Page 97 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

It had been four weeks since Elias had told her that he would love her for ever. Four weeks of drama. Because when Sebastián had heard she was engaged to marry he’d been all set to board the next flight...

Anna had talked him down.

Alejandro had been stuck at home with the lawyers, battling Maria, but Emily and little Josefa had come out early, the week before the wedding, and helped get things ready.

Their wedding was to take place on the ranch, but with such a rushed event the numbers were still a little up in the air, and even on the day of their wedding there were still responses to come.

‘She hasn’t even responded,’ Carmen had said, when Elias’s assistant had confirmed last week that Maria had failed to RSVP. ‘It was such short notice, though. Knowing Maria, she might just turn up at the last minute and surprise everyone...’

Then her voice had faded. She doubted she’d come, but was still hoping she might...

‘It’s fine,’ Elias had said. ‘There’s plenty of room if she does come.’

‘In the attic!’ Carmen had snapped, though the barb hadn’t been aimed at him.

‘No, I’ve kept one of the guest suites for your mother. She’s always welcome in our home...’

He accepted that Carmen loved her, even if it could never, ever work out.

‘Guess whohasresponded?’ Elias had gone on. ‘Seraphina and Vincent can’t come.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame...’

‘They’re off on a babymoon—whatever that means. It was booked as soon as they found out they were expecting, apparently.’

‘Oh, well...’ Carmen had said, and then had turned away so he wouldn’t see her sudden blush.

‘Whatisa babymoon?’ Elias had asked.

‘A holiday before the baby comes...’

And now their not very long-awaited wedding day was here.

Carmen sat in a robe, her black hair slicked back into a low bun. Though Emily had tried, Carmen took over and tied a large red silk rose to the base of the bun, so it sat at the side.

‘Ready for the dress?’ Emily asked.

‘One moment,’ Carmen said, and slipped into the en suite bathroom.

As she turned the lock she stood for a moment, looking at one of the drawers and knowing what she’d hidden there. She’d bought the pregnancy testing kit yesterday, and had been telling herself to wait until tonight, or tomorrow, or...

Except she had no patience!

Carmen stood there, hearing Willow laughing and little Josefa singing, and her sisters-in-law chatting in the bedroom as she watched the lines appear and found out that she was to be a mother.

There was no fear, nor any worry as to what Elias would say.

Their love might be new, but it was by far too certain for her to worry about that.

Just for a moment, as she found out she was to be a mother, she wished she had her own mother to share it with. But then the string quartet started playing, and she peered out of the window to see the gathering congregation.

Carmen knew that she had a village to support her...

More than that, soon she would have a family of her own.

Both Sebastián and Alejandro walked her towards Elias. The brothers who had argued with her, parented her, loved and supported her and would never let the miles separate them from her took her arms and walked her down the aisle to the delicious strains of the quartet.

There were so many smiling faces in the congregation, but they were all a bit blurry for Carmen.

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