We all reached uncle Matt's home late that evening after stopping at our home first, where we took a proper bath (seperately) and rest before going there where everyone was waiting for us, including my mother who flew here from Houston.

I made sure to hide my hickeys with some makeup and did the same to Rafe.

Reaching there, everyone was extremely delighted and relieved to see us both in one piece, not because we were in a forest for six days, but because we were both alone with no one to stop us from murdering each other.

If only they knew...

Uncle Matt smiled on seeing us, a sly smile because he knew what all we did there and how things had changed.

Later, we all sat around the living room, with me beside Rafe and father explained us everything.

"Carl's in prison for what he tried to do..." Father adjusted his spectacles. "When I first went to him for help, he agreed to it but later on when Carl got to know that, he got his own father locked away to stop him from ruining his plans. But Isaiah was smart enough to bribe Carl's assistant which accompanied him here in the meeting."

"His assistant helped? But how?" I spoke up.

Uncle Matt replied to me. "He recorded everything secretly, everything Carl said which was a huge evidence but it took him some time to get that to Isaiah and when Isaiah got hold of it...he made sure to somehow get it to the media after deleting that 'fake matrimony thing'."

"So, he's a good guy now?" I asked.

"Yes, Leona. I told you before, he changed and he helped us." Father told me making me nod.

"But you guys had no idea what was going on, right?" Rafe questioned.

Uncle Nelson and Matt and my father, they all shook their heads.

"So..." Father spoke up once again. "That marriage contract between you two...it can end now. The companies will remain merged but you both don't have to live together anymore and Leona can work from Houston only."

At that Rafe and I looked at each other and I started to internally panic a little. How are we even going to explain them everything?

Uncle Matt cleared his throat. "Well... about that..."

"About that what?" Uncle Nelson asked and uncle Matt gave him a weird look, as if silently communicating with him.

"The contract", father said to Rafe, "it was with you, right? Where is it?"

Rafe looked at my father, acting all confused. "Contract?"

And then he looked at me and said in the same confused tone, "Contract?"

"Contract?" I asked him, copying his tone. "What's that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah... what's that?"

"I have never heard of it...have you?"

"No...I never heard of it too. That's a weird word." He shrugged his shoulders once again before we both looked at everyone who were watch us with their jaws dropped except uncle Matt and Nelson whose eyes were widened slightly and lips were pressed into a thin line.

They both slowly turned their heads to each other before they burst into laughter making my father look between them in confusion and annoyance.

Both my uncles high fived each other, still laughing.

"Oh God!" Uncle Nelson wiped away his tears that formed due to laughing so hard and uncle Matt did the same.

"What is going on here?!" Father was completely annoyed by then.

That earned him a smack on his head from uncle Matt. "Can't you see? They are in love! And I thought you knew everything about Romance."

In love. We didn't confess yet...I mean we never said those words to each other.

"What?" He was still confused. "When did that happen?" He directed that question to us.

Rafe sighed and said softly, "Uncle, that contract...I burnt it away because we don't want this marriage to end now. We have decided to remain married for the rest of our life."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him and clearing his throat, he continued. "I love her and there's no way I am letting her go now. She's staying here with me but that's as long as you approve of it."

With wide eyes I stared at him. He said he loves me! That too in front of everyone! And this idiot couldn't have told me this first?! Is this how you confess!

But at the same time, my heart skipped several beats. He said he loves me. And all I wanted to do was to grab his face and tell him that I love him too and kiss him. But I restraint myself and just sat there quietly.

"Damn." Father muttered underneath his breath. "That's some way to confess."

I had to stop myself from chuckling at that as we all waited for him to say something.

"Uncle...can I? Or should I sing a song to ask for your permission?"

"Rafe, what are you doing?" I hissed at him making sure no one else hears me.

He winked at me before getting up and walking towards my father and he cleared his throat, preparing to sing.

Is he serious right now?!

"Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life?

Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know..." He started to sing.

God! Can he be more cute?

He stopped abruptly when father started to laugh softly, shaking his head as he got up and engulfed him in a hug, patting his back. "Of course you can have her. You don't need to sing for that, you have my permission, son. And I trust you."

They both pulled back and Rafe blushed lightly. "Thank you, uncle."

"Nelson and Ella..." Father said to his parents. "You guys raised him damn well."

"Hey!" Uncle Matt sounded offended. "I raised him too, I looked after him too! I also need some credits!"

Everyone laughed at that and father rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever..."

"That's so unfair." Uncle Matt pouted angrily which earned him another round of laughter from everyone.

.

.

.

We all sat around the dining table, having dinner together and as usual I sat next to Rafe, still in shock that he confessed that he loves me but he didn't personally said it to me still.

"What are you thinking about, Mrs Andrews?" Rafe whispered in my ear and I stopped eating and glanced at him.

"Nothing..."

He raised a brow. "Nothing? Or are you still shocked about my confession?"

Okay, so he has some brains.

I rolled my eyes and resumed eating.

"You don't believe it, don't you? Whatever I said earlier, everything was true and I said it from the bottom of my heart." He continued speaking in a low voice, a few people noticed us but they chose to ignore us.

"Because I love you, Leona." He whispered once again in my ear making me freeze. "I love you so much, baby. I'm so whipped by you."

My cheeks were quick to turn red as a tomato and I bit my lips before glancing at him.

He was smiling softly. "I love you...I love you...I love you so much."

I pressed my palm against my cheeks which were literally burning. "Stop it."

"Nope." He grinned. "Now...say it back."

I raised my brow at him teasingly. "Say it back? Why would I?"

His face blanked. "Why won't you? I love you, don't you love me too?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe...maybe not..."

His jaw dropped. "Leona, I just confessed and you won't say it back? You don't love me? I thought...I thought you did..."

He's such an idiot. Of course I love him but... it's funny to see him like this.

"It's not important that if you confessed then I should also..."

A sad, cute pout formed on his lips as he looked at me sadly. "You don't love me?"

I rolled my eyes and decided to pull him out of this misery. "Of course I do, idiot."

His face lit up immediately. "You do?"

"Yes, I do." I confirmed.

He smiled widely. "Then say it."

"Say what?"

"Those three words...that you love me."

"No." I said and his smile fell instantly.

"What do you mean no? Just say it...I want to hear it..."

"Not now. Not here."

"Then where?"

"When we go back home... then..."

"Then we are leaving." He spoke and proceeded to get up only for me to grab his hand and pull him down.

"No, we are not. At least let me finish my dinner."

He huffed and sat down grumbling to himself and started to eat his dinner in a hurry making me chuckle at him.

.

.

.

Once inside the penthouse, I moved past him to go to our room only to be pulled back by him as he grabbed my waist and pressed my body against his. "Now, say those words quickly so that we can move on to the love making process."

That made me laugh as I buried my head in his chest. "I love you, Rafe. And you are an idiot, a cute idiot."

"Your idiot." He grinned down at me as I lifted my head.

I smiled softly and rubbed the tip of my nose against his. "Yes, you are my idiot and I love you so much."

He kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you too, baby."

I smiled and he bent down and picked me up in his arms (bridal style) and carried me towards our bedroom where he laid me down on the bed before planting his lips upon mine.

My hands went around his neck pulling him closer as I kissed him back passionately, our lips moving in sync.

His tongue slid inside my mouth, tasting every nook and corner of my mouth not letting me take control, his hands on either side of my head, supporting his body.

Only when we started to run out of breath, he parted away, breathing heavily and looking down at me intensely.

"I love you." He whispered huskily.

I lifted my head and pecked his swollen lips. "I love you too."

"And... actually...I used to like you before too..." I confessed, biting my lips.

He raised his brow. "You what?"

I nodded and he rolled off me and laying beside me, pulled me on top of him instead, his hands around my waist preventing me from falling.

"When...?" He asked, excitedly.

I blushed remembering that day when he saw me crying in the park and he consoled me, wiped away my tears, bought me an ice cream. I told him everything, including how he broke my heart when he brought his girlfriend along with him next day at dinner.

His mouth was parted slightly in surprise. "I...I... don't know what to say... except that I am sorry for breaking your heart. I didn't know that of course..."

"Yeah..." I mumbled. "It wasn't your mistake."

"But...to be honest. When you hugged me that day, I did start to feel something for you and I was so scared of having feelings for you that I deliberately got myself a girlfriend, that was my first girlfriend, so that I don't start to have feelings for you because you captured my heart the moment you walked in my backyard looking like an angel."

My eyes widened in surprise and I smacked his shoulder. "You idiot! Then why were you so rude to me?"

He chuckled sheepishly. "Because you were just a kid and I was having feelings for you which was very, very weird that's why! So, hating you was better besides you did laugh at me when I got hit."

I rolled my eyes. "You are really an idiot..."

"Your id--"

I didn't let him finish his sentence as I pressed my lips to his. "But I love you."