“Alden Pieotrovich Palmer, Grandma. It’s a pleasure to meet you! I think we have many nights of long talks ahead of us to catch up,” Alden said as he hugged Aria and kissed her forehead. “This is Ethan, your great-grandson. He’s six years old. And this is Serenity Bartz. Pretty soon, we’ll be getting married, and as you can see, another great-grandchild is on the way—a baby girl.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grandma Aria!” Serenity greeted warmly, stepping forward so Aria could touch her rounded belly.
“So… does this mean I won’t just have two grandfathers anymore? I’ll finally have a grandmother at home? Because Grandma Katherine is always traveling,” Ethan asked, looking up at Aria.
“She’s my grandma too! Grandma Aria, don’t forget about me! I’m your favorite granddaughter!” came a voice shouting from behind the crowd surrounding Aria.
Aria looked up as everyone moved aside, clearing a path for the little girl running toward her. Ellie, a seven-year-old, was making her way over, determined to make her presence known.
“My little Ellie, you need to meet your new family,” Aria said with a gentle smile. “Peter, I know there’s so much to catch up on, but just as you’re introducing me to your family, I need to introduce you all to my two girls. They were all I had until this morning. This is Danielle Everstone and her daughter, Eleanor Everstone. They took me in when I had nothing, and since then, we’ve been family.”
Peter turned to look at the woman Aria had introduced. She had dark hair, fair skin, and rosy cheeks. She couldn’t have been older than thirty. She seemed calm but visibly surprised and nervous.
“Danielle… I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’ve been in my mother’s life, that she hasn’t been alone all this time,” Peter said as he stepped forward and hugged her.
Aria, Danielle, and Ellie were stunned. Everything had changed so suddenly. They were no longer just the three of them. They were now part of a massive family.
It was incredible. Leonardo had once been so worried about the lack of heirs that it had driven him to act in the worst possible way.
But the truth was undeniable—the Palmer family was much larger than anyone had ever imagined. And judging by the fact that this new generation was made up mostly of girls, the family wasn’t disappearing anytime soon.
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