Chapter 53
One year later
“Special dinner?” Guillermo asks as he enters the kitchen.
“Zinner, mommy?” Nina mimics, and as always when she calls me that, my heart overflows with love.
“Yes, dinner for the two loves of my life.” I walk over to them, and Guillermo immediately opens his arms.
“What are we celebrating?”
At the mention of the word, Valentina claps her hands. “Yay!” she exclaims excitedly, and I start to laugh.
“Now she thinks we’re having a birthday party.”
“Ball!” she says, as if to confirm.
“I’d get to have some brigadeiro.” He smiles and winks.
I kiss her little head and then kiss my husband’s lips.
I’ve rehearsed so many times how to break the news, but I’m too anxious to keep calm, so I blurt it out. “I’m pregnant.”
He freezes, but a second later, his gaze shifts from my face to my abdomen, even though there’s no visible change yet.
We talked about children right after we got married, but since I was about to start college, we decided to wait a bit.
Guillermo understood, but I sensed he was eager to become a father again, even though he never said anything.
I also wanted to experience pregnancy, and a few months ago, I realized there would never be a perfect time.
I already have a position waiting for me right after college.
I’ll be the head pastry chef at one of the newly opened hotels in the chain, and with time, more specialization courses will come up.
And so, life goes on, and no pregnancy in sight.
I thought about it and weighed my options, deciding that the right time is the one we make. Millions of women around the world have children while juggling their careers. I’ll figure it out. Being around Valentina has awakened my maternal side. I want more babies. A lot of them, to be honest.
He puts Nina down to play on the floor and asks, looking confused, “Is it my fault?”
Of all the things I imagined he would say, that wasn’t one of them, so I start laughing. He smiles back but still seems uncertain.
“If I still remember how babies are made, it was our doing.”
“You got it, smarty.” He envelops me in a bear hug. “So we’re both happy?”
God, until now, I hadn’t realized how cautiously he’s been walking on eggshells around me. Now I know Guillermo has held back his desire to be a father out of consideration for my career. I thought I couldn’t love him more than I already do, but I swear the man always knows just what to say.
Even though I know the answer, I decide to tease him a little. “Are you happy?”
Instead of answering, he kneels in front of me and wraps his arms around my body. My husband is so tall his head almost hits my chin.
I kiss the forehead of the man who completely changed the course of my destiny.
“I’m in love with Valentina,” he says, “and even though I hadn’t planned on a child, I wanted her from the moment I found out she was coming, but having children with you is like adding another piece to the story of our love.”
“I’m sorry I made you wait. I wanted to be sure before making a decision. When I finally did, I thought surprising you would be a good idea, but it was hard to keep it a secret. I stopped taking the pill over two months ago.”
“So you used my body to reproduce, you naughty girl?” He looks back, checking that Nina is distracted with her toys. Then he traces his thumbs over my nipples. “I think you deserve a punishment.”
“Punishment? I give you a gift, and you want to punish me?”
He kisses my belly, then stands up and lifts me into his arms, sitting us down on the couch. “It’ll be a very pleasurable punishment, I promise.”
“Nina, Mommy needs to tell you something,” I call to my little girl.
She drops her toys and comes over. “Yeah?” she asks, tilting her head to the side.
I’m not sure if she has any idea what we’re talking about, but I decide to try. “Come here, love.”
She gives her hand to her father, who helps her climb onto our laps. We’re practically a human pyramid now.
Guillermo takes her chubby little hand and places it on my abdomen. “Inside Mommy’s belly, there’s a little baby. A little brother or sister for Princess Nina.”
She looks from me to him, looking confused, but after a while, she points to her toy baby lying on the floor. “Baby.”
“That’s right, love. A baby.”
She smiles, and I think maybe she’s thinking she’ll get another doll. A few seconds later, restless as she is, she goes back to her toys.
“I won’t pretend I’m not thrilled, but could you have waited a bit longer? Are you okay with pausing college? You might miss one or two semesters.”
“Life is short, love. Nothing is guaranteed. I don’t want to wait. Besides, I’m sure we can handle this together. We’re already raising Valentina; another baby will be a breeze.”
One month later
“Congratulations, you’re expecting twins! Twin girls, to be precise. We have two perfectly visible little girls here.”
I look at the doctor, waiting for him to start laughing and say it’s a joke, but he seems perfectly calm as he points out two dots on the screen.
Of course, I knew there was a chance of having twins someday, since I am one, but on the first pregnancy?
I mean, I planned for one child, and now my head spins with all the planning that will be needed.
“You said two . . . girls?” Guillermo asks, leaning against the examination table’s headrest. “Two more women? Three daughters to protect from all the scoundrels out there?”
The mix of desperation and urgency in his voice finally reminds me I’m not the only one caught off-guard.
He’s looking from the screen to my abdomen. “Did you hear what he said, beautiful? Two . . . We’re going to have three girls!” For the first time since I’ve known him, he looks lost. The strong man, the one who’s never shied away from his responsibilities, suddenly fears raising three little girls.
“Hey,” I call, and he turns his gaze to me. “We’ve got this.”
“I’ll do everything right. I promise you, Olívia.”
“Love, you’re the best dad in the world! I don’t need any reassurance.”
“It’ll be three,” he repeats, seeming stuck on the number.
“They could’ve been triplets all at once,” says the doctor, with a terrible sense of humor.
Guillermo refocuses on the screen. “Are you sure it’s only two?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Look, you don’t have to lie to keep me calm. I can handle it.”
I swear I want to be supportive, especially since I’m scared too, but he’s acting so funny, and I start laughing. “Husband, everything will be fine.”
He comes over to where I am and kisses me on the mouth. Then he presses his face against my gel-covered belly. “We need to stop by the bookstore after this. I have to find everything I can about twins.”
“Love, calm down. It’s still a long way off,” I say, still laughing.
“It’s never too early to start preparing.” He takes a deep breath. “Come on out, girls,” he says to my belly. “Daddy will be ready for you when the time comes.”
A few months later
“Promise you’ll keep having these cravings after our daughters are born.”
I lie back on the bed, naked and satisfied after eating half a tub of Ben & Jerry’s triple caramel ice cream. And the fun didn’t stop there. How do I put this without sounding too naughty? We’re both in a sweet mood right now.
“I don’t need pregnancy cravings to want to devour you. Guillermo is my favorite dish.”
“Which part of me?”
I cover my face with my arm. “No way you’ll make me say that.”
“I like it when you talk dirty.”
“I never talk dirty.”
“You do, especially when you’re about to climax, and hearing you say those things drives me wild every time.” He turns to his side, his bent arm serving as support for his head. His finger traces my round five-months-pregnant belly. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
“Stop it. You already won me over, handsome CEO. Spare me that Spanish charm.”
“I’m serious. You look like a goddess. Naked, with a rounded belly carrying our daughters. All mine.”
“There’s something I can’t argue with. I’m completely yours. Besides, soon you’ll have four women in love with you.”
He pulls me into his arms, now lying halfway on his side since my belly prevents me from lying on top of him. “I can handle it. I confess I was nervous when I found out we’d have two little girls in a few months—”
I raise my head to look at him. “Nervous? You panicked.”
“Good panic,” he corrects me. “Like when someone wins the lottery without really believing they had a chance. It’s quite a gift, two daughters at once.”
“Do you want more?”
“I do. Do you?”
“Yes, but what if we get another two or even triplets?”
“Jesus Christ!” He laughs. “We’ll figure it out. I think it’s all a matter of practice, little firecracker, and as you must have learned by now, I’m determined when I set my mind to something.”