Epilogue
ALICIA
I couldn’t believe we were actually on the plane, headed for the Maldives.
We were free. Nothing would be able to tear us apart now.
Hector squeezed my hand, looking over at me. “She’s completely knocked out,” He whispered, referring to his baby sister who was using his other arm as a pillow.
“She must be exhausted, poor thing. I hope we didn’t make the wrong decision by taking her with us. I mean, I couldn’t bring a lot of her medication…” I was afraid I was putting the little girl at risk.
“I think she’ll be okay,” He said, gently brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “It’s not like they don’t have doctors there.”
I nodded, trying to calm myself down.
“I just can’t believe you were crazy enough to do this for me. Did I really make you fall for me this hard?” He teased.
“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it…” I whispered softly, knowing I had quite the surprise for him in my bag. I would just have to find the perfect time to tell him…
“Oh?” His eyebrow twitched with curiosity. “We have a long flight ahead of us, you have more than enough time to tell me all the reasons why you love me so much.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”
He chuckled. “Regret your decision? How could you ever regret being with me?”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you can be really annoying?”
“All the time. I actually have a few trophies for it back home.”
I laughed. “You’re such a goofball.”
“Yeah, well, I’m your goofball now. You’re stuck with me.”
“And I wouldn’t want it any other way…” I whispered as I leaned over and kissed his lips ever so gently.
***
Eventually, we made it to our new home. After years of being quite the penny-pincher, I had saved just enough money to buy a small, oceanside house, plus a little leftover to survive for a couple of months. Hopefully, we would have jobs by then.
I carried Caroline to her new room, laying her down on the bed. It was sparse and bleak at the moment, but hopefully, with a little creativity, we’d be able to transform it into the perfect bedroom.
The little girl curled up, hugging the only stuffed animal she had brought on the trip: her stuffed lion. I had tried to wash out the bloodstains, but they were persistent. Eventually, Caroline told me it gave the lion character so I didn’t push the issue.
“You think she’ll like it here?”
“Are you kidding? She has always dreamed of living by the ocean,” Hector smiled, watching his sister with a look of adoration. “I’m so glad she’s feeling better. Maybe she can actually go to school now and enjoy her life to the fullest.”
“Let’s hope so,” I said, taking his hand. “Come on, let’s let her sleep. There’s something I need to tell you anyway…” I bit my lip, trying to rehearse the conversation in my head.
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Hector responded dramatically. “You didn’t spring me out of the States, just to give me your own form of punishment, did you? I do have one request… if you’re going to be some kind of sexy jailor… tell me you’re going to wear latex and not leather.”
“Shut up!” I hit him on the arm. “I didn’t bring you here to keep you as my sex-slave.”
“You didn’t?” He frowned. “I’m kind of disappointed now.”
I ignored his comment and dragged him through the house until we were on the balcony. The sun was setting, reflecting off the water in such a way, it looked like it was a sea of diamonds.
“It’s beautiful here,” Hector said, pushing me against the railing until our hips were locked together. “But we really need to get a hammock for those two palm trees over there so I can lay with you and watch the stars at night,” he took on a dreamy voice. I swear, I kept falling for him harder and harder with each minute I spent with him.
“Yeah, that would be nice,” I smiled.
He returned the smile, letting his hands rest on my hips as he edged a little closer until our faces were only inches apart. “So, what did you want to tell me that you had to bring me to a balcony?”
“Well… I want to show you…”
“Oh?”
With my heart pounding, I reached into my bag.
I pulled out the pregnancy test I had taken a few days ago when I had missed my period for the second month in a row. Carefully, I placed it in Hector’s hand.
His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he looked down at it. “What’s this?” he asked, turning it over, revealing the two lines that indicated it was positive. “Wait… is this what I think it is?” He looked at it real close, reading the small symbol key. “Wait…” He looked at me, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “You’re pregnant?” he spat.
I nodded. “I am…” I wasn’t sure how to react. Was he happy? Angry? Disappointed?
Suddenly, he picked me up into his arms and spun me around, a look of pure joy on his face. We kept spinning and spinning until I got so dizzy I thought I was going to be sick.
We fell back into a nearby chair.
Hector gasped.
“Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” he asked, one eye open and the other closed. “I’m ecstatic, Alicia. I get to have a baby with the love of my life. What could be better than that?” Before I could say anything, he kissed me with such passion that it made my head spin yet again.
In that moment, I knew there was nothing that could stand between us and our happy little family to be.
THE END