CIARA
It’s been a while since I last saw Grace, but this time, as I walk up the path with Santiago, I feel like a different person.
The way this man has healed me is unbelievable. He’s the cure to the disease that was killing me.
We walk around the bend, and Grace’s house comes into view. Then I see her pacing up and down the bridge, and I let go of Santiago’s hand.
“Grace,” I call out, and it has her head snapping toward me before she begins to run.
Just like before, we plow into each other, and I hold her as tightly as I can.
“I missed you so much,” she gasps.
“I missed you, too,” I say, the confidence I’ve gained from Santiago, clear in my voice.
Grace pulls back, and her eyes sweep over my face. She sees the progress I’ve made, and her lips part while her eyebrows draw together. She frames my face with her hands, then her features crumble, and tears spill over her cheeks.
“You look so good,” she says, her voice hoarse.
I take hold of her wrists and smile at her. “I feel good. A little like my old self but mostly a new and improved version.”
Relief and pride fill her eyes as she keeps staring at me. “I’m so happy. God, Ciara.” I’m tugged back into a hug, and when my sister practically smothers me, I let out a chuckle.
I’ve missed this most of all. Feeling Grace’s protective arms around me.
“You’re here,” I hear Dominik say.
“Just arrived,” Santiago replies.
I pull back from Grace and watch as the men hug, then I just wave at Dominik. “Hi.”
He moves closer and tilts his head, giving me a questioning look. “Are you okay hugging your brother-in-law? I kind of owe Santiago for all the hugs he’s given Grace.”
He’s important to Grace and Santiago.
I take a hesitant step forward and nod.
“Verbal consent, mi sol,” Santiago murmurs.
“Yes, we can hug,” I say to please my man.
Dominik closes the distance between us, and when he gives me a gentle hug, it feels all wrong. Luckily, he lets go quickly, then Santiago takes hold of my hand and I’m hauled against his side.
“Fine, I get it,” Santiago says jokingly, “I won’t ever touch Grace again.”
Dominik lets out a chuckle, but the sound fades quickly, and he gives me a serious look. “I was a dick when we first met. I’m sorry, Ciara.”
The corner of my mouth lifts, his apology meaning a lot to me. “It’s okay.”
Dominik turns his attention to Santiago. “The others are already here. We should head to the meeting and let the women visit together.”
Santiago presses a kiss to my temple. “You have your phone on you?” I nod quickly, looking up at him. “Call me if you need me.”
Lifting on my tiptoes, I give him a quick kiss, “I will. I love you.”
A smile spreads over his face. “I love you too, mi sol.” His eyes flick to Grace. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“Trust me, I won’t,” Grace chuckles.
We watch as our men walk into the main building, then Grace asks, “Do you want to go sit on the beach?”
“What about Kristian?”
“Evinka’s with him.” We begin to walk, then she asks, “Do you remember Evinka?” I shake my head, which has her explaining, “She’s Dominik’s second-in-charge.”
I think I remember her vaguely.
“I’ve learned sign language so I can communicate with her,” Grace tells me.
My eyebrows lift. “Oh wow. That’s really cool.”
We walk along the path Santiago took me on for my birthday, and I lift my hand to my neck, brushing my fingers over my diamond necklace.
“How have you been?” Grace asks and gestures to the ring on my left hand. “Are you really ready to take that big step with Santiago?”
I stop walking and turn to face her. “He’s my life, Grace. I love him.”
She nods, a soft smile playing around her lips. “But do you know him well enough to marry him?”
“I know him better than I know myself.” I glance down the path. “He loved me back to life when I was just an empty shell.” I’m hit with such a strong emotion, my heart actually hurts from the intensity. “Santiago is my everything. He’s the solid ground beneath my feet, the strength that keeps me standing, the force that has me putting one foot in front of the other.” I gasp through the overwhelming feelings, then meet Grace’s eyes again. “Yes, I’m ready to marry him. I already belong to him. Saying our vows is just us announcing it to the world.”
Grace wipes a tear from her cheek and nods. “That’s the love I’ve always wanted for you.” She lets out a sputtering sob. “God, I’m so emotional. Just ignore my crying. I swear my hormones are all over the place.”
I move closer and wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay. I’m an emotional mess as well.”
We let out bursts of laughter before we continue walking to the beach. I point out the log where Santiago and I sat on my birthday, and once we’re comfortable, Grace stares at me for a long moment.
“You look happy.”
I gather some sand and let it trickle through my fingers. “I am.”
“Santiago is an amazing man. If I could choose someone for you, it would be him,” she says.
My lips tip up, and I grin at her. “I’m marrying the man I love.” Then my eyes mist with unshed tears. “Thank you for going through with two arranged marriages so that I can marry the man of my dreams.”
“I struck it lucky the second time.” She leans back against the log and crosses her legs at her ankles.
I make sure my ankles aren’t visible, then look at Grace again.
I never want her to see the scars and know any of the details because it will devastate her, and it’s the last thing I want.
Grace looks at me, her features tightening with emotion. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I whisper.
“Can I walk you down the aisle?”
It’s the last question I expected. My lips part, and my eyebrows draw together as I’m hit square in the chest, then I lunge forward and practically throw myself at her. “Yes!”
Grace holds me tight, and I move to sit beside her, leaning against her while keeping my arm wrapped around her middle.
“I would like that so much,” I say, staring at the ocean.
Grace presses a kiss to my forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Lying on the beach with my sister, it feels as if a final piece has returned to my soul, and I let out a happy sigh.
We begin to reminisce about the good times, avoiding any heavy subjects, and after a while, we’re laughing like we used to.
“There you are,” we hear Dominik call out. “Have you been out here for two hours?”
“You’re going to get sunburn, mi amor,” Santiago mutters.
“Such overprotective bears,” Grace whispers as we climb to our feet.
Santiago holds his hand out to me, and when I place my palm against his, he tugs me right against his chest and stares into my eyes, silently asking if I’m okay.
I lift myself onto my tiptoes and kiss him before saying, “Grace is going to walk me down the aisle.”
Surprise flickers over his face. “That’s good news. We should celebrate.”
“We can have the restaurant deliver to the house,” Dominik says.
As we walk away from the beach, my heart is full because this is the future I’ve always wanted.
When we return to the house, we find Evinka sitting on the couch, playing with Kristian, who’s lying in a bed. She smiles at me as she gets up, which I return, then she signs something to Grace.
“Evinka says it’s nice to see you again.”
“Tell her the same from me.”
“I don’t have to. She can read lips,” Grace informs me.
Evinka signs something again, and I watch as my sister replies. The two women hug before Evinka leaves, then Dominik says to Grace, “Can you get us something to drink while I place the order?”
I follow her to the kitchen, and as she opens the fridge, she asks, “What would you like?”
“I’ll have juice with Santiago.” I look at the cupboards. “Where do you keep your glasses?”
“Left cupboard, above the coffee machine.”
I grab four glasses and watch as Grace pours orange juice into them. She’s also taken a few bottles of water out, which I help carry to the outdoor area where the men are sitting.
I take a seat beside Santiago, and as he glances at me, his eyes narrow and he leans forward. “You’ve burned, mi amor!” Shaking his head, he looks at Grace. “Do you have moisturizer?”
“Yes.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter, but it doesn’t stop Grace from walking back into the house.
Dominik ends the call he’s on. “Food will be here in thirty to forty-five minutes.”
When Grace returns, she hands me a tube of sunscreen.
“A little too late,” my man grumbles as he takes the lotion from me. Then he proceeds to squirt some onto my shoulders before gently rubbing it in.
I grin at him, loving how he dotes on me.
“Stop grinning.” He gives me a playful scowl, and once he’s happy, he sets the sunscreen down on the table and takes hold of my hand.
I feel like the luckiest woman alive as I say, “Thank you, baby.”
He gives me a wink before looking at Dominik and Grace. “The wedding is in three weeks. I was thinking we could just have it here so you don’t have to travel with Kristian.”
“We can travel,” Grace replies.
“Yeah, it’s not a problem,” Dominik agrees, but then he asks, “Why wait so long, though?”
Grace lets out a chuckle, shaking her head at her husband. “Not everyone is as impatient as you.” She picks up her glass and takes a sip of the juice, then she wrinkles her nose. “Is it just me, or does the orange juice taste off?”
Dominik takes her glass and tastes it, then his expression goes slack as he stares at Grace. “Fuck.”
Grace frowns, and a second later her eyes widen. “No, I’m not pregnant.”
Santiago lets out a burst of laughter. “Has no one told you pulling out doesn’t work?”
“Shut up,” Dominik mutters, worry tightening his features. “Last night, you didn’t like the smell of chicken. You’re pregnant.”
“Oh God,” Grace whines. “But we used protection.”
Santiago grips my hand tighter just as the thought pops into my mind, and we turn our heads to stare at each other.
“Fuck,” he mutters, drawing Dominik and Grace’s attention to us.
“I swear I’ll slap you two ways to Sunday if you get my baby sister pregnant before marrying her,” Grace snaps. “You better be joking right now.”
We would’ve had a chance of dodging the bullet if we only had sex once, but Santiago went to town on my ass.
I don’t feel pregnant.
Would it be such a big deal if I were?
My eyes dart between Santiago and Grace, and seeing them staring at me, I say, “How would I know? It’s not like there’s a sign flashing above my head.”
The doorbell rings, and Dominik gets up. “No one kills anyone until I’m back.”
Santiago lets out a chuckle. “Grace loves me too much.”
“You can thank your lucky stars for that,” my sister mutters.
A serious expression settles over his face as he captures my gaze with his. “I’m fine with you being pregnant. I love kids and can’t wait for us to have our own.”
“It’s way too early to tell,” I reply. “But if I am, it’s okay.”
The corner of his mouth lifts into a grin, and I can see he likes the idea of me being pregnant with his child.
There’s a flutter of excitement in my chest, and I begin to hope that I am pregnant. Probably from all the talk about babies.
A server brings the food to the table while Dominik picks up Kristian, where he’s lying in a bed that’s positioned in the middle of the living room.
Dominik comes back out and takes a seat, and when the server is done placing trays with finger foods down in front of us, he says, “Thanks, Maja. Just let yourself out.”
“Enjoy the meal,” she replies before leaving.
Dominik stares at Grace again, and it has her grabbing a meatball while muttering, “Stop staring. I’m going to live in ignorant bliss until the morning sickness either starts or doesn’t start.” She pops the meatball into her mouth and gives Dominik a look clearly telling him to drop the subject.
Unable to keep the words in, I say, “I think it would be wonderful if we’re pregnant at the same time.”
Grace’s face lights up, and she reaches between our chairs to place her hand on my arm. “Oh, my God! It would be awesome.”
“But if I say anything, I’m in trouble,” Dominik mutters.
We all burst out laughing, and while we nibble on the platters, I lean my head against Santiago’s shoulder.
