Page 130 of Forbidden Desire

“Believe it,” I whisper back.

“Everything that’s happened. I never dreamed it would lead to this. For me. For Josie.”

“I love you both. Always.”

We spend the next few hours eating breakfast in bed and talking excitedly about the future. Erica plays with the sound of Mrs. Vallejos and it sounds like a melody coming from her lips. Lips that I can’t stop kissing, before we end up making love again. And again. Tender and loving. Through it all, my eyes keep catching on the sparkling ring that casts rainbow prisms across the room. This woman who wears it is my forever.

Chapter 62

Erica

One Year Later

As I sit in front of the vintage wooden vanity at the center of the room, touching up my lipstick, my mother approaches holding my veil. It’s white and delicate in her hands, the bottom of it grazing the carpeted floor of the hotel room, the embroidered beaded flowers catching the light as it moves. I give her a smile through the mirror, placing my lipstick on the table.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” she says softly, her voice catching in her throat.

“Thanks, Mom,” I say.

I feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude for this moment, a rare one with her. Our relationship hasn’t always been easy, mostly due to my father and her need to stand by him in all of his decisions and cold mood swings toward his children growing up. But here with my mother, I can feel all of the love and endearment radiating from her on this special day. My wedding day.

I can’t believe the day is here. After months of planning, I finally get to marry Marco. I would have married him the day he proposed, but he insisted on waiting a little while, so Josie could get used to him growing into our family. He also insisted on giving me ample time to plan, saying he wanted it to be everything I wanted.

I only lasted a few months, insisting I didn’t care about a perfect wedding. I just wanted to marry him. My wedding was something I never really dreamed about, neither was becoming a mother. Yet now I have a two-year-old daughter and I’m in the back room of a church putting on the finishing touches before walking down the aisle. It’s funny how life changes so quickly. HowIchanged.

We chose a church in the heart of Manhattan, the city that’s close to our hearts. The city we met. The city that’s home. We decidedly unanimously on a church that stood out from the bustling, modern city around it, standing tall in its stone and stained glass and surrounded by trees. I fell in love as soon as I saw it. Marco, too.

The rest came easy, choosing white roses and peonies to line the pews, while letting the architecture of the church to tell its story.I smell the flowers now as my bouquet sits on the tabletop of the vanity. I touch the flowers softly, feeling the velvety petals between my fingers as I breathe them in.

“Mama,” says Josie excitedly as she walks through the door.

I turn in my chair to face her, my heart exploding when I see her running toward me in her white dress and flower crown. I hold out my hands and scoop her up right as she gets to me.

“How’s my flower girl?” I ask, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

“Mama a princess!” she exclaims, touching my hair that drapes over my shoulders in loose waves.

“So are you!”

“There you are!” says Beth, coming through the door, followed by Sadie and then Monica.

The three of them look beautiful in their silk, blush bridesmaid dresses. I smile as I picture them being the three fairies doting on the young princess that’s my daughter.

“Thanks for looking after her,” I say.

“Oh, Erica,” says Beth, her hands raised to her mouth. “You look beautiful.”

I can tell by the sound of her voice that she’s on the verge of crying.

“Stand up, stand up,” says Monica excitedly.

I do as she says, gently placing Josie on the floor. I grip her hand as we both do a slow turn.

“You make the most beautiful bride,” says Sadie, and I’m surprised by the tears welling in her eyes.

“Thanks for being here on my big day,” I say.

“We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” says Beth.

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