9.66 Catching Up

Time in the Pruett Estate seemed to have increased exponentially with no more children in the house. Juliette, Janessa, and Jonathan were definitely all grown up now and were fully embracing their young adult lives. They all matured in their own ways—some more than others. The days, weeks, and months flew by faster and faster, and before they knew it, so much had already happened. Here is what has occurred in recent history.

The family made sure to come and see about Julian in his time of need. He was very grateful for his siblings and cousins for their support.

Janessa and Aldo began dating exclusively after her conclusion to attempt to date only one person. Julian already knew of him, but she introduced Aldo as her boyfriend, and Julian was especially glad to meet him officially in that capacity. Naturally, Aldo was stoked.

Skyla finally graduated from high school, and Jonathan quickly seized the opportunity to take their relationship to the next level. First, he met with Eugene Oliver, her father, and officially asked for her hand in marriage, and Eugene happily gave them his blessing. But then, Jonathan asked if Skyla could move in with him immediately. Mr. Oliver was less than happy about that, but he conceded. He knew they would be getting married fairly quickly, they loved each other, and Jonathan was more than capable of taking care of her.

A few days later, Jonathan and Skyla headed up to Granite Falls for the weekend to enjoy some quality time alone. No surprise here, but this happened.

When they arrived back home, they went all across Pruettville spreading the news of their official engagement. Skyla struggled with getting adjusted to life at the Pruett Estate at first. Everything was just so grand and so established. She felt out of place despite the fact that she was the new queen of the castle. Everyone was gracious, of course, and tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but she just was not used to the lifestyle of the rich and famous. However, her future sisters-in-law were excited about her joining the family and wanted to make her comfortable in their own ways. They took her shopping often. At first, Skyla would decline the offers. She felt like it was too much and that she didn’t need to change anything about herself almost as if new clothes would give her a new identity. When she realized they wouldn’t take no for an answer, she went and would buy a couple, plain items. But, naturally, she got used to the idea of being able to buy whatever she wanted whenever though she did not go overboard with it. After she got used to her new wardrobe, her sisters starting giving her makeup tips. It was like having a little sister around to play dress up with…or maybe a living doll. Although previously Skyla didn’t wear much makeup because she couldn’t afford it, she rather enjoyed her natural look. Learning this, the twins showed her how she could enhance her look while maintaining the natural look, and she was pleased. One day, she wore her hair down, and everyone commented on how beautiful she looked—especially Jonathan. She’s been wearing her hair down ever since.

Juliette and Arjun finally went on that date. They had fun. It wasn’t legendary, but it wasn’t a total bust either. Any day that Juliette doesn’t imply someone’s mother is a llama is a great day. In essence, the date was successful. However, it’s yet to be determined if there will be a second date.

As time progressed, Janessa and Aldo’s relationship flourished. To her surprise, he was right. He made her feel so loved, she didn’t even consider seeking more love from others. She never thought she could feel so much for one person. After a while, she found herself never wanting to be without him. Consequently, this happened…

They were married right away at The Chapel. It made him so happy to be standing in the very spot saying “I do” where he had begun to lose faith that they would ever be together. She wore her mother’s wedding dress.

Almost immediately they decided to start a family!

Julian was overjoyed about the baby and couldn’t wait to meet his first grandchild. It was bittersweet because he longed to meet the child, but it saddened him to think about what Jeannette was missing. They were both concerned about Janessa and her relationships, but Jeannette never got a chance to see how things turned around and worked themselves out. Sadly, for Julian, he wouldn’t be able to see things play out either.

Julian lived for another eight hours, and then he was gone for good.

Jonathan tried to beg for his life. He only needed another day and a half to meet his grandchild…

But, the Grim Reaper was not as gracious this time.

Wow…

Jonathan was not doing well at all. Meatball visited him often to keep his spirits up, but Jonathan was in deep depression.

Skyla did the best she could, but she knew that what he needed was time. There was a brief break in the sadness when Janessa gave birth. It was a girl, and she named her Juliana after her father. She held him responsible for the change of heart which made it possible for her to be a mother at that point.

Jonathan loved his niece. He didn’t feel sad around her. So, he spent as much time with her as he could.

Oh, Julian. You frustrated us through your epic journey of finding your true love, but we loved you! You gave us “jumping freezer bunnies!” You were one of the best big brothers of the entire legacy. Your parents were proud of you, and so were we. Everything was so epic to you, and you were epic to us. Thank you!

“This is so cool!”

We love you, Julian!