The Wedding Date

Part Two - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Merry Christmas

Cristiano grinned as he kissed Felisa, ever since he had asked her to marry him two weeks earlier everything seemed to have fallen into place for the couple.

“I love you,” the footballer said as he hugged his fiancée close, he still couldn’t believe that they were engaged and that everything was going so well for them.

Felisa pressed another kiss to his lips before Rhea interrupted them with a fussy Thalia, the eight month old was a little touchy right now.

“Siento… she wants her padre,” Rhea apologised as she handed Thalia over to Cristiano, she was home for the holidays and was thrilled with the news that her big sister had gotten engaged.

Cristiano held Thalia close to him as Felisa pressed a final kiss to his lips before she walked away to check if Dolores needed any help in the kitchen.

Thalia babbled happily as she smiled at Cristiano, she was clearly a daddy’s girl and the footballer wouldn’t have it any other way; he knew that in a couple of months’ time that everything would be perfect.

The couple were already planning on having a summer wedding back in Portugal and Cristiano couldn’t have been happier that it wasn’t going to be a long engagement.

“You look happy,” Hugo mused as he looked at his brother, he had been a little surprised to get an invite to Christmas but he was thrilled that he had been included.

The two brothers were slowly working on their relationship and Hugo was doing his best to make up for the fact that he had hurt his brother so much.

“I am,” Cristiano said confidently as he moved to set Thalia in her playpen, it was nearly time for dinner and the little girl was a little hungry.

It was her first Christmas and Cristiano had spoilt her rotten with gifts, he couldn’t help himself when it came to his daughter.

“So when are you thinking of getting married?” Dolores asked as she looked at Felisa, she smiled at her future daughter-in-law knowing that her son had made the perfect choice.

The brunette made him happy and that was all that mattered to Dolores now, she had seen her son suffer enough in the past and Felisa had him so happy and they had the most beautiful little girl.

“We were thinking the 12th of July,” Felisa said knowing that Cristiano didn’t have any football commitments then, she had never thought she’d have to consider when her boyfriend was working until she had gotten engaged.

Dolores nodded her head knowing that Felisa had a lot of planning to do before her big day arrived, it was going to take a lot of work and she knew that the wedding would be simply beautiful.

“We were thinking of getting married in Quinta Das Vistas,” Felisa said knowing that it was pretty short notice but Cristiano had made it clear that no expense would be spared on their big day and whatever she wanted, she could have.

Dolores grinned, she had been worried that the couple would marry in Madrid because that was where they lived; however it was nice to hear that they would be returning to their native country to wed.

“It sounds beautiful,” Dolores said knowing that she would look forward to that day, she would be the only parent of both of them to be at the wedding after the losses that both Cristiano and Felisa had faced.

***

Dolores looked around the table as she smiled proudly, her family were all together for the holidays and there were even new members there to make the family even bigger than it had been the year before.

“Father thank you for the gathering of my family,” Dolores said as she closed her eyes and took her husband’s hand as she started to say grace, she knew that it had been a long time since they had been this complete.

The table was silent as everyone joined hands as Dolores spoke, only Thalia babbled as she sat on her father’s lap for a moment with her parents attempting to keep her a little quiet.

“Father we give thanks for all the choices we've made because that's what makes us who we are, let us forever cherish the loved ones we've lost along the way,” Dolores said making Jose Andrade squeeze her hand knowing that everyone at this table had lost someone.

It was a painful thought that three people were missing and they were the most notable, José Dinis was the father of all four of Dolores’s children and it was hard to think that he had passed away nearly ten years ago now.

Then there was José and Nia Pereira who had been killed sensibly by a drunk driver.

“Thank you for the little angel, the newest addition to our family, and most of all thank you for our family being together on this day,” Dolores said as she smiled, she had never felt so content and she knew that everything would be okay now.

Cristiano and Felisa smiled as they tried to settle Thalia for dinner, the eight month old was having none of it and it was clear she was going to be a little madam when she was older.

“Amen,” Dolores said as she opened her eyes and looked over at Cristiano and his small family, she had never truly thought that she would see this moment and she was so happy for him since it felt so unreal.

***

“Mãe are you okay?” Cristiano asked as he walked into the kitchen, it was a little after dinner and everyone had settled down to watch movies while Felisa put Thalia down for a nap for a couple of hours.

Dolores smiled as she looked at her youngest son and nodded her head, her brown eyes filled with tears knowing she was always going to see him as her little boy.

“I’m so proud of you,” Dolores said as she sat down at the table, she dried her eyes knowing that she didn’t wish to cry right now; she just felt so emotional and she knew that Cristiano was someone that she could be proud of.

Cristiano swallowed as he looked at his mother, he didn’t know what had brought this on but he knew that everything was okay.

“Mãe,” Cristiano said as he shook his head and moved to hug his mother, he closed his eyes knowing that everything was okay; he knew that his life had finally fallen into place and he was so happy.

Dolores held her son to him, he was always her little boy and it seemed strange to think that he had a little girl of his own; she adored Thalia as she did with her other grandchildren and she knew it was a blessing from the heavens.

If Thalia had never been born then there was little chance that Cristiano or Felisa would have gotten back together; the couple were soul-mates and their daughter had brought them back together.

“Your Pai… he’d be so proud of you,” Dolores said as she pulled back and smiled at her son, she knew there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t miss his father.

José Dinis would have been smiling down on Cristiano and would have been so happy with the man that their son had become.

This wasn’t the little boy that Dolores had put on a plane to Lisbon anymore, nor was it the man that had nearly married Luciana; this man was someone that Dolores could be so proud of and she was.