Chapter 9: When a Duo Becomes a Trio

Knocking on his mother's door, Bruno waited until it opened and Alma guided him inside.

"Is everything alright, Brunito?" Alma asked, gently.

Bruno started to shake his head but then paused, nodded once, and then shrugged. "I-I-I needed to ask you something. I-I just... Mama, how did Papa propose to you?"

Of all the ways he imagined his mother responding to the query, mirth had not been one of them.

Alma sat down on the bed, laughing so hard that tears began streaming down her face. "Oh, lo siento, mijo..." she murmured, breathlessly. "Come sit down, Bruno."

Making his way to the bed and sitting next to his mother, Bruno folded his cane before frowning slightly. "Wh-What's so funny?"

Wiping her eyes with her handkerchief, Alma took a deep breath before she explained. "Your papa was very romantic and outspoken when we were courting... in public, anyway. But when we were alone, he was very nervous and shy. He was always afraid of appearing extravagant. And when I brought up the idea of getting married one day, he blushed horribly and ran away from me. He was so worried about making everything perfect and he couldn't find the right words to ask me. So I asked him."

"Wait..." Bruno said, looking stunned by the news. "You proposed to Papa?"

"Si..." Alma replied, nodding fondly. "The look of relief on his face was precious. He was so happy."

But Bruno frowned again as he pointed out, "But I want to be the one to propose to Ashleigh. Luna told me last night at bedtime that she... She gave me her blessing to ask Ashleigh to marry me. And-And I want Ashleigh to know that marrying me... Sh-She'd be becoming part of my family. N-Not just y-you and my sisters and everyone... B-But me and Luna."

"I seem to recall," Alma mused, smiling. "-that you have already asked Ashleigh to marry you."

Bruno groaned as he remembered what he'd said in the hospital after being assaulted by Eduardo Gomez. "I-I-I'm trying to set up a better proposal than... than blurting it out when I'm loaded up on pain medication in the hospital. A-And even if she had accepted, I passed out immediately afterwards, remember?"

Acquiescing to her son's request to do the marriage proposal properly, Alma thought for a moment about the situation and after a while, she took Bruno's hand. "A woven band with white, yellow, and rose-colored gold," she suggested, brightly.

Bruno's face brightened as he nodded, eagerly. "Yes! A-And for the gemstones, an amethyst in the middle with an opal on one side and a topaz on the other," he added before standing up and unfolding his cane. "I-I need to go talk to the jewelry store and get the order in."

A few weeks later, as the Lachlans and Madrigals sat down to Sunday dinner at the Lachlans' restaurant, Ashleigh tried not to snicker at how nervous Bruno was.

Already, he'd fumbled the basket of bread and nearly dropped his water glass onto the butter and he seemed to be having trouble getting his fork to his mouth. Pepa and Julieta kept asking if Bruno was okay, no doubt worried about lingering nerve damage caused by his hand and wrist being crushed less than two months ago.

'You poor dear,' Ashleigh thought to herself as Bruno tried to sound casual as he asked if Luna wanted some of the roast potatoes. 'You want to propose, don't you? But you're waiting for the perfect moment.'

Deciding to help with the perfect set-up, Ashleigh reached into her pocket and pulled out a jewelry box, handing it to Luna. "This is for you, my little lamb."

Luna opened the box, letting out a soft gasp as she saw the pendant made of three hearts woven together with her name, Bruno's, and Ashleigh's engraved on them. "It-It's beautiful," Luna breathed, smiling. "Thank you so much!"

"Luna, marrying Bruno doesn't just mean I'll be his wife. It also means that I will be your mother," Ashleigh reminded her. "I wanted to give you something to show that I want to be part of your family, just like you and Bruno are becoming part of mine."

Bruno slowly got to his feet and made his way about the table until he got to Ashleigh's seat. Kneeling down, his heart was pounding as he reached into his own pocket and withdrew a small jewelry box, opening it as he said, "W-We didn't get to do the 'love at first sight' thing, but... But from the moment I met you, I knew you were the one for me. I could feel it. Luna was the first thing missing from my life. You're the second. And I want the three of us to be a family, together. Will you marry me?"

Ashleigh's eyes filled with tears and as she touched Bruno's hand, letting him slide the beautiful ring onto her finger, she laughed as she pointed out, "This is definitely more romantic than a hospital room! Yes, Bruno! I want to marry you. I want you to be my husband..." Turning to Luna, she added, "And I want you to be my daughter."

As Bruno stood, he leaned forward to kiss his fiancée, beaming as she kissed him back.