Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever
Chapter 861: Always and Forever

Chapter 861: Always and Forever

"Rachel, please calm down. I don’t want you tiring yourself out. Otherwise, Danny boy will chop me into pieces."

Ivy looked at Rachel whose legs seemed to have been attached to wheels. She had stopped moving even once since the moment she had entered the room.

Ivy was concerned and anxious about her.

Rachel was four months pregnant. But the woman was behaving as if she didn’t have a little one inside her. She hadn’t stopped fussing over, ensuring everything went alright.

"Here." Aria handed Rachel a plate containing apple slices and a banana.

"I am not..."

Rachel swallowed her words when she saw Aria glaring at her.

"You aren’t hungry. Your child is. Now, eat." She forced the plate into her hand and glowered at her.

Under Aria’s threatening gaze and Ivy’s worried expression, Rachel had no choice but to relent and she didn’t look up until the plate was clean.

Aria then handed her a glass of milk and Rachel pouted. Yet, she didn’t protest and drank it.

"Happy?"

"Not at all. You are stressed and it’s not good for the baby. Do you want me to fetch Daniel?"

Rachel shook her head immediately and Aria’s gaze softened under her scared expression.

"You better take care of yourself. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to bring your husband here and ask him to whisk you away."

"No, please don’t. I’ll listen to you. I promise." Rachel cried, looking at Aria pitifully.

"Good. Remember that." Aria nodded before her lips stretched into a grin. "And thank you for everything. The arrangements are beautiful."

Just like in her wedding, Rachel had taken over the arrangements for Ivy’s wedding as well. The only difference was that Ivy had actively participated and was involved in the planning.

"Your sister is scary," Rachel whispered when Aria’s attention was diverted for a moment.

"It ain’t a good thing if we have a doctor in the family and we are blessed to have two," Ivy whispered back as she pushed the loose strands away from her cheek.

Oliver knocked at the door and Aria opened it, stepping aside to allow him inside. Daniel and Noah walked behind him.

"Ivy, you look gorgeous," Oliver gushed when he saw his daughter in a wedding gown. Even Noah and Daniel were amazed to see the woman who usually dressed in tomboyish attire now standing before them looking all dainty and stunning.

Was this the Ivy they knew?

"I know, Dad." Ivy didn’t deny it. She did look beautiful.

"Our groom is going to be entranced today." For once, Daniel didn’t tease her and complimented her sincerely.

Ivy giggled and covered her face behind her bridal bouquet, hiding her flushed face from everyone.

"You really look beautiful, Ivy. Joshua will be spellbound," Noah too praised her and Ivy beamed in delight.

A knock at the door caught their attention and one of the staff members signaled them. It was time for the ceremony to begin.

Rachel and Daniel left the bridal room first.

"Did you eat something?" Daniel questioned as he led her back to their seats.

"Yep. An apple, a banana, and a glass of milk."

"Aria?" Daniel gave her a knowing look and Rachel nodded, too scared to lie to him. "What do I do to you?"

"Dote on me." She cupped her face and gave him a puppy look and Daniel chuckled softly and shook his head. "I’ll show you how much I dote on you once we return home. Now, let’s focus on the wedding."

Aria and Noah had already walked down the aisle, and Oliver was escorting Ivy towards the groom.

Just as they had predicted, Joshua was spellbound. Ivy’s beauty had taken his breath away completely and he couldn’t move his gaze away even for a moment. Everyone became a blur. It was just him and his bride.

Like him, Ivy too was enchanted. Joshua looked utterly charming, even more than he usually did. The black suit pants, the white shirt, and the grey jacket made him look like a runway model.

Joshua couldn’t wait anymore and ran down the aisle, stunning everyone. While Ivy was utterly flustered, the guests were amused and they laughed out loud, finding the groom’s antics entertaining.

"Dad," Joshua greeted Oliver who was having a hard time holding back his laughter.

"I know you can’t wait to marry my daughter. I won’t delay your time." Oliver placed Ivy’s palm in Joshua’s and stepped aside and the couple walked down the aisle themselves.

The officiant was beaming at them. It was the same man who had presided over Aria and Noah’s wedding.

"I won’t delay and will skip with the irrelevant stuff. Joshua Martin, do you take Ivy as your wife?"

Ivy was in disbelief. The man had skipped everything, not just the irrelevant stuff.

"I do." Joshua’s crisp reply reached her ears and she snapped out of her shock.

"Ivy West, do you take Joshua as your husband?"

"I do."

"You may now exchange the rings."

Joshua held out his hand for Ivy to put his ring first before he slipped the ring through her finger.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Joshua didn’t wait for the man to finish. He was already kissing Ivy, ignoring the hoots and hollers around him.

"You..." Ivy glared at him, and all she got in return was his sheepish smile.

"I couldn’t control myself."

Ivy rolled her eyes at him and ignored him, turning to face her sister. But Joshua was unhinged and held her hand, clasping her palm tight.

"I have an inkling that a little Martin will come into the world soon, considering his speed," Aria mumbled, utterly entertained by the joker.

"Possible," Noah agreed helplessly. "So, we will have to buck and start preparing seriously.

"Are you for real?" Aria’s eyes almost popped out of her sockets.

"As real as my love for you is," Noah replied in all sincerity.

"Are you sure about it? Once we have a kid, our attention will be diverted."

And that derailed Noah from his goal.

"Now that I think about it, we can think about kids after a year or two. Ain’t it too early?"

Aria smirked at him before turning to walk away, only for the man behind her to stop her.

"What’s wrong?" Her brows drew together in concern.

"You know I love you. Right?"

"Yeah. Why? What happened?"

"Just remember that I love you, always and forever."

Aria understood his anxiety this time and stood on her toes to peck his lips. "I know. Even after we have kids, you’ll always be the person I love the most."

Noah’s worries vanished with her words and he smiled in relief. He had been scared out of his mind to think that his wife wouldn’t love him anymore after they had a child.

"Let’s go. I’m curious to see who’s going to catch the bridal bouquet this time."

Aria pulled Noah with him and the man happily allowed her to drag him.

Ivy stood in the middle while all the unmarried ladies stood behind her. Aria’s brows shot up when she saw Valerie standing beside Maggie.

The Deputy hadn’t participated the previous two times. What had happened to her this time?

Aria’s eyes instantly looked for Ian and she almost gasped in surprise when she saw the man staring at the Deputy.

’What’s happening here? Ian and Deputy? Are you...’

Aria’s train of thoughts broke when she heard the crowd cheer as Ivy prepared to throw the bouquet.

The crowd went silent when they noticed who had caught the bouquet.

Valerie hadn’t intended to join the fun. But Maggie had pulled her with her and astonishingly, she had ended up catching the bouquet. Her gaze instantly moved to look at the man standing beside his friends. Her heart started to pound madly and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him anymore.

Maggie quirked her brows teasingly and was about to pull her leg when Valerie pulled out her phone to answer a call. She stepped away from the crowd, looking for a silent place, not knowing that a certain doctor was following her.

Ian had wanted to speak to her once her call ended. But his words changed when he noticed her serious face.

"What’s wrong?" He himself didn’t know how gentle and tender he sounded at that moment.

"I need to go." Valerie sighed, ignoring the fact that Ian had followed her silently.

"What happened?"

"A psycho killer was released on bail recently, stating mental sickness. He was admitted to the National Psychology Institute for treatment."

Valerie gnashed her teeth, finding the entire situation absurd. The man wasn’t sick. He was just pretending.

"And?" Ian prompted.

"He attacked and injured a lot of people. Four dead, seven injured."

Ian’s face lost all its color and an ominous feeling filled his heart instantly.

"Do you know Norman Litner, the man who won the Nobel Prize almost eight or nine years ago? He was attacked too."

Ian’s entire world collapsed and he almost lost strength. Valerie was quick to catch him and she stared at him in concern.

"Are you alright?"

"How is he?" Ian croaked, his throat running dry in fright.

"Who?"

"Norman Litner. How is he?"

"He is critically injured and in the ICU. Ian, you look sick. Do you want.."

"Take me to him."

"What?" Valerie was taken aback and she looked at him strangely. Something was amiss with him. He didn’t look alright.

"Why? What happened?"

Ian closed his eyes, sorrow engulfing his heart. Mustering all the strength in him, he slowly said, "Norman Litner is my father."