked the fuzzy lines in his hair.

"Come," he straightened himself and lifted her up like she was as light as a feather. Mariana locked her legs around his waist.

"You take such good care of me." She murmured and kissed him again as he carried them up the stairs.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed this lovely chapter!

Tbh, this last bit kinda reminded me of the song "Like My Father" by Jax that goes "I wanna come home to roses and dirty little notes on posts-its" 😂😂😂😂