(Emily's point of View)

Following my father's call the two of us began to spend even more time together, cooking for each other every other day. We also started a chess game, playing every now and then when we had time. We would take long walks with a dog leash for each of us. Auburn had taken quite a shine to him, becoming more and more as his dog then mine.

I only had the opportunity to cook for him once, and while I may be gifted in multiple things cooking was not one of them. Nate even told me as much as he coughed from the overly salted food, and the undercooked chicken. He asked me at one point if I was trying to poison him, if I truly hated him that much.

Soon though the day came, the big moment to see if my family could accept my choices. We were asked to meet at Central Park, at 3pm, and apparently both families are going to be there to witness Nate and Mine's love.

I was anxious to meet the family; mother had only allowed me to know Harris's first name. Not wanting me to look him up and see what family he came from, she wanted me to have an open mind. Brandon Harris, I wonder what his full name was Who he is.

"You ready Amate?" Nathaniel's voice drifted through the wooden door to my room, soft and steady. I felt my shoulders relax slightly, having a partner in crime that was so sure was comforting.

While I still was on the fence about the fake nickname, I figured that I could live with it just as I had with Fenice. Even though I had finally found out what the original meant, Fenice, Phoenix, and while I didn't know what brought that nickname to his mind I did find a creative name for him.

Flashback...

We had just finished dinner and Ray jumped onto my bed, Auburn the little traitor had decided to abandon my room in search for Nate. He had bid me good night with a small peck on my lips and a sweet muttering of 'Sweet dreams Fenice.'

From that thought I finally remembered what had been annoying me since I had met this man. I snatched my phone up from the table seeing a text from Nick asking if Nate and I were ready to meet my parents.

I ignored him not wanting to get sidetracked like I had so many times before. I quickly looked up the google translator for Italian to English. I attempted my hardest into spelling the pesky word typing in 'Finice', thankfully I hadn't been too far off. Hitting in the recommended word 'Fenice' and finally seeing the meaning.

I quickly ran off into the hallway with a victorious smile on my face and yelled, "I am not a Bird you Cul!" I cussed although we both knew that I was only joking, somehow the nickname had become something I had just expected him to call me now.

End of Flashback

"Almost, one more moment." I looked down at the small object I was turning over in my hand. My little locket, the smooth texture was cold underneath my fingers. Slowly I placed the necklace on my dresser, I needed to face this challenge on my own.

"I love you Grammy Alicia." I placed a kiss on two of my fingers and pressed them onto the top of my locket.

I opened the door letting my eyes roam over Nathaniel's body, and for a moment I allowed myself to believe that this thing between us was real. That he was my lover and I was his, but then my emeralds met his sapphires. While I was sure that those blue orbs could make me do just about anything, it also snapped me back to reality.

"Do not worry Fenice, our bond can not be broken by them." He brought his hand to my lower back, my body shivered from the skin to skin contact this dress gave.

"Thank you, Chimere." We both laughed at the new nickname, which would last as long as Fenice had.

"I had wondered how long it would take you to look up Fenice. Truly surprising. We made our way into the elevator, his hand still wrapped around my waist pulling my closer to him.

"Shut up." I wacked him in the chest slightly, and for the rest of the ride we were silent. Simply enjoying each other's presence and mentally preparing ourselves for our incoming battle.

"Good Luck Love Birds." Lizzie stood by the couch with our two dogs watching us leave, and faintly my mind thought that it seemed like they were sending us off to our doom.

All the birds in the world seemed to be agitated today, several droppings almost hit both of us several times. Central park was a buzz as if everyone knew what was about to go down. The air was fairly chilly, although for the first day of winter it was warmer than expected.

I saw my parents and Harris in the distance along with two other adult figures, they loomed over the horizon taunting me. I glanced at Nathaniel from the corner of my eye to find him already watching me.

"Everything will be alright Emily." He whispered underneath his breath his hand squeezing my side just barely like a wisp.

"Mother, Father." I addressed both of them as we all stood across from each other. "This is Nathaniel, the man who stole-" before I could get out the rest of my sentence Harris's father spoke.

"His own brother's bride." My head jerked to the man, his hair wispy and grey from hard work at a business. I knew the look too well from my father's days of late nights at the company.

"I didn't realize Ameilia that you heart belonged to my half-brother." The world began to crash around me as I took in the hostile faces that all pointed towards Nathaniel and the arm wrapped around me.

"Well I had no idea that my little brother wanted my woman." He brought me closer to him, and I could feel every single one of his emotions rolling off of him in waves.

I had already known that Nate and his brother had never gotten along, he had always tried to be the older brother he needed. But his step-mother got in the middle of the relationship and told her little boy many lies.

"Ameilia, how dare you threaten this family's alliance with this traitor." My mother pronouncing moving closer to me, however stopping when Nate sent a glare her way. My father placed his own arm around his wife protecting her from the 'traitor.'

"You will set away from him now Ameilia." My father's voice boomed through my ears, "Hector and Hailey Richmond will not be disgraced like this."

The blood in my veins dropped to my toes and I went pale, how could I have thought that I could do this without Grammy. She was the only one, after my mother was sent away, that believed in me without any judgment.

"Sir, we are not the ones who have disgraced my parents, you are for not knowing what was going on in your daughter's life." Nates voice was steady and sure, he left no room for my mother to poke holes. This was why I believed, because even when I wasn't strong enough he was for the both of us.

"Excuse me."

"You heard what I said Sir." The use of 'Sir' only seemed to enrage my father more, as it seemed more like a mocking then a respect thing.

"Nathaniel, release Brandon's bride now." Hailey demanded her step-son, although I felt like her voice was drowned out onto faint ears.

"I will never give her to you." He growled, his voice hard and nothing like I had grown used to. The only time I had heard the tone was when he had a very stubborn meeting.

"You truly think your in love daughter, but your too young to know love." My father tried to reason, but it only made the anger in my veins flare hotter than before.

"Because a business transaction is love? No father, you are the ones who do not know what love is." I took a step forward not backing down from his gaze, though I felt the adrenaline that I was running slowly beginning to dwindle.

"We shall be taking our leave now." Nathaniel exclaimed and began to leave the infuriated group of people, and allowing me to have the last word with my father.

"You will not succeed in trying to escape me son, you will get what you deserve."

The walk home was a silent one, the window fell onto my face gently and Nate's hand kept steady on my back. Neither of us wanted to let go for a single moment, not after all that had happened.

I stopped us for a moment pulling us over to the side, as people busied past us. I placed my hand on his cheek, watching him close his eyes and let out a breath. I wanted to comfort him for even just a moment if I could, even if we weren't real it felt like we were. Like we had met each other in another life and had danced away the storms of life.

"Emily." His eyes opened slightly, and he watched me for just a few moments before stepping closer to me.

"I'm sorry that my family is the one behind this." He took my hand from his cheek and placed a kiss on the tips of my fingers, "I'm so very sorry." I shook my head with a smile on my face.

"It's not your fault Nathaniel." My eyes were heavy and for a moment the busy streets of New York City didn't exist, only the soft piano music playing in the distance could break through our fortress coming from goodness knows where.

"I will do everything to give you your life back, I promise." I nodded and we both began our journey back to our home, our hands finding each other laced together. The city was filled with life all around us, yet all that could be felt was the shift between us.

This infuriating man I had met at one of the lowest points in my life had found me and snatched me away from the horrors my family had offered me. I looked down at our hands laced together, slightly wondering to myself when I had stopped seeing him as a nuisance and into the man he was.

My mind went back to my college days that I had spent with the one who abandoned the dream team. I had always dreamt of having him walk with me like this, a feeling of joy surrounding me. But perhaps the reason why that never came to pass was for me to end up here.

My brother and my real mother had always been the ones in my family to believe in fate. They spoke of a God who had a magnificent plan for every person on the earth, but when Grammy died I stopped going to church.

"And I will do everything in my power to give back yours Nate." I promised under my breath, he didn't hear me but I hadn't wanted him to. I just needed to promise it to myself out loud that after all this was over I would let him go.

No matter how much that killed me inside, or how a part of me felt like I would never be able to do so.