by Kendra Riley
They laughed at all the same parts, gasped at the same parts, but enjoyed it more the second time. When they walked out they all agreed to meet up at Nichole and Victor’s house. When they got to the house, they walked in and sat on the couch.
“Let’s talk about this upcoming wedding,” said Melissa. “What are the colors?”
“Silver and black,” Victor answered.
“Who’s going to be Nichole’s maid of honor?” Melissa asked again.
“Tashka,” Nichole joked.
“Are you serious?” Melissa screamed. “What has she done to be maid of honor? I’m jealous. I no longer like Tashka,” she joked.
Tashka and Zap walked in from the bedroom and happily ran up to everyone, one by one. “I haven’t seen you in a minute, buddy,” Larry said as he petted Zap. Tashka ran up to Larry and waited for her greetings from him.
“Hi! You must be Tashka.” Larry smiled. Tashka rolled over and Larry rubbed her stomach. “She’s a lot bigger in person.” He laughed.
“They’re both going to be the ring bearers,” Victor admitted. “Melissa is the maid of honor. Larry, will you be my best man?”
Larry acted like he was tearing up. “Oh Victor! I thought you’d never ask!” They laughed and started talking about dates for the wedding.
“We know it has to be before five months from now. Also, we still have to have the baby shower,” Nichole added to the discussion.
“I’ll get right on that,” Melissa replied.
“We’re going to move before the wedding also,” Nichole included. Everyone was shocked, including Victor.
“Where do you want to move?” Victor asked.
“I don’t know yet. I just know this house isn’t big enough for us and two kids and Tashka and Zap. We will technically have four kids because of Tashka and Zap, and only one extra room here. It’s time to expand. I just know I can’t be too far from the hospital,” Nichole explained.
“I understand. I’ve already looked at a few locations and I want to build a house there,” Victor admitted. “I was planning to rent it out, but I think we would be great there. It’s about twenty minutes from your hospital. What do you think about a mansion by a pond?”
Nichole smiled. “That sounds wonderful! I still want a pool, though, and fish in the pond and—well you know what to do.”
Larry joked, “Make it huge so I can move in too.”
Melissa added, “Can’t forget me!”
Nichole thought for a moment then asked, “How did I become so lucky to have you all on my team?”
“You’re a great person. I’ve known you almost all my life. We’re childhood friends,” Melissa said as she hugged Nichole.
“I came as a packaged deal with Victor.” Larry laughed.
“I wanted you since the moment I saw you,” Victor admitted.
“You all help me so much. Before, I thought I only needed my best friend for support and I was independent with everything besides a few things. I would do anything for you all,” Nichole finished. “I love you guys.”
They all returned the love and Melissa called it a night. She went home. Larry agreed it was late and headed off to his hotel.
Chapter7
The next day was rainy and Nichole and Victor slept all day. Victor woke up in the evening and began working on the blueprints for the house they would move into when it was built. The sooner he finished, the sooner his builders could start working and they would be able to move in.
He worked nonstop and added all of the components he wants it to include. He added a master bedroom and bathroom for Nichole and himself. He gave the kids their separate rooms and even added rooms for Zap and Tashka.
He then added two offices and a pool. There was a garage that could hold six cars and he planned a driveway that could fit twenty cars. He added a few guest rooms and had the backyard designed to include a large and spacious pool. Tashka and Zap would have a lot of running space, but they wouldn’t get too close to the pond. There was a wooden fence around the entire house and the location was far from other houses and far from the street.
He knew their house would be perfect. Nichole slept through the night and only got up to use the bathroom and eat. She saw Victor on his laptop, but didn’t know he was working on their new home. He worked for hours until he was finished. He worked harder on this house than he did on his original in Brazil.
He finally finished and called his team, paid for their flights out to America and paid for their hotels. He gave them money to buy their food and supplies. He knew it would be pricey and was prepared for the costs. He knew his team worked hard and efficiently. He knew they would work for the next months to finish it in time. When he finished, he went back to the room where he fell back asleep next to Nichole.
He woke up when he heard Nichole on the phone. “What do you mean, no one else could do it?” Nichole asked. “No. I’m on leave. I guess. What does he need done?” she asked again. She sighed. “I’ll be there in a minute.” She hung up the phone and hopped out of the bed.
“What is it?” Victor asked.
“I have to go to work. There’s something stuck inside of a cow’s stomach and they need me to get it out,” she responded as she was putting on her clothes.
“Alright. Just, please, don’t stress yourself out,” Victor pleaded.
“I won’t. It takes concentration, not stress.” Nichole smiled. She kissed Victor before she left the room, called for Tashka and walked out the door.
That left Victor home with Zap and the fish. He called his team and asked them where they were. They had landed about an hour prior. He told them to get their rest for the next day and he headed over to the location of the new house with Zap. He made the calls necessary to purchase the house and pay for it in full. It was a large amount of land and he knew he and his family would be comfortable on it.
He sat by the pond with Zap and stared at the water. He imagined the fish he wanted to put into it. He turned around and saw how much space the house would take up. Zap was already running around, enjoying the space.
Nichole came home exhausted later that night. She walked in without a word and laid down on the couch. Victor walked over and rubbed her stomach. “How did it go?” he asked.
“Fine. The cow will be okay, but I decided to stay for a few more hours and get some patients out of the way. I’m going to get Melissa to hire more vets. We don’t have enough, and I fired a couple of them today for sitting around like we didn’t have a busy waiting room. They get a lunch break, but not a two-and-a-half-hour lunch break!” she exclaimed.
“Stay calm. I’ll be right back,” he said in return. He came back to the couch and told her to go to the bathroom where a warm bubble bath was waiting for her.
She thanked him and went to take her bath and Victor cooked dinner for them. He fed the pets and got Nichole and his plates ready. When Nichole got out of the tub, she walked back into the room to see her food and his food on the bed. There was a movie waiting for her on the screen and Victor sat in the bed. “Do you feel better?” Victor asked.
Nichole smiled and climbed into the bed. The two ate and watched their movie in peace. The next day, Melissa came over to plan the baby shower. They decided it would be in a week and it would be just like the gender reveal except there would be pink and blue cupcakes. There would also be cute goodie bags full of candy. They’ll play more games and instead of a ballot of what they think the gender would be, they would have a ballot of what names they think the babies will have.
A week passed, and the party was starting. Victor was putting up balloons when his phone rang. He answered it and heard there was a problem on the blueprints for the house. He didn’t want to delay the making of the house, but he didn’t want to leave the party. He had to make a choice.
He told Nichole he was going to get more balloons and headed straight over to the house. “What is the problem?” Victor asked.
“The tiles we bought were shipped here and apparen
tly they weren’t taken care of and over half of them are shattered,” said one of his workers.
“How much did it cost?” Victor asked.
“In America they’re really cheap and cost about ten thousand,” the worker responded.
Victor rolled his eyes. “Have them shipped from Brazil then. I’ll add more to your work credit cards. Is there anything else?”
“Yes sir. What kind of glass do you want in the windows?”
“Bullet proof. This couldn’t have been talked about over the phone? Where is Mahl?” Victor asked.
“Mahl is at the hotel. Felt under the weather,” the worker responded.
“Don’t work on this house without Mahl,” Victor replied as he got into his car.
He headed back to the house but had to stop for the balloons. When he got to the house, he explained to Nichole that there was a long line at the store. He apologized to the party people who had already been there for about an hour and proceeded to host the party.
They opened gifts that were for both girls and boys. Larry bought them baby monitors and Melissa had gotten them boy and girl onesies. They opened car seat boxes and baby crib boxes and a lot of diapers. They had everything they needed for the babies’ arrival.
Victor went outside and called Mahl, his lead builder.
“Hello?” answered Mahl.
“What’s wrong, do you need a doctor?” Victor asked.
“No, I should be okay tomorrow,” Mahl answered.
“Well, I need you to tell the others that they can’t work without you there. One of them called me in asking about tiles and glass. They’re supposed to know what I use because you’re supposed to be there,” Victor replied.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll make sure they do better,” Mahl replied.
“Okay, thank you. Feel better soon,” Victor said before he hung up. He walked back inside of the house and joined Nichole at the cupcake table. Everyone was beginning to head out. Melissa and Nichole headed to the door and handed out goodie bags full of candy. After everyone was gone, Nichole asked Victor where he was.
“I had to go to the store,” Victor responded.
“It doesn’t take an hour to get to the store and the lines wouldn’t be that long at eight pm,” Nichole replied.
Victor sighed. “It’s a surprise. I promise you’re going to love it.”
Nichole took a breath and said, “Okay, baby, I trust you.” They went to bed and Nichole didn’t say a word.
Nichole decided to go to work the next day. She took Tashka with her and was there till until late.
Victor knew she was upset because he didn’t tell her where he was, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise. He knew what he was risking, but he also knew if it came to where he had to spill the surprise, he would.
Until the time came, he kept it a secret. After about two months of unknown calls and his trips to the house Nichole was suspicious about, the house was finished.
“Nichole, do you want to go out tonight?” Victor asked.
“No, I’m tired,” she replied.
“Please, I’ll make sure we have fun,” Victor begged.
“No. I’m off today to rest,” Nichole said, annoyed.
“Just get in the car, I want to show you something special!” Victor exclaimed.
Nichole rolled her eyes and agreed. She got in the car and they headed off.
They got to their new house and Nichole’s eyes widened.
The house was black and crème with columns and Tashka and Zap statues. “Whose house is this?” she asked.
“It’s ours,” Victor replied.
“The secret calls? The places you claimed you were going to? It was here?” Nichole asked.
“Yeah, babe, had it built before the wedding,” Victor responded. “I’m so sorry I was being difficult these last couple of months.”
I can’t believe you had all of this done!” Nichole exclaimed.
“It’s all for you.” Victor smiled. “I knew you would be mad because you know when I lie. It was a risk I had to take to keep the surprise.”
“I love you so much! I want to see the inside!” Nichole screamed. As she walked into the house she realized how big it really was. All of the floors were hardwood except for their rooms. The bathrooms had tile floors and tile walls. Victor had the house furnished and the couches and chairs were black leather. The television was a large ninety-inch flat screen. There was a large circular rug under the glass coffee table.
The kitchen had a silver fridge with an icemaker and the oven was black with a flat top stove. The microwave was silver and was in a section above the oven.
Upstairs there was a large room for the couple. It had two closets with mirror sliding doors. There was a king-sized bed with a black leather headboard with diamonds encrusted in the leather that formed a diamond pattern. Their bathroom had a large bathtub that was also a jacuzzi. The shower was separate with glass doors.
The kids’ rooms had their own bathrooms and baby cribs. They went out to the backyard and saw the pool was large and had a diving board. There was a hot tub right next to it.
A black, glossy fence went around the house.
Nichole was wowed. She was speechless. “What are we going to do with the furniture at my house?” Nichole asked.
“We can sell it,” Victor replied.
As soon as they got back to the old house, they took pictures of all the furniture and posted them online. They sold all of the stuff in the house and moved their fish tanks and clothes to the new house.
When Nichole was seven months pregnant, the two got married. They had the wedding at a church, which was a beautiful service. They shared their vows, Tashka and Zap carried in the rings, and Victor kissed his bride.
The reception was at their home. It was a pool party reception. They had caterers come in with food, snacks, and drinks. The bartender made drinks for people left and right. Larry had a speech prepared for the couple and spoke it beautifully. Nichole met Victor’s family and Victor met hers. Their families loved seeing them together and they congratulated them to the full extent.
Nichole wasn’t close to her family and they had just found out about the babies. That caused a slight argument. Victor’s family lived in Brazil and decided they would only fly in for the wedding and the twins’ birthday.
The couple was fine with that, being as they were both busy also. They wanted to focus on their new family. Their families didn’t cause too much of a fuss about their disconnection but still made the promise about how they would stay in touch and visit more often.
The reception was full of fun and dancing. Everyone admired the house and Nichole’s dress and baby bump. It was a huge success and Nichole and Victor got to show off their new home and the landscaped property around it.
The party was fun, and everyone was able to fit in the pool. At the end of the night, Victor and Nichole danced in their swimsuits. Everything felt like slow motion to them. They wanted their night to last forever. When it was time to leave, everybody hugged the newlyweds and the couple made their way to the bedroom while the staff Victor hired cleaned up the house.
Nichole quickly took off her wedding band and put it on their dresser. “My hands are swollen, I’ll show it off as soon as these babies come out and I go back to normal,” Nichole promised. Victor looked at his wife and was in awe. She looked gorgeous pregnant. Nichole noticed Victor’s stares and called him out. “Do you see something you like?” Nichole asked.
“I see something I love,” Victor replied.
“What all do you love about me?” Nichole asked.
“Everything. I love your hair and your smile. I love the way you swim in the pool because when your body is wet, your skin glistens gold. To you, the limit isn’t to the skies; it’s to the other galaxies. You aren’t close-minded. Your mind is open to ideas and beliefs and I love it. Nothing can change the way I feel about you. You’re the greatest woman I have ever met,” Victor answered.
“I l
ove you so much,” Nichole began. “I love the way you say my name. I love how you aren’t afraid to take charge. I love that you aren’t rude or controlling. You’re handsome and strong. You have morals. You didn’t want to have kids with me without us being married. Your love is strong, and I love you a million times more for it.”
They knew their love was real. Nothing in the world could break their bond. Nichole knew the love was real because he had risked her trust to surprise her with a giant house and he flew all the way to be with her. Victor knew the love was real because of how quickly she said yes to his proposal. She had her guard up for a good amount of the time they were together, but she stayed true and didn’t ask him for much. His money meant nothing to her. All he wanted was love and financial comfort, which was the same thing Nichole wanted. Everything was going well, and nothing could stop it.
The two laid in each other’s arms. Nichole whispered sweet things in Victor’s ears. “Nothing can get me to stop loving you. Your soul is so pure. You have the touch of an angel and I never want to let you go,” she whispered. Victor caressed her as she spoke. He cared about her more than she could imagine. He would do anything for her. He rubbed her stomach and felt his children kick. Their feet would push against Victor’s hand through Nichole’s stomach. Nichole would moan but she too enjoyed feeling their babies’ movements. All four of them fell asleep touching each other.
Nichole woke up and heard movement in their kitchen. She saw Tashka and Zap sleeping together on their bed. She saw Victor sleeping beside her. So, who was downstairs? She became riddled with fear. She was horrified, and she woke up Victor. “Someone’s downstairs,” Nichole said as she shook her husband.
Victor automatically became alert of his surroundings. He hopped out of bed and headed downstairs. Nichole called the police and they said they were on the way. Before Nichole hung up, she heard screaming and things breaking. Then two gunshots came from downstairs. She jumped out of the bed and ran to the closet and hid. She attempted to muffle her sobs. She heard someone stomp up the steps and then bust into their room. Tashka was barking and Zap was hiding under the bed. Nichole could see through a crack in the closet door, but it was dark.
