Two years later
“Isabelle, stop it!” Mike takes her hand gently and dusts the tiny pile of sand back onto the blanket.
“Daddy mean.” She pouts and crosses her arms, watching as I open up a container of fruit salad. I smirk at Mike and then crawl across the blanket, pointing to her juice.
“Drink your juice, baby…”
“No! I want fruit!” She reaches her little arms out and tries to take the container.
I shake my head. “When you’re done drinking, Isabelle. It’s hot out here and your juice will taste good.”
“Everybody mean.” She mutters and grabs her juice cup with two hands and flops back into Mike’s lap. He rolls his eyes and takes a sip from his beer bottle.
We’ve been on vacation in Coronado, California for two days now. Mike and I wanted to get out of the house for a few days, and also take Isabelle to the beach for the first time. She’s currently in her terrible twos, which consist of pulling my hair, throwing temper tantrums, and hardly listening to either of us. But all of that aside, having Isabelle out on the beach all day easily tires her out. Last night, she practically fell asleep at a restaurant; because of everything we let her do earlier in the day. She wanted to dig in the sand, jump over waves, go back to the pool, go out and get ice cream, and the list continues. She’s honestly just a little ball of energy and I love her to bits. Plus, she completely adores Mike, which is funny, because Gemma is jealous of all his attention going to Isabelle whenever the family is together.
Speaking of my family, we are all getting along really well nowadays. My mother has been helping me and answering parenting questions, ever since Isabelle was born. She sometimes even volunteers to watch Isabelle, so that Mike and I can go out on dates or just have a night to ourselves. I can tell that she’s thrilled to be a grandma, and it just makes me smile to see her so happy. I will never forget some of the things she’s said and done to me in the past, but I can only move forward from now on. I’m trying my best to be a better daughter, a good mother, and an amazing girlfriend.
Music wise, Pierce The Veil released a fourth album last year. The guys did a small amount of touring in the United States, Europe, and South America. Even though Isabelle and I didn’t get to leave the country with the guys, we did make our fair share of appearances during the US tour. When it came to being onstage, Isabelle is an attention hog. She waves and giggles and loves to use Vic’s microphone. She’s also obsessed with watching Mike play the drums. When Mike messes around on some of the drum sets in the basement, she’ll sit on her pink beanbag and watch him until she falls asleep. It’s the cutest thing to watch. But anyway, the audience loves when one of the guys bring her onto the stage. Honestly, how could anyone not like seeing such an adorable, tiny little thing? She’s so hyper and fun, and Vic loves to show her off almost as much as Mike does.
“You alright?” Mike touches his fingers to my thigh, bringing me back to reality.
I flinch slightly, but nod before taking a bite of pineapple. “Fine, just thinking.”
“Thinking, huh?” He reaches down and runs his fingers through Isabelle’s dark brown hair. “Want to go back to the room and take a nap, Bells?”
She nods and stands up, one hand still on her sippy cup, and then hugs my neck. “Mommy, up!”
Laughing, I close the container of the fruit and wrap my arms around her waist and ladybug colored bathing. “So now you’re being nice to me?”
“Yes!” She giggles. “I sorry, Mommy.”
Mike starts to push the towels into our bag and stands up, picking up Isabelle’s shovel and bucket as well. “Do you want me to stop at the bar and get you a drink, baby?”
“Juice!” Isabelle bounces up and down in my arms and grins.
I stand up and laugh, holding her tightly. “They only sell adult juice, Bells.”
Mike smirks and leans down, kissing Isabelle’s forehead before we start to walk. “You’re never allowed to have adult juice, Isabelle. Not even when you’re thirty.”
“Daddy, no!”
I turn to him and smile. “Can you get me a pina colada?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He opens the pool gate for us. “You take Bells up and put her down for a nap. I’ll be up in like ten minutes.”

Mike collapses on top of my back, practically panting. He then kisses my bare shoulder and moves my sweaty hair to one side, before dragging his lips down my spine. “You’re so beautiful…” Mike murmurs. “Everything about you is perfect.”
I press my face into the white covers and exhale, closing my eyes in pleasure. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you more. You know that I do, right?” He moves up my body and presses his lips to the butterfly tattoos on the back of my neck. “You’re my everything, Lana… You and Isabelle are the only things that really matter to me. I used to think it was the music, but…not anymore.”
“I believe you…” I open my eyes again and nudge his body off mine, before rolling onto my back. “But how can you assume that you love me more than I love you?”
He shrugs and reaches onto the ground, grabbing his boxers. “I can’t… But I know that you’re my baby. And I’ll always want you more than any other random girl on the street.” He then slides on his boxers and takes his last sip of rum and coke. “Plus, you’re the mother of my child, who might I add, is the most adorable little girl I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You’re an amazing mother, Lana...”
“How high are you right now?” I giggle and pull on Mike’s arm, forcing him to crawl over my body. “The things you’re saying are silly.”
“I’m not that high anymore!” He smirks and presses his lips to one of my breasts. “Besides, you smoked more than I did.”
I roll my eyes and then run my fingers through his dark hair. “Then tell me why you’re saying all this now!”
Mike pulls away from my chest suddenly and reaches over, opening the nightstand drawer. Then he swiftly sits up on top of me and reveals a little gray box to me.
My eyes widen immediately and my heart drops into my stomach, as I think about the possible contents of the box. Mike has given me tons of jewelry before. He has given me little boxes that have contained diamond earrings and necklaces, but I can’t help but bet that this isn’t a pair of earrings. My fingers slowly reach up, touching the soft sides of the box. “Baby…” I murmur nervously.
“I was going to wait until dinner tomorrow night, but I think we’ve both waited long enough…” Mike slowly opens the box, revealing the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen in my life. The band is thin and silver and covered in tiny diamonds. Then on the very top of the ring there is a black diamond, which is circled by more normal diamonds.
There haven’t been many moments in my life where I can say that I was truly speechless, but now that this ring is staring at me, I can honestly say I am speechless. Not only is this ring beautiful, but it also represents a beautiful life with the only guy that I have ever fallen so deeply in love with. Mike Fuentes is the only one for me. He can make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. He can make me laugh so hard that I cry. He is an amazing father to our child and he is my best friend. When Isabelle and I tour with Pierce The Veil, it won’t matter what part of the world we’re in, because as long as we’re with Mike, I am home.
“Lana Anne Hadley…” He smiles playfully and takes the ring out of the box, moving down to lie on me again. “Will you marry me?”
I nod immediately, ignoring the tears that rise into my eyes. “I love you, Mike.” Then I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his.
He smirks against my lips and reaches around for my hand, before sliding the ring onto the proper finger. When he pulls away, he smiles down at me. “Obviously, I love you too.”
“Why are you so fucking perfect?!” I wipe a tear from my cheek and hit his shoulder teasingly. “I wasn’t expecting that!”
He shrugs and runs his fingers down my bare chest. “I asked your dad last week and he agreed. Then he paid for this whole goddamn vacation. I love your dad.”
“He loves you too...” I giggle and wrap my arms around him tightly. “In a father-in-law, son-in-law kind of way that is.”
Mike nods slowly and stares into my eyes. “Just think, baby… We can have a huge fucking wedding and invite everyone from my seventh Mexican cousin, to Matty Mullins.”
“And we can have the ceremony on the beach.” I grin, looking back at him. “Isabelle can be the flower girl!”
“And everyone will be jealous at how amazingly gorgeous the new Mrs. Fuentes is.” He kisses me again.
“Then there’s the honeymoon.” I smirk playfully.
“A whole week of smoking, drinking, sitting on the beach, and fucking.” He laughs against my skin and my jaw drops.
“You’re such a pervert! We’ll do other things too!”
“Possibly…” Mike sneers and rolls onto his side, still holding me tightly as we climb into the covers.
“Cuddle me until Isabelle wakes up…” I murmur, before wiggling closer to his body. Mike’s long arms encase me once again and I close my eyes, thinking back to the night we met. I should’ve known that night just how Mike and I would end up. He asked me questions and listened to everything I had to say. In that moment, I didn’t want to think about a relationship, because I was just trying to get over one, but he felt so right. Talking to Mike that night was natural, so similar to breathing and blinking. And when things went even further in his car, I trusted him. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me or force me into something I didn’t feel comfortable with.
Mike isn’t perfect. I know and understand that, but who the hell is perfect? We fight and we yell; he’s even slept in the guest room once, but within a few hours, he’s already apologizing. He smokes too much weed and he drinks a lot of whiskey, but at least I’ve gotten him to quit smoking cigarettes. I love Mike with all my heart, and I don’t care about little vices that we both share. Isabelle loves him as well, and he loves her back to his fullest capacity. He goes to such extremes to see her smile or to stop crying. He’s already trying to teach her how to play drums and he loves to make up stories to help her fall asleep.
I don’t care if I was nineteen when I met Michael Christopher Fuentes. I don’t care how some of Pierce The Veil’s fans think it’s weird how much of an age gap it is between Mike and I. I don’t care what strangers think when they see Mike. He makes me feel alive, like I’m really here, enjoying life, my family, friends, raising a daughter, feeling love, and being loved.
There’s no such thing as too young. Second chances won’t leave you alone, because there’s faith in love.

Notes

The End :)