My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Marcus, Valerie, John, and the twins finally arrived at what had been their home for about fifteen years. Most of it looked spotless, just like they had left it.

John ran straight to his room, with his parents following behind, each carrying one of the twins: Caroline, cuddled lovingly in her father's arms, and Albert in her mother's.

"I missed my room! I missed my little house! Dad!" John said, clearly excited.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"We need to buy a bigger bed, since Ethan's coming over and we have a bunch of sleepovers planned. This bed won't work," John said confidently.

"Oh really? Wow, I wasn't aware of your busy social calendar..." Marcus replied with a touch of sarcasm.

"Yeah, Dad, he needs to catch up with school, and since he's already enrolled in my school and class, it's my responsibility to help him catch up. So we have to work really hard so he doesn't fall behind or feel lonely. He already speaks a bit of Hesperian too," John added, listing his friend's skills.

"Alright then, we'll see if a bigger bed fits or if we should get a bunk bed..." Marcus said, clearly convinced by the reasoning of his six-year-old son.

"Yes, Dad, please! We have to help him, and especially now that he's Serenity's son too, we need to support him even more."

Valerie just watched the whole scene unfold, amused. It was obvious her son had inherited his father's negotiating skills.

"Well, well, my loves, go take a nice bath and get some rest. Your dad and I are going to give Caroline and Albert a bath, then we'll figure out how to fit into the bed to get some sleep," Valerie said, already imagining they could all squeeze into the King-sized bed.

"Babe... I've got something to show you..." Marcus said, starting to walk down the hallway.

Valerie just watched him walk off with Caroline in his arms.

He stopped in front of one of the rooms that, as far as Valerie remembered, had been empty. Something told her it was now the twins' room, though she had no idea how her husband had managed it.

"Marcus..." she said, curious.

"Come, look..." Marcus replied, opening the door to reveal a beautiful room for the twins.

The entire room was painted white, with pastel-colored decorations and plush animal toys everywhere. The floor was covered with a soft carpet to cushion any falls when the babies started crawling or walking.noveldrama

He already had experience from raising Serenity and John, so he knew exactly what a home needed. Frederick and Camille had helped him get everything, pick up the orders, and set up the furniture.

Valerie was speechless. She couldn't believe her husband had coordinated such beautiful details all the way from Valentia.

"I added a rocking chair for you. I know the kids are already a bit older, but you can still sit here and read to them or help them fall asleep. What do you think?" Marcus asked, visibly excited.

"It's beautiful!" Valerie said, walking into the room. "Did you pick everything out by yourself?" she asked, looking around at all the details.

"Well, John and Ethan helped too.

They picked the clouds, and Ethan chose the color. That boy says going to be an architect or

something. And John, witharp

business sense, found the best

deals on stuffed animals, so I was able to buy way more than enough."

"What do you think?" Marcus asked, smiling from ear to ear.

"I don't know how you managed it, but thank you for thinking so much about Carrie and Bert," Valerie said, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

"I told you not to worry. The babies will be fine. I've thought of everything. Now we

just need to bathe them-look, here's their little tub and changing station.

"I asked Frederick to have everything installed in the room, of course with the proper separation.

"This room has everything the little ones could need to be happy," Marcus said, showing her all the details.

Valerie just stared at her husband, full of pride. She never understood how, but he always found a way to surprise her. He was one of those rare gentlemen you hardly see anymore.

She was independent, but it was always nice to have a strong pair of hands to help when things got tough.

She looked at him, grateful beyond words that they had given themselves another chance. More than anything, she thanked every saint she could think of, and her grandfather too, for guiding them toward good decisions.

"I love you, Marcus Bartz! And to be completely honest, I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want a single day to go by without you by my side, my love..." Valerie said, hugging him and planting a tender kiss on his lips.

"My Valerie, I love you. You have no idea how much you mean to me. Alright then, let's go give these babies a bath-they're starting to smell like cheese..." Marcus said, placing Caroline gently into her brand-new crib.

That gesture showed Valerie just how much her husband needed the kids to fall asleep-she could see he was craving a moment alone with her, and honestly, she needed it too. It wasn't about anything physical; it was something emotional something only the two of them knew they were missing.