“How did you get here so fast, I thought you were in Milan?”
He shook his head, ignoring her question. “It doesn’t matter where I was. As soon as I heard about your crazy plan, I came as fast as I could. I’m sorry about the airport security, thing. I didn’t have time to explain anything. I didn’t know what else to do. I just told them that they had to detain the American woman travelling with three babies. I might have led them to believe that you were trying to kidnap my children…” he said trailing off.
“So, is that why you’re here? Do you intend to file some sort of custody claim? Do you plan to turn this into an international incident?”
“Lissa, you’re killing me. Will you listen. Just listen.” Lissa folded her arms as best as she could with Hunter still in her lap. Hunter didn’t like that, so she unfolded her arms, and turned her back to Julio.
“I came here to stop you from leaving.”
“And why is it so important that I – I mean we don’t leave? It’s not like you expected us to stay forever, what’s the difference with us leaving now or in a few weeks.”
“Will you stop?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Lissa said.
“For Christs sake, Lissa, don’t you understand? Look at me.”
Lissa turned and saw that his face was more serious than she’d ever seen it.
“Lissa you are my forever. Don’t you know that? I couldn’t let you leave, because I was going to propose, this weekend. I had this whole big event planned, romantic as fuck. Everyone but you and your sister was in on it. I was supposed to sweep you on your feet.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jesus, woman, I’m in love with you, I’ve always been in love with you. You’re the most important person in the world to me, not counting these three precious babies. I don’t want you to leave, because you belong to me, I want you to marry me, Lissa Edwards.”
Lissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“Here, hold Ryland,” he said.
Tears ran down her face as she took Ryland with her free hand and settled him onto her free hip. She watched Julio switch Marco to his other hip, and saw him reach into his pocket for something. When he pulled out a small black box, her heart skipped a beat.
Taking care to keep Marco firmly in his arms, he knelt carefully before.
“Lissa Marie Edwards, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
Lissa then noticed that the room outside in the busy terminal seemed to have quieted as people leaned forward holding their breath. Joan stood in the doorway and when Lissa caught her sisters eye, she didn’t miss the approving nod.
She turned toward Julio, and as the two babies in her arms reached out for his face, she said, “Yes, I’ll marry you -- you crazy bastard.”
Relief flooded his face, and somehow he managed to rise to his feet and kiss her without allowing the babies to bonk heads.
Applause and cheers broke out in the lounge, which frightened the babies. They started to cry so Joan rushed up as did one of the rude airport security people. They took the babies out of the arms of the newly engaged couple, so Julio and Lissa could kiss their consent.
They kissed for a long time, hard and deep, with the passion that comes from pure joy.
When the kiss finally ended, Lissa was reminded of the pressure on her bladder.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said.
She hurried away and Julio’s face showed alarm.
Joan shouted over to him. “Don’t worry, she just really needed to pee.”
When Lissa returned, the show was over, and the people in the airport went back to their lives. Joan had taken the liberty of cancelling their flights, and Lissa expected them to all leave, and go back to the house in Barcelona. But as they moved out the family, Julio pointed Lissa and Joan towards another set of gates.
“I’ve booked us all on another flight,” Julio explained. “It’s a few days, earlier than I’d planned, but since I’ve already proposed, there someplace I want you to see.
Julio refused to give Lissa any more details. A few hours later, the private jet landed. An SUV was already set up with the baby’s car seats, and Fernando was waiting with a second car to follow them to wherever he was taking them.
When the caravan drove through the gorgeous countryside, Lissa couldn’t help but admire the beauty around her. Finally, the car, headed off the two-lane highway that ran through the rolling hills and headed down a much narrower road, complete with bumps and dips, heading towards a clutch of woods in the distance. As they came out the other end, Lissa gasped at the sight of the most beautiful country farm house she’d ever seen.
“What’s this?”
“This is our new home,” he said.
As they got closer, Lissa could see that workmen were erecting a massive tent structure at the side of the house.
“What’s happening here?”
“Well, if things had gone to plan, our wedding was supposed to happen here. That’s why I’d been cagey about work, because I hadn’t been doing the normal work. I’d been working on this surprise, instead.”
“But, what about the project?” Lissa said with alarm. “They only gave us a month to do everything, are you telling me you’ve not done a thing on the other project. Julio, how could you?”
“Relax, my love. It’s all good. As soon as they heard about our babies going to the hospital, they granted us a two-month extension. So, there’s nothing to worry about, you and I will have plenty of time to get that squared away.”
Lissa felt a fresh jolt of joy, so he still wanted her to work with him, they were a team.
“Okay,” she said.
Fernando and Joan were in good spirits as they eagerly helped put the boys in the two strollers. Once everyone was good to go, they left the luggage in the two cars and Julio gave them a brief tour of part of their new house.
Workmen were still getting things squared away inside the house. “I have just the bare bones of furniture and things, but I figured you’d want to have a say in the interior design, put your mark on it. Whatever you want, I’d be happy to let you have. The only rooms I decided to completely finish, were the kitchen, so we could eat, the nursery, so the boys could sleep and play and our bedroom so we could….”
He left the final word off that sentence, but Lissa knew exactly what he meant.
She felt a rush of desire, and wondered when they’d have the house to themselves.
As if she’d read her mind, Joan suddenly spoke up.
“Listen, me and Fernando were thinking we should take the boys back to Barcelona, let you two have some time alone in your new house.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Lissa said.
“Oh, yes they do,” Senora Torres said.
Lissa wheeled around, shocked but pleased to see Julio’s mother standing near the dining room. She’d come out of nowhere. But, when Lissa caught a whiff of delicious food in the air and saw that Senora Torres was wearing an apron, she knew she’d come from the kitchen.
“Senora Torres,” Lissa said. “How did you get here so fast?”
“What do you mean, where do you think you are. This ranch house is only an hour away from Barcelona.”
“It is?”
“Of course, dear, I wouldn’t want to isolate you from the rest of the family.”
Just then, more people came into the hall, their voices booming in the still relatively vacant front room.
“Did she say yes?” Asked a cousin, whose name Lissa couldn’t’ recall.
“She did, indeed,” Julio said with pride as he pulled Lissa too him.
She was overwhelmed.
Fernando spoke up.
“Listen everyone. After lunch, I want everyone to leave. I’ve already told the workers to get lost and take a few days off. If you want to continue the party, then stop by Senora Torres’ house and help us take care of these three perfect babies. I think that this couple deserves to have some t
ime alone to get acquainted with their new home.”
Most of the relatives, present, who didn’t speak a word of English looked at Fernando with confusion. So he translated, then everyone laughed and clapped with agreement, and gave Lissa meaningful looks and winks. Lissa felt herself blush, but Julio just smiled, that goofy happy grin, that made her heart melt at the sight of him. He really did love her, she no longer had any doubts about that.