“Hey.” Aideen blushed when she opened the door to find a smiling Taro.

“You look gorgeous.” He smiled and gave her a hug.

“Taro a word.” Declan Foster stated and stepped in front of his younger sister. Declan had always been protective over her ever since they were adopted by The Fosters when he was 4 years old. Aideen had been 2 at the time.

“Declan, please just leave him alone.” Aideen rolled her eyes. 

“What are your intentions with my sister?” Declan asked as they walked towards Taro’s black Volkswagen Golf. 

“Dude, we just gonna chill.” Taro laughed.

“If you hurt her, I will kill you. Do we understand each other?” Declan threatened. 

“Sure, man,” Taro answered. Another useless big brother threat, he’s heard many before. 

Declan simply nodded and walked away.

“Sorry about that.” Aideen apologised then asked, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” Taro smiled and opened the door for his sweet, innocent trophy to enter the car.

***

Mrs Reed broke away from memory and looked over at Caleb. She hoped he would finally be the one to look after and love her daughter. Caleb kissed Aideen on the forehead, and Mrs Foster watched her daughter smile while looking up at the detective. She then looked back at Sienna and Declan and felt her heart glow. She believed both her children had found love and would be happy. It was all a mother could wish for. 

Sienna stole all the women and took them into her bedroom to show off her wedding dress. The woman from the casino was invited as Ryan’s plus one. She was actually a trans woman and had the sweetest personality. Sienna worked together with a fashion designer, and together they created the dress of her dreams. 

“When I look at this dress, all I see is you, Sienna.” Kim smiled.

“You are going to look so beautiful.” Her mom added with tears and pulled Sienna into her arms. 

“Before the wedding, we have to throw you a bachelorette party!” Aideen offered innocently and then smiled like she already had it all planned out. “Tomorrow night, and I know Ryan has Declan’s bachelor party sorted. It will be so much fun!” She added. 

The women excitedly started discussing ideas for the bachelorette party. They laughed and chatted over outfit ideas and makeup tricks they learned. The older woman spoke about their pregnancies and tips for dealing with a newborn baby, to which Sienna eagerly listened too. Everyone seemed to be getting along, and Aideen even spoke to Aunty Evelyn without breaking out into a disagreement. 

The women spent the day getting massages the next day and kept Sienna away from Declan. They tanned by the pool and chased all the men away. As afternoon fell, they all got ready for the bachelorette party and fussed around in the rooms while doing their makeup and finding the perfect outfit. Aideen told Sienna to dress sexy and, with Kim’s help, found her the perfect outfit. Sienna wore a sequin gold skirt with a matching strapless crop top. She felt extremely confident in the outfit, and all the women cheered as they made their way to the top deck. They reserved the area for the party and danced as music blasted. 

Sienna didn’t need alcohol to have fun and just loved being surrounded by all the women. Aideen cut the music and grabbed everyone’s attention. 

“Ladies, grab a seat, please! I have something special planned for us, some hot male strippers.” She stated, and the women screamed. 

Ryan, Caleb, Declan, Mr Foster, and Aaron walked out in sexy outfits. Pony by Ginuwine started playing, and the men began moving. The woman screamed as they danced, and Sienna was surprised how well Mr Foster could move for his age. She also couldn’t look away from Declan and thought he looked incredibly sexy in his cute bow tie and tight shorts. It defiantly sparked her sexual appetite, and she bit her lip while watching her fiancé. 

Ryan got too into the dance and showed her women his ass which made them scream and blush. 

“Thank you, gentlemen!” Aideen laughed as the song came to an end. The women cheered one last time, and they were about to leave when Sienna sprinted out of her chair and walked over to Declan. He grabbed onto her and kissed her passionately while everyone shouted excitedly. 

“There will be more of that tomorrow, after the wedding!” Aideen remarked and pulled Sienna away. “Get out of here, boys.” 

“I love you, baby!” Declan shouted happily as the men started dragging him away. 

“I love you too!” Sienna yelled and burst out laughing. They then played a game and sprayed Sienna with champagne. Once everyone started feeling tired, the party ended, and the women decided to get some sleep for the wedding the following day.

Aideen kicked Declan out of the room and refused to let him sleep next to Sienna the night before the wedding. He sadly obeyed and found an unoccupied room to crash in. His bachelor party was fun as well, and most of the men got drunk, which led to them being stupid. Ryan called it his last night of freedom, but Declan disagreed. He couldn’t want to marry Sienna and thought of it more as the last night before his life started. He had no doubts about Sienna, and marrying her felt so right. 

***

 Aideen helped Sienna get ready the whole day. Aideen truly felt like her sister and helped Sienna relax with face masks, mani, and pedicures. She even covered her skin with a special oil that made it extra soft and smelled amazing. 

“Oh my gosh, I need to get my teeth whitening toothpaste! I’ll be right back.” Aideen added, then ran off. 

Sienna stared at herself in the mirror and smiled. She felt so special, and Aideen ensured she was pampered. She noticed Ryan standing by the door staring at her and quickly spun around to face him.

“Oh, Ryan. Hello.” Sienna greeted politely and tilted her head to the side. Why was he here?

“Hello, gorgeous. How are you feeling?” He asked and walked into the room. 

“Wonderful. Aideen is truly amazing.” 

“That is true; she is a work of art.” Ryan smiled then held a book with a brown leather cover towards her. “I want you to have this.” He stated. Sienna took the book and her eyebrows furrowed. 

“A book?” 

“A journal. Declan’s journal, to be exact.” 

“Why are you giving it to me?” Sienna questioned and held it towards Ryan for him to take back. 

“Read it. It’s one of a few, but I think you should learn more about Declan before marrying him.” 

“Why did you only give it to me now?”

“I don’t know. I was about to burn it when I found myself by your door instead. I think you deserve to know the truth.” Ryan shrugged then walked off. Sienna looked down at the book and flipped it open to a random page. 

Dear journal, 

Today I lost my temper on the rugby field and rammed into an opposing player. I broke his collar bone, but a part of me believes he deserved it. The cunt started cursing my mother. I know he doesn’t know she was murdered and that he just wanted to make me lose focus… but it made me angry. I hated him, and I wished I could kill him more than anything. My anger has kept building up lately, and I’m having more frequent outbursts. The shrink said it’s because the date my parent’s died is coming closer. It’s been 16 years now. Why am I even writing in this book? It’s just stupid.

Sienna read and noticed Declan scratched out the rest of the page. She tried to read past the scribbles but could only make out a few phrases. 

I killed them. I want to die. I hate myself. 

“What’s that?” Aideen questioned as she walked back into the room. Sienna quickly slammed the journal closed and felt she was caught reading something she wasn’t supposed to. This was Declan’s private journal, and the entries felt extremely personal. Maybe she shouldn’t read it.

“Just a book.” Sienna quickly lied then shoved the journal under her pillow. Aideen shrugged and excitedly showed Sienna the toothpaste. Sienna forced a smile onto her face, but her mind wandered to the journal. She knew it was wrong to continue reading, but maybe she could understand Declan better and help him more. 

Sienna let a professional do her makeup while Aideen and Kim fussed over her hair. Her dress was ancient Greece themed and had a lace back that went over the sides. The lace was of Greek vine leaves and joined the front that seemed strapless but was covered with mesh that matched her skin. The dress’s skirt was simple and went down into a short trail. A cape sleeve was on each of her shoulders; it was a piece of material attached that acted as a sleeve but didn’t cover the arms. The sleeves were loose and hung just over her arms. 

Sienna’s eyeshadow was gold with a natural nude glossy lip. Her hair was loose and curled to make it wavy; hair extensions were also added. She had simple long gold bar earrings that hung next to her face and matched the gold heels that strapped up to her ankles. The makeup highlighted her natural beauty, and her mom gasped at the final look. 

“Are you ready, dear?” Mrs Foster asked with tears and smiled at Sienna. 

“Yes,” Sienna nodded and linked her arm with Mrs Foster as they walked towards the wedding set up. 

Everything was rose gold themed and looked incredible. Sienna’s father waited by the stairs for her, and everyone else walked up to take their seats.

“I am so proud of you, Sienna.” He smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Thank you, Daddy.” She replied with tears in her eyes and held them in before messing up her makeup. 

They started walking up as a male singer sang the cover of ‘Take my hand’ by Emily Hatchett. Declan eagerly waited for his wife and felt tears come to his eyes as Sienna walked down the aisle with her father. It felt like everything around them vanished, and all he could see was Sienna. She looked stunning and reminded him of a gorgeous goddess. He felt so emotional at the sight of her and didn’t care who saw him cry. Sienna was so beautiful, and he would spend his life with her. A soft breeze blew, and the sleeves flowed back, making Sienna look like she had wings. Everyone smiled as they watched the bride gracefully walk past.

Declan wiped his tears away and smiled as she stopped next to him. 

“You look gorgeous.” He whispered and took her hands into his. Aaron acted as the priest as Declan wasn’t a religious man and preferred to give someone he trusted seal their marriage.

“We are all gathered here today to celebrate the union of this man and woman. They proved that love is the ultimate power through even the darkest times and always stayed by each other’s side. Both have asked to rather say their vows privately to one another as it is a promise between two people. So, let’s get right to it then.” Aaron stated, which made everyone giggle. He turned towards Declan and asked, “Do you, Declan Foster, take Sienna to be your wife through sickness and in health, to comfort, cherish and love her for as long as you both shall live?” 

“I do,” Declan replied and stared into Sienna’s eyes. 

Aaron smiled and turned towards Sienna next, “Do you, Sienna Chae-Soo, promise to take Declan as your husband through good times and bad, to remain faithful, understanding and love him until death do you part?” 

“I do.” Sienna nodded. 

“Well then, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You can now kiss the bride.” Aaron happily added. 

Declan stepped towards Sienna, and with every atom inside of him, he knew that he loved her. He pressed his lips against hers, and with a kiss, they were now husband and wife.