Life is crazy, but I've been able to get a bit more writing done. I haven't forgotten about this story-I promise! Thanks for your patience everyone.

Ch 20

"Mom, can we watch a movie tonight since I don't have to be up for school tomorrow?" Lexi asked from the backseat of the Cayenne.

"Sure thing honey. We can pop some popcorn, assuming I can find the air popper. I think we have some marshmallows and m&m's too." Amy said as she looked at her phone after it chimed an incoming text message.

"What's up?" Carlos asked

"I just got a text from my dad saying he can't wait to see us Saturday."

Carlos nodded, "My mom called me this morning and pushed pretty hard about helping set up for the dinner. I told her that we just wanted to have a fun time with our families so we're having everything done for us." Carlos stopped when his phone rang. "Yo." He stopped, listening to what sounded like Tank on the other end. "You what?!" His voice was level and menacing at the same time. He was quiet for a minute before continuing, "Just keep it quiet, please. Amy and I aren't telling anyone yet."

Amy had only been half listening but she quickly turned her head when she realized what Carlos was talking about. "How?!" She whispered?

Carlos held up one finger signaling her to wait. "Not a word Tank, or I'll be delivering your ashes to your mother personally." He said somewhat jokingly as he ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

"How in the hell did he figure it out?!" Amy whispered loudly.

"Our vehicles all have trackers on them. He went to the control room and tracked the car after we left today. Nosy fucking bastard." Carlos shook his head. "I'm not really mad at him, but we haven't even told the rest of our families yet."

"It's just a few more weeks. Can Tank really keep that secret?"

Carlos nodded, "He will if he knows what's good for him." He shot a quick look over at Amy then added, "Yes, he can keep it secret."

"I suppose." She admitted. "Well, it'll just be a few more weeks. I'll talk to the photographer and see if she can get us a couple of the images of the three of us from the wedding as quickly as possible so we can have the announcements made for our Christmas cards."

"Do you want to make some special sign or anything?" Carlos asked.

"Like what?"

"I've seen the announcements that have the printed or painted signs and banners and whatnot, that say 'We're expecting!' or whatever you want them to say."

"Have you been on Pinterest again?" Amy teased. She really laughed when Carlos scowled at her. "We certainly could do that."

"Let's call Jackie, the photographer, when we get home then. I don't want to spring this on her when she gets there Saturday afternoon."

"Sounds good."

They got home to Flynn greeting them outside the garage. They'd had underground electric fence installed on the two acres of land directly surrounding the house, giving Flynn plenty of room to run. Neither of them were comfortable with him having free range of the entire property, and the house sat in the middle of five acres that had been mostly cleared and landscaped so he was relatively easy to find when they let him out.

"Hey buddy." Amy reached down and scratched Flynn behind his ears when he jumped up on her legs. "We should probably get you a friend, now that we're out here in the middle of nowhere."

"A German Shepherd." Carlos said as they walked into the house from the garage. "I'll have him learn commands in German so that we'll be the only ones who can make him do what we want."

"No." Amy said sternly. "I'm not training our dog in German. But I would love a German Shepherd." She walked straight into the kitchen where Claire was standing at the island writing something. "Hi Claire!" Amy had fallen in love with Claire in the short couple of weeks she had worked for them. "What smells so good?"

"Hi Amy. I've got a beef roast going in the crock pot. You can either eat it with the gravy I'll make from the broth or I can shred the beef and sauté some green peppers and onions to make melt sandwiches."

"The melt sandwiches, definitely." Amy answered.

"And a salad," Carlos added. "I'm going to go to the office and call the photographer."

"Okay, I need to check on something then I'll join you."

"I've got it." Carlos waved her off.

Once he was out of the room Amy walked over to Claire, "Did anything get delivered today?"

"Yes, UPS dropped off a few large boxes. I had them put them in the detached garage, just as you asked."

"Perfect! Thanks! I ordered something for Carlos and I don't want him to see it." Amy turned and headed for the door to the breezeway, "If Carlos comes back before I do, don't tell him where I'm at." Amy hesitated, "Distract him, or lie. I don't know, I can't come up with anything right now." She laughed. "These damn hormones." Then she hurried out to the garage.

Two of the boxes had more decorations for the house, mostly some wall hangings and a set of table lamps. But the third box was a surprise for Carlos. She opened the box and just smiled. He was going to love it, she hoped. It was black, and he does like all things black.

"Lex," Amy said a moment before she turned and saw that Lexi was passed out on the other couch. She hadn't quite made it all the way through Moana.

"I've got her." Carlos helped Amy stand up then got up off the couch and crouched down to scoop Lexi up. "I'll take her upstairs and get her in bed, why don't you go ahead to our room and get settled."

Amy stretched then just stood and watched as Carlos carried her daughter upstairs to bed. If she wasn't already pregnant, watching him carry Lex upstairs would've made her want to let him knock her up all over again. Once he disappeared up the stairs, Amy headed down the hall to their bedroom. She had some sexy lingerie but decided to just strip down naked. She lit a few candles on the nightstands before turning off the lights and got into bed. Which is where Carlos found her a few minutes later.

Carlos walked in the door and closed it quietly behind him. He stood there for a full minute just staring at her before slowly starting across the room, stripping as he went. "Have I told you lately how amazing you look?"

Amy smiled, "Only every time we see each other."

"Pregnancy looks good on you, I can't help that." He knelt on the bed and crawled across it until he was hovering over her. "How many more kids do you want?" Carlos joked before he closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers.

"Did you lock the door?" Amy asked as she put her arms around his neck and pulled him down.

"Of course." Carlos answered between kisses.

It didn't take long before they were both breathing heavily, both of their hands roaming everywhere. Carlos ran a hand from the top of Amy's shoulder down her chest until he was just barely rubbing her nipple. The contact instantly pebbled and tightened the bud and made her arch her back into his touch. Carlos moved suddenly and switched their positions so that Amy was on top straddling him.

Amy sat up and feigned a pout, "I like you on top."

"I don't want to crush you." Carlos said as both of his hands skated up her sides, giving her goosebumps. Then he was cupping her breasts and rubbing both peaks, he watched as her eyes clouded just before she closed them and threw her head back. "Come here." He whispered.

Amy obliged and bent down over him, just barely brushing her lips over his. "It's been a long couple months. It almost feels like our first time all over again."

Carlos groaned and thrust his hips up, his achingly hard shaft rubbing in the cleft of her butt cheeks. "It's been a very long couple of months." She lifted her hips and positioned herself over him as he rubbed the head across her wet entrance, causing her to suck in a quick breath "Are you ready?"

"God yes." Amy answered before he could even finish the question.

Carlos slowly entered her and pulled her hips down until he was buried in her completely. "Just hold still a minute." He said against her lips then slowly inhaled. "I don't remember you feeling this good."

Amy pulled back an inch and smiled before she tilted her hips and ground them down further onto him. Carlos grabbed her hips and lifted her then quickly brought her back down. Amy's mouth dropped open as she groaned. Any response she would've had was lost as Carlos continued with the carefully timed thrusts.

After a minute Amy pulled her face away from his and sat up, putting her hands on his chest to ride him. Carlos ran his hands from her hips up to her chest, quickly rubbing, then pinching her nipples.

"Oh shit." Amy groaned, "If you don't stop,"

"Just let go." Carlos said as he continued his hard and fast drives up meeting her hips as they crashed down.

Amy shook her head, "It's too fast."

Carlos smiled, "We've got all night Sweetie, now come."

Two more hard thrusts and Amy threw her head back and yelled out his name then collapsed down on his chest. Feeling her muscles pulse around him was all it took for him to follow her. He groaned out her name in her ear and finally stilled beneath her.

"Holy shit." Amy said as she wheezed air in and out of her lungs while she was still sprawled on Carlos' chest. "You know," she paused to try to catch her breath a bit. "I've been fighting morning sickness and have been worried about the babies, so I didn't really realize just how much I've missed this."

"Oh I definitely have been missing this." Carlos admitted. "But now I think we need a shower. What do you say?"

Amy pushed herself up off of his chest, "Sounds good to me," she said then started off the bed. She tossed a look over her shoulder and squealed when she realized that Carlos was following right behind her with a predatory look in his eyes.

Carlos' alarm went off at seven the next morning. He quickly shut it off and sat up. He didn't normally need an alarm, but he'd had a feeling he would need it after Amy had fallen asleep at nearly two am. Looking behind him he saw Amy still sleeping soundly. Carlos went into the bathroom put on his workout clothes and quietly snuck out. He went to the kitchen and made himself a protein shake, then went to the basement to workout. He opted for a short, for him, five mile run on the treadmill. He spent about thirty minutes lifting weights then jogged back up the stairs to take a quick shower.

Carlos walked into the master bedroom, and quietly shut the door behind him. He looked up at the bed just as he let go of the door handle and was surprised to see their bed empty. He was sure Amy would still be sleeping since it was only eight. Then he heard one of the sink taps being turned on in the bathroom. He walked in to find Amy in a pair of turquoise lace boyshort underwear and a matching lace bra.

Amy smiled around her toothbrush and winked at him as he walked to the shower. He stripped and stepped in, turning on the water just as Amy finished brushing her teeth. "You didn't wake me up." She said accusingly as she walked toward the shower.

"You need the sleep. You were up until two." Carlos gave her a knowing smirk as he washed his hair.

"I wasn't the only one who was up that late. Besides, it was worth it." She smiled.

"Damn right it was worth it." He said to her back as she walked to the closet.

Carlos stepped into the closet just as Amy was pulling on her navy lace tea-length dress. "Do you need help?"

Amy looked at him over her shoulder, "Please." She pulled all of her hair over one shoulder to give him access to the back.

Carlos pulled the zipper up then dropped a kiss on the side of her exposed neck. "I was hoping to wake you up with breakfast in bed." He backed up and went to his side of the closet.

"I had my alarm set to get me up so I can put the salad together." Amy turned around just as Carlos dropped the towel he had around his waist, she didn't hear a word he said as she stood there openly gawking at his hot naked body.

Carlos turned around when Amy hadn't responded to his question, he chuckled when he saw her staring. "Amy, hello? My eyes are up here." He teased.

Amy blinked her eyes a few times then raised them up to his face, "You can't talk to me when you're standing there naked and actually expect me to respond." Her cheeks were a little flushed but not in embarrassed.

"Well, forgive me then." He pulled on a pair of black boxer briefs, ending her free show. He started putting on his black dress slacks before he continued, "While you were busy ogling, I asked if you were okay with yogurt, fruit, and toast for breakfast."

"That's probably the best choice, considering what we'll be eating for lunch." She walked back to the bathroom to do her makeup.

"That's what I was thinking." Carlos pulled on a charcoal v-neck sweater, then sat down on the bench to pull on his black socks and dress shoes. "Do you want me to go get Lexi up?"

"No, I'll get her up so I can braid her hair." Amy finished her makeup just as Carlos walked up next to her to brush his teeth. "I should teach you how to braid her hair." She watched him for his reaction.

Carlos paused for just a moment before he continued brushing his teeth. He watched Amy's reflection in the mirror as she put on her necklace and earrings. After he finished and had wiped his mouth with a towel he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. "I have a sister, I already know how to braid hair."

Amy couldn't stop the look of surprise from her face, "Really?"

Carlos pretended to be shocked, "Of course I do."

"You'll have to prove that to me," Amy dropped a quick kiss on his lips. "But not today."

"How about I go take care of the dog and get breakfast ready?"

"Perfect." She started to back away but Carlos pulled her to him again. He gave her a quick but intense kiss then released her. She was all smiles as she left their bathroom.

Carlos went to the kitchen and put a scoop of food in Flynn's bowl. He got out the plain yogurt, fresh fruit, and a loaf of bread for toast. He had a plate of peanut butter toast and small bowl of yogurt and fruit ready for Amy and Lexi, and was eating his own yogurt when the girls walked in. Lexi was dressed in a plum-colored tunic sweater with cream leggings, knee-high brown boots, with a dutch braid in her hair.

"There's my girls!" Carlos smiled as Lexi climbed on to a stool at the island right next to Amy. "Purple is your color, Lex."

Lexi blushed and looked down at her plate as she quietly thanked him.

"Lex," Amy was getting ready to dig into her breakfast. "Do you want to help me make the broccoli salad?"

Lexi nodded her head, "Can I cut the broccoli?"

"Yes, you can. That way I can fry the bacon and make the dressing. But you can mix it all together for me."

After they'd finished their breakfast, Amy helped Lexi get started on cutting the broccoli before working on the rest. Amy was helping Lexi mix it all together when she noticed that Carlos wasn't in the kitchen any more.

"Lex, I think that's good. Why don't you run upstairs to your bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your hands. I'm going to go look for Carlos so we can get ready to leave."

"'Kay mom," Lexi said as she literally skipped out of the kitchen to the stairs.

Amy walked down the hallway to the office but the room was empty. She checked their bedroom and closet but he wasn't there either. She finally went back to the kitchen and then resorted to the intercom to call for him. His voice came over the intercom after a minute and had Amy running to the breezeway to the second garage. She literally burst through the door and found Carlos standing by the box that had his surprise wedding gift in it.

"What are you doing?" She asked, sadly a little winded after her short sprint.

Carlos cocked his head ever so slightly, "What are these boxes?"

"Have you looked in any of them?" Amy started slowly walking over to him.

"No."

Amy's shoulders sagged a little in relief. She knew he saw her reaction, but at least he hadn't looked in the box. "More house décor stuff that came yesterday, I'll get it put out tomorrow."

"Why don't you want me to see it?"

"There might be a present in there for you."

Carlos smirked and put his hands down on top of one of the boxes. "A present for what?"

"A wedding gift." Amy started to chew on her bottom lip nervously.

"Why did you buy me a wedding gift? Is that a thing?" Carlos walked around the boxes and stopped in front of Amy.

She shrugged a shoulder, "You've done all of this," she gestured around her. "Our wedding is happening with less than two months of planning, you've had this huge house renovated for us, you're adopting Lexi, and you've handled pretty much every single minute detail of all of it because I'm pregnant and have been on bedrest." She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he put his arms around her shoulders. "I just wanted to get you something."

"Well, thank you. It is completely unnecessary but I'm sure I'll love it, whatever it is." Carlos released her and put a hand on her lower back to guide her out of the garage. "I suppose we should head to my parents."

"We should."

"Carlos!" Marie pulled him into a hug before letting him in the house and turning to Amy. "Oh Amy," Marie just smiled at her, her eyes twinkling with unshed tears. "You look absolutely amazing. Pregnancy really agrees with you." She whispered as she pulled Amy in for a nice long hug before releasing her and grabbing onto Lexi's hand. "You can come to the kitchen with me and your mama, I've got some cooking to finish up."

The smells coming from the kitchen reminded Amy of home. The aroma of Turkey baking, pumpkin, cinnamon, and Thanksgiving smells coming from the kitchen nearly made her stomach growl. She was getting past the nausea phase, thankfully. They walked through the living room where Carlos was already in deep discussion with his dad and another man, whom Amy was pretty sure was his brother-in-law.

"Amy," Carlos waved her over. "Amy this is Peter, my sister Elisa's husband."

Amy put her hand into Peter's outstretched one and smiled, "It's so nice to meet you. Carlos has talked a lot about you guys."

"Yes, nice to meet you too." Peter smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Marie has been talking about you and Lexi nonstop since we got here last night."

Amy's cheeks flushed a little, "It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

"Carlos," Elisa yelled from the kitchen doorway. "You and Peter need to let poor Amy get away from all of that testosterone in the living room and come to the kitchen with the girls."

Amy couldn't help but laugh, "I guess I'm being summoned to the kitchen. We'll talk later." She smiled at Peter and squeezed Carlos' hand before heading to the kitchen.

The kitchen was full of Carlos' female relatives, all seemingly busy doing something. Marie already had Lexi in an apron and stirring something that looked like gravy on the stovetop.

Elisa pulled Amy in for a hug, "It is so nice to meet you. And I'm so happy that my brother finally grew up and is settling down!" Elisa released Amy on a squeal and grabbed her left hand to admire her engagement ring. "My God my brother has good taste in jewelry. So when is the big day?"

"We're thinking about next June maybe, we're still trying to finalize the date and checking on venues." Amy was hoping they could keep everyone happy with that answer today, because she knew all of his family would be asking.

"June huh? Why June? You guys should just come out to Vegas over New Years and get married there."

Amy chuckled, "I don't think we'll do that, you'll have to talk to Carlos about that one. But June isn't for sure, we're just trying to find the right venue that's available on a date that works for us."

"If your new house is as big as mama said, you could just have it there. No availability conflicts." Elisa countered.

Man, she was really making it hard to avoid the topic. "I'll have to consider that." Amy turned back to Marie. "So, what do you need help with?"

"Nothing. Sit at the table and talk with us." Marie was helping Lexi with the gravy while Elisa went back to chopping onions and cilantro. Amy smiled at Marie's two sisters who were also in the kitchen, one was cutting green beans and the other was mixing some kind of dough by hand.

"Amy," Elisa set down her knife and grabbed the bottle of wine off of the counter, "Wine?"

"No, thank you." Amy shook her head. "I'll just have a water."

"Oh no, let me guess. You're a super healthy eater like my brother?" Elisa smirked.

"No one is a super healthy eater like Carlos." Amy quipped. "I'm just really not much of a drinker. But thank you."

"So you work with Carlos?" Elisa asked as she went back to chopping.

"Yes, I write and install the coding for the security systems." Amy smiled as she watched Lexi with Marie. They were both having fun at the stove together.

"Is it hard to work with him now that you guys are engaged?" Elisa threw a glance over her shoulder at Amy as she kept chopping.

"No," Amy shook her head. "He's always valued my opinion and has been a great boss. It's definitely easier for me to get time off now though." Amy teased. All of the ladies in the kitchen laughed. "Honestly, working for Carlos has given me opportunities I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere else career-wise. He gives me the freedom to run my department my way, and I get to write the programs I want. He doesn't try to micromanage me or my department, I don't know that I would've gotten the same treatment at another company."

"I am so not that tech savvy, I can't even figure out how to put the parental lock on my iPad for the kids."

"I can help you with that." Amy smiled.

"Mama said you don't have any family here. What do you usually do for Thanksgiving?" Elisa asked as she scooped the chopped onion into a bowl and began on some tomatoes.

"My brother lives in New York, we've met up with him a couple of times. But we usually stick around here and just go to my good friend Barb's. Her daughter Emma is best friend's with Lexi." Amy grabbed a baby carrot off the vegetable tray Marie's sister was assembling.

"That's nice." Elisa washed her hands then joined Amy at the table. "So, when are you and Carlos going to make me an Auntie again?"

Amy choked on her carrot. After a couple of drinks of water and some coughing, Amy finally cleared her throat. "Well, we're definitely talking about that." She looked to Lexi who was about to say something, until thankfully Marie patted her shoulder and stopped her.

Elisa was too busy being shocked by Amy's answer to notice the look Amy had given Lexi and Marie. "You're really talking about having kids?!"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "Sometime after we get married." She answered vaguely.

Carlos walked up behind Amy and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging lightly. "What's happening after we get married?" He asked.

"I was just asking your fiance here if you guys were going to make me an Auntie again." Elisa stood and embraced her brother in a short hug. "Do you really want another kid? You guys aren't pulling my leg are you?"

Carlos pinched Elisa in the side, "I think we might have a kid or two." He admitted. "Like Amy said, sometime after we're married."

"And when is the wedding? Can it be tomorrow?" Elisa sat back down. "Because Brady and Hattie have been bugging me about cousins lately. Peter's brother doesn't have any kids and he's not even in a relationship. So that leaves you to fulfill that wish." Elisa teased.

"I think we're discussing June, we just haven't found a venue that's available." Carlos leaned down and kissed Amy's cheek then whispered, "More water?"

Amy patted Carlos' hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"I told Amy that you guys should just use the new house, I've heard it's huge."

"That's not a half bad idea. We'll have to think about that." Carlos set a new bottle of water down in front of Amy.

An hour later everyone was sitting around Marie's large dining room table with plates heaped with delicious food. Amy was sitting between Carlos and Marie, Lexi was at the kitchen table with Elisa's kids. Elisa and Peter were seated across from her.

"So what do you want us to bring for your dinner on Saturday?" Elisa asked as she picked up a chorizo taco off of her plate.

Carlos and Amy both shook their heads, he spoke up first. "Nothing. The entire meal is being catered."

Elisa stopped chewing her food for a moment then continued. She took a drink of water before speaking again, "Well you guys just moved in, do you need help unpacking or setting anything up?"

"We're pretty much unpacked. The house is huge compared to my house or Carlos' apartment. I've done some serious damage to his American Express card over the last couple of weeks, buying furniture, throw pillows, bedding, décor-dust collectors as he calls them-you name it." Amy laughed when Carlos chortled at the mention of throw pillows.

"It's a good thing we have a full-time housekeeper, she has enough to do just cleaning and dusting all of those knick knacks." Carlos teased.

Amy playfully elbowed Carlos in the ribs, "The housekeeper was YOUR idea, not mine. And some of those knick knacks are yours."

"Peter, the kids, and I should drive over and check out your huge house tomorrow." Elisa looked at Carlos, "I need to see what my big brother finally settling down looks like."

"That's what Saturday is for." Carlos smiled at his mom as she pushed a small plate with a slice of pecan pie on it towards him.

"Of course you guys can come out." Amy nudged Carlos' knee with hers under the table. "Lexi would love to have other kids to play with."

"What time should we come?" Elisa asked as she took the slice of pumpkin pie her dad passed to her.

"Any time after lunch, I fully intend on sleeping in tomorrow." Amy didn't acknowledge Carlos pinching her leg under the table.

"So who is going out to get some deals tomorrow?" Peter asked.

"No way." Amy shook her head. "Large crowds of greedy and insane people, not my thing at all. Cyber Monday is more my style. Are you joining the black Friday madness?" She looked to Elisa.

"I was thinking about it, but Peter doesn't want to. I was going to do some Christmas shopping."

"And then we'll just have to pay to ship the stuff home." Peter interrupted.

"We'll be back here for Christmas, we could just store the presents here or at Carlos and Amy's." Elisa elbowed Peter at his obvious annoyance of the black Friday topic. "Men, they just don't understand the thrill of Black Friday shopping."

Marie cleared her throat before speaking, "Why anyone would want to go out and fight for a bunch of meaningless junk just the day after we all give Thanks for each other is beyond me. I'll pay full price for my things in a few days, rather than go out tomorrow."

"Here, here." Amy raised her glass in salute and then took a drink. "There is nothing I want badly enough to go out tomorrow. So please, Elisa, bring the kids over to our place. You can help me decide what to do with the formal living room because we still haven't settled on furniture for that room yet."

Saturday morning was a flurry of people coming and going. The tables, chairs, and linens were dropped off bright and early at 7:30, setting up and arranging them took a little while. The DJ set up all of his equipment and was gone by ten. Amy and Lexi got their hair and nails done and got back shortly after 1, after having lunch at their favorite little bistro. Carlos was just helping the caterers and their staff get set up in the kitchen when the girls got back home.

"Wow." Carlos said the minute Amy and Lexi walked in the door. "You ladies look gorgeous."

Lexi blushed, "Thank You."

Amy smiled and walked over to him, "Dad and Carrie will be here a little after two." She gave Carlos a light kiss. "My dresses, and Lexi's dress are in our closet."

"Hey!" Claire said as she walked in from the garage. "You two aren't supposed to see each other before the thing."

Carlos furrowed his eyebrows, although it was barely noticeable. "How would we pull that off today?"

"Rumor is it's bad luck." She teased.

"Well, we haven't done a single thing the way you're supposed to leading up to today." Amy said as she and Carlos stood with their arms around each other. "So we may as well just stay the course." Amy walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a banana off the basket on the counter. "I'm sorry, I'm starving." She said before she peeled it and took a bite. "Plus there's just no way for us to stay apart since we'll be greeting people as they get here for the dinner."

"Mom, can I go up and play the Xbox?" Lexi asked from her perch on a stool at the island.

"Sure honey, just make sure you don't mess up your hair." Amy squeezed Lexi's shoulder as she ran past her.

"Well, I think the tables are all set up in the garage." Claire was moving to the kitchen. "I've offered to help the caterers but they insisted they've got everything covered. I just double-checked the guest apartment and bedrooms, everything seems to be in order for your guests to stay the night. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No Claire," Carlos insisted. "Make yourself some lunch, if you haven't eaten already, and then you're free to go."

"You should have brought your dress for tonight," Amy said. "You are coming to the dinner and celebration tonight, aren't you?"

"Oh, I don't want to intrude." Claire flushed a little and shook her head.

"Nonsense, you're not intruding. We would love to have you here. I know you're new but we like to treat our employees as family." Amy rounded the island and returned to Carlos's side. "Please come."

Claire smiled, "I would love to come. I guess I'll head home to get ready then."

People were milling around the entire ground floor of the house. Carlos and Amy had stood by the front door to greet people as they entered, now they were wandering like everyone else.

"Everything looks so nice," Marie said to Amy. "I can't believe how much you guys got done, and how fast. It looks amazing."

Amy nodded, swallowing a sip of ginger ale. "We really put our poor contractor and his guys to the test. But they pulled everything off wonderfully. The gym and theater in the basement aren't done yet, but we focused on the main living areas first."

"Have you chosen furniture for the living and dining rooms yet?"

"We have, it's all out in the detatched garage. The huge dining table and chairs just got delivered Wednesday. I think Carlos is going to have to either hire movers to come and get it into the house, or get the Rangeman guys to come do it. It's a gorgeous Amish-made table, way too big and heavy for me to be able to help him get into the house. We have the leather furniture for the family room, it's in the detatched garage as well. We're still deciding what to do with the formal living room."

Carlos turned from his conversation with his dad to butt in on his mom and Amy's. "I wanted to get black leather furniture and glass tables, but Amy said No."

Marie shook her head at her son, "Carlos, your not a bachelor anymore. Black leather and glass tables don't fit with the house."

"That's exactly what Amy said. Well, not the bachelor part. We'll find what we want eventually." He squeezed Amy's hand then released it as she and his mom moved to the kitchen.

Amy had just snuck off to the master bedroom with Lexi to get changed. Carlos was talking to the judge who would perform the ceremony when Amy's dad walked up to him.

"Where did my daughter sneak off to?" He asked just as the judge walked away.

"I think she just needed to go to the bathroom." Carlos knew that as soon as he got a text from Amy saying she was ready, he would be escorting Kevin to the master bedroom and then he would know what today was really about.

"This is quite the house Carlos, really."

"Thank You." Carlos smiled.

"So are you guys going to fill all these bedrooms eventually?"

"I don't think we're going to fill all of them, but we definitely have talked about having a kid or two eventually."

"Have you guys set a date for the wedding yet?"

"Actually, we thought we would talk to everyone at dinner about that to make sure we pick a date that works for most of you." Carlos smiled and nodded his head as Bobby walked by.

"Carrie and I were talking about that on the drive here, any time next summer should work for us. Except for the last weekend of June."

"Oh, I'll be sure to tell Amy. I know she's trying to pick the day that'll work the best for everyone." Carlos took a step back just in time to see Bobby go into the master bedroom. "Can you excuse me for just a minute? I need to go help Bobby."

"Yeah, I was going to get a new drink anyways." Kevin shook his empty tumbler. "I usually just drink jack and coke, but one of your guys told me I needed to try the Templeton Rye. It was pretty good, I think I'll have another one. Have you tried it?"

"No, not yet. I'm not much of a drinker." Carlos kept looking to the door of the master bedroom. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to go check on Bobby."

"Oh yeah, go." Kevin retreated to the kitchen as Carlos tried very hard not to sprint across the formal living room to the master bedroom.

"Amy!" Carlos called for her as soon as he had the door shut behind him.

"Stop where you are!" Amy called from the bathroom.

"Okay." He was halfway across the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks. "But why did Bobby just come in?"

"I've felt a little nauseous all day, but I started to feel a little light-headed. So I asked him to come check my blood pressure."

"Everything's all good boss." Bobby called from inside the bathroom with Amy. "Blood pressure is normal. The babies heartbeats sound strong."

"How can you check their heartbeats?"

"I got a hand-held portable Doppler, like what doctors offices use." Bobby walked out to Carlos. "I'll show you how it works, but not right now. You can't go in there because she's getting the dress on."

"Are you serious?!" Carlos didn't raise his voice, but the tone was sharp enough to maim. "I need to see her." He seethed.

"Carlos," Amy stuck her head out of the bathroom door, making sure to keep the rest of herself hidden. "I promise, I'm fine." She smiled reassuringly. "I'll text you when I'm ready for you to send my dad back."

Carlos's face barely changed, but even Bobby knew he was scowling. Bobby patted his arm as he walked by his boss, "I swear Ranger, she's good. I think it's just a combination of nerves about today, being pregnant, and not enough protein."

"She hasn't wanted to eat much meat." Carlos almost growled.

"That's what she said, so just push other sources. She really needs to get her protein in. But I'm not going to keep you guys any longer." Bobby dropped his hand from Carlos' shoulder and went to the door. He turned back before he opened it, "Congratulations, by the way, on the nuptials. Nobody even had a clue that's what today was about."

"Not a word!" Amy called out just as Bobby walked through the door. He gave her a thumbs up and then was gone. "Your turn." She said to Carlos, "You need to go too."

He pointed a finger at her sternly, "If you feel light-headed again, you need to let me know too."

"Do you have your phone?"

He looked at her a bit curiously as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and held it up in front of him.

"Good." She winked at him. "I was going to text you, after Bobby checked on me but you followed him in here before I could. Now he assured you everything is good, so go. Please."

Carlos was silent for a full minute just staring at her before finally relenting. "Fine. But as soon as the ceremony is done, you're sitting down."

"Sounds good to me." She waved a hand at him, shooing him away. "I'll see you in probably fifteen minutes. I love you." She smiled as she blew him a kiss.

"I love you too." He backed up a couple steps before finally turning and walking out.

After he left Amy he went straight to the caterers and talked them into making a small plate of food for Amy. They had arranged for appetizers to be served immediately after the ceremony, while they had pictures taken. So they gave him a couple of bacon-wrapped shrimp, an Italian sausage stuffed mushroom, and he grabbed a spoon and their jar of peanut butter. He was just leaving the kitchen with the food for Amy when he ran into his sister.

"Hey big brother, what is that? And where is Amy? Mama was looking for her, we had some ideas for the formal living room." Elisa looked very suspicious.

"Just a snack for me and Amy." Nobody seemed to be able to read him quite like Amy so he knew he could fool his sister long enough to get them to the ceremony at least. "I'm not sure where she's at, when I left her she was in the dining room."

"Hmmm, well she wasn't there when I checked. Maybe she's upstairs." Elisa grabbed his arm, "Come with me to look."

"I need to talk to Tank for a minute and then I'll head up, you go ahead." Carlos waited until his sister was out of sight on the stairs and then found Bobby.

"Take this in to Amy, please."

"You got it." Bobby left with the food.

Carlos knew when Bobby had left her because his cell phone chimed with an incoming text.

Thank You for the food, I needed it.

Carlos looked around to find the judge, they should be ready to get started soon. He sent a quick reply to Amy.

You're Welcome. Wife. I'm tracking down Judge Skinner, should I send your dad back soon?

Her reply was quick.

Ten minutes.

Husband

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Carlos stood in the hallway between the formal living room and the dining room. He waited as people came out of the kitchen and family room area. "I need everyone to do me a huge favor and come to the formal living room for just a few minutes."

Once everyone was sitting or standing in the formal living room, Carlos got things kicked off.

"Amy stepped out to freshen up, but I'm going to go ahead and start off by telling everyone how happy we are that you could make it. Especially on kind of short notice. We really wanted everyone to see the new house and we figured that Thanksgiving weekend would be the perfect chance to do that." He paused as he noticed the door to their bedroom open. "So now I am happy to tell you all, the REAL reason we wanted you all here today. Everyone has been pestering us for wedding plans and asking us when we are setting the date. Before everyone starts throwing out the dates that don't work, I want to tell you the date we picked."

Everyone looked excitedly at each other, especially Carlos' mom and sister and Amy's stepmom and siblings.

"Amy, can you come up here sweetie?" Carlos asked.

Music started to play in the background as Amy, escorted by her dad, walked out of the master bedroom, with Lexi leading the way. The entire room seemed to take a collective deep breath in as she started walking towards Carlos down the make-shift aisle that people had cleared for her.

Amy's eyes were a bit teary as her dad walked her up to Carlos. This was the day they had planned and worked so hard for for the last month and a half, she couldn't believe this was it. Everyone looked equally surprised, excited, and elated. Once Amy made it to the front of the room, she kissed her dad on the cheek and finally turned to look at everyone.

Her dress was a pale pink, with layers of tulle over a blush-colored satin silk liner. It had a v-neck and tulle straps and the skirt reached almost to the floor. The top layer of tulle had pale pink satin silk ribbons sewn down the front over the bodice and tapering down the skirt. Some pieces were straight and others scalloped, making the ribbons stand out from the fabric of the skirt. Her long hair was pinned into a low messy bun to one side with tendrils trailing down in front of her right shoulder. Her bouquet was a small bundle of white, ivory, and pale pink roses.

Judge Skinner began, "I think it's probably pretty evident why everyone has been gathered here, so I'm just going to go ahead and get started." He smiled as Carlos and Amy faced each other. "Family and friends, Carlos and Amy have requested your presence to bear witness to their marriage ceremony. Who gives this woman, Amy, to marry this man, Carlos?"

Kevin hesitated as he waited for the ball of emotion in his throat to pass. "I do, her father." He kissed Amy's cheek, shook Carlos' hand, then put Amy's hand into Carlos'. "Take good care of her." He whispered to Carlos.

Carlos gripped Kevin's shoulder, "I will. I promise."

"When Carlos came to me a few weeks ago and asked if I would marry him, I said yes immediately. As a judge, wedding ceremonies are one of the fun benefits to my job. Then he mentioned that it was a secret and I was hesitant about it, until he explained how today was going to go. This is the first time I've conducted a wedding ceremony this way, and I have to say it's been a treat. Now, I like to keep the ceremony short, sweet, and straight to the point. But I always like to read a little something first.

All of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned…

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Give them to someone who feels sad.

Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day.

Take a nap every afternoon.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

That was 'All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,' by Robert Fulgham."

Judge Skinner flipped the page in the notebook he was holding and smiled at Carlos, then Amy. "Now for your vows. Amaya, I'll start with you. Repeat after me, I Amelia, take you Carlos."

Amy smiled at Carlos as she fought to keep the tears at bay. "I Amaya, take you Carlos."

"To be my husband and partner in life."

"To be my husband and partner in life." One tear fell down her cheek.

"To nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life."

She drew in a shaky breath, "to nurture you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life."

"I will cherish our union."

"I will cherish our union."

"Trust you and respect you."

"Tru" she stopped as her voice broke and cleared her throat, Carlos squeezed her hands in his reassuringly. "Trust you and respect you."

"I will be yours in times of joy and in times of sorrow."

"I will be yours in times of joy and in times of sorrow."

"In times of failure and in times of triumph."

"In times of failure and in times of triumph."

"In times of sickness and in times of health."

"In times of sickness and in times of health."

"In times of want and in times of plenty."

"In times of want and in times of plenty."

"I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

"I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

"Carlos, now it's your turn."

Carlos repeated the same vows, surprised at how emotional he felt himself getting. No one but Amy seemed to notice his slightly thickened voice and the barely perceptible catch in his throat when he recited the last line.

"Now for the rings." Judge Skinner handed Carlos' ring to Amy. "Amaya, repeat after me again. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love."

Amy held the ring at the end of Carlos' right ring finger, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love."

"My faith in our strength together."

"My faith in our strength together."

"And my covenant to learn and grow with you."

"And my covenant to learn and grow with you." Amy pushed the ring on to Carlos' finger.

"Carlos," Judge Skinner passed Amy's ring to Carlos.

"Now, by the powers vested in me by the state of New Jersey I can officially pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Manoso. Carlos, you can kiss your bride."

All of their family and friends started to clap and cheer, and there were a few whistles as well.

Carlos pulled Amy to his chest while Amy threw her arms, bouquet and all, around his shoulders. As soon as their lips met Carlos moved one hand to her lower back and dipped her. The applause and cheering got louder. Finally Carlos brought Amy back up and gave her one more light kiss before grabbing her hand in his and turning towards their audience.

"Thank you all for being here for our wedding. This should end the 'when is the wedding' questions." Everyone chuckled, "Now, the caterers will be serving appetizers for the next hour or so while we take pictures. Please go enjoy the snacks and drinks and as soon as we're done we'll kick this party off!" Carlos shook hands with a few people, making sure that his and Amy's immediate families stayed around for the photographer.

An hour later Carlos had Amy sitting at their table in the garage with a heaping plate of food in front of her. Their family and friends were all either eating or milling around. The dessert table was loaded with different flavors of pie, fruit crisps, and cupcakes, with one small round cake for Amy and Carlos to cut later. The main course was a choice of prime rib, grilled chicken, or cedar plank salmon with a variety of sides to choose from. Not surprisingly, Carlos had put salmon, wild rice, and roasted vegetables on her plate. She added some seasoned, chopped potatoes and a small plate of salad.

Amy was halfway through her salmon when Elisa sat down next to Carlos. "I can't believe you guys had this planned the whole time!" She playfully punched his shoulder, "You guys really didn't tell anyone?"

"The judge, the caterer, the photographer, the DJ, Lexi, and Claire all knew." Carlos said, nonplussed.

Elisa scowled at him. "That's not what I meant. You guys didn't tell any of your friends?"

Amy shook her head. "We came up with this crazy idea and just kind of ran with it."

"I love it!" She squealed. "I'm going to go grab a drink. Do you guys want anything?"

Amy shook her head as she kept eating. Carlos very firmly said, "No. I don't drink Elisa."

"Sometimes, you do. And this is a special occasion so if you were going to pick a time to have a celebratory drink, today would be it. I'm bringing you both back a drink." Elisa took off before either one of them could object further.

Amy leaned over to Carlos and spoke into his ear, "I won't drink it, I'll just pretend. But your sister is already suspicious."

Before Carlos could reply Tank joined them at their table with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Nothing like a good old fashioned shot-gun wedding, huh boss?"

Carlos narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, Amy firmly squeezed his leg under the table. "Tank." Carlos' single word reply was a greeting, a threat, and a goodbye all in one.

"You look good Ames, being married and pregnant looks good on you." Tank winked at her. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Amy tilted her head and her smile never faltered as she spoke, "Tank, do you remember our last visit to the range?"

Tank's grin grew to a tooth-bearing smile, "Yeah."

"I believe you were the one who made a comment about my accuracy and how easily I could shoot the balls off of a squirrel, weren't you?"

Tank slowly nodded his head as his smile faded.

"I would remember that for the next few weeks Tank."

"I will." He said soberly. "I'm going to go check out the dessert bar."

"That's a good idea." Amy smiled at him sweetly. As soon as Tank was out of earshot Amy turned to Carlos. "When can the photographer have the pictures back to us?"

"She said they'll be done by the end of the week." He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly, "A few more weeks and there will be no more secrets. At least the wedding stuff is out of the way."

"If my belly gets too much bigger, we won't have to send out announcement cards." Amy joked. She stood up and looked down at him, "I'm going to go get some dessert, can I bring you back anything?"

Carlos furrowed his eyebrows at her, "One serving of any dessert on that table is more sugar than I usually eat in a week. No thank you."

"Well I'm eating for three so for me that would be about two days worth, so I'll just make sure not to eat any sugar tomorrow." Amy teased before pulling the skirt of her dress back and walking away.

It took Amy over half an hour to get back to the table. She was stopped by guests a dozen times on the way to the dessert table and another dozen on the way back. She very ungracefully plopped back down into her seat next to Carlos, who scowled at the three different sugary desserts on her plate.

"Just because you're pregnant with twins, doesn't mean you can eat for three." He teased, pointing to the thin slice of chocolate cake, small serving of apple crisp, and half a slice of pecan pie.

"I know. I'm not. I just couldn't decide what I wanted, so I took smaller portions of the three I wanted the most." She forked a bite of apple crisp to her mouth and moaned. "Plus," she said after she had chewed the bite, "Pecans, apples, and oats are all healthy."

Carlos cocked his head slightly at her but kept his mouth shut as more guests stopped by the table to congratulate them and chat. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. The music kept playing, drawing people to the dance floor. The food started to disappear and the traffic to and from the bar steadily increased. He looked back over to Amy and saw she was slowly savoring her desserts and watching her dad and step-mom on the dance floor. He was just about to suggest they go for their first dance when Lester rushed up to their table.

"Hey boss, someone just parked a massive truck in the driveway and refuses to move it." Lester rushed out, obviously a bit flustered.

Carlos turned to Amy, "I'll be right back." He stood up but didn't even take a step before she stood as well.

Amy furrowed her brow and scowled, "I'm coming too."

Carlos seemed put out but he grabbed onto her hand and tugged her along behind him. They walked out of the side garage door that put them right out into the courtyard between the two garages, and there sat a GMC Yukon XL in black with tinted windows and black chrome trim and rims. Amy was about to ask where it came from when she noticed the license plate, the personalized license plate.

"Carlos." She stood in front of the massive vehicle, just staring at it.

"What?" He knew that she was catching on.

"That license plate says 'Ranger2." She paused, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't reply she turned to face him. "What is this?"

He smiled down at her then wrapped an arm around her waist, "This is your wedding present. Congratulations Mrs. Manoso." He dipped his head down and kissed her.

Amy returned his kiss with here eyes wide open watching him. When he straightened back up he plastered a convincing smile on his face.

"You got me a car?"

Carlos nodded, "We talked about you needing a bigger vehicle."

Amy turned when she noticed their friends and family starting to filter out of the garage and into the courtyard. She turned back to Carlos, "We literally talked about that less than a week ago." She paused narrowing her eyes at him, "You already had this huge land-yacht ordered then, didn't you? You just brought it up in conversation so that I would feel like I'd had some sort of influence on the decision, didn't you?"

Carlos just stared at her for a few seconds before slightly lifting a shoulder in answer. "Your little Jeep won't accommodate us much longer."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I kind of don't want to give you your wedding gift now."

Carlos smirked, "I've got my gift, I've got you."

"Oh no. You can't butter me up now. Don't you need a special license to drive this thing?" She teased. She knew you didn't.

An arm wrapped around Amy's shoulder, which she knew belonged to Tank. "Tank, when did he order this thing?"

"A few weeks ago, I think." He tugged her into him in a brief side hug then dropped his arm. "It's got everything you guys wanted."

"Everything Carlos wanted." Amy rolled her eyes again as Carlos opened the drivers door for her. "I can't climb into that in my wedding dress."

Carlos grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the open door, "You can have a look."

"I won't be able to park this thing." Amy grabbed as much of her skirt as she could in her right hand, stepped on the running board with her right foot, and grabbed onto the handle with her left hand then hoisted herself up to look into the car. Carlos steadied her with both hands on her waist. "It looks nice." She stepped back down to the driveway and turned to Carlos. "I'm sorry, I'm not being very gracious." She wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers, "Thank You for this insanely huge vehicle. I'm sure in about a year I'll be very thankful to have it." She brushed her lips against his.

"You'll get used to it." He promised, pulling her tightly against him. "Plus this is a very safe vehicle and will fit everyone and all the gear we'll need."

Amy just nodded. "So I guess I'll see if Tank can bring your gift out now."

Carlos smirked. "If you still want me to have it."

Feigning exasperation Amy sighed and turned to Tank, "Carlos' gift is over in the far garage, can you help me bring it out?"

"Sure can Ames." Tank walked over to the other garage following Amy.

A minute later the garage door opened and Tank pushed out two very large boxes wrapped in Batman wrapping paper. Nearly all of their guests were standing in the courtyard now, and a wave of laughter rippled through them as they noticed the wrapping paper.

Amy stood by the boxes and waited for Carlos to join her. "Have at it, rip them open."

Carlos eyed the boxes suspiciously but walked to the nearest one, "Does it matter which one I open first?"

"No." She shook her head then covered her mouth as she tried not to giggle when he started ripping off paper. A couple of minutes later Carlos was opening the first box. He stood there staring down into the box for a few moments before pulling something out.

He turned to Amy with a slight smirk on his face.

"What is it?!" Someone yelled from the audience.

Carlos held up a black cushion with the bat symbol embossed on it. "These are new benches and back rests for my weight benches. There's also a very large adhesive bat symbol, which I'm assuming is for the new weight room in the basement." He turned to look at Amy, who gave him a nod confirming it was for the gym. He smirked and winked at her before standing at the other box. "I suppose I ought to open the second box."

He opened the other box and was genuinely surprised, he pulled out a piece of paper and read it out loud. "There's no box big enough to hold the rest of your gift." He turned as he heard the loud rumbling of motors coming up their long driveway and chuckled before continuing. "No acreage is complete without toys for the big boys to play on. So here's a start to what is sure to become your newest hobby." He smiled as a pair of black four wheelers pulled up to the courtyard along with a Polaris Ranger ATV.

Carlos walked back to Amy and swept her up in a hug, literally lifting her off of the ground. "Thank You, sweetheart." He pulled his head back to look at her, "I was literally going to go look at these next week."

Amy shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "Well, I've had a little bit of extra time on my hands lately so I went ahead and ordered some for you. If you want something else, they'll let you swap. But I think you'll like what I picked out for you."

Carlos set her back down and gave her a quick but firm kiss. "They're perfect." He kissed her again. "They're exactly what I was looking at getting."

"But you'll have to wait to play with them until tomorrow because tonight is still our wedding celebration." She teased. "No mudding in your suit."

He chuckled in response but walked over to the now quiet machines. After he walked all around all three ATV's he walked back to Amy and kissed her again, "They're great. Next I'll need a trailer so I can take them to ATV parks and what not."

Amy just smiled at him, "The trailer is down at the end of the driveway. How do you think the guys got them here?"

Carlos actually turned to her in surprise, "Really?"

Amy nodded, "It's enclosed, and black of course."

He swooped down and pushed his lips to hers as he picked her up and spun her around. "God I love you." He said against her lips.

"I love you too." She said with a laugh. "But can you put me down please?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." He quickly but gently set her back down on the ground. "We should get back in to the party anyways."

"You still owe me a dance, Mr. Manoso." She reminded him on their way back into the attached garage.

"I guess I do, Mrs. Manoso." He couldn't help but smile as he said her new name.

As they walked back into the garage hand-in-hand the DJ announced them, "Here they are folks! Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Manoso!" Carlos lifted their joined hands to cheers from everyone. "I need the happy couple right up here front and center for their first dance."

Carlos led Amy through the tables to the dance floor as everyone continued to applaud them. The guests who had been occupying the dance floor all moved to the sides or back to their tables, leaving it clear for them. He pulled her into him as they reached the center of the floor and the clapping slowly quieted. The song began and Edwin McCain's smooth voice crooned out over the speakers as "I Could Not Ask for More" started playing and Carlos started slowly turning Amy around the floor.

"Well Mrs. Manoso," Carlos couldn't help but tease, "Was today everything you wanted it to be?"

Amy just smiled and tried not to let the hormones and emotions overtake her, "It was perfect Carlos." She took a deep breath to unclog the emotions lodging in her throat. "You put together the perfect surprise wedding."

Carlos bent his head down and captured her mouth with his as he spun her around the dance floor. "I'm glad." He said against her mouth. "Because I sure as hell am never doing this again." He pulled back on a laugh.

"Of course you're not," She teased. "Because the only way out of this marriage is in a body bag. And don't laugh, because that statement came from your mom."

"My mom did not say that." Carlos had a hard time believing his own mother would say anything quite so harsh.

"Okay, that's not exactly how she said it. But we were talking earlier and she did say that if you ever left me you wouldn't live to see your next birthday."

Carlos looked a little stunned, "Mama said that?"

"Yes." Amy nodded her head. "So this is it, you and me, and Lexi."

"And the babies." He added.

Amy nodded again. "No backing out."

"Why would I want to do that? I have everything I could ever need or dream of right under this very roof, right at this moment." Carlos smirked and stopped dancing to dip Amy down dramatically as he pressed his lips to hers.

Amy grabbed onto Carlos' shoulders with both hands clutching his white button-down shirt. She returned the kiss fervently, almost forgetting that they had a large audience who had started clapping for them again. The speakers played out the last few bars of the song and Carlos finally righted them before letting go of her with one arm so they could smile at their guests.

The DJ opened the dance floor to everyone again and Carlos lead Amy back to their table. As soon as they sat down Peter and Elisa joined them with glasses of champagne for all of them. Once they each had a glass Elisa raised hers, "To my big brother, who is finally married and settling down. I never thought I'd see the day." They all clinked their glasses then drank, although Amy just took a small sip of hers then put it down. "You need to drink more than that." Elisa teased. "I want some nieces and nephews to spoil and love on."

Amy chuckled while Carlos rolled his eyes. "You've technically gained a niece today." Carlos reminded his sister.

Elisa waved her hand at Carlos then turned to Amy, "Trust me, we are thrilled to have Lexi as part of our family. But my brother needs to know what it's like to have a baby in the house." Elisa finished her glass of champagne and put her hand right in front of Carlos' face, "Yes, you also have a daughter. Julie doesn't count because you weren't there when she was a tiny baby. I don't say this to bring up bad feelings or negative vibes on your big day, I'm just pointing out that you don't really know what it's like. And babies are so fun."

"I promise you, we are definitely going to have babies," Amy said as she slowly turned her glass of champagne around on the table top. "I can't promise you when," Amy added quickly. "But they are definitely in the plans. Lexi has mentioned wanting a little brother or sister for a couple years, even more so since Carlos and I started dating. Plus I want to have one or two more while I'm still young enough to enjoy the baby stage."

"I'm expecting an announcement at Christmas." Elisa said on a laugh.

Elisa's husband Peter bumped her shoulder with his playfully, "Okay honey, leave the newlyweds alone."

She threw her hands up in surrender, "Fine. I'm done. Let's dance." Elisa stood up, pulling Peter up with her. "Are you guys going to come back out?"

"I'm taking it easy." Amy squeezed Carlos' knee under the table. "I had a really bad sprained ankle and some seriously stretched tendons a few weeks back. I've barely been cleared for more than walking from the couch to the bathroom to the kitchen and back. We may go take one more spin around the floor before I officially put my feet up for the night. But go have fun, make sure you give the DJ your song requests."

Elisa waved as she blew them a kiss and pulled Peter to the dance floor. Amy turned slightly sideways in her chair away from Carlos so she could put her feet up on the empty chair next to her. He turned in his chair so he could pull Amy back into his chest and put his arms around her from behind.

Carlos lowered his head down to rest his chin on her shoulder, "We can go into the house where there's more comfortable furniture to sit on."

"Nah," Amy shook her head and patted one of Carlos' hands that was resting on her arms. "I'm good here. Most of the people are still in here eating and dancing anyways. I don't want people to have to search for us."

"It's our party, right? We can do whatever we want." Carlos pushing his nose into her neck and lightly bushed a kiss to her shoulder before returning his chin to her shoulder.

"We'll move inside once people start to leave."

They cut the cake, and had planned on doing one more dance before everyone insisted on them doing the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dances. So after a few more dances, Carlos escorted Amy back into the living room to relax on a couch with her feet up in his lap. Marie joined them just a few minutes after they'd sat down, with a plate of food for Amy.

Amy took it and happily munched on some more roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, and seasoned potatoes. "Thanks Marie."

"It's your wedding, you should enjoy it. That includes the food."

"She did eat already." Carlos interrupted.

Marie waved a hand at his, dismissing his statement. "I'm sure you already gave her a plate of salmon and vegetables, but she needs some extra calories right now."

Carlos rolled his eyes but didn't seem overly upset. "She also sampled the desserts."

Marie winked at Amy, "Good. Well, I actually came to tell you guys that your dad and I are going to go home. It's getting late for us old folks." She teased as Ric sat down next to her on the loveseat.

He nodded his head in agreement, "This sure was a nice wedding. We're happy to have you join the Manoso family. And Lexi too, even if she doesn't share the same name."

Carlos squeezed Amy's leg just before he spoke, "Actually, we haven't told anyone because we don't know for sure yet, but I'm in the process of legally adopting Lexi."

Marie grabbed onto Ric's hand and tears flooded her eyes, "Oh Carlos, my son." She took the handkerchief her husband handed her to dab at her eyes. "It takes a very special man to take on a child that's not his but treat her like she is. I'm so proud." She paused again. "When will you know?"

"We have a court date next week to speak to the judge. Amy's ex-husband signed his parental rights over with the divorce, so theoretically it should be a done deal. Us getting married should help as well. But I never count my chickens before they hatch so I'm waiting to see what the judge says."

"We can come for support, when is the court date?" Ric asked.

"It's Thursday morning at 9am. Our lawyers told us it should be a relatively quick hearing. The judge will have a few questions for us and for Lexi, but legally there's nothing preventing it." Carlos seemed a little apprehensive and unsure about the adoption, for the first time that Amy had noticed.

Amy looked at Carlos, "What do you think would prevent the adoption from going through?"

He hesitated for just a second, enough to make Amy worry about the adoption for the first time. "Not all of the missions I used to do for the Army were totally above board. A lot were off the record. I don't have any hidden criminal history. But I am a father already, to a child that I'm not involved with. A child that I signed away my rights to."

Marie leaned forward in her seat to put a hand on her son's shoulder, "Julie is nearly grown; all of that happened when you were young. I think even the judge is human enough to understand that people change as they grow. You were not the same man then as you are now. You did what was best for Julie at that time in your life. And even though she isn't here tonight, you have still kept in contact with her and have supported her."

Amy squeezed Carlos' hand tightly in hers. "It'll be fine, honey. Our lawyers know about all of that and haven't given us any reason to worry that the adoption won't go through."

"You have to stay positive, son." Marie assured him. "It'll all work out the way it's supposed to." Marie stood and pulled Carlos up into her arms. Even though he seemed to tower over her, there was no doubt that he felt a little relief from her fierce hug.

"We really do need to get going, but today was wonderful." Marie hugged Amy as soon as she stood up. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything," She whispered in Amy's ear before releasing her and standing back. "Congratulations my son, we'll see you guys soon."

Carlos nodded, "I think Peter, Elisa, and the kids are planning to come back out tomorrow before they fly home. I assumed you two would come as well. We'll have plenty of leftover food, you guys can come out for another free meal." He teased.

"We would love that. So we'll see you guys tomorrow. Love You." Marie hugged each of them one more time before Ric walked her out of the family room to get their coats.

"Well, what do we do now?" Amy asked as she put her half eaten plate of food on the side table.

"Have you had enough of the party yet?" Carlos asked as he pulled off her shoes and began to massage her feet.

"I want to say No, but the babies are starting to tell me Yes." She scooted herself down a little bit more and snuggled down more into the couch.

"Do you have another dress hidden away? You could change into something a little less formal and we can just hang out here." He suggested.

Amy just stared at him for a few moments. "You're not going to insist I go to bed?"

He answered with a slight shrug of one shoulder and said, "If you really needed to go to bed, you would say. I don't see how lounging on the couch is much different than being in bed. As long as you're feeling well."

"I don't think I need to go to bed yet." Amy stood up. "I'm fine staying in my dress, one of the reasons I picked this one is because it's so comfortable. I'm just going to go potty and grab the wrap sweater I bought to wear with it." She stood up and grabbed her shoes off the coffee table. Carlos stood up with her but she put a hand to his chest, "Stay here and save our spot." She teased. "I can handle going to the bathroom on my own."

The happy newlywed couple spent the rest of their reception snuggled up on the couch, visiting with their guests as they came and went. The last of the guests not staying at the house finally left a little after one in the morning. Carlos and Amy had already been in bed for over an hour.