Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! :) Please ignore any mistakes in the Italian spoken in this chapter/chapters to come. I relied mostly on websites for correct translation and am not sure of how accurate they are, lol. #HuluBringBackUglyBetty
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Betty and Daniel's wedding was something only seen in fairytales or in the movies – beautiful scenery and floral decor, gorgeous designer attire, and the people they were closest to all there to share in it. Even Wilhelmina and Conner were in attendance. They were much better friends while not engaging in competition.
Marc officiated the private ceremony in his own endearing way, and Hilda and Alexis stood up for them. Rosalina, as their flower girl, sprinkled multi-colored rose petals down the aisle. And William, as the ring bearer, presented them with platinum bands – Betty's, a diamond one. Both of them had the inscription 'Our love surpasses time'.
The newlyweds honeymooned for a week in Paris, and had just come back to the vacation house in Capri for a week there. Daniel's mother had given them the 2-story, 3-bedroom, 3,000 sqft. home as a wedding present. It was the best present they could receive. They could come back and stay whenever they wanted. It would be a chance to relive the past and make new memories as well.
"I can't believe this view!" Betty exclaimed, overwhelmed with excitement.
"You wanna take a walk before lunch?" Daniel asked.
"I don't think we have time. It takes almost five hours to get to Rome from here. Let me get my tour book – I wrote down all the places we wanted to go and have maps for everything. If we take the boat and then the train to go see the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum now, then we can eat lunch at Antonio's and make it back in time to do some shopping. We can stay overnight at a hotel in Rome and do the rest of the site-seeing tomorrow and possibly the next day. Then on our way back here, we can see the Blue Grotto," she said, looking through her black Coach butterfly bag that matched the keychain Daniel had given her. It was one of many wedding gifts he had gotten her. "I already packed your overnight bag and made sure to put in your Ipad, charger, outlet converters, and the Chromecast in case we want to watch a movie or something at the hotel tonight. Oh – and I threw in your lucky boxers, a couple of the new shirts you got in Paris, and your Dramamine for the boat. Should I go ahead and book a hotel now? The best ones could be full by tonight."
"Betty, you know how much I love your organizational skills at work. But can you relax a little?" he asked. "We just spent a whole week in Paris following your strict itinerary in order to fit it all in. You even scheduled when I was allowed to pee!"
"Babe, I was just trying to make sure we could see as much as possible. Who knows when we'll have time to make it back here again?" she excused.
"We can go here anytime we want! That's the beauty of Mom giving us this place. Paris isn't far from here at all," he argued.
"True," she agreed.
"So. Since you got to run the Paris trip, why don't you let me run the one in Italy?" he proposed.
"I don't know, Daniel. There are so many things that we both want to see and do. How are we going to fit them all in if we use your spontaneous, do whatever-whenever method?" she disputed.
"We're not. But if you stop being so anal for two seconds, we'll sure as hell have a lot more fun!" he maintained.
"Oh, is that how you feel? That I'm anal retentive? That our week in Paris wasn't fun?! That spending time with me isn't fun?!" she snapped.
"No – baby, that's not what I meant!" Daniel insisted. "I just want to be able to not think about schedules and maps. I want to take a walk and see where it leads . . . try out a restaurant before checking out its credentials online . . . have sex when I feel like it instead of between 6am-7am or 10pm-11pm. This is our honeymoon for christ's sake – not a freakin' business trip!"
"Fine! Screw the maps! We'll go for a damn walk and spend hours aimlessly searching for our destination! I can be flexible!" Betty maintained as she flung the maps and her book down, grabbed her purse, and stormed out the door.
"Betty! Wait!" Daniel called, following her. "Damn, you walk fast for someone so short!"
"You're not exactly LeBron James, either! Stop following me, Meade! I'm fine on my own," she insisted after he caught up to her.
Daniel rolled his eyes.
"No, you're not fine! You can't just wander around the streets of a foreign country by yourself!" he argued.
"Why the hell not? I did it six years ago!" she retorted.
"Betty!" he objected.
"I'm just stating a fact," she excused, slightly regretful of her comment, but continued to walk at a fast pace until he stopped her.
Daniel softened, rubbing his hands along her upper arms and looking at her with his blue, puppy dog eyes.
"Baby, I don't want to fight, okay? This is stupid! This is supposed to be the best time of our lives – not World War 3 . . . Look at these," he took both of her hands in his. "You see these rings? They're not just for fashion. They mean something. They mean that we promised to be together no matter what. They mean that we're allowed to be happy – we should be happy right now, because we won't always be happy."
"That's comforting," she sarcastically rolled her eyes.
"Betty, you know what I mean," Daniel scolded his wife. "Marriage is tough – but I don't care. I know you and I can get through anything if we're together. We actually have so far. Not all couples can say that. But we've been a team for years. Not everything will be perfect all the time - and that's life. I can promise you that just like right now, we'll argue from time to time because I'm me and you're you. But there's no one else I'd rather fight with or make up with than you. There's no one else that I'd rather spend all the good times with either. You're my wife, Betty. Do have any idea how incredible that is? How long I've dreamed for this to happen? So, truce? Because I'd really like to get to the making up part."
Betty pondered his proposition for a moment. How dare Daniel call her anal retentive or accuse her of not being fun simply because she was being logical! It was impractical not to plan their trip. But as she looked at her new husband's irresistible face and contemplated his words, she realized there would be disagreements she would need to compromise on. Fighting on their honeymoon wasn't any way to start out a marriage – a marriage Daniel clearly had dreamt about even longer than she had. And it was a ridiculous fight anyway. Why not let him have some random time to enjoy the scenery in Capri without any rush? As long as she could still get to some of the sites she wanted to see later in the week, they could always come back. He was right – they now had a home here.
"Truce . . . Since we're already out here, we can do it your way today," she conceded, kissing him long and softly.
"You sure? Because we could go back to the house and spend some time making up before going to Rome?" he offered, teasing her seductively with his lips.
Betty reciprocated, getting lost in the moment. She was so lucky to have her best friend as her husband. He wasn't perfect – he wasn't the Adonis all the women fawned over. He was so much more. He was human. He was quirky and flawed, but those qualities made him even more endearing. It also didn't hurt that he was gorgeous, smart, loving, and kind . . . She could go on for days – he was an amazing man and he had chosen her. Even after all those years, he still had chosen her.
"Mmmm . . . Babe, as tempting as that sounds – and believe me, it's tempting - we'll have plenty of time for making up later. We're already almost to downtown," she reluctantly pointed out, placing her hands on his chest.
"I guess you're right . . . You mentioned shopping - there are a bunch of little shops in the village not too far from here. I know it's not high-end couture, but I promise we'll go to those stores later on this week," he said as they began to walk hand-in-hand.
"Okay," she said. "I might be able to get some costume jewelry or some other souvenirs there."
"Good. And there are some restaurants close by when we're done. I really like this one called Buca di Bacco. I ate there a lot when I stayed here after London. You can see a great view the Marina Grande from a window seat there," he described.
"Sounds really romantic . . . I hate that you had to go there alone," she replied as she leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling guilty.
"Don't start blaming yourself again, baby. I didn't bring it up to make you feel bad. I just wanted to take you there for the food and the atmosphere," Daniel explained.
Betty nodded timidly.
"We're not allowed to blame ourselves for what happened in the past, okay?" he told her.
"Okay," she reluctantly agreed.
Daniel's lips barely brushed against hers when a twin boy and girl who couldn't have been more than five or six bumped into them.
"Scusi! Scusi, Signore! How about a scarf for your belle signorina?" the boy asked.
"Or these?" the girl offered a pair of earrings.
Daniel chuckled at how adorable they were and looked at Betty. She smiled back at him.
"Quanto?" he asked.
"Cinquanta," the boy answered.
"Vinti," Betty bargained. It was a good thing she had tried to learn a little Italian and French before their trip.
"Per favore! My brother and I need things for school," the girl begged.
"Dov'e genitori?" Daniel inquired.
"Orfani," the girl answered.
"Isa! Silenzo!" the boy scolded his sister.
"Oh, Daniel . . ." Betty's heart melted when she realized these poor children had no family and were having to work for basic needs.
"Dov'e tu casa?" Daniel asked.
"Orfanotrofio Violetta," Isa answered.
"Cento," he handed the money to the boy.
"No-no. No grazie!" Isa politely refused. "Nicky, it's too much!"
"Silenzo!" the boy told his sister.
"Take it. We want to help you and your friends," Betty insisted.
"Grazie tante! Sei molto gentile!" Isa told them.
"Si. Grazie!" Nicky said. "Thank you very much!"
"Lo sono Daniel," Daniel introduced himself. "And this is mia moglie, Betty."
Betty blushed. She was still getting used to being called someone's wife. And the fact that she was Daniel's made it even better.
"Buon giorno," Betty greeted them.
"Buon giorno. Lo sono Isabella. Questo e mio fratello," the girl replied and nudged her brother.
"Lo sono Nicholas," he told them.
"Nicky, give it back," his sister nudged him again.
"Here is your wallet," the boy timidly confessed his crime to Daniel, reluctantly pulling it out of his pocket. "Scusi. Colpa mia."
Daniel's eyes widened and he looked like he was going to lash out at the child when Betty placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
"Grazie for your honesty, Nicholas. That was buon coraggiosa. I'm sure you won't do that again – to anyone?" Betty delicately scolded the boy.
"No – no, Signora Betty, Signore Daniel. Scusi," Nicky promised.
"Good. Why don't we take you home. I'm sure your supervisor is worried about you," Daniel suggested.
"No she's not," Nicky told him.
"Signora Mary is the one who sent us here. We all have to raise money for the orfanotrofio," Isa explained.
"You speak English very well. Do you and the other children have to do this often?" Betty asked.
"Si. When we were old enough to speak we were taught Italian and English. That way we can . . . how you say . . . bargain with more tourists," Nicky explained.
"Isn't it dangerous for kids your age to be out here alone talking to strangers?" Daniel asked, concerned.
"We're okay," Isa insisted. "The older kids, over there, look out for us."
Daniel and Betty saw two teenagers across the street selling bottled water and soda. They appeared to be around sixteen years old.
"I still don't like it," Daniel maintained. "We're taking you back before something happens to you."
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After Betty and Daniel had taken the children back to the orphanage, Daniel gave the headmistress more money to support the rest of the children. They ended up spending the rest of the day with all of the children. It made the couple feel better, but something still didn't feel right.
"Betty? You awake?" Daniel asked in the middle of the night.
"Unfortunately," she answered. "What is it?"
"I'm going to start a charity for that orphanage. Having kids that young go around asking strangers for money is too dangerous these days. None of them have any adults watching them."
"That's a wonderful idea, Daniel," she told her husband. "I love how concerned you are about these children. I married a good man."
"I'm just as concerned as anyone should be, Betty," he said, modestly. "Those kids stole my heart. They'd steal anyone who had a heart."
"I know . . . especially Isabella and Nicholas," she agreed. "Nicky could be a basketball player. Did you see the way he was dribbling that ball you and the boys were playing with?"
"If only basketball was popular in Italy . . . Did you hear him reciting Star Wars lines word for word? And Bella's such a little dancer," he smiled.
"Or a singer," Betty smiled back. "She was belting out those American songs like she was on 'The Voice'."
"She was . . . And she's so smart! She already knows her times tables and how to read in both languages. Reminds me of a little you," he marveled.
Betty smiled, shyly.
"Baby? I know you wanted to go to Rome tomorrow morning, but could we stop by the orphanage first?" Daniel timidly asked.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Betty wondered.
"I hope so . . . Betty, I want to adopt them," he revealed.
"Really?! You mean it?!" Betty squealed and attacked her husband with a hug.
"Yeah. I mean, I know we just got married and we're supposed to be having time to ourselves and everything . . . but these kids need us now. I wish we could adopt them all, but adopting the twins and developing a charity would be a start. Hopefully we can raise awareness of the children who are in need of permanent homes and families."
"I knew there was a reason why I love you so much – you have such a big heart," she lovingly kissed him. "So I guess we're starting our family a little earlier than we expected?"
"I guess so," Daniel smiled. "Is that okay? I'm serious, Betty. This is a big decision and on top of raising two 5 year-olds, I'm sure there'll be a ton of paperwork and legal hassle even to be able to make it happen -"
"Daniel, I want this as much as you do. I don't care what it takes if we can give Nicholas and Isabella the family they deserve," she assured him. "It breaks my heart that both of their parents were killed in a crash when they were only six months old."
"Me too," he said. "You know, I don't remember a whole lot of good times with my parents, but at least I had them. They didn't physically abuse me and they gave me a roof over my head, a college education, and all the food and luxuries I could imagine. They certainly weren't perfect and I fought with them constantly, but compared to these kids I had it made and then some. It makes me grateful for what they gave me."
"I know . . . it makes me want to take back any time I ever fought with Papi or Mami. They worked really hard to give Hilda and me everything they could." Betty sighed. "We should call our parents tomorrow."
Daniel nodded in agreement.
"Betty, I want to give these children what we had when we were growing up. With my family's wealth and your family's unconditional love . . . they'd have the best of both worlds," Daniel told her.
"Daniel, you know your dad loved you, right?" Betty assured him.
"Right," he scoffed.
"He might not have shown it very often, but he honestly did," she insisted.
"How would you know?" he countered, somewhat annoyed.
"He asked me to look after you, Daniel – right before he died," she revealed.
"Really?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess maybe I thought that if you knew, you'd think I only came back to work out of obligation or because your dad's ghost kept haunting me until I did . . . But I realized that not only did I want to be there for you, but that you were right. That job was helping me to grow as a person."
Daniel took her in his arms and held her tight.
"You being there helped me grow, too," he said. "I guess my dad knew what he was doing by hiring you . . . But he was definitely wrong about me not wanting to sleep with you!"
"Daniel, I wasn't your assistant then," Betty reminded him.
"No, but you still worked for me," he pointed out. "I remember the last time we had this discussion . . . You were wearing that navy dress with the flowers on it . . . If Lexy hadn't interrupted us, who knows what would've happened."
"Daniel, I thought you didn't realize you had feelings for me until I told you I was leaving?" she questioned, confused.
"That didn't mean I didn't recognize a sexy woman when I saw her," he maintained. "You've always been beautiful, Betty. And the more I knew you, the more attractive you became - both outside and in."
Betty blushed and snuggled into him.
"I still can't believe we made it here," Betty marveled.
"To Italy?" he assumed.
"No. Us – married," she clarified.
"We're gonna be a family," he smiled and kissed her temple.
"That, too," she added, turning to capture his lips.
"I'm sorry about this morning," he apologized.
"No, I'm sorry, Daniel. If we'd stuck to my schedule, we'd never have met those children. But I'm also sorry for wanting to control everything," Betty admitted.
"You've always been more practical than I am. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. Permission to make up – even though it's not within the scheduled time?" Daniel teased.
"Permission granted," she grinned, toying with the band on his boxers as her lips made their way from his pectorals down to his abs. "Although, there's no way we'd be up between 6am and 7am anyway, so technically . . ."
"Betty," Daniel warned by attacking her in a tickle fight.
"Daniel, stop! Stop!" she giggled and struggled to break free of his grip. "Let me go!"
"Never," Daniel flirted.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Promise," he vowed and proceeded to make love to his wife.