A/N:

This chapter took me a lot longer than intended, but I was really encouraged by your positive responses, and I really needed to take the time to get all the details right. I wrote it in such a way so that it would answer your questions. I hope you enjoy.

Epilogue

Tomorrow was the day before Thanksgiving and her in-laws were arriving early this the evening. While Ana was looking forward to the family gathering, the holiday had always been rather bittersweet. Back in Cuba, her family celebrated Turkey Day while her mother was still alive, but then after her passing, the Holiday was never acknowledged again. As the years passed, it became a distant memory in Ana's head, until now, that is.

As Ana tried to settle down to sleep, memories of her mother during her last Thanksgiving played in her head. To add another layer of complication, her father's death was still so raw and whirling around her heart. With a long sigh, she looked over at her husband resting beside her in bed. The soft breathing told her Christian had already fallen asleep. She stared at him in wonder. He loved her, she thought. Yes! And that seemed like a small miracle in itself.

Resting her head against Christian's chest, Ana closed her eyes, her lips curving into a half-smile. Even though she didn't have any confirmation yet, she could almost feel their tiny baby nestled in her womb. Placing one hand over her stomach, she wondered if she might be carrying a boy or a girl. And while she knew it was possible to find out the sex of the child before it was born, she wanted to be surprised. She couldn't wait to ask Christian what he wanted but didn't want to have that conversation until they knew for sure.

Thoughts about the past and future kept circling in her head, insisting on becoming part of the present. Coming to grips with everything that had happened just in the last couple of weeks alone had been overwhelming. Her father's funeral and the reading of his Last Will and Testament. Sylvia's spiteful words when she'd learned that Ray had left her absolutely nothing, not even the mansion where she lived she could claim as hers. The shocking revelation had sucked the air out of the room. Ray had cut Sylvia out of his will when they divorced a couple of years ago, and never reinstated her.

Indeed, even though Ray and Sylvia had reconciled, they'd never remarried so technically, Sylvia had little to no chance of winning her motion to challenge the will. During the reading, Ana felt as though she was having an out- of- body experience. She stopped breathing when she learned that her father had left her as the sole owner of Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP) the company he'd built from the ground up. Aside from SIP, his will stipulated that his assets were to be divided equally between Ana and Chloe, except Chloe's portion was locked in a trust fund that could not be accessed until the child turned eighteen.

Predictably, Sylvia had been up in arms. Ana couldn't believe the woman. She'd been well aware that Ray had a congenital heart condition, and that his doctor had recently warned him about avoiding major life stressors. Every time she thought about that woman, Ana felt her anger rising; obviously, she'd taken advantage of his weakness to rule the day. She was manipulative and destructive; she had a long history of using her daughter as a weapon to get her way. According to the lawyer, she'd deliberately denied Ray visitation with Chloe during the two years following their divorce. Ray felt the only way he could continue being part of Chloe's life was to reconcile with her mother.

It all made sense now, the way her father had let Sylvia boss him around. It broke her heart, her dad had been in an awful predicament, especially considering his health condition. If only she'd known about his heart condition, Ana thought mournfully, she would have behaved differently toward him.

A glance over at the alarm clock on his nightstand told her husband had been sleeping for two hours while she lay awake thinking. Usually, during the day, she managed to keep ruminating thoughts at bay but at night it was a different matter altogether. Dios mio, she had to stop doing this to herself. She needed to stop dwelling on the injustice of it all; it would only lead to compounding bitterness.

"Count your blessings, mija," she heard her grandmother's voice as clear as bell and smiled at the gentle nudge in the right direction. A positive attitude had allowed Mami to survive the deaths of her husband, daughter, and her newborn grandbaby. Growing up, the matriarch been Ana's primary role model, her moral compass. She'd remained in that role throughout her adolescent years, even while most of her friends had looked up to rock stars and other celebrities.

Beside her, Christian stirred a little, and she smiled sweetly as she reached to smooth back that stubborn lock of hair of his. Christian's lips curved in a smile at her tender touch, a sweet reminder to focus on everything she'd gained. Every day he showed her how much he treasured her, he was always there lending a listening ear. Yes, she needed to bring her focus back to hope for the future, her future with Christian.

...

The next morning

While Christian showered, Ana found herself poking her head in the guest room closest to the master, the one Christian had used before. Her eyes surveyed it as though she was looking at it for the first time. Leaning against the doorway, she looked around. It was a nice-sized room, with a smaller closet than the master's, but there was still plenty of room for baby furniture. She could almost visualize the crib situated along one wall. She smiled thinking that the wall which was painted bright yellow would suit either gender just fine.

Her thoughts shifted to baby Liliana. Oh, how she missed her sweet baby scent. Although the idea of becoming a mother still made her nervous, it no longer utterly terrified her. She shook her head slightly, it all seemed like a lifetime ago now. Secure in the knowledge that her marriage to Christian was real, made a world of difference. Her baby would be loved and wanted by both of his parents. He or she would never have to go through what she went through born to parents completely clueless and unprepared. Even though no one had directly said the words, the truth was, her birth had ruined her mother's life.

….

Just as she started making coffee, Christian stepped around the corner and put his arms around her waist.

She turned around, reached up, and threaded her fingers in his hair. "Good morning."

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured pulling her close. She truly looked particularly radiant this morning. "That coffee smells so good," he clicked his tongue, cocking his head just so. "It looks like you broke the rules this morning , didn't you?"

She hummed softly in her throat. "Hmm?"

"Remember, the kitchen is my domain now."

"Right, right, "Ana giggled merrily. Ever since she'd returned home from the hospital, Christian has been cooking all their meals and/or insisted on getting take out, with the excuse that she was still recovering. This morning was the first time she'd managed to beat him into the kitchen early enough to fix breakfast before he did. For the first time in her life, she was being pampered, and frankly, she was finding that she could really get used to this.

"What will your mother think of this arrangement of ours?" Now it was her turn to click her tongue. "I tell you what she's going to think, she's going to think I'm a bad wife."

Christian was a bit amused by her tone, his lips curving into the tiniest of smiles.

"My mother is not THAT traditional, you know. She raised me to be independent, he studied her for a moment. "I know you're nervous, it's only natural. Honestly, you got absolutely nothing to worry about...she's going to love you, sweetheart, I promise you," he murmured, pecking her lips, enjoying the softness of her body. How he wished they had more time alone together before the madness of Thanksgiving descended upon them.

"I hope she will," she replied wistfully.

"I know she will," he smiled confidently. "My father will too you'll see..."

….

Later that morning, the went up to the attic to bring down the Holiday decorations.

The attic had tile floors and several low to the ground white cupboards. The slanted walls had three square windows which brought natural light into the room.

Three scrapbooks lined up the top shelf: one of them was filled with newspaper clippings, another one with family photographs and special events, and the last one was simply titled: Thanksgiving.

"What are these?" Ana asked. The Thanksgiving scrapbook contained a stash of greeting cards from Grace & Carrick, some were addressed to Christian and some to Mia.

Christian went through the stash addressed to him, one for every year of his life until he turned 18. He decided to read out loud the handwritten message inside one of the cards, the one labeled Our First Thanksgiving:

I got you when you were four years old.

You are precious to me in every way

You are the one I chose

I love you more each day.

Love mom

He then skipped ahead to read a touching message from Carrick:

Dear son:

Today is your eighteenth birthday. This Thanksgiving I'm willing to extend you an olive branch. I know we've had our differences, but can we please put the past behind us?

You and your sister have blessed my life in more ways than I can count, you have made our lives complete.

Did you know that in the Roman ancient culture, people often discarded their biological children? However, when a child was adopted into a family, he or she became an heir and their parent is forever committed to you.

The day that you came into our lives and we adopted you, your mother and I made the same type of commitment. Our commitment is for life, no matter what, we will always be here for you, Christian. We love you,

Your dad

Christian blinked as it all came to him. That Thanksgiving he made other last-minute plans. His folks had been waiting for him to come home, but he'd never showed, and so he'd never read the card until now.

"Oh, Christian...Those are beautiful messages," Ana murmured, eyes welled with unshed tears. As she reached in the cupboard for another scrapbook, she reached a box full of knickknacks. "What's this?" She said pulling out of the box a homemade craft, a pine cone turkey with orange felt feathers, a felt brown face and a bright orange beak.

Christian held it in his hand, his lips curving into a small smile. "I was in first grade when I made this at school, he paused, the memories rushing in. "His name is Arthur," he grinned. That Thanksgiving, he'd felt proud to have his handcrafted turkey as the main centerpiece at their dinner table. He shook his head in amusement. " Arthur decorated our table for many years," he went on, examining its shaky stick legs, "until it got banished into retirement. I must have been fourteen or fifteen then," his smile suddenly faded as he recalled how much he'd wanted to be all grown-up. Elena had been on their guest list that evening and he'd wanted to impress her, blissfully unaware of the rift she would later create in their close-knit family.

He felt a pang of regret thinking of all the years they'd lost estranged from one another.

"May I?" Ana mumbled and he deposited Arthur into her awaiting hand. "But why didn't you want it anymore?"

"We had friends over one Thanksgiving," he shrugged. "I guess I was embarrassed by the silly bird."

"I think it's adorable," Ana smiled. "As a matter of fact, I think it's time to bring him out of retirement."

"Ana- I don't think-" He said reaching for the bird ornament.

"Well, I insist!" She replied, holding the pine cone turkey close to her chest and away from Christian.

"Ana, " his brows arched in surprise.

"Yeah. So what are you gonna do about it, Mr. Grey?" She teased and he grinned back in response.

He scooted closer and she slid away from him.

"Oh, c'mon, Ana," he rolled his eyes. "Just give me the thing. It's pathetic, obviously, it's seen better days."

"Christian! How can you say such a thing? Poor Arthur!" She said earnestly and he let out a chuckle.

"Okay, fine, if it means so much to you."

"Yeah," Ana mumbled, bringing the bird closer for inspection. "Look at him. He's part of our family tradition. I can't think of a better way for us to start our lives together. One day, maybe Arthur will have a family of his own too."

Christian cocked his head. "Really?"

"Our kids. I can picture them one day wanting to make their own pine cone turkeys and keep Arthur company. Don't you?"

Smiling, Christian pulled Ana into his arms. "I can...I can picture it as though it was happening right now," he said kissing her lips. "Speaking of kids. Tell me again why we're waiting until tomorrow to take the test? I say, let's do it now."

Ana sighed deeply. While part of her wanted to take the test pronto, there was this other part that was nervous about it and wanted to delay it as much as possible. He pulled away in time to see the hesitation in her eyes.

"Ana, I'm with you, no matter what," he began in a reassuring tone. This was not the first time they were discussing this but he wanted to reassure her in case she still had any doubts. "I love you...and I will love any child of ours with all my heart...whether it's tomorrow or a year or two from now. It doesn't matter to me," he paused, his eyes filled with a tenderness that took her breath away, "I think it will be fun and very rewarding to watch this child grow in our love."

Ana's eyes welled with tears of happiness. She threw her arms around her husband's neck and clung to him as she kissed his lips. In Christian's arms, she felt safe and cherished. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Growing up, she lived the life of the Little Orphan Annie, except that unlike the show, the happy reunion with daddy didn't materialize before the closing credits rolled in.

…

Grace and Carrick arrived from the airport later that evening. They both enveloped Ana in a warm hug beamed with joy, glad to finally meet her in person. They had Chinese take- out for dinner and the five of them ( including Mia) had a quiet evening together until it was time to call it a night. The older couple retired in the guest room that Mia had occupied before she moved out.

The following morning they had a light breakfast and got the turkey in the oven. Ana found herself enjoying the company of her in-laws; her mind occasionally fluctuating between her late period and the pregnancy test sitting in the bathroom cabinet; not necessarily in that order. In the end, they'd decided it would be best to wait the required amount of days recommended and increase the chances of accuracy in the results.

Later, even while she and Grace and Mia fluttered in the kitchen, she pondered some more on what their reaction would be if it turned out that the test was positive as she suspected. She imagined everyone would be more than thrilled. Well, maybe at first, both future grandparents would be a little shocked that it had happened so soon.

"It looks like one of us is going to need to make a last-minute trip to the store," "We don't have enough cinnamon and orange juice for the cranberry sauce," Grace announced.

Mia immediately volunteered for the grocery store run. She was out the door faster than the speed of light.

Grace wondered if she liked cranberry sauce and Ana nodded absentmindedly.

Cranberry sauce. Carla had loved having her turkey topped with cranberry sauce. She'd wished she'd had the recipe. Back in Cuba, Carla had bitterly complained that she couldn't find at the grocery all the ingredients the cranberry sauce called for. Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce, she'd mumbled between her teeth. That was one of her clearest memories of her mother.

All of a sudden, Ana felt a little woozy and unstable on her feet; instinctively, she held on to the countertop for support.

"Ana? Are you okay?" Grace asked worriedly, ushering her to the nearest seat.

"I'm okay. I was... just a little dizzy I guess."

Grace shook her head. "Ana, you're so pale," she added, calling out to Christian who was in the living room with Carrick.

...

In the living room, Christian and Carrick had settled in to watch the Turkey Day games. The TV was on during the Macy's Day Parade but neither one of them had watched. They preferred to engage in conversation, periodically checking for notifications from their cell phones. It was nice being able to relax some before the first football game which was scheduled to start around noon.

They both hurried into the kitchen when Grace called. Christian immediately rushed to his wife's side and ushered her back to rest on the couch beside him. As they made their way back to the living room, Carrick eased into the recliner chair. Snuggling up to her husband, Ana tried to ease his concern telling him she was feeling better.

Thirty minutes later, Ana was dozing off on her husband's shoulder when they heard the loud buzz of a cell phone.

Christian reached over to check the phones sitting on top of the coffee table, Ana straightened up and forced her eyes open.

"Ana, it's your phone, it's a text message," Christian said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Ana sighed before checking the message. It was from Chloe wishing her a happy Thanksgiving. She hadn't really spoken to her since her father's funeral when they fell into each other's embrace, except through text messaging. The poor thing had been beside herself. Having also lost a parent at a tender age, Ana sympathized with her at the deepest level.

"It's Chloe," she said to Christian before typing a response. Communicating through text messaging still felt foreign to her, but it was certainly the girl's preferred method of communication. And she respected that, texting certainly offered Chloe a way to keep her emotions in check. She supposed in the long run, maintaining some connection with her half-sister was better than nothing.

While Christian and Carrick continued to watch the game, she exchanged a few light-hearted texts with Chloe. The ten-year-old wanted Ana to log into the Frozen Event in the fashion game Nikki. In the past few days, Chloe had been reminding her that she needed to log into the game and do her Daily Quest. At first, Ana had inwardly resisted indulging into such a frivolous- time- waster game, but then she slowly started developing a liking for it. Although she wasn't crazy about some aspects of the game, like the pointless contests, she did like going into the free dressing room and getting her character dressed up. Soon, she found herself wanting to collect new outfits. She did her 'dailies' and was constantly told her she had earned 'most treasured' things just by mindlessly tapping her screen. The most frustrating thing was that she didn't get the dress for Anna Chloe was hoping she'd get. Nope. Unbelievingly, she spent all her diamonds and all she got were a pair of gloves, snow. a pair of brown boots, and a bunch of duplicates.

Don't lose heart, Chloe texted back. We'll try again tomorrow!

Okay, talk to you tomorrow.

Ana sighed and Christian sought her gaze. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"A lot better," she said, pleasantly surprised. "Not dizzy at all." She even stood up and walked around for a few minutes to make her point. Christian followed her every move, his attention half-focused on the game.

Moments later, Ana poked her head in the kitchen. The turkey was progressing nicely, Grace informed her.

"Glad you're feeling better, Ana," she said giving her a knowing look. Just then, Christian strolled into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Ana. "You're glowing, my dear...If I didn't know any better, I would say Mr. Stork will be paying us a visit in another nine months," She smiled widely.

Both Ana and Christian stared at her wide-eyed.

"Mom," Christian playfully scolded, and Ana blushed profusely. "We don't know yet, so, please. Don't say anything, okay? When there's something to announce, you will be the first to know, trust me."

"Ah," she groaned back, smiling. "Okay, dear, whatever you say," she went on, reaching for Ana's hands. "Ana, I just want you to know that Carrick would be absolutely thrilled to welcome our first grandchild whenever the good Lord decides, no pressure here," giving her hands a reassuring squeeze.

Ana smiled candidly, "Thank you, Mrs. Grey, for making me feel like part of the family."

"Ana," Grace playfully scolded, "please... call me mom, I would like you to think of me as your second mom."

Ana nodded. She was touched by Grace's request, although in all honesty, she didn't know whether she would be able to get used to that. The idea was a little foreign to her; she didn't know anyone who called their mother-in-law 'mom'.

"That reminds me," Ana said, "I need to call my grandma," she said even though she had mixed feelings about calling. Thanksgiving was not a Cuban holiday. Besides, mami had stopped celebrating Thanksgiving altogether after Carla's death; still, Ana knew she would love to hear from her today.

"Oh, yes, send her our best," Grace said. "Sure wish we could meet her someday."

Christian had saved Glady's number in Ana's contact list and put it on speed dial, which certainly expedited things. She couldn't deny how technology made life a lot easier. As she waited for her grandmother to answer, her mind flashed back to those days when she and mami went to their neighbor's house to make phone calls and replied to Ray's messages in code words.

"Ana, mija, como estas? Happy Thanksgiving!"

The minute Ana heard the voice of the woman that raised her, a lump formed in her throat. "Happy Thanksgiving, mami" she smiled, her gaze alternating between Christian and Grace. "Christian y su familia te mandan besos y abrazos (Christian and the entire family sends their love)."

A little while later, while Ana and Grace fluttered around in the kitchen, Mia returned from the store. By then, most of the other side dishes were ready. Both Ana and Grace suspected Mia was happy there was little for her to do at this point.

"Mia, dear, would you mind warming the dinner rolls in the oven? They only need five to ten minutes at the most," Grace said in a cheerful tone. This gathering was the answer to her prayers. After so many years of separation, this was the first time her family spent the Holiday together in unity. Plus she had a new daughter-in-law whom she already adored.

...

Blessings

"I'm so glad you two brought Arthur out of retirement," Grace smiled as they gathered around the dinner table motioning toward the centerpiece. The pine cone turkey stood proudly in the middle of a long wooden plank with two ceramic pumpkins on either side and two scented candles at the end of the piece.

The last piece of the meal to be brought to the table was the turkey. Traditionally, Carrick was in charge of the turkey itself, and he would do the cutting.

Before the meal began, everyone grasped their hands and bowed their heads and said the Lord's prayer. Then, the plan was for each person to start saying what they were grateful for this year.

Right then, the beeping of cell phone notifications disrupted this brief moment of silence. It was definitely the wrong moment to check, yet nervous and conflicted glances went around the table.

Carrick cleared his throat and started the ball rolling with a short prayer expressing his gratitude for every person in the room. He then turned to attention to his wife. "Thank you, Lord, for providing me with such an incredible partner, best friend, and wife. Next to your grace, her love is the greatest gift in my life."

Grace beamed at her husband and then turned to make eye contact with everyone. "Bear with me," she said with a wink and a smile, "for it is my intention to thank everyone individually," she glanced over at her husband. "Thank you, Carrick, for sticking with me through good times and bad, and being the best husband a woman could have. To my daughter Mia, I love you, I'm so proud of you for giving counseling a try," she stopped for a second her gaze switching from Mia to Ana and Christian. "Christian, I love you. It is with great joy that your father and I sit here today. Your phone call from the hospital meant so much to us. We are beyond thrilled that you've opened the doors for us to come back into your life. And now as you sit beside your beautiful bride, we are forever thankful that we're here to watch you grow in your love for one another," she paused to give them both a tiny wink. "It is my prayer that you will soon be blessed with a little one or two."

Ana's cheeks flushed as her gaze shifted between Christian and Grace. In response, Christian's gaze settled on his bride. In that moment, more than anything, he wished to fulfill his mother's wish and give her the grandchild she so desired.

Ana's blush intensified as she became the center of her mother-in-law's speech

, especially as the older woman struggled for a moment to contain the excitement in her voice.

"Ana, you're such a delightful young lady. I'm so grateful my son chose you as his bride. It is my hope that you feel unconditionally loved by our family today and for many years to come."

Next, it was Christian's turn. Mia stood up to briefly to check her phone. Wanting to avoid any ugly confrontations, Grace bit her tongue and turned a blind eye.

"Lord, thank you for uniting us in marriage this year," Christian began, his gaze fixed on his lovely bride, "make us one in every way, make our marriage a place of love and intimacy. Whenever one of us stumbles in sorrow, may we always offer love and reassurance and a helping hand. No matter what we achieve in our lives, we have nothing without love. I pray that we are filled with the fruit of love today and every day forevermore. Amen."

He then turned to his folks. "Mom, dad. I found these the other day in the attic." He briefly showed them two of their greeting cards and then read out loud two messages.

Hearing their son read back their own words from long ago, Carrick and Grace were both deeply touched. Halfway through his speech, Grace grabbed a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

"I wanted to say, thank you for your love and devotion. From the bottom of my heart, you're the best parents any son could ever have. Reading those cards you wrote, touched me deeply. I now I fully realize what you have given me; I was blind but now I can see," he smiled ruefully, his gaze shifting to his sister. "Mia, thanks for being here with us tonight, I love you."

Mia smiled back in response, her gaze shifting to Ana as it was her turn to speak.

"Thank you, everyone, for welcoming me into your family. Your support means so much to me," Ana said with tears in her eyes. She really wished she could say more but she was too choked up. Even though she didn't know them well, she'd seen enough to form a solid opinion; the Greys were truly wonderful people, and she felt blessed to have been openly adopted into their family with no reservations. She then turned to Christian. "Thank you, my love. I'm happy beyond words to have you in my life."

"I guess I can't top anyone's prayers," Mia joked. At this point, there was hardly a dry eye in the room; it was certainly time for some lightheartedness. "Y'all did such a fantastic job, there is hardly anything for me to say except...thanks, everyone, for your love and support this year," she concluded lifting her wine glass for a toast. "To love, health, wealth, and happiness!"

Everyone echoed the sentiment clinking glasses.

….

Their thanksgiving feast began with Carrick dispensing the turkey one person at a time. Carrick was a maestro with the knife and the turkey was his symphony, he carved the fowl with precision and delicacy. It was clear he took great pride in being the official holiday turkey slicer.

When Christian was in front of a huge meal like this one, he had a fool-proof strategy. He started with the turkey and his mom's mouth-watering gravy and the equally good stuffing. Lastly, he moved on to the side dishes. He didn't care much for cranberry sauce, but all the women in his life loved it so he expected the same from Ana. Indeed, as he turned to look at her plate, he'd discovered that she too had poured a generous serving of cranberry sauce all over the meat.

"This is absolutely delicious," she said her gaze shifting from Christian to Grace who beamed at the compliment. "The cranberry sauce and the turkey, everything is heavenly," she added graciously, feeling a bit guilty that she hadn't participated much in the meal preparation.

The conversation was lively, with Grace and Carrick retelling tales of past holidays.

"I remember being four or five years old and sitting on my hands to keep from sneaking a bite before the blessing," he grinned. "Back then it seemed like an eternity listening to everyone's prayers. That year, 1969, was the year of the moon landing. I remember, like it was yesterday, the look of wonder on everyone's faces, that's all talked about. Life was much simple back then, time seemed to move much slower," he said with a pensive expression.

"That's because everything was in black and white," Mia chimed in.

"The moon landing was such an exciting event," Carrick went on, " my siblings and I held our breaths and didn't squabble in front of the TV the entire time," he paused, "It was like that in the entire country. I don't think any other event in history has ever captured people's attention like that again."

"I wish I could remember, but I was only a baby," Grace murmured. "Although hearing Carrick talk about the moon landing always makes me nostalgic."

"Is it true that like moved at a slower pace?" Christian questioned, more a statement than a question, his gaze shifting to Ana. He thought of Cuba and how it was true that time there seemed to go much slower without gadgets and distractions. Many times, he found himself noticing the cloud formations or pausing in awe of the sunset.

After dinner, the family adjourned to the living room to watch the second half of the second game. As everyone settled in, Grace tactfully encouraged everyone to turn their cell phones off so they could have uninterrupted family time. She set her phone down on the coffee table hoping everyone would follow her example.

"I'm setting my phone on airplane mode, it won't make a beep," Christian was quick to say, refusing to part with his phone.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Carrick and Mia nodded in agreement just as Ana turned hers off and set it on the coffee table.

Dessert came in the form of a generous helping of pumpkin pie and a scoop of old fashioned vanilla ice cream.

Ana made a mental note to include a flan or other Cuban desert next year for Thanksgiving. Next year, she pondered, she wouldn't expect to be so tired...unless by then, she was caring for a newborn which of course, was a strong possibility. She smiled, imagining what it would be like sitting at their Thanksgiving table with a baby in her arms. She looked into a sea of smiling faces just like Rose, at the end of the Titanic, her gaze bright with expectation as she met Jack at the top of the grand staircase.

Ana's gaze shifted to every person in the room. She was grateful to have married into such a wonderful family. She'd been pleasantly surprised to find that Grace and Carrick were a lot nicer in person.

…

Later

After the football game was over, the group spent time together playing board games. Christian was a little surprised to learn that most of the board games like Master Mind, Trivia Pursuit and Life and were unfamiliar to Ana. Most families in Cuba played more traditional games like cards, chess, checkers or dominoes.

Ana had a great time participating in the games, she was an eager learner and fairly open-minded. Throughout the evening, Christian caught himself staring at her in awe of her grace and beauty whenever she smiled and giggled. He almost turned away in embarrassment, but not before he caught the adoration in her eyes, filling him with warmth, making him feel as though he'd suddenly grown ten feet tall.

During game time, everyone checked their phones at one time or another. Even Ana found herself checking after something someone said reminded her of Chloe. She wanted to see if her sister had messaged her again; she didn't want the child to feel lonely on a day like today. Sure enough, Chloe had messaged her. Ana messaged her back, telling her she would be going to bed soon. She put her phone down with a long sigh. In a way, text messaging took a lot longer than having a phone conversation; it had taken an hour and a half and forty-three texts to convey the same amount of information that could be easily exchanged in a short two or three-minute conversation.

Soon, Christian's folks announced they were turning in for the night. Mia left shortly after, saying she was going home. She had moved in with Ethan last week. He was now in California visiting with his family, and Mia was flying there tomorrow and planning on staying there for the weekend.

"It's time," Christian said, closing the door to the master bedroom behind him.

Ana looked into his eyes and sighed. She was just as nervous as he was as she retrieved the pregnancy test and took it out of its package.

Three minutes passed, the longest three minutes either one of them could remember.

Slowly, they watched as a pink plus sign appeared on the window.

"I can't believe it. This means...?" she trailed off, overwhelmed. The thought of a baby growing inside of her was mind-boggling; it was the miracle of life happening to her. The fact that it happened every day to millions of people all over the world didn't make it less astounding or awe-inspiring.

"Yep, it's positive, you're pregnant," Christian confirmed with a grin, pulling her close.

They fell into each other's arms and hugged for a long time.

After a few moments, she pulled back and looked up at him nervously, what- do- we- do- now written all over her face.

"This is the best news," he said and she wrapped her arms around him and relaxed. In his mind's eye, Christian already saw himself breaking the news to his family, their expressions of joy. In the next moment, however, he studied her with uncertainty, recalling her fear of getting pregnant. Even though she'd seemed quite open to the idea, she had yet to openly vocalize her feelings. "Ana," he murmured looking intently into her eyes, "how do you feel about this? Are you happy?"

Ana's eyes filled with unshed tears. "I'm scared," she confessed. She supposed this was a very normal reaction; after all, this was a life-changing event of great magnitude. "But I'm happy too... I know it's weird."

"It's not weird, I'm scared too. Terrified out of my mind is more like it," he chuckled. But I'm also immensely happy," he leaned into her, his forehead touching hers. "This baby will be the luckiest baby," he added with his hand resting on her flat stomach. It was Ana's undoing when he suddenly started speaking to their unborn child. "Hey, little one, you're so lucky. Your mother is perfect. She's smart, honest, and the kindest person I know. I'm not nearly as perfect, but I promise to love you and keep you safe. I can't wait to meet you."

Ana's face was covered with tears as she listened to him speak. "That was so beautiful, Christian," she sighed, relishing the warmth of his body and the safety of his arms. "I love you so much."

"I love you more than the world," he murmured. "Thank you for your love, for this, for being you."

A/N:

I've never written a sequel, I've always been good about talking myself out of writing one for one reason or another. However, I'm seriously considering writing one for this story. I already have a theme and a brand new title for it, although I haven't decided how I'm going to write it. I might just write a short collection of one shots of their life together, I don't know yet.

Are you social-media savvy? I can think of many interesting/amusing situations ahead but my own experience with social media is quite limited. If interested in co-writing the new story, apply here. I will reply in a private message.

Please continue to follow. When I'm ready, I will update this once again with a link to the sequel.