fantishu
EPILOGUE
A Few Months Later…
ACE
He walked back and forth restlessly right in front of the main entrance of the church. His best buddies stood relaxed, leaning against a marble wall. While he was experiencing the tension in his body again, just like their first wedding. Noel and Jason were just standing next to him, grinning from ear to ear, and he wanted to strangle the two of them as they watched him twitch.
Any minute now they would head up to the altar to wait for the prettiest bride and the rest of the entourage. Wait. Wait. Wait. Just calm down Ace, wait for a few more minutes, Gina will come too, he said to himself.
He felt that he was tensed again. He wondered if it was uncommon for a groom to pass out.
Why is it that Gina always comes late? Maybe she did this on purpose, he decided. This was some kind of test, some rite of passage. Well, he still wasn’t going to be affected by her being late, instead he was going to march right up to the altar like a good boy and wait.
He just breathed a sigh of relief when his beautiful bride arrived. All the entourage took their places and they started marching down the aisle. He and the rest of the principal sponsors made their entrance at the scheduled time, and he stood there, a mild smile pasted on his lips as his brain whirled. But when he saw his niece walking down the aisle in her aquamarine blue dress, he stood there relaxed. She carefully threw her rose petals from her white basket like the angel she was. His half-sisters and his mother who is from the States were very excited to meet his bride for the first time. His nephew is also cute in his miniature tuxedo. He’s really handsome just like his tito, while the little boy carrying the wedding ring pillow. And there was Loraine his half-sister who was also Gina’s bridesmaid, smiling prettily as she made her way next. Then of course followed by Janice the maid of honor.
As he watched the empty doorway, he felt the sweat on his forehead. Then and there he saw Gina’s uncle and her mama Joy slowly approaching where he was, and then– he saw her. And time stopped. At least his heart did.
God was his witness, he had never seen anything more incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful than the vision who stepped beside her uncle and mom. Wearing an ivory off-shoulder wedding gown was truly breathtaking.
As Gina slowly walked towards him, their gazes met. He forced down the voice in his mind that said, “Just wait, Ace. The day’s not yet over.”
When his bride was right in front of him. He raised his hand to stop her, while one of the priests gave him a guitar and a microphone. “Sweetie, didn’t you tell me before that I don’t have amore in my body? I’m sorry I only recently found out that I also have 1% sweet bone in my body, so I’ll never let that 1% pass without singing. Father, can I ask for 5 minutes?” He turned to the priest and the crowd laughed. “Sweetie, I want to dedicate this song to you.” He immediately started playing the guitar.
He saw that Gina was just dumbfounded and didn’t say anything.
“Song For You” By Chicago
Want you to know, I’m a MAN
Say the words and I’ll say it again
Want you to know, I’m a MAN you can depend upon
That’s all, all I am
Wanted to show, I’m a MAN
Say the word and I’ll tell you again
Wanted to show, I’m a MAN you can rely upon
That’s all I am
I am a MAN that you can count on
Call out my name and I’ll be there
I’m a MAN you can be sure of, baby
It’s your love that takes me there, takes me there
Want you to know, I’m a MAN
Say the words to me, say it again
Want you to know, I’m a MAN you can depend upon
That’s all, all I am
I am a MAN that you can count on
Call out my name and I’ll be there
I’m a MAN you can be sure of, baby
It’s your love that takes me there
I am a MAN that you can lean on
Call out my name and I’ll be therePlease check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
I’m a MAN you can be sure of, baby
It’s your love that takes me there
I am a MAN that you can count on
Call out my name and I’ll be there
I’m a MAN you can be sure of, baby
It’s your love that takes me there, takes me there
…..
Gina bursts into tears after listening to his song and he immediately took her cold hands and led her towards the altar.
Through the ceremony, he could not take his eyes off the creation who was agreeing to be his wife for richer and for poorer, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. He admits that Gina was so beautiful. She deserves better than him. She deserves a charming prince in a white cager and castle and swans on a lake. But why would he even think about that when he was right in front of her, exchanging her “I do’s” and her eyes were even shining when he put their wedding ring on her finger.
Then he was tugging her down the aisle, laughing her sweet laugh. And now he can really say that Gina was finally stuck with him.
He doesn’t even remember that they were taking pictures. Maybe it’s over because all of a sudden he was having a piece of cake smashed into his mouth. And Gina was laughing at him. Was he stunned during the whole ceremony? He didn’t expect that his heart had the ability to beat, he never imagined marriage all his life. It’s really true. But no, he has no regrets because he is the happiest person in the world now that he and Gina are legally married, and he promises to spend his lifetime loving her.
He returned to his presence. He saw Gina about to throw away her bouquet, and everyone is anticipating who will be able to catch the bouquet, and it was Janice, she was the one who caught the bouquet.
Now, it was his turn. He slid the yards of her ivory gown up to Gina’s equally satiny leg, then he heard laughter around him.
He stopped his task long enough to straighten and pull her to him and kissed her wantonly.
“Sweetie, I promise to be honest with you. I will cherish your seductive smiles and give you mine, share my laughter and my children. And I will be your friend, your lover, your husband. Forever.”
Speechless for once, Gina just burst into tears at what he said. “Oh Ace, it took you long enough. But I love you just the way you are. Forever.”
His mouth creased into a perfect smile, and she tipped her face to his, sealing it with a kiss.
Then he bent again and removed the dainty, lace-trimmed blue garter from above her knee. And he will really make sure that Payton gets the garter so that he and Janice will be the next to get married.
——
GINA
It’s been five years since she and Ace got married and only now have they been blessed with a child, children to be exact. In fact, she’s four months pregnant and they’re having twins. But Ace doesn’t know that yet, because she will surprise him that they will not only have one child but two. She can say that God really has his own ways. For five years, they moved from place to place for almost ten times. Five days after their wedding they flew straight to Miami because Ace was assigned there. After that he was assigned to another place, and finally by the grace of God, they are in Washington DC, just 3. 2 kilometers from CIA Headquarters. And at last, they now have a permanent residence. Ace had also become a special agent, and now he was permanently assigned to Langley, Virginia. She did not pursue her dream of becoming a designer and instead chose her other dream of becoming a writer. As what she promised to her husband that she would build a career at home, and that is what her career now, which is writing novels. She can say that marriage life is not perfect so as Ace, but he loves her more than she could have ever imagined. The tough agent who is unromantic, unflappable, and doesn’t believe in happy endings is now her very handsome and lovable husband.
As unromantic as Ace was then, he is the opposite now. Fairy tales do exist, even in modern times. He treated her like a princess and he was her prince charming. In his arms she felt safe because Ace was her protector and her knight in shining armor. Her belief about marriage came true. One LOVE, One MAN, and One MARRIAGE for a LIFETIME, because until now, Ace Roderick Soler III was still her Man.
And speaking of her husband, he was here. He finally came home after 3 days without seeing each other due to his work.
“Hi sweetie, how are you and the baby?”
“Fine.”
Ace bent down and kissed her stomach.
“Are you hungry, baby? Do you want us to eat outside?” He said, caressing the bulge of her stomach.
“Well it depends, because I’m not sure just how hungry the twins are.”
Ace’s eyes widened with what she said. “Twins?”
She nodded.
Ace gulped.
“When I went in for my check up yesterday, the doctor picked up a second heartbeat. An ultrasound confirmed it,” she bit her lip and prayed that Ace would be as happy as she was. “We’re having twins, Ace.”
She saw that Ace’s face couldn’t be painted with joy that sent her heart into overdrive even after five years of marriage. Then he dropped a lingering, sizzling greeting on her lips. “You make me the happiest man on earth, sweetie. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you more.”
“I love you so much, sweetie.”
“I love you so much more.”
She really couldn’t explain the joy she felt at that time. Ace stepped back and pressed his hands to either side of her stomach as if to cradle both children nestled inside. “I’m so happy because our child is not only one, sweetie,” he said, a corner of his mouth tugged into an irrepressible grin. “Then you’ll be doubly hungry. What do you want to eat now? Pizza? Burger?”
“Well honey pie, I’ve had this weird craving all day.”
“What is that? Apple shake? Chocolate-covered pretzels again?” Ace asked about what she craved last week.
“Nope, I want a custard apple.”
“Custard apple? Can we buy it here in States? Oh sweetie, don’t torture me with your cravings.”
“But that’s just what I want,” she grumbled.
“Are you sure about the custard apple, sweetie?”
“Yes. And lots of it.” She said while pulling his collar, drawing his head down to hers. She nibbled kisses along his jaw, up to his mouth. “Of course followed by a welcome home, a long dessert in bed with my husband.”
Ace smirked, and slid his hands to her hips. “Haha… sounds great to me, sweetie.”
THE END.
*****