Two years later.
The tiny ray of the bright sun penetrated through the glass windows and settled on Noah's Cooper, handsome face.
His brown hair was covering his forehead and his lips were slightly opened while his light snores throbbed in the exquisite bedroom.
He stirred and stretched out his hand to his side, as if wanting to feel something, but to his amazement, it was empty.
He flickered his eyes opened in an instant, and truly, what he was expecting wasn't beside him.
Not only that, but he quickly gazed in the bathroom direction and called out sweetly, “Sweetheart, are you in there?”
A few seconds flew by, but he didn't receive any reaction or response from the bathroom.
And to think that there was no sound coming from the bathroom, he could effortlessly discern that no one was in the bathroom.
He shut his eyes in anger and slowly sat straight, resting his head against the headboard.
Seconds later, he opened his eyes again and his eyes met with the large and lengthy portrait of their wedding picture.
Both he and his wife had their best smiles in the picture as his wife's hands were wrapped around his neck and holding him closely.
It was indeed one of the most remarkable days of their lives thus far.
They got married a year after he proposed to her and welcomed their baby boy the following year.
Staring at his wife in the picture, Noah smiled and thought in his heart that there was nothing else he could request more from his creator.
A gorgeous, industrious, fulfilling all the good names in the world that could qualify a decent wife. His wife has it all.
Still smiling, he crawled out of the bed and walked over to the portrait, and then began to trail his fingers around his wife's grinning face in the picture.
“I love you, sweetheart,” the sincerity emanating from his face could never go unnoticed by a blind man.
However, the smile on his face stopped all of a sudden, and it occurred that he just remembered something.
Seething, he brushed off his hair from his forehead and stomped out of the bedroom.
In the heaven in earth living room where everything there was cultivated like that of a Castle.
The divans, wallpapers, curtain and even the marble floor were all striking with pure gold.
In there was a pretty girl running around the room. She was clad in a teal blue flowery dress that stopped right on her knees and white furry slippers on her feet.
Her hair was tied up in two pigtails which floated along as she ran everywhere, giggling happily.
“You better don't allow me to get hold of you, Aurora,” this tough voice belongs to a young lady who had been running to catch Aurora, but it seemed she couldn't beat her long legs.
She was wearing a jean trouser and a black hoodie. Her black hair was curled at the tip and suited her oval-shaped face accurately.
“Catch me if you can, Danica,” Aurora snickered, still running over the whole place.
Meanwhile, another pretty young lady had been sitting on a red recliner opposite a couch, holding and playing with a cute little baby in her hands.
Her skin was tanned like a sun-kissed brunette. Her golden locks were tied in a high ponytail, accentuating her palm-sized face.
She loved playing with the pretty dandy in her lap, and the boy also seemed to recognize her so well because he was also bouncing and giggling in her grasp.
She looked over at Aurora and was scared she might fall down, so she blurted out her fear.
“That's enough, Aurora. You don't want to get hurt, do you?”
Without stopping running, “Don't worry about me, Alicia, but Danica. I'm afraid she would slip soon,”
And right after she said that, a loud thud echoed in the place.
Seeing Danica's legs spread widely to the floor, Aurora erupted in contagious laughter, and even Alicia couldn't help hers either as they laughed at the fuming Danica together.
“Sorry, babe. You shouldn't have tried catching her, you know she's the younger version of Usain Bolt,” Alicia directed her words to Danica, who still had her glaring eyes fixed on the grinning Aurora.
“And as for you, Aurora. When would you learn how to be obedient as Aaron? Look at him, he has been playing since his mother had left,” Alicia spoke to Aurora now, who in turn rolled her eyeballs and sat on a nearby couch.
“Aaron cries at night most times. How's he obedient?” she slammed back?
“Where's my wife?”
This cold voice reverberated in the whole place, causing everyone to look up on the stairs and saw Noah holding the rails and peering down at them.
Danica stood up from the floor immediately and so did Alicia as they both greeted in unison, “Good morning, boss,”
“Morning to you all. Where's my wife?” he asked again,
“She just left for the grocery store now, sir,” Danica responded with a smile embedded on her lips.
Noah's brows wrinkled into a tight line, “Grocery stores, really?” his voice was bone-chilling with ridicule.
“That's right, sir. She would be back soon,” Alicia quickly added while she adjusted little Aaron in her arms.
Noah nodded and looked over at where his daughter was sitting.
“Tell me, darling. Where's your mother?” he directed his question to Aurora, keeping a light smirk on his lips.
“She has gone to the clinic, Daddy” Aurora answered and directly reached over to grab her cell phone in order to avoid Alicia and Danica's deadly glare.
Noah's hands on the rails curled up into fists. Of course, he knew where his wife would have gone to. But he purposely asked again, knowing that Danica and Alicia would precisely lie to him.
Without saying another word to any of them, he spun around and walked away.
Seeing that he had left, Alicia and Danica took their gaze upon Aurora, who was now pretending to be engrossed with the device in her hand.
“I think it's high time to show your parents the love letter you were about to send to Samuel two months ago,” Danica said determinedly, and Aurora became highly strung up as she tossed the phone aside and sprang to her feet.
“But you already promised me that it's our little secret,” she let out in a quiet voice, giving her puppy eyes.
“Tell me why you told your daddy the truth when your mommy has begged us not to tell him anything?” Alicia asked harshly.
“Because mommy had promised to take me to the clinic today, but she failed her promise,” Aurora answered with a pout, eliciting a deep groan from both Alicia and Danica's mouths.
Right then, Noah's fragrance sailed in the air, and they all looked up to see him descending the last stair and coming forward.
He wore a pair of jeans and a maroon v-neck. He looked so simple, just like the ordinary men out there.
Furthermore, he walked over and took Aaron from Alicia.
Grinning, “How are you, my boy? Did you sleep well?” he asked his baby who was only smiling so big at his father, revealing his toothless mouth.
He kissed his cheek and forehead and then gave him back to Alicia.
“You all should be ready before we return. We are flying in two hours,” he notified, and Aurora became excited as she began to jump around.
“I can't wait to see Paisley again. Please, Dad, hurry,” she bubbled out and Noah's smile increased as he stooped and kissed his daughter's forehead.
“Sure, baby,”
With that, he left their midst and disappeared out of the entrance door.
“I miss Paisley so much. The last time I saw her was on her wedding day, last year,” Aurora said to no one in particular as she sauntered toward the stairs gleefully.
Danica and Alicia just smiled and followed behind her.
Although they weren't staying in the Cooper's mansion they often came to visit, especially on weekends.
Thirty-five minutes later, Noah came down from his car and strolled toward his wife's clinic.
Just like how she had wished some time ago, she now possessed an infirmary where both the wealthy and the needy could exploit.
“Good morning, ma'am,” one of her employees greeted her politely as soon as she came out of her office, wearing a lab coat over her mint green plaid dress.
She looked elegant and slim that one would never tell that she was a mother.
“Morning, dear,” she responded jovially as she started walking a distance to the reception to check on the visitors.
Right there, a tall and strong figure appeared at the entrance with an annoyed look and strong charisma that was based on his life experiences. He attracted people's attention as soon as he showed up.
Her pace relinquished as she stared at the surging of the entrance without a blink.
A slow smile wriggled to her lips as she summed up her steps to where her husband was staying.
Not only her husband, but this man had also enabled her to achieve all her goals. With this man beside her always, she had no reason to be afraid.
If there was to be the next life, she wished the Almighty would grant this man to her again as her lifetime partner.
“Good morning, darling,” she greeted her husband amiably, raising her hand to caress his flawless cheek.
Noah looked closely at the woman in front of him at that moment. Her eyebrows, nose, lip, chin, and cheek weren't the most outstanding ones, but when combined together, they looked incredibly unique.
“Can we start heading home now, Mrs. Jasmine Cooper, ?” he asked her softly.
Jasmine sighed and took a glance at the few people who were sitting in the waiting chair.
“I got here just a moment ago, Darling, please let me attend to a few of them first, then we shall start going,” she said with pleading eyes.
“Is this our agreement from the beginning?” Noah asked her, putting his hands in his pocket.
Jasmine lowered her head and bites her lower lip.
“Didn't you promise not to come here today at all? And have you forgotten we're leaving for California very soon?”
“No, sweetheart, I haven't forgotten,” Jasmine raised her head to meet his amber eyes and said.
“Okay, just an hour, baby,” she begged her husband with a broad wink.
However, Noah had begun to remove her lab coat and uttered, “There are workers to attend to them. Your husband needs you now,”
He completed his words at the same time a nurse came in, and he tossed the coat to the nurse.
With that, he stooped and carried her in his arms, leaving her no chance to protest.
*
*
*
Jasmine lunged on Paisley excitedly, but she was mindful of her bulging stomach.
They would welcome their child in a few weeks now.
“I missed you so much, Jasmine,” Paisley said with tears in her eyes.
Danica and Alicia smiled admiringly as they both admired their friendship.
“I missed you more, baby,” Jasmine answered and brought her hands to caress her big tummy.
“Hey, Mrs. Cooper. You're not entitled to touch that place,” Ryder declared, feigning an angry expression as he held Aaron to himself closely.
“Forgive me, sir,” Jasmine mouthed playfully, and everyone erupted in laughter.
“Come on, let's start moving,” Noah said after he was sure the drivers had put all their luggage in the booths.
They all began to strode out of the airport.
Paisley was holding the excited Aurora's hand while her husband was holding the other hand.
Noah also intertwined his fingers with Jasmine's as they both looked at each other with eyes full of affection.
“I love you, sweetheart,” Noah uttered, looking as sincere as ever.
“I love you more, darling,” Jasmine conceded, and they both stopped walking to share a brief but passionate kiss.
They were both grateful to have found each other.
Danica and Alicia cheered, “We should find ourselves, husbands, soon as well,” they said simultaneously and burst into a peal of laughter immediately.
.
.
.
The End.