25. Alec
Chapter twenty-five
Alec
Jasmine and I swing the door open and walk in, our faces wreathed in excitement. Inside the grand living room, the occupants rise to their feet as soon as they see us. There’s Riley and Ana on one couch, with my parents on the other. Damien is standing behind us.
Everyone’s faces are drawn with curiosity.
“What does the result say?” My mom asks impatiently. “Tell us!”
I glance at Jasmine, who looks like she’s bursting at the seams with the need to tell them the news. I nod, and she squeals.
“We’re expecting twins!”
The room is silent with shock for a few seconds before they all erupt in shouts of excitement and are enveloped in hugs and congratulations.
When Jasmine and I left for our ultrasound appointment this morning, we’d expected to see a healthy baby boy or girl, not twins! Seeing the two little blobs on the monitor changed my life, and I cannot wait to meet them.
“I can’t believe this,” Ana cries. “I’ll be godmother to two beautiful children.”
Laughing, my mom claps to get everyone’s attention. “Jasmine,” she says. “We’re all happy for you.”
“Thanks, Lillian.”
The relationship between Jasmine and my mom has blossomed in the past three months, and every time I see them both laughing and talking to each other, my heart soars with joy. The impossible really became possible right before my eyes.
“When you told us last week that you would be going for an ultrasound today, we organized a party for you.”
Jasmine laughs. “What?”
“Yes. It’s a private event, just between all of us, but we wanted to celebrate you and Alec.”
“That’s beautiful. Thank you, everyone.”
“Let’s get you changed.” Ana grabs Jasmine’s arm and leads her upstairs.
It was Jasmine's idea to invite Riley and Ana with us to France, and in their one week here, we had the best time. I didn’t know my parents could be so accommodating, but they insisted that Riley and Ana stay in their mansion, and it’s been nothing short of heavenly .
I am finally happy, all around.
“You’re wearing your nerves on your face,” my mom says, slapping my head. “At least try to look convincing.”
“Ow!” I rub my head. “I’m nervous. It’s hard to look convincing when you’re nervous.”
“Pussy!” Riley whispers, and rolls his eyes at me, and I sigh.
“What if she says no?”
My mom gasps and starts walking towards the exit. “We will get Jasmine to the hall in twenty minutes. Riley, Damien, David, please talk some sense into his head,” she says, disappearing out the door.
“She’s not going to say no,” my dad says. “She loves you.”
I reach into my pocket to touch the jewelry box in there. I’ve been carrying it around for months until I finally told my family of my intentions to propose to Jasmine last week. We all planned that it would be best to do it after the ultrasound so Jasmine would not suspect the need for a party.
Now that the time is here, I can’t stop thinking she would reject my proposal.
“Don’t be a wuss,” Riley says to me. “Just get it over with.”
“Like you did with Ana?” I arch my brows.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. ”
My dad and Damien laugh. “You like her,” Damien says. “Even the blind can see that.”
“No, I don’t,” Riley scoffs. “She’s like a little sister to me. She’s my sister’s best friend.”
“Those excuses sound very familiar. Oh, yes, exactly what I said about Jasmine, but look where we are now.” I take out the box and kiss it. “Let’s do this.”
***
When I enter the hall, I see Ana and Jasmine dancing while my mother pours herself a glass of wine. We decided to keep this very private because putting out invitations increases the risk of a paparazzo sneaking in and publishing pictures before we are ready. Jasmine doesn’t want our relationship public yet, and we’re respecting her wishes.
When she sees me, she drifts away from Ana and comes towards me. “What took you boys so long?” she asks.
“We were discussing something.” I drop to one knee before the courage deserts me again. “Jasmine Ambrose.” Flipping the box open, I display the ring. It’s a diamond, and it reflects the light of the above chandelier beautifully.
Jasmine gasps, her hands flying to her mouth. “Oh my God, Alec!”
“I’ve wanted this since the first time I saw you, Jasmine, and I’m glad this moment is finally here,” I tell her. “I love you so much and want you to be mine in every sense of the word. So please, Jasmine Ambrose, will you be my wife?”
“Yes!” She said with a laugh. “I’ll be your wife.”
Our friends and family clap and hoot from behind us, and I slip the ring onto her finger. We embrace, swaying in each other’s arms.
“I wish nothing but happiness for you and Alec, Jasmine.” My mother is suddenly here, pulling Jasmine into a hug.
“Lillian, why do I have a feeling you knew about this?”
My mom scoffs, pulling away. “Of course I did.”
“Ugh, Lillian.” Jasmine laughs before she’s swept into Ana’s arms. “Oh, I’m so happy for you, best friend.”
A hand touches my shoulder, and I glance sideways to see Riley. “So…did she say no?”
“Shut up.” I roll my eyes. “Thank you for trusting me with your little sister.”
Riley smirks. “I feel like I also deserve a diamond ring for that one.”
“What you deserve a diamond ring for, my friend, is Ana. If you stare at her any harder, she will turn into a pillar of salt.”
“Son.” My dad pulls me away from Riley before he can respond, and I quickly stick my tongue out at him before going with my father. “Yes, Dad? ”
“Firstly, congratulations are in order,” he says. “You have a wonderful fiancé and twins on the way; you’re the winning man.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
“I am so proud of you, Alec. I couldn’t have asked for more from you.”
I suck in a deep breath, and my father continues. “Your mother and I are going on a very long trip. We will be touring thirty countries.”
“What?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Where is this coming from?”
“Your mom is sponsoring it,” he whispers. “I’m so happy I don’t get to do this from my pocket.”
I laugh so hard. “Mom has been surprising me these days. What’s this for?”
“She wants us to bond,” my father says with a happy smile. “She thinks we’ve drifted apart and wants us to go back to how it used to be.”
“Do you think it will work?”
“It’s already working,” he says as he laughs. “I love Lillian, and lately, she’s been showing me why I married her in the first place. Your outburst that day did us all a lot of good. You should have done it sooner.”
I shake my head at him. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“While we’re gone, you’ll take over Ace Corps. I think you’re ready.”
I turn to look at Jasmine, who is standing at the other end of the room, laughing with my mom. On the other side of the room Riley and Ana seem to be in an argument, but I ignore them and focus on the two most important women in my life. They both have their arms around each other and look so happy.
“Yes, Dad. I’m ready. ”