It's a peaceful, quiet November morning. Ricardo leans against the railing of his and Alicia's house and smiles at the yellow and orange leaves, the frost coating the grass at his feet. He hums as the door opens behind him and Alicia herself appears, warm mugs of tea in hand. She passes one over to him and he smiles at her, sipping lazily from it. "I never knew," he says slowly, "how I would feel about Pennsylvania after so many years of living down south. But it's... been such a smooth transition. I really do love it here."
Alicia smiles up at him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad," she murmurs. "I feel the same way. I think the years leading up to us making this move had been so painful that being somewhere new was easier for both of us to adjust than either of us would've expected."
"I think you're right," he says, easing his hand down her arm, until he finds her fingers and squeezes them. "I'm so thankful you made this journey with me."
"Always," she says, peering up at him with sparkling, brown eyes. "For the rest of our lives."
Ricardo beams, leaning in to kiss her. "The best kind of promise I've ever been given."
She winks at him and slowly settles back in at his side, the two of them sharing warmth as they take in the morning dawning beautifully before them. "I love you," she murmurs, squeezing his hand.
"I love you too," he responds immediately, kissing the top of her head.
"Come on," she says once the sun has risen and the beauty of the morning has settled into a rich blue overhead. "I wanna talk to you about holiday plans for 3 Legacies."
"Yes, dear," he says, chuckling when she tugs at him. "Someone's eager," he says, very curious to see what she's thinking about as he follows her inside to the usual madness of Sofia preparing breakfast, Andre chattering from his seat at the table, and the twins babbling from their playpens.
It's beautiful, it's amazing. He's so thankful this is his life right now.