𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

- 𝟎𝟐𝟎

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤
-𝟎𝟐𝟎-

Marriage was a beautiful thing. It was something that Valerie Black had dreamt of ever since being a little girl. She had already done it once and now she had done it again. To a Shelby man. Again.

And a lesson that John Shelby had learnt was that he would always go back to Black.

Valerie Black was the first girl to make him feel like a man. She made him feel seen in the mad world he lived in. Time was constantly moving until he was with her. When he was with her, everything came to a standstill. His mind would calm and the thoughts would slow.

And she had given him something he had always wanted: a child.

Though he didn't know the child was his for a few years, he did now. And he loved that little girl so dearly. He loved her as if he had always known she was his.

And now it was the wedding of Grace and Tommy.

Valerie had found it within herself to put the business between herself and Grace in the past. It still hurt her whenever she thought of it. But Valerie was not the type to hold a grudge. People come and go far too quickly to be holding grudges.

Tomorrow was not always guaranteed for everybody.

Valerie had learnt that the hard way.

"Do I look like a princess, daddy?" A now five-year-old Francesca smiled widely at John as he held her on his hip in front of one of the many large mirror's in Arrow House. John couldn't help but smile. "You look like the most beautiful princess I have ever seen." He said as she played with the hem of her pink dress.

Tommy had suggested that Francesca was a flower girl. Grace agreed with no argument and little Francesca walked down the aisle before Grace, carelessly throwing flower petals onto the red carpet and earning chuckles from the majority of people there.

Francesca's hair was dark like her mother's and she shared the same, big and dark eyes as Valerie but the freckles and smile of John. And the Shelby attitude, of course.

"I'll get you a crown for Christmas, eh? How about that?" John asked as they turned to return to the crowd of people gathered in one of the rooms. Francesca was quick to nod, clapping her hands together. John chuckled and walked through with her.

"Mr Shelby.." A voice stopped him.

John turned to see Valerie stood with an older woman who seemed to be a friend of Polly's. "I was just speaking with your lovely wife," she complimented, "and.. oh!" She gasped, "this must be your daughter!" She fussed, in complete awe at the young one's beauty.

John had a proud look on his face. "It is. Say hello Francesca."

Francesca waved to the woman lightly, not growing shy like she once used to.

The woman tutted and smiled at the girl before turning back to Valerie. "Well, it was lovely meeting you. You too, Mr Shelby." The woman nodded.

"And yourself." John responded just before she could fully walk away. Valerie raised her eyebrows and sighed. "It seems that the Shelby name brings friends too, hm?" She joked, fixing a piece of Francesca's hair that had fallen out of place.