Because you were all so understanding about me posting late last week, I'm posting a bonus chapter today. Please enjoy!
Author's note: I want to apologise ahead of time if my assumptions about life in the US Army are not correct. I did some research, but I didn't spend a lot of time reading a lot about life in the army. Hopefully the fiction factor will play in my favour.
29. The Miami Sunshine
When I woke up in Carlos' arms, I was pleasantly surprised.
"Morning Babe."
"Mmm morning Carlos." I said as I stretched beside him. "When did you come to bed?"
"About 10 minutes after you. Alex was giving me a lecture on what we were not allowed to do in bed together under his roof. By the time I got in here, you were already asleep."
It was early, but we crawled out of bed and took turns in the shower and got ready for the day. I was wearing a pale blue cowl-necked tank top and a pretty blue knee-length A-line matching patterned skirt. Carlos was wearing a loose fitted white linen skirt and tan coloured linen shorts. He looked good, and based on the way he was looking at me he liked what he saw too.
Alex lent us his car because he and Lisa would come a little later. Carlos and I left and beat the rest of his family to the hospital. I offered to get us some coffee so that Carlos could have some time alone with his Abuela, and by the time I returned, the others had arrived. Carlos was standing behind his sisters and watching them talk to his grandmother when I walked into the room.
Both Maria and Ricardo greeted me with warm hugs and accepted the coffees I offered them. Carlos walked over to get his own coffee and spoke barely louder than a whisper. "She does know and she has encouraged me to tell my father about my decision. She also told me that she is proud of me, and that she is sure that you and I will be happy together."
When he finished telling me his news, he was smiling widely. Obviously, his parent's approval meant a lot to him, but it seemed that he was just as worried about his grandmother's approval. Now that he had that, he seemed more confident and willing to tell his parents about his decision.
We spent the next few hours at the hospital and Rosa and they all told me many wonderful family memories. When we left mid-afternoon, Maria and Ricardo were able to take Rosa home. Because of this, the girls were going to have to stay at Alex and Lisa's with us. This was fine with us, so we all headed back to make the best of the late afternoon sunshine.
The girls, Carlos and I were going to the beach for a few hours and then everybody was going to gather back at Alex's for supper. Lisa wasn't up to cooking for such a large crowd, so we were just going to order in. At the last minute, Ricardo decided that it might be easier for everyone if we went to a restaurant, so we all dressed up as best we could and went out for dinner.
The only nice thing I brought with me was a 3/4 length long-sleeved wrap around jersey dress that fell just above my knees. It was a solid medium blue colour and showed off my curves without being slutty. When I packed it, I hoped I'd have the opportunity to wear it for Carlos, so I was fine about wearing it around his family.
Each member of the Manoso clan wore something dressy and comfortable looking. Maria and the girls were wearing pretty dresses, Ricardo and Alex were wearing suits and Lisa was wearing a pretty maxi dress. I barely noticed the rest of the family because Carlos walked in wearing his grey trousers and a white linen button up shirt that contrasted so beautifully with his warm brown skin.
The entire family watched us as we took in each other. They smiled as Carlos walked over to me and kissed me in full view of his family and said, "Wow, you look spectacular Babe."
"You're not so bad yourself Carlos." I agreed.
Alex broke the silence that followed by saying, "Break it up love birds and let's get this show on the road. I have a pregnant and hungry wife to feed."
We all laughed and climbed into three separate cars. Ricardo drove Maria and the girls, Alex drove Lisa in her car, leaving Carlos and I to use Alex's car. We all met up again at a small Spanish looking restaurant. It was nice and cosy and it had soft music and a dance floor that Carlos was eying up as soon as we walked in.
A man greeted the Manosos warmly in Spanish, shaking hands with the men, kissing Lisa and Maria and patting the girls on the head. He looked over at me and smiled and spoke to me in Spanish. I must have looked a little flustered at not understanding the people around me because Lisa leaned over saved me. "This is Senior Rivera. He owns this restaurant and is an old family friend of Ricardo's. He just welcomed you and hopes that you enjoy your evening."
I looked at Senior Rivera and spoke one of the few Spanish words I know, "Gracias."
He smiled and I watched him hurry into the kitchen. Ricardo motioned for everybody to sit and I looked around, wondering where the menus were. Carlos saw me look around and said, "Babe, there are no menus, Senior Rivera will bring out a bunch of different Cuban foods. I'm sure you'll find something in there that you like."
I gulped and nodded. I knew very little about Cuban food, so I was a little bit apprehensive. In the end, there was no need. Every dish that was put on the table was delicious. I even leaned over to Maria a few times and asked, "Do you know how to make this?" When she nodded, "Can you teach me? I'd love to learn to make it for myself."
Maria nodded enthusiastically and we started talking about Cuban cooking over top of Isabella's head. When the dishes were finally cleared away, Ricardo said, "Dessert will be served in a little while. Why don't we take this time and hit the dance floor?"
All of the couples agreed, and we took turns dancing with each other. Even Isabella and Evelyn had turns with their brothers and father. After a while, only Carlos and I were left on the dance floor, and we were completely unaware that the rest of the table was sitting and staring at us. I was resting my head on Carlos' shoulder and he was rubbing his left hand up and down my back. I looked up into his face and he leaned over to gently kiss me.
Carlos pulled back and we got lost in the moment. About twenty minutes later, I looked around and noticed that we were completely alone on the dance floor. I needed to visit the restroom, so I mentioned my need to Carlos and he confirmed that he would go as well. I went and took care of business, but managed to beat Carlos. I walked back to the table, and because of where it was located in a secluded corner, I was able to hear the conversation as I approached.
"Wow, I can't believe how good Carlos and Stephanie are together." I smiled as I heard Lisa's comment. There were several confirmations and then Ricardo spoke.
"I agree, they are prefect together, I just hope that Carlos doesn't screw this up."
"Papa, how could he screw it up? It's clear that they love each other. They're still young. They have lots of time to figure things out."
"He will lose her if he follows through with this nonsense of joining the army. Why would a young woman like that want to wait around for him?"
This comment angered me so I walked forward and spoke. "Ricardo, how could you think so little of me and Carlos?"
The shocked look on his face didn't dampen my anger so I proceeded.
"Carlos and I have talked at length about the army, and what it would mean to us if he joined, and I think that it is our decision. We love each other, but Alex is right, we're still very young. I won't sit around pining for him while he's away, but not because I won't wait for him. I'll have my education and job to keep me occupied.
When I am finished with my education and when Carlos is finished his initial obligations to the Army, then we'll settle down and figure out where to go from there."
Ricardo looked thoroughly chastised and I must have worked through my anger because I started to blush and regret my outburst. Before I was able to apologise for my words, Carlos came up behind me and whispered, "Proud of you Babe," into my ear. He then looked at his family and spoke.
"Mama, Papa, I suppose now is as good a time as any. I know you will not be completely fine with my decision, but it is my decision. As you can probably guess from what Stephanie has just said, we have indeed talked about what would happen if I joined the army. In the end, we realised that it would be hard to be apart for so long, but we would each have things to keep us busy. Steph has her education, and she's even thinking of going to graduate school.
"So, I have decided that I will join the army, and if she'll still have me, I'm going to marry Stephanie after my first tour is over and I figure out how my army career is going to progress. As you know, this has been on my mind ever since I was legally old enough. I held off this long because of your concerns, and I'm grateful for that. If I had ignored your wishes, I'd never have net Steph, but I intend to spend the rest of my life with her. We just have to get through a couple of tough years beforehand.
"I know this isn't what you want for me Papa, but I don't think I could be happy sitting behind a desk at this point in my life. I want to own my own security company later on, and the army is a great way to get the necessary training and contacts."
Carlos finished talking and brought me into a tight hug and kissed me gently before turning us both back to his family. They were currently sitting open mouthed at our declarations, but Maria recovered first.
"I can't say that I'm happy about your decision to join the Army Carlos. I'm your mother, so you know I'll worry. I do however, respect and trust your decision and I will support you in any way I can. You can also be sure that we'll stay in close contact with Stephanie, so she doesn't forget how much we all love you both. It will help us remember you while you are away from us."
Ricardo looked at his wife and then back at us with an unreadable look on his face. He finally recovered enough to ask, "You're going to get married?"
Carlos laughed and I smiled and nodded, but I needed to clarify something. "We talked about this at length and we are going to wait until I finish whatever education I decide on. Now that I can afford it, I'm thinking of getting my masters degree or even my doctorate. I will see how things progress in the upcoming year and see where I'd like to go. Carlos wants us to wait until his first tour ends, because at that time, he will decide if he wants to stay in the military or retire to civilian life."
Ricardo nodded and then asked, "Joining the army means 8 years, are you going to wait that long?"
Carlos looked at his father and said, "I think it will probably be more like 2 years Papa. I don't know where I'll be stationed, but the first tour rarely lasts longer than that. Besides, I'm not sure I can be away from Stephanie for that long."
Alex and Lisa watched the conversation and after Carlos answered his father, Alex walked over and gave Carlos a one armed hug.
"I'm proud of you little brother. We'll talk more about this later, but I need to take my tired pregnant wife home now."
We all wished Alex and Lisa a good night and went on to order dessert, which was delicious. Around 9, Maria and Ricardo paid the bill and took the girls back to Rosa's. They wished us goodnight and said they'd see us back at Alex's in the morning.
We waved goodbye and climbed into Alex's car that he'd lent us earlier that day and headed back. When we parked in Alex's driveway, Carlos asked, "Do you want to go for a walk along the beach Babe? We haven't had a chance yet and we'll be heading home tomorrow."
I nodded and cuddled up against Carlos as he put his arm around me and pointed us in the direction of the beach. We walked side by side for a long time, looking out at the ocean in a companionable silence. Eventually, Carlos turned us around and as we started to head back he said, "Babe, I hope you were not too embarrassed earlier by my family and their reaction to me joining the army?"
"Not at all, I was very proud in how we both handled it. I think we surprised your father with our resolve and determination."
"I agree. I thought you did a wonderful job explaining to my father that we are determined to make this work. I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I will do everything in my power to make you my wife."
I looked at Carlos, my heart full with the joy and love I felt for him, but I also knew that I wasn't ready to be tied down yet. Even to the man I loved. "Carlos, when you first mentioned joining the arming, I actually I thought you were going to break up with me. Now that I know better, I realise that it's a good thing that we're waiting. We both have a lot of growing up to do, and this gives us a perfect chance to do that and still be together.
"I never want to imagine my life without you and I know our time apart will be hard, but I know we can get through this. The prize at the end is you, and I want you." After I finished speaking, I leaned up and kissed Carlos with all of the emotions that I had pent up over the past few hours. Carlos returned my kiss with just as much enthusiasm, and before I knew it, he had lifted me up so that my legs were wrapped around his waist.
Carlos slowly backed up and sat on a rock outcrop and we continued to kiss passionately. I had to pull back because I was having a hard time breathing, and when I did, I noticed that Carlos was also breathing heavily. I looked into Carlos' eyes and saw that he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but this wasn't really the time of the place.
"Carlos, I'm guessing that you're not packing any protection and this probably isn't the smartest place in the world for us to make love for the first time. What do you say about moving in with me for the rest of the school holidays? We can be alone together and spend as much time in bed as we like. We can also see how we handle being alone together in a domestic situation.
Carlos groaned and said, "You're right, I don't have any condoms with me, but I'm not sure how my parents would feel if I moved out right before shipping off with the Army."
"Then let's talk to them. We are adults Carlos. We can have this conversation with them. We can offer to step up when necessary with the girls to ease their burden and show them that we can be responsible adults."
"OK, it's settled, we'll talk to them once we're back in Newark and see how things play out. For now, I'm tired and I want nothing more than to fall asleep wrapped up in your arms."
Carlos kissed me, grabbed my hand, and dragged me back to Alex's house. We crawled into bed and once I was cuddled up next to Carlos, I slept peacefully, dreaming about what life might be like as an Army wife.
I'll return to the once per week posting schedule now.