Page 108 of Cloud Storm

He’s branding me with a different kind of kiss.

The first kiss between husband and wife.

His aunt Loretta is the first to come to congratulate us, and with tears of joy she tells us how happy she is for both of us.

And wait until she finds out that she’s going to be a grandmother, Loretta is going to dance for joy.

“Is this what you dreamed of?” he asks while hugging me, surrounded by the excitement of the celebration.

“I never, ever dared to wish for so much.” That’s the truth, however sad it may seem.

“Are you happy?” he asks with bright, knowing eyes.

“You make me happy, Lancelot. Every single day you make me deliriously happy,” I say before kissing him again.

When I was a child, my mother reprimanded me for wanting more, for wanting to fly high like birds, for being different.

For wanting to be free like the wind, for defying the rules.

I have worked hard for a happy life, and I’ve wanted for a lot, yes. But I have also fought for my dreams.

I no longer live fearing the storm, much less the bad times. My safe haven is here, close to him. Dreaming and believing.

There’s a lot waiting for us when we officially begin our lives together, a whole new world to explore. The path ahead of us is open, never-ending, like the sky. I’m sure there will be difficult times, but if we’re together, all will be just fine.

I never gave up before, and I never will. There’s so much will power inside this stubborn woman who dared fate. I’ve found my pot at the end of the rainbow, floating in a cloud. But it isn’t full of gold, it’s full of love.

“I love you, Suit.”

Epilogue

“I think it’s all set,” says Lancelot, adjusting the last screw.

No, he’s not adjusting the loose wires that I probably have in my head.

We’re preparing for our first child in a few weeks. A little boy we’ve already named Arthur. Like the mythical king, the man who fell in love with those letters written daily in emails.

We’ve put a lot of work into this room. Between the two of us, we’ve painted a medieval story on the walls, with a blue sky, castles, knights riding horseback, and even a dragon.

Everything looks so beautiful, there’s so much love in this room.

So much happiness and expectation.

And yes, I got the chance to drool over my husband and his tools. After all, he really knows how to use them.

All of them.

“Your brothers could have come and given a hand to get this thing ready,” he grumbles.

I don’t believe his complaints for a second, since my husband has been more than happy to be involved in all the preparations for the arrival of the new member of our small family.

He talks to my tummy every night while we’re in bed. He’s made complicated origami figurines to decorate the shelves in Arthur’s room. He hasn’t missed a doctor’s appointment. He was there with me while I puked my guts out every morning for the first few months.

He has made midnight runs to the store to pick up supplies to feed my crazy cravings and navigated my mood swings with patience I could only dream of.

My brothers are also crazy about the impending addition to the family and in a short while they’ll come to visit us and hold their first nephew in their arms. It’s been somewhat complicated getting to know them again after so many years. We even attempted to see our parents, but it was in vain. They refused to see us, they wouldn’t open the big gates of The Villa for us, they just left us standing there for hours. It’s their loss and at least we tried to build bridges.

I’ve had to work hard to forgive those who gave us life, especially since my brothers told me about the abuse they suffered after they helped me run away. My father was very angry with them, and mistreated them very cruelly, until Joshua managed to arrange for them to escape to a safe place.

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