1 Year Later...

Serena's P.O.V.

It took almost a year for me to recover from the car accident. I had to go through physical therapy. As well as see a counselor and doctor to help cope with the flashbacks from the accident. I was doing alright now, but I would still get occasional flashbacks from when the car sped into the pillar and crashed. 

A few weeks into my recovery, we had received word that the police had discovered Cameron and Eden's hiding spot in a nearby motel. They went there in hopes of arresting them and putting an end to all this madness. But, the moment they burst into the room, Cameron and Eden had taken their own lives, not wanting to rot in prison for the rest of their lives for hit and run, attempted murder, and aggravated stalking. And it turns out that they were also behind the creepy messages and packages sent to our hotel. I was angry that they took themselves out, but at the same time, relieved that this had ended, and Aidan and I could go on about our lives.

Three Years Later...

"Aidan? Can you help me zip up the back of my dress?" I called out as we were getting ready to head to the 2024 Grammy Awards. I had been working hard to produce and record new music, and recently, one of my songs had hit the Top 10 charts and was nominated for three Grammys. "Of course, sweetie," Aidan walked into our bedroom, adjusting his tie. I watched him through the circular mirror as he pulled the zipper up, resting his head on my shoulder as we stared at the beautiful Champagne-colored dress I had picked out for this occasion.

"You look gorgeous as always," he whispered huskily against my neck before kissing it. "Thanks, darling, we should probably start heading out now," I said, looking over at him, kissing the top of his head before we walked out. At the awards ceremony, the entire venue was crowded with both rising and big superstars, all competing for a Grammy. I was nervous, but at the same time, I kept myself composed as I got to meet some of the biggest stars like Cardi B, Billie Eilish, and even Taylor Swift!

An hour had gone by as they announced the winners for the male category. Aidan also had a nomination, but unfortunately, didn't win. But, he kept himself calm and composed, telling me that there was always next year. "You'll get one eventually, Aidan," I smiled, kissing his cheek as they were getting ready to announce the winners for the female category. My nominations were for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Solo Performance, & Best New Artist. As they reached Best New Artist, I began to feel my mouth become dry, my palms sweating as the anticipation was killing me.

"And the award goes to..." One of the two hosts said, opening the envelope and read out the name. "Serena Waterbury, Halo!" I couldn't believe it. I had won a Grammy! I had just started making it big, and now I had a Grammy, something that I had only dreamed about since I was a child. I walked onto the stage, my hands shaking as they placed the award in my hands. "Oh my gosh, I have so many people to thank. First of all, I want to thank my manager, Joseph, and my co-producers Steve and Theresa. I appreciate your help with this song. I also want to thank Lauren & Rob for supporting me and always being there for me. And lastly, I want to thank Aidan, my boyfriend, my everything. Thank you for being there and supporting and loving me no matter what. I love you, and I always will. Thank you!"

The moment I stepped off the stage, Aidan rushed towards me, squeezing the life out of me and picking me up by my waist before kissing me ever so sweetly. "I'm so proud of you, Serena. You worked so hard to get here," He whispered. "Thank you, Aidy. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you and your family taking me in. I'm forever grateful," I whispered back before kissing him again.

*******

2 Years After That...

Aidan's P.O.V.

It was our eighth anniversary together. It was still hard to believe that I had been with this beautiful young woman since I was a teenager. She was so perfect, so beautiful, so kind, and overall, an amazing person. With every passing day, I fell more and more in love with her and eventually realized something. I didn't want her as just my girlfriend. I wanted her as my wife.

I had spent weeks trying to find the perfect ring for her, and I had finally found one. Now, all I had to do was ask her to marry me and hope she'd say yes. "So, where are we going for our special anniversary dinner?" Serena gushed as we drove to the restaurant. "You remember that winery we were considering giving a try?" I reminded her, hoping that she would get the hint. "No way! You seriously got a reservation there? Those places are impossible to get into!" Serena gasped. "I reserved the table two months in advance," I smiled as we pulled into the parking lot.

We got inside, reaching our private booth, away from the prying eyes of people who would surely be talking about how they saw us in the restaurant. "Cheers, my love," I smiled, clinking my wine glass with Serena's as we stared into each other's eyes, making small talk as we waited for our food. It was so tempting to ask her right then and there, but I bit my lip and waited until we had our food delivered to us.

After what seemed like forever, the waitress came back with our food and walked off. As Serena was about to take a bite, I stopped her, telling her that there was something we needed to talk about. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Serena asked, automatically assuming the worse. "No, no, no! You didn't do anything," I assured her, bringing a smile back to her face. 

"Serena, first and foremost, I want to say that I love you. So fucking much, and ever since the day we met, I had a hunch that we would become something more than friends. And within eight years, we have come so far. We're both successful in our careers. We bought our own house. We got a dog together, and we're living the dream. But, there's one more thing I want to do before everything is perfect. I want to make you my wife," I started. Serena's eyes widened as I got down on one knee and pulled out the ring box, revealing a diamond ring, a large diamond in the center, and multiple smaller diamonds surrounding it.

"Serena Margaret Waterbury, will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?" I asked, hoping that she would accept the proposal. "Oh my god, Aidan. Yes! YES! Of course, I'll marry you!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around me before embracing me tightly. A huge breath of relief escaped my lips. I was so happy that we were getting married, and I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with her by my side.

"Here, give me your hand," I chuckled. She complied, holding out her left hand so I could slip the ring onto her finger. "Perfect fit," She smiled.

********

4 Years After That...

Serena's P.O.V.

"Okay, Mrs. Gallagher, on the next contraction, I need you to give me a small push, okay?" One of the nurses said as she and the other doctors were preparing me to give birth to our first child. I had always wanted children, ever since I was a little girl, but I had never expected the pain during labor to be so painful. Thank god, I had Aidan by my side, otherwise who knows what would've happened. "You ready to see our baby, Serena?" Aidan asked as he gently squeezed my hand. "As ready as I'll ever be," I nodded before taking a deep breath and pushing lightly, feeling the baby begin to shift down.

"That's it, good girl. Now, give me a harder one," I complied and pushed harder, feeling like everything inside of me was being torn apart. "You got this, sweetie. You're doing so good," Aidan whispered as I continued to push and occasionally let out a small grunt or two. Within three hours of labor, I finally felt the baby's head exit my body, helping with some of the pain. "This one's got a head full of hair!" Aidan chuckled, looking at me and then our baby. 

"One last push, give me everything you got," The nurse said. I felt so tired, so dead, but I didn't want to give up now. I had come too far to give up. I had to keep going. I had to meet this baby. I squeezed Aidan's hand ever so tightly, and I let out a small scream as the rest of the baby came out. The room was filled with silence, and I was worried that something was wrong with the baby. But after about ten seconds, a loud cry filled the room, making all my fears fade away.

"It's a girl! A healthy, beautiful girl," Another nurse smiled. Aidan and I looked at each other and smiled. He wanted a baby girl, and now she was here with us. I watched as Aidan cut the cord, holding back tears of happiness as our daughter continued crying. "You did amazing, Serena. She sounds and looks perfectly healthy," Aidan smiled, kissing my forehead.

Soon, she was brought over to us and place on my chest, instantly quieting her cries. She was the most precious and tiny baby I had ever seen. I never thought I could love something or someone so small with all my heart, but when I laid eyes on her for the first time, my heart filled to its core. "She looks just like you, Aidan. She has your everything," I smiled, still looking at the pink bundle. "She does, and she's as beautiful as her Mama," He chuckled. I looked over at him, asking if he wanted to hold her, to which he replied, "C-can I?"

"Of course you can, Aidan. She's your daughter too," I smiled, carefully passing him the bundle. His face turned bright pink with happiness, and I could see him crying happy tears as he stared down at her. The last time I had seen him cry like this was when he found out I was pregnant after eleven months of struggling to conceive.

"Hey there, I'm your Dad, and I promise I'm going to love you, care for you, and make sure I'm always there for you during your biggest moments. I love you so much, my little princess, and you're going to go on to do great things," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her tiny head. "Now we have to think of a name," I said. He looked up at me before looking back at our daughter.

"I have one. How about we call her Eliana? Eliana Jane Gallagher," He suggested. I was stunned by the name he had picked, even more so when I heard him add the name Jane. My birth mother's middle name was Jane, and I could already feel her presence in the room, catching a glimpse of her granddaughter. "You named her after my mother?" I asked. "Mhmm. I know how much she meant to you, so I thought we could pay tribute to her," Aidan smiled.

I nodded, telling him that the name was perfect as he handed Eliana back to me. We had been through so much pain, so much suffering to get to where we were, and it all felt worth it. I think it's safe to say that we're going to live our modern Happily Ever After...

The End.