All the Love in the World: A Holiday Anthology

by Karina Halle

  “We have no time,” I tell him. “But I do enjoy teasing you.”

  He hisses as I grip him harder and then pulls back, glaring at me. “You are a fucking tease, you know that.”

  “Guess you’ll just have to punish me later,” I say, getting to my feet and giving him a sassy smile. I stick my ass out in his face, anticipating the hard slap.

  Whap!

  And there it is.

  I grin at him over my shoulder, wagging my brows, inviting him to do it again.

  Whap!

  Another hard slap across my ass.

  It’s definitely getting Mateo more turned on. I better stop torturing him like this.

  “Well, I’m going to go start packing since we have to leave tomorrow,” I tell him, heading off the bedroom. I give him a warning look with my eyes. “You stay put and think unsexy thoughts.”

  “That is easier said than done around you, my dear,” he says with a frustrated groan, adjusting his erection in his pants.

  I laugh and then stop once I get in the bedroom and look around.

  Shit, a wedding? What the hell am I even going to wear?

  “Wait, how long is this thing and what’s the dress code?” I yell at Mateo.

  “It’s two nights,” he says. “Tomorrow are the rooster and chicken parties and then the next night is the wedding.”

  “I’m sorry, the what? The rooster and chicken?”

  “Yes, yes. I know what I’m saying is right this time.”

  He must mean a hen and stag night.

  “And how hot is it down there?”

  “It’s fucking hot,” he says. “My advice to you is to wear as little as possible.”

  I smile to myself, shaking my head. Of course he would say that.

  I fling open my closet, search for the most suitable dresses, and start packing.

  Mateo

  “Papá?” Chloe Ann asks me.

  “Yes, my angel?”

  “How do you know when you’ve fallen in love?”

  I look up from my in-flight magazine and turn to my daughter. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you said yesterday that you knew you loved Vera in an instant. How did you know?”

  I glance over at Vera on the other side of Chloe Ann, in the window seat. She’s deep asleep with her head against the window, almost drooling, noise-cancelling headphones on her ears.

  I look back to my daughter. “I just knew.”

  “But how? And was it the same for my mother?”

  I sigh, putting the magazine down on the tray table, adjusting my legs for the millionth time. Usually we fly first class everywhere, but since this trip to Madeira for Luciano’s wedding was so last minute, we’re crammed in the back with everyone else. Planes are not built for tall ex-football players.

  “Look, I’m old enough to know,” my daughter says. “Shouldn’t you tell me all this before I fall in love?”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Yes, I suppose. Now this isn’t a talk about, uh, well…something perhaps your mother should talk to you about?”

  Her face scrunches with disgust. “Ew. No. I am not ever talking to you about sex.”

  “Good.” Potentially awkward situation avoided, even though just mentioning it has left me feeling awkward.

  “And I have talked about it with mama,” she says. “And if I have more questions, I’ll go to Vera. She’ll tell me the real truth.”

  I give her a sharp look. “You don’t need to ask Vera about anything to do with that, alright?”

  My god. I can’t imagine the advice she’d give her.

  “Fine, fine,” she says, but her eyes are locked on me and she’s wearing that stubborn expression she’s perfected ever since she became a teenager. “Well?”

  “Well what?” Perhaps playing dumb will work.

  “Tell me about love. Tell me about all of it.”

  I look around the cabin, searching for the flight attendant who might bring me a stiff drink, but alas in economy class, they’re nowhere to be found.

  “Okay,” I tell her with a sigh. “What do you want to know?”

  “How you knew. How you fell in love with my mother and how you fell in love with Vera.”

  “Your mother,” I begin, “it was all very straight-forward. I was at an age when I thought I knew what love really was. That isn’t to say I didn’t love your mother, I did. I really did. But…when you’re young, you have different…parameters. I fell in love with her and she fell in love with me and we thought that was enough to get us through. It was certainly enough to bring you into the world. But as time went on, the love we had just wasn’t strong enough to keep us going.”

  “And then you fell in love with Vera.”

  “Yes. I did.”

  “And so how did you know then? Did it really happen in an instant?”

  I can’t help but smile, my chest growing warm. “It did. She sat next to me on the bus and my whole life changed.” Then I clear my throat, aware that I’m about to get very sentimental on her. “But I must admit, it makes me uncomfortable to talk about it. I know it made you uncomfortable the other day.”

  “I know. But I want to know. And I want to hear it. I’m old enough. I don’t want to be left in the dark, I want to be treated like an adult.”

  I twist in my seat to face her better, even though there’s barely any room.

  “I took one look at Vera and I knew she was unlike anyone I had ever known. It wasn’t her age, it wasn’t her wild hair, or the fact that she was covered in tattoos. I knew she was my destiny, as corny as that sounds. There was something deep inside her that spoke to my soul on a very intimate level. The time we spent together at Las Palabras made love at first sight feel more like a reality. Each minute of each day I was thinking about her, and when I was with her, it was like the whole world disappeared.”

  “But you and mama were married.”

  I close my eyes for a moment, feeling the wash of shame come over me. “I was.” I look at her. “And I know falling in love with someone else was wrong. I handled it the best I could, considering the circumstances. Was I perfect? No. But I was at a point in my life where I was tired of trying to be perfect. Vera opened me up like a bird from a cage. She let me finally be free, to choose my needs first. I just wish that you and Isabel weren’t hurt in the process.”

  Chloe Ann nods, her face grave. “It’s what I don’t understand about love. How it can be so powerful that you end up hurting other people for it?”

  Shit. When she puts it that way…feels like a knife twisting in my gut.

  “That’s the thing,” I say after a minute, licking my lips. “Love can bring you to your knees. When your heart decides on what it wants, nothing can stop it. Nothing.”

  She nods and then sits back in her seat. “I hope I never fall in love. It sounds terrifying.”

  I laugh. “Well you’re not wrong there. It is the most terrifying thing you’ll experience, but only because once you realize you love someone, you’ll live in fear of that love being taken away.”

  “Do you fear losing Vera’s love?”

  I shake my head. “No. Not on the surface. It’s a fear that runs deep, because you can’t imagine living your life without that person. Vera is my soulmate.” I glance over at her, still deep asleep. “She always will be. I do not fear she will leave, but it takes a lot of time to get to that place, and even then, you can’t help but hold on as tight as you can.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever have another baby?”

  Ah, the question we get all the time.

  “Do you want to have a brother or sister?”

  Chloe Ann makes a face and shakes her head adamantly. “No. Who has the time?”

  I laugh. “You’re smart.”

  “So you don’t want one?”

  I suck in my lip for a moment, trying to say this as diplomatically as possible. “I am too old for another child, least that’s how I feel. And Vera doesn’t want children. I knew that before I marri
ed her, and I was fine with it. She’s very happy being a stepmother to you, just as I love being your father. We’re very, very happy with our marriage as it is. If there is no need, then there is no need. Not every love story requires one.”

  She nods. “Okay. That makes sense.”

  “Anymore questions?” I ask her warily. She really put me through the ringer there.

  “Yes. When am I allowed to start dating?”

  Ay, Dios mío!

  ***

  The rest of the flight to Madeira went smoothly. Chloe Ann stopped with the hard questions, Vera woke up from her nap, and when we got off the plane we were greeted by Thalia and Alejo in the airport. They caught a flight that took off an hour earlier than ours and so they waited around for us.

  “Hola,” I say to little David Roberto, the seven-month old baby that they recently adopted from Mali. He looks at me for a moment and then goes back to sleep.

  Thalia grins, adjusting him in her arms. She looks tired but happy. “He was a little angel on the plane,” she says.

  “Takes after me,” says Alejo, beaming down at the baby.

  “Yeah, they were both asleep in a second,” Thalia says.

  “So was I,” Vera says, lifting her hand up. “High-five for being able to sleep anywhere.”

  Alejo grins, high-fiving her back. Then he turns to me. “Okay, so tonight is the party.”

  “Yes, the rooster for you and me and the chicken for the girls.”

  Alejo laughs. “Oh, Mateo.”

  “What?” I know I’m right.

  “Fine,” he says. “And so where is it? Luciano told me nothing except to get our ass on a plane. We would have found a babysitter if we had the time.”

  “Says you,” Thalia says. “David Roberto is more than ready for his first adventure.”

  Alejo grins at her and then leans into me, whispering. “I am all fine with the baby coming, but I was hoping we could have a nice romantic getaway.”

  I pat him on the shoulder. Of course all he can think about at his age is sex. “Alejo, I am sure you’ll make it work.”

  Not that I didn’t have similar thoughts about coming here with Vera. I’m glad Chloe Ann is along, I think it will be a memorable trip for her. But I’ve been meaning to take Vera on a trip soon, just to get away for a bit before the season starts again and I’ll be so busy all the time.

  We end up getting a cab that seats all of us, and then we’re being driven through the dry valleys, past tiny pastoral towns, all the way to the North side of the island. The drive takes less than an hour, and even though Vera and I see Alejo and Thalia several times a week (and more, of course, when Real Madrid starts up again), we’re talking non-stop.

  Naturally we’re all excited for Luciano. The man has been handed a few bad cards in his life, from his father abandoning him, to his stepfather being an abusive jackass of the highest degree, to his mother dying of cancer, not to mention all his shoulder injuries throughout the years.

  But Ruby was the one that got away for him, and she was a woman he couldn’t quite let go of. Honestly, even though the last three years had them apart as he devoted himself to his dying mother (and Ruby was banned from the EU for…reasons), I’d never seen him happier. When he found Ruby again, it was like she shone a light on a very dark part of him.

  He’s happy now, and that’s all we want for him as his friends. He’s a good man with a big heart who finally found the love he missed out on while growing up. Sure, their relationship was complicated from the start, but the strife is worth it when you end up where you needed to be.

  I know Vera has been a little wary about the whole thing since she doesn’t know Ruby and she’s very protective of Luciano, but she of all people should understand that the most unconventional relationships often have the biggest pay-off. They’re at least the most interesting.

  I glance at Vera beside me in the cab and grab her hand, feeling a rush of love flow through me again. Maybe it was all the talking with Chloe Ann, maybe it’s that Luciano will get married tomorrow, but I’m suddenly filled with the most acute sense of adoration for my wife. My god, I was so lucky to have taken a chance on her, even when it seemed hard, even when other people judged us and told us it was wrong. I am so glad we never fucking listened to what everyone said. To think what I would have missed had Vera and I played it safe.

  As if hearing what I’m thinking, Vera takes my hand and brings it to her lips, kissing it sweetly, her eyes soft as they gaze into mine.

  “Te amo,” I mouth to her.

  “Te amo,” she whispers back.

  On the other side of Vera, Chloe Ann lets out a groan of disgust.

  Naturally we all start laughing.

  It’s not long before the cab pulls down a dirt road skirting alongside craggy mountains, past golden fields dotted with sheep, that I know we’ve finally come to Luciano’s home. I’ve been here twice to visit him over the years (without Vera), and it always amazes me how a Lisbon-raised city boy like Luciano can trade it all in for the country life. But, then again, that man is full of surprises.

  Vera

  “We’re here,” Mateo says to me as the cab pulls to a stop, dust rising in the air.

  I peer out the window, waiting patiently for Thalia, Alejo, and baby to get out of the van. I know Mateo has been here a few times, but to hear it described is never really the same as seeing something.

  Luciano has a beautiful place. The farm house looks all cozy and quaint, painted white with a red-tiled roof, but it’s the way the dry tawny grass surrounds it, stretching on and on until it backs up into green and tan rugged mountains, that really takes your breath away. It’s dramatic and wild and freeing here.

  I can see horses and sheep in some of the fields, adding to the peacefulness of the scene.

  However, everything that’s happening before us isn’t peaceful in the least.

  Despite it being a small last-minute wedding, there’s a ton of people here running around, setting it up for tomorrow. It looks like the ceremony will take place in the field in front of the house, but there are tents erected too, I suppose in case the weather turns, though the land looks so dry I can’t even imagine it raining here.

  And there, striding toward us from the house, hand-in-hand, are Luciano and Ruby.

  I step out of the van, following Chloe Ann, and get a better look.

  Mateo teases me about how protective I can be over the team’s ex-captain. It’s because Luciano is so full of life, so easy to get along with, lovely to be around. He turns into a major brooding grump from time to time, but even then you just want him to buck up and be happy.

  And, so, this is the woman who apparently makes him happy.

  Okay, I shouldn’t be so judgey. It’s not my nature, especially when I’ve spent most of my life having people judge me. They still do. They judge me for my tattoos, they judge me for having slept with a married man, they judge me for marrying that said man. Those people don’t understand though, and they don’t want to.

  But I want to understand Ruby. I really do.

  She’s beautiful, of course I never expected anything less from Luciano, since he’s one of the most handsome men I’ve known, aside from my own husband, who of course always comes out on top.

  And I can see why Mateo might think we are alike on appearances alone.

  She has a large rack, and even though her tank top has a high-neckline, it doesn’t stop the cleavage. Lord, I know there’s not much we chesty girls can do about that. She’s also on the heavier side, probably about the size as I am, all boobs and hips and ass. Her long black hair swoops freely over her shoulders, and she’s wearing a wicked shade of red lipstick on her very full pout. I immediately need to know what color and brand it is, because finding a true blue-based red lipstick is so hard to find.

  Luciano looks amazing, of course. I hate to use the term glowing, but the Portuguese motherfucker is glowing. He’s got a beard, he’s more tanned than I’m used to, dressed down in a w
hite t-shirt and black jeans, his muscles taking on the look of a man who lifts hay bales for a living rather than kick a ball around. It’s still hot, not that it’s my place to say.

  “You made it!” Luciano says with a whoop, proceeding to hug and kiss the cheeks of all of us.

  “So glad you’re here,” he tells me, holding my shoulders with his hands as he gives me a warm smile. “Let me introduce you to my fiancée. I guess I can only call her that for one more day.”

  “Ruby,” he says to her, gesturing for her to come closer. “This is Vera. Vera this is Ruby.”

  “Hi,” she says with a big smile. My god she has white teeth. She sticks out her hand. “We kind of met once. At least you were there and I was there.”

  I shake her hand. She has a good grip. “I was probably drunk.”

  “So was I,” she says with a laugh. Then she’s introduced to Chloe Ann, Thalia, and David Roberto, before we all head up to the house.

  The farmhouse is pretty damn big, but it’s not big enough for all of us to sleep in. Chloe Ann quickly claims one of the spare bedrooms in the house for herself, while Mateo and I take a room in the guest cabin, where Alejo and Thalia also have a room. Chloe Ann looks pleased as punch to not be sleeping near us for the next two days.

  Then more introductions are made.

  I meet Luciano’s friend Benedito, who used to play on Sporting Lisbon with him, along with his lovely wife Teresa. There’s Ruby’s best friend Elena, a pretty Finnish girl with a wicked sense of deadpan humor, and Ruby’s father and stepmother, who are very Texan in the best way.

  Everyone goes off and gets settled. Dinner is supposed to be split up today, with the girls part of the bachelorette party, and the boys having the bachelor party. We’re all taking part, except for Ruby’s family who seem more than happy to opt out and have dinner in the nearest town.

  So, Thalia and I get ready for a party, even though Ruby already told us we’ll just stay in and have some drinks, on account of there being a thirteen year old girl in the mix, and two babies (David Roberto, and Alice, who is Marco and his wife Ines’ daughter).