“I know it’s stupid for me to say this, especially on your wedding day, but mom would be proud of you. She’s probably looking down right now, thinking about how happy she is with how you turned out. Proud of the woman that you’ve become and how you made a name for yourself. She would have been proud to see that you don’t need a man to define you, and how you can hold her head up and get through anything. She would have been happy that you found someone that will give you the world and treat you in the way that you deserve. If she were still here, she would probably be telling you that you need to get dressed because she wants to see your wedding now. She would have been so lucky to meet the woman that you are, I know I am. I’m lucky to call myself your brother.”
It’s a good thing that I’m not wearing any makeup right now, because the tears that are currently rolling down my cheeks would have ruined it.
“You’re not supposed to be making me cry so early in the day.” I wipe my tears away through a laugh.
“If it wasn’t me, then who?” He gives me a smile and hold up his arms for me.
I walk into his embrace and hug him as tightly as I could.
“She would have been proud of you too, you know. She would have loved Serena and would have been so excited that you were making her an abuela.”
Serena and Leo announced almost six months ago that they were having a baby. They wanted everything that happened with Emilio to die down, before they said anything. And when they did me and Camila freaked out and started spoiling the baby right away. Now he’s due to arrive in the world any day now, and I can’t wait to meet him.
“Yeah, now I just hope that I don’t mess him up, like Ronaldo did to me.” He grumbles as his hold on me loosens.
“You won’t. You will be a great father, just look at me and Camila, we turned out okay and you helped raise us.”
He did teach us how to properly shoot someone between the eyes, but hey that could be valuable information someday.
“I guess you’re right.” He knows that I’m right. “You think that you can handle him twenty-four/seven? I can show you a few things you can do when he gets annoying. Because he might be a broody motherfucker but he’s like a parrot that doesn’t shut up.”
I laugh, because that’s absolutely true. Santos can be very talkative when he is not carrying anything over his head.
“I think I got it covered. I’ve been handling his mood swings since I was sixteen after all.”
My phone beeps, keeping me from saying anything else.
I pull it out and see that It’s Camila.
CAMILA : Um excuse me! Why aren’t you in the room, getting dressed? Don’t make me spring the pregnant woman on you!
I laugh. Serena’s been a bitch these last couple of days, and it’s definitely a little scary. No need to make her angrier than what she already is.
“Looks like my makeup artist has arrived and is looking for me.”
Leo nods and he walks me back to my room.
We are having the wedding at the compound that Leo bought for Serena a few months back. He said that they needed more space than their loft, so he decided it was time for them to upgrade.
The house is just outside of Austin and is surrounded by security. With everything that is going on with my father, there has to be.
Leo and Santos are still very much involved in everything Muertos, but Santos told me that things might be changing soon. Whatever that means is beyond me. I don’t want to know until it’s absolutely necessary.
My brother walks me to my room and greets Camila quickly before he is off, and we get to work on getting ready.
Soon my makeup is ready and so is my hair and I’m stepping into my dress.
The same dress that Santos said was beautiful when he came to my studio that one night many months ago.
The same dress that I’ve been working on since he told me he wanted to propose.
With my makeup done, no hair out of place and Santiago's ring on my finger, I’m ready to walk down the aisle.
It's not long before everyone is ready, and we are only seconds away from starting the ceremony.
As everyone lines up and Leo takes the space next to me, my mind wanders to my last wedding ceremony.
That was one of the most dreadful days of my life. I hated everything about that day. What I hated most was the man that I was walking towards.