*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much*
"How does this look, Mrs. Ambrose," says Dean making me smile as he hangs our family picture over the mantle in our new living room in our beautiful new house.
I smile at the picture. It's from when Natalia was 7 years old. We were at the beach in North Carolina standing in front of the ocean. It is a beautiful picture but it's time to update our family picture. "Looks good," I say with a smile as he takes a seat next to me on the couch. "I think it's time we update our family picture though. What do you think?"
"Yeah," he says with a smile. "After we have the baby we need to get a new picture done to hang up there. At least we make beautiful babies," he says making me smile as he places his hand on my growing stomach.
"Yeah we do," I say with a smile. "Although I think you had a little more to do with Natalia than I did. She's your twin."
"Yeah," he says with a smile. "So what do you think of the house?"
"I love it," I say with a smile. "I love it a lot, Jon. It feels good to own our own house and do whatever we want with it. I'm happy. Our first house that WE bought ourselves."
"I know," he says as he rubs my stomach. "Who would have thought after everything we've gone through we would be here. Remember when everyone said that we wouldn't last and that we would break up?"
"Yeah and 11 years later here we are," I say with a smile. "Thanks for not giving up on me."
"I told you I never would and you never gave up on me either," he says. "We've come a long way since Cincinnati."
"Yeah we have. Remember when my dad had to pay for everything for us?"
"Yeah," he says, "and remember I didn't have a penny to my name. It was a really long road to get here but we did it."
"We did," I say with a smile, "And I am so proud of you. You have come so far from when we first got together you know with all the drugs and the drinking. I'm proud of you. I will always be proud of you."
"You and Natalia were more important to me than the drugs and the drinking," he says. "Going to Juvenile Detention really opened my eyes and helped me be a better father to Natalia. I didn't want to be some deadbeat dad. She deserved so much better than what I had. You deserved so much better than what my mom had. I didn't want her growing up in Cincinnati in that environment. It was hell. If I hadn't gotten my shit together in juvie I wouldn't have become the man I am today. I got my GED and took that 9-5 job with your dad and then got into wrestling because I wanted Natalia to grow up with a good life nothing like I had. She deserved me at my best and so did you. I never want her to want or need for anything."
"And she doesn't," I say as I cuddle up to him on the couch as he keeps his hand on my stomach. "You're an amazing father, Dean. I couldn't have asked for a better father for Natalia than you. She loves you so much. She's definitely a daddy's girl and you have been here for us through it all even when I wasn't that great to you. You still stuck by my side and still loved me even when I was screwing up."
"Hey," he says, "you stuck by me when I was screwing up. When I was in Juvie you could have ran and you could have left me with Natalia but you didn't. You stayed by my side."
"I wasn't going anywhere," I say with a smile. "I love you too much to ever go anywhere."
"Me too," he says with a smile as he kisses my lips softly. "I would marry you a thousand times over."
"Same to you," I say with a smile. "A thousand times over and then more."
"I think getting out of Cincinnati was the best thing we could have done there are so many bad memories there even though there are a lot of good ones for us that place was nothing but pain to me. Every time I go back there I just think about my childhood and how I grew up. It kills me. And you're sure you want to go to that high school reunion in August?"
"I'm sure," I say, "I want everyone to see how far we've come since high school. You know half the school thought we wouldn't make it in this world with a baby at 17 years old but look at us going strong. Don't you want everyone to see how successful you turned out to be?"
"Not really," he says, "I don't really give a shit what that town thinks about me. That place is nothing but heartache for me and pain. I hate going back there."
"Me too," I say letting out a deep breath. "Me too."
"Nothing but bad memories," he says as I take his hand into mine and intertwine our fingers.
"So I take it that we won't be getting married in Cincinnati?" I ask.
"No," he says, "not even the slimmest chance. Do you want to get married in Cincinnati?"
"No," I say with a smile. "I was thinking more along the lines of getting married in a church."
"You want to get married in a church?" he asks with a smile.
"Yes, I know it's an unheard concept today but I want to get married in a catholic church and have a reception in some garden. What do you think?"
"I think I like it," he says with a smile. "Whatever you want to do it's up to you I'll handle the honeymoon."
"Will you now?" I ask with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"
"Europe for that honeymoon but since we're already married I realized we didn't get to go on a honeymoon."
"No big deal," I say.
"It is to me," he says. "I want to take you away for a week to the Caribbean. What do you think?"
"I think I'd like that," I say with a smile. "where did you have in mind?"
"Jamaica maybe the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic?" he asks.
"I like the sound of Jamaica," I say with a smile. "That's where I want to go. I want to go to Jamaica."
"All right, I'll get everything set up and arranged and we'll take a trip to Jamaica. I can't wait."
"Me either," I say with a smile. "So I have been thinking and don't get upset."
"Usually when you say don't get upset you're going to say something to upset me what is it, Ana?"
"My mom is coming for a visit in a couple weeks," I say nervously knowing how he feels about my mom and his dad being married. It bothers him. It always has. He can't stand his dad and wants nothing to do with him. I can't say that I blame him much for that but he is almost 29 years old, it's time to let bygones be bygones.
"What is she coming here for?" he asks bitterly.
"She's going to help with some wedding stuff. She's going to go with me to pick out a wedding dress and we're going to do some wedding stuff together plus she wants to see Natalia because she hasn't seen her for a couple years and she wants to see me."
"Why are you going wedding dress shopping now when we aren't getting married for a little less than a year?"
"Do you know how fast that year is going to go besides I'm having a baby in January so I will have all my baby fat for a few months. I want to be able to have a dress that fits me. Right now is the best time to go before I start to put on too much weight."
"Is that asshole coming too?" he asks.
"No, Jonathan is not coming with my mom. It will only be her, the girls aren't even coming."
"Good," he says.
"Don't you think it's time to mend things with your dad?"
"Don't even go there, Ana. You know how I feel about him. I think he's the scum of the earth."
"He's really not that bad of a guy," I say, "he's actually a really nice guy once you get to know him."
"He's not that bad of a guy? He only walked out on his 3 year old son but he's not a bad guy. He's worthless, Ana."
"I understand how you feel," I say.
"You really don't know how I feel about my dad."
"My mom left me too," I say.
"Because your dad cheated on her and then paid her off to stay away from you and your brother and sister," he says, "My dad left me because he was a selfish prick that only thought of himself, I went through hell because of him. He didn't give a fuck about me and I don't give a fuck about him. He let me live the worst life possible. I had to watch my mom do drugs, I had to watch her get her ass kicked, I had to get my ass kicked and where was he? Worrying about himself and not giving a shit about me. I don't want him here and I don't want him around our children. He didn't want to be there for me so he doesn't need to be there for them. I am not going to make amends or be best friends with him. I want nothing to do with him like he wanted nothing to do with me. So just because he's married to your mom and they have a family together I'm supposed to just act like nothing ever happened. No it's not like that, Ana. He's dead to me," he says.
"All right, I get it. You hate your dad."
"That man, Ana, is NOT my dad he is the sperm that got my mom pregnant. He is not any more than that to me. He's nothing to me and he will never be anything to me."
"Okay," I say feeling bad that I upset him asking about his father. I know how he feels about him but I know how badly his dad wants to see Natalia but he's not allowed to. Dean wants him nowhere around her or anywhere in her life. That's his call and I will respect his wishes and his feelings. "So I like Natalia's room," I say changing the subject.
"That was nothing," he says with a smile.
"You took every dance picture of her and painted it onto the wall I think it's more than nothing. It's amazing," I say with a smile as I rub the stubble on his chin. "You did an amazing job you could do that for a living."
"I already have a career," he says, "but if owning my own gym doesn't' work out then I'll remember this."
"Well, you did an amazing job she loves it. The mural on the wall of her dancing career, her own little dance floor and ballet barre. She's in Heaven."
"I know what she likes," he says with a smile. "I told you, Ana, I was going to give you two the world and that's just what I am going to do. We have a house now and I always said we were going to have a house together, a child and a half the only thing missing is the dog."
"You know that she's getting her dog," I say with a smile.
"I'm surprised," he says, "you don't like dogs do you?"
"Not really," I say, "but this is something that she wants and as long as she takes care of it then I have no problem with it. I refuse to clean up after it. That's her job. She can get a small dog."
"I was thinking more of getting her a bigger dog," he says, "I'm a fan of German Shepherds," he says. "What about that?"
"That's too big," I say. "I was thinking of something smaller like a pug or something. Maybe a bulldog."
"Bulldogs aren't that cute," he says, "but if we're getting a dog why not go all out and get a big one? We have all this space so let's just get a big dog."
"Because getting a dog is a big stretch for me. You know I'm not an animal person."
"What is wrong with you?" he asks. "How can you not be an animal person?"
""I don't know," I say, "I'm just not into the whole dog and cat thing. I'm not into having pets. I have never been about the pet life."
"I have always wanted to have a pet dog ever since I was a little boy. I really wanted to have a pet dog. I love dogs."
"And that's why you and Natalia can have a party with the dog while I enjoy the baby," I say with a smile.
"Once you get used to the dog you'll be all right," he says.
"I hope so because right now I am not feeling the idea of having a dog in this house."
"Dogs are fun, you'll see," he says, "I promise."
"I hope that you're right," I say. "And are we in agreement that if Natalia doesn't take care of it we get rid of it."
"Agreed," he says. "You're the boss."
"Damn right, Baby," I say with a smile. "You know it," I say with a smile before I kiss his lips softly. "I love you, Jon."
"I love you too, Baby," he says before kissing my lips softly and deeply. I hope he's right about the dog because I am not a dog person, not at all. I would take 15 kids over a dog any day but this is for him and Natalia. I can deal with it; I think.
A COUPLE DAYS LATER:
Dean found a place on the internet that was selling German Shepherd puppies not too far from our house. After a lot of pleading and begging he talked me into getting a German Shepherd or at least going to check them out. Natalia can barely contain her excitement as we pull up to the farm that's selling the puppies. I think Dean may be as excited as she is, maybe even more. I on the other hand am thinking about my expensive shoes and my expensive furniture getting destroyed and our brand new house getting pooped and peed in all over the place. I can't stand the thought. We are already ready for a dog. Dean and Natalia went out shopping yesterday to get a leash, food bowl, water bowl, some toys and it has a bed. Dean also picked up some dog food for it also that helped to get Natalia even more excited. We get out of the car and make our way to the farm. "I can't wait to see the puppies," she says with a smile. "I'm so excited."
"Me too," says Dean with a smile as he takes her hand. They walk ahead of me to meet up with the man selling the puppies.
"Hello, you must be Dean, I'm Jacob," says the man.
"Jacob, nice to meet you. This is my fiancée Ana and this is my daughter Natalia. I understand that you're selling German Shepherd puppies?"
"Yes," he says with a smile. "Follow me," he says taking us on a tour of the farm as we make our way to where he is keeping the puppies. Farms are not my scene either but if my husband and daughter are happy, so am I. He takes us to a pen where there are at least 5 little German Shepherd puppies. I have to admit they are pretty cute.
"Puppies," says Natalia with a smile. "They're so cute."
"How old are they?" I ask.
"8 weeks," says Jacob with a smile. "There are 3 males and 2 females what are you interested in?"
"It doesn't really matter," says Dean. "Can we go in with them and get a good look?"
"Sure," says Jacob letting them into the pen to see the dogs. "Are you going in?" he asks me.
"I'm all right standing right here," I say as I watch Dean and Natalia look at the puppies. They are in Heaven. The smiles on their faces makes me smile. I take a picture of them with my phone as they interact with the small brown and black puppies.
Natalia is enjoying one little puppy and she pets it. It loves her already it seems. She laughs as it licks her face. It's an excited little thing but it likes Natalia. "You like that one?" asks Dean.
"Yeah," she says with a smile. "I like them all but this is my favorite," she says. "I want it."
"Is it a girl or a boy?" I ask.
Dean takes it from Natalia to check then hands it back to her. "Boy," he says with a smile. "Is that the one you really want?" asks Dean.
"Yes, Daddy," she says. "Look at him, he's so cute and he loves me," she says as she laughs as he kisses her again.
"The girl has spoken," says Dean pulling out his wallet. "We'll take that one."
"Okay," says Jacob with a smile. "That will be $400."
"Okay," says Dean as he pulls out four $100 and hands it to Jacob.
"And you know the rules right, Natalia?" I ask.
"Yes, if I don't take care of him you're going to give him away. I promise I will take care of him and he's going to sleep in my room and I'm going to love him forever," she says with excitement. "Thank-you so much, Mommy."
"Don't just thank me, thank your dad too," I say with a smile.
"Thank-you, Daddy," she says with a sweet smile, the one she inherited from him.
"You're welcome," he says with a smile as he looks down at her. I take the opportunity to take a picture of them together. I love seeing them interact. I love seeing Dean be a father to her. He's damn good at it given the way he grew up.
Once we get home we take the dog outside to the backyard and Natalia plays with it. Laughing and having fun as Dean and I sit on the patio and watch her. "What's its name?" Dean asks her.
"I think I like Milo," she says. "Do you like Milo?" she asks the dog. The little brown and black fur ball wags its tail, "Milo it is," she says with a smile as she goes back to playing with him as Dean wraps his arm around my shoulders.
"So do you like it yet?"
"It's cute," I say, "but I haven't really gotten to like it yet but she's so happy look at her. I haven't seen her this happy since you came back home."
"I know," he says as he kisses my temple. "I'm happy to be home. I'm happy to finally be in our own house together as a family. As a little boy," he says, "this is what I always dreamed of having and I'm glad that Natalia has the life that she does. I'm glad we have the life that we do. I don't think I would trade it for the world."
"Me either," I say with a smile as I rest my head on his chest as we watch Natalia play with Milo. Everything feels perfect, ever since I can remember this is the life I dreamed of having with Dean. I'm glad we're finally there, well almost there.
*A/N: Are you happy that Dean and Ana are out of NYC and in their brand new house? Do you think that everything will be better now for them? What do you think about Dean still being upset with his father? Is Ana right should he make amends with him? Do you blame Dean for being so angry with him? What do you think about Ana's mom coming to visit her? Is that going to be a good idea? What do you think of Dean and Ana buying Natalia a puppy? Do you think Ana will grow to like it? Do you think Natalia will take care of it? What do you think of Dean and Ana now? Are you happy for them? What are your thoughts do you think it's perfect for them now? Please review and thank-you for reading.