My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

After Ethan gave a masterclass on how to hold a baby, it was the grandparents' turn. Marcus, not wasting a second, held little Isabelle in his arms. The moment he looked at her, he knew she was the spitting image of his daughter, the same baby girl he had met just over two years ago.noveldrama

"Hello, princess! How's the most beautiful little girl? My girl, you're gorgeous! Your grandpa's here to protect you-even from your parents," he said, half-joking as he bickered with Valerie, who also wanted to hold her granddaughter.

"Marcus...! Let me hold my little baby...! Come on! Stop hogging her. Besides, you also have Caroline and Albert-don't be so selfish!"

"Yeah, but they're my kids. This beautiful baby is my granddaughter."

Valerie gave him a look, not really understanding what he meant.

"It's the same thing!" she said, still confused by his comment.

"No, of course not! I can discipline them, but this little princess? No way. She's meant to be spoiled and pampered."

"I don't know where you get that from, but come on, hand her over," said Valerie, trying to take Isabelle from his arms.

"Serenity! Look at your father-he won't let me hold my own granddaughter!" Valerie called out, accusing her possessive husband.

"Dad, come on, let Mom hold Isabelle. Besides, everyone wants a turn," said Serenity, trying to reason with him.

"They can come another day! I didn't get to spend enough time with this cutie yesterday."

"Dad..."

Someone cleared their throat-Peter, waiting patiently for his turn.

"Marcus, my friend, hand over my granddaughter. Since I'm practically Serenity's father and I am Alden's father, that gives me more grandpa ranking than the three of us combined, so I should get to hold her."

"Peter! That's a cheap shot..." Marcus said, squinting at him.

"Don't be like that! Let Peter hold the baby, Dad," said Serenity, stepping closer to take her in her arms.

"Alright, alright... Don't pressure me. But first, your mother gets to hold Isabelle," Marcus said as he finally passed the baby over.

"Whatever you say, Marcus. Just hand over my granddaughter already," said Maximus, a bit exasperated by his behavior.

"Okay! Okay! You two need to chill-this baby is going to need all her

grandparents," Peter said, looking at the group in front of him.

Valerie, always fond of babies, was completely smitten by how much this little girl looked like her grown-up daughter. It filled her with joy-especially since the

resemblance really was uncanny.

"Hello, my little love! I'm your grandma Valerie. You, my sweet girl, are going to run around with your uncles all over this house—I can already picture it."

After a while of cuddling and holding her, she passed Isabelle to Peter and Celeste. They looked at her, realizing she truly was the spitting image of Serenity, with just a few of Alden's features mixed in.

"Hello, beautiful girl! What a precious little thing I have here..." said Celeste, holding her tiny granddaughter, even if it felt a bit surreal.

"Hey there, princess! Looks like I'll keep being surrounded by lovely ladies... I guess that's my karma, huh, little sweetheart?" Peter said, and everyone watched as he spoke softly to his granddaughter.

The way he looked at her-that tender, loving gaze-was the same one he gave his daughters. And now, he was giving it to Isabelle. Celeste could see it, and she couldn't help falling for him all over again just watching those sweet moments.

"Celeste, this little one is just as beautiful as her aunts. What do you think? My daughters and my granddaughter-are they my karma?"

"I don't know, love! But what I do know-and I'm absolutely sure of it-is that this little beauty is going to have some amazing aunts who'll play with her nonstop."

"We'll have to add another room to the house for when Isabelle visits."

"Yes, love... But if we keep adding rooms, that little 'house' of yours won't be a house anymore—it'll be a mini mansion," Celeste said with a giggle.

"What can we do? We're a big family," Peter said casually. "Maximus, Diana, come over here-look at this precious girl..."

Diana opened her arms and took little Isabelle. Maximus looked at her, and she looked so beautiful Diana, holding their granddaughter. He knew that one day, they'd have the baby they'd been hoping for too.

"Hello, my angel! You're such a beautiful princess! I look at you, and I imagine your mom must've looked just like this..." Maximus said, a touch of nostalgia in his voice.

There were still more people waiting, but the rest decided to let the grandparents meet their first grandchild first. They didn't want to overwhelm the baby, so they agreed to meet her little by little.

After an afternoon full of grandparents and cuddles, the families started leaving the Palmer mansion, giving Serenity and Alden time to settle into their new life.

Aria was one of the last to see little Isabelle, even though she was the one who helped Serenity bathe her.

For Aria, holding such a tiny baby was deeply comforting—it made her think about how her little Peter must've been.

With so much love and care, she bathed Isabelle while Serenity and Alden took a quick shower. Serenity needed a bit of help freshening up too.

Aria and Danielle got to bathe her, change her, and take her back to her parents. "Thanks, Grandma! You really didn't have to..." said Serenity, now lying in bed. "My darling, I love doing this kind of thing. Don't ever think of it as a burden—it's a joy for me. So if you need to rest or need anything at all, just call me and I'll be there, okay?"

"Of course, Grandma... Don't worry. With the days we've got coming, I'm sure we'll take you up on that more than once," Alden said, exhausted.

"At least I know this little girl is going to sleep like a rock tonight..."

"Why's that?"

"Because of the bath, sweetheart. You should bathe her at night so she sleeps peacefully afterward. Now give her some milk, and I promise she'll sleep like an angel.

"1

"Just remember, babies still wake up for nighttime feedings...' "Yeah, Grandma..." Serenity said, taking in all of Aria's advice.

Alden watched as Aria looked at their daughter, and he couldn't help feeling a wave of nostalgia for his own grandmother. She had missed

so much with his dad, but now, she'd have the chance to experience those things through her

им

granddaughters-and her great-granddaughter and great-grandson, at least until they moved to Hesperia.