“Let go, Babe,” he says. I know he can’t hold off much longer so I wrap my legs around his waist and move my hips to match his rhythm, deepening the connection until I’m falling over the edge, coming apart into pieces as another violent orgasm rips through me. Victor follows, coming hard and collapsing on top of me, letting me take some of his weight. He lets go of my wrists and I wrap my arms around him. “I love you,” I whisper in his ear.
He smiles at me, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you too, Baby.”
After we make love, we lay breathless in each other’s arms. I make an impulse decision to speed things up in this relationship. I’m ready to be Victor’s wife and even more ready to start our life together. “Have you asked Alex to be your best man yet?” He kisses the top of my head.
“Yes, Love, he was very happy. How about you, have you asked Jordan?”
I laugh. “I didn’t have to ask, Babe, she just assumed.”
I turn so that I can rest my chin on his chest, allowing me a better view of his face. He smiles at me. “That sounds like Jordan.”
“You know I was thinking,” I say, drawing a pattern of circles on his chest, “maybe we shouldn’t wait so long to get married. Maybe we should do it now.”
He looks at me questioningly. “I thought you wanted to wait till the tour was over? I told you I wanted to get married right away and you wanted to wait. Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?”
“I’m just excited to be your wife,” I say, placing a kiss on his chest. “We have a whole week off coming up and we could do it then.” I grin at him. “Plus, I really don’t wanna walk down the aisle in a couple of months with a round belly.” I bite my lip trying to suppress a smile.
He shakes his head at me. “Why would you…” he gasps, understanding what I’m trying to say. “Are you… are we?”
I nod my head. “It’s still early, I’m only about 6 weeks along.”
He flips us so that I’m on my back, him hovering over me. “You’re having my baby?” I smile, and nod my head. “We’re gonna have a baby?” he whispers, his eyes glassing over.
“That’s where I went off to this morning when I told you I went shopping. I didn’t wanna get your hopes up but the receptionist at the hotel set me up with her doctor and he confirmed it. Remember when I was sick a while back? Apparently antibiotics weaken the effectiveness of the pill.”
He looks stunned. I’m surprised he can speak at all. “Oh my God, Babe, I don’t know what to say.”
I fight back the tears threatening. “Say that you’re happy.”
“I’m not happy, Love, I’m ecstatic.” He kisses me softly, letting me know just how happy he is. “Let’s do it. Let’s get married as soon as we get home.”
“Really?” I can’t contain my excitement.
“Really. And we’re not expanding your house, we’re buying a new one.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe I should cancel the rest of the tour,” he says, his eyes going wide.
“No, you can’t. It’s almost over. You only have a few weeks left, but I think it might be safer for the baby if you go on without me. I don’t wanna take the risk.”
“Of course, will it be safe for you to travel back home?”
I nod. “The doctor said it should be fine.”
“Can we cancel the next show in Madrid?” The question sounds more like a plea.
“No.”
“You’re not the boss of me, you know. I can call Alex right now and have him cancel.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Do you really wanna cancel your show?”
He nods, his eyes full of something I’ve never seen in them before, fear maybe. “I really wanna get you home, yes. I’m gonna be worried about you until we’re back in our little house.”
“Then do whatever you think is right.” I can’t say no to him. I know he’s just trying to protect me and after being with someone who only ever wanted to hurt me, I cherish the man who only wants to keep me safe. If cancelling shows and getting me home will give him peace of mind then I’ll let him.
When we finally get home a couple days later, Victor advises me that against my wishes, he’s gone ahead and cancelled the rest of the tour. I just rolled my eyes and said, “Whatever.”
To which he replied, “Ellie, if people really wanna see me they’ll wait until after the baby is born.”
I guess he’s right but I’m afraid that after the baby is born he’s not really gonna want to go anywhere. Selfishly, I decide that his fans have had him long enough and if he wants to stay home with me throughout this pregnancy and after the baby comes, then I’m just gonna enjoy it. Moring sickness has kicked in and unluckily for me it hits all throughout the day, not just in the morning. The doctor tells us that this is perfectly normal and it should go away once I reach my second trimester. Victor is freaking out because I’ve actually lost weight instead of putting any on. Again, the doctor has told us that this too is normal.
Now that Victor has cancelled the tour, he’s given me one month to plan our wedding which will be right around the start of my second trimester. He said, “There’s no need to rush it since I’m not going anywhere, but we should probably do it before you start showing.” He really is a piece of work, but he’s given me an unlimited budget and I’m more than happy to use his money to plan our wedding.
After finding out that we were having a baby, Victor decided that it was time to bury the hatchet with his mother, and I was ready to let it go as well. After all, she is the only grandmother our baby is ever gonna have. She was ecstatic to have our forgiveness and even more overjoyed at the news that she’s going to be an abuela. She continues to try and prove to us both how sorry she is, even going so far as dragging me and Jordan to a bridal boutique in New York and paying for my dress which was a ridiculous amount of money. That day in particular was bittersweet for me. A girl always dreams about having her mother there on the day she chooses her wedding dress and even though I was sad, Victor’s mom shockingly, really did her best to make it a great day.
Victor and I both decided that we wanted a small wedding, so we narrowed our guest list down to only our 50 closest family members and friends. It took some begging and a boatload of cash, but I managed to convince the owner of that first restaurant that Victor took me to, overlooking the ocean, to rent it out to us for a night. Victor loved the idea of us getting married at the place where we had our first official date.
On my wedding day, tucked away in a private room at the restaurant, I can’t help but think of my mom and how happy she would have been. How much she would have loved Victor, and how excited she would have been for a new baby. I try my hardest to think happy thoughts and I tell myself that she’s here in spirit.
“You give me hope for the future, Ellie.” Jordan hugs me and whispers in my ear after she helps me put my veil on.
“What do you mean?”
“After everything you went through, you managed to find the love of your life. Maybe there’s hope for me after all.” I look at her, tears springing to my eyes for my beautiful friend, the one who’s seen me through the worst times in my life.
“I know you’ll find him. I know he’s out there and when you do find him, Jordan, it won’t matter if you push him away. He’ll fight for you.”
“Alright stop crying, you’re gonna ruin your makeup.” She straightens out the train of my dress, an ivory fit and flare corset gown, with a beautiful sweetheart neckline that’s accented with crystals. She hands me my bouquet made of garden roses and pale pink peonies. “Let’s do this.”
I nod at her, excited to finally marry my love. “Let’s do this!” Just outside the door, Dad is waiting for me, looking dreamy in his black suit.
“You look beautiful, Kiddo. I’m real proud of you.”
I bite back the tears that threaten. “You look handsome, Dad. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” A single tear escapes
. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Kiddo. Can’t believe you’re making me a grandpa again.”
I shake my head at him. “How the hell do you know that Dad? It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
He laughs. “Can’t get much by me, Kiddo. No one pukes that much.”
“Just walk me down the aisle, Dad.” I giggle.
We make it to the section of the restaurant that’s set up for the ceremony. Two double doors separate me from my future husband. Standing there, waiting for those doors to open, I still can’t believe how far we’ve come. The door opens and the entire world melts away. All I can see is one man, standing at the end of the aisle in a gorgeous black suit. I can hear my heart pumping in my chest as the music starts and Dad starts to walk. I feel the tears that escape, running down my cheek. A smile so big that my cheeks hurt, and Victor, his warm eyes, pulling me in. Love and happiness radiating from them and melting me, just like the first time I saw them.
Dad gives Victor a hug and gives him my hand. He leans in and whispers, “You look stunning, Love.”
I smile and whisper back, “You look sexy.” We both laugh, and hand in hand we turn to face the officiant. Jordan and Gemma are standing next to me, and Alex and Gavin are standing next to Victor. The ceremony is short and sweet. We opted for traditional vows instead of writing our own. We exchange the rings, mine, a platinum band with small diamonds circling the entire way around. Victor’s, a thick platinum band with a solitaire diamond in the center. When the officiant pronounces us husband and wife, Victor kisses me, the kind of kiss that’s probably more suitable for the bedroom, but I’m not about to complain.
After the ceremony, we move to a larger private room, where we have a small reception, with dinner, music and dancing. We celebrate our union with the people who matter most to us. I dance with my husband, my arms around his neck, his around my waist. “We’re really married.” I don’t know if I’m telling him or asking him, maybe I’m just looking for a confirmation on his part.
“We’re really married, Love, and tomorrow we’ll be on an island, just the two of us.”
I correct him. “And the baby.”
He chuckles. “Yes, and the baby.”
“Remember what you said to me the day we met?” I ask.
“I said a lot of things.”
“You said, that maybe us meeting was fate.”
“Do you believe it now?”
“I do. You and I belong together. It was fate.”
He tightens his hold on me, placing an earth-shattering kiss on my lips, making my knees weak, as we come full circle. It’s a perfect day, the day that I never allowed myself to believe I could have, the day I always dreamed of, the perfect beginning to a beautiful life.
To all of my girls who have read every single word that I’ve written and have
given me love, support and amazing feedback, especially:
Nicole Andrews, Denise Maisonave, Jolene Lopez, Jennifer Lloyd
To Monica Martinez for your incredible feedback, support, mad design skills,
for reassuring me and helping me tirelessly promote this endeavor. I have no idea
what I would have done without you.
Alice Montalvo-Tribue lives with her husband and daughter in New Jersey. She has a bachelors degree in communications and is currently working on her masters degree. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, and when the weather permits sitting on the beach sipping a margarita.
For more news about upcoming books, teasers, and happenings, follow her on Facebook at
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Translation of Love Page 22