by Anthology
Just as I pull my phone from my pocket to call nine-one-one, her eyes flutter open, “Logan, what are you doing here?”
“There’s my girl. I stopped by the café to have lunch with you and Jody said you called in, so I came home to check on you,” I say as I place a kiss on her forehead. “What happened babe? Why were you on the floor?”
“I was getting ready for work, and I felt a little light headed, but I was trying to finish up my makeup before I went and ate breakfast.” She looks a little embarrassed as she says, “I guess I didn’t get ready fast enough.”
“So, have you not eaten anything at all today?” I ask sternly.
She shakes her head as tears begin to fill her eyes. “No, I guess not.”
I pull her tighter against my chest, “Don’t cry babe. We’ll make some adjustments to our schedule to make sure this doesn’t happen again, okay?” She nods against my chest as her tears begin to slow. I begin to run my hands over her checking for injuries, “Are you hurt anywhere?” Gently running my hands over her head, I ask, “Did you hit your head?”
She cringes a little as I lightly touch a sore spot, “Maybe. That hurt a little.”
“Okay, well let’s get you something to eat and I’ll call Doctor Williams and see if he wants to see you.”
Standing with her in my arms, I carry her into the kitchen and sit her on one of the barstools at the breakfast bar. Taking her face in my hands, I lean in and gently kiss her lips. “There, that’s better. Now, what would you like to eat?”
“Scrambled eggs and toast with cinnamon sugar.”
“Coming right up.” I move around the kitchen making what she requested. Within minutes, I have her food plated and sitting in front of her. As she begins to eat, I pull out my phone and dial Doctor Williams’s office. After explaining the situation, the nurse suggest that Isabel go to the emergency room for a concussion evaluation. Ending the call, I turn to Isabel, “The nurse talked to Doctor Williams and they want you to be evaluated for a concussion just to be safe. Doctor Williams will meet us there to do a routine check on the babies.” Nodding to her now empty plate, I ask, “Do you want more to eat before we go?”
“No, I think I’m good now.”
Picking up her plate, I take it to the sink, rinse it and place it in the dishwasher, and quickly wash the skillet. Turning back to Isabel, she says, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For coming home to check on me, making me something to eat, calling the doctor. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Rounding the breakfast bar, I spin her around to face me and tilt her chin up to look at me. “Isabel, I love you. I want to take care of you.” Lifting her left hand I continue, “If I didn’t I would have never placed this ring on your hand.” Kissing her hand just above her engagement ring, “But I did, and even before we say our wedding vows, you need to understand I will always be here to take care of you.”
Isabel smiles and caresses my cheek, “I have to be the luckiest woman in the world to have someone who loves me as much as you do. To have someone who treats me as well as you do, while I’m carrying these babies, it makes me excited for when we have our own baby someday. Because you Logan Matthews are going to be an amazing father.”
I lean in and place a lingering kiss on her lips, I pull away just enough so can whisper, “And you are going to be the most amazing mom.”
Her mouth transforms into a full-blown smile, “You know it! And we are going to practice by being the most awesome aunt and uncle these kiddos could ever have.”
“You bet your ass we are. Now how about you move that beautiful ass, and let’s get you checked out.”
“Okay, okay,” she says pulling out of my arms, “just let me run to the bathroom first and I’ll be ready to go.”
While I wait for Isabel, I put some crackers into a zip-lock bag and grab a banana off the counter. Finding Isabel’s purse, I place them inside just in case she needs them while we wait to be seen. Just as I zip up Isabel’s bag, she walks back into the room announcing, “Okay, I’m ready when you are.”
Arriving at the emergency room, we check in, and take a seat so Isabel can fill out the medical forms. When Isabel opens her purse to retrieve her insurance card, she see the snacks I placed in her purse before we left the house. She smiles, then leans over and kisses my cheek. Once they are completed, I walk them back to the window and turn them in. A few minutes later, a door held open by a young woman in purple scrubs and calls, “Isabel Velez?”
Isabel stands and I begin to follow her back, when I’m stopped. “I’m sorry sir, but just the patient is allowed back right now. Someone will come and get you as soon as she is settled.”
“Oh, okay.” Turning to Isabel I assure her, “I’ll be right out here if you need me.”
“Okay, hopefully I won’t be long.” I watch as she steps through the door and wait until the door closes before taking a seat.
After two hours of waiting, with no word from anyone on what’s going on, I approach the window for information. “Excuse me, could you please tell me what’s going on with Isabel Velez?”
“Are you family?”
“I’m her fiancé, the one that brought her in,” I say sternly, irritation clear in my voice.
“I’m sorry sir, information on a patient’s condition is only available to family members or those authorized by the patient.”
I release a frustrated sigh, “Well can I at least go back and see her? I’m sure she is wondering why I haven’t been allowed back yet.”
“I’m sorry sir, I’ll have to check with her nurse and get back to you. Just have a seat.”
Frustrated with the run around I’m being given, I run my hand through my hair and walk back to my seat. Another hour passes, before the same door Isabel walked through, opens again bringing her out in a wheelchair. Jumping to my feet I quickly make my way to her, “Hey there, beautiful. Everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” she says with a smile. “No concussion and Doctor Williams gave me a clean bill of health.”
“Thank God for that. You ready to get out of here?”
“More than ready.”
“Sir,” the young transport tech says, “If you want to get the car I’ll bring her right out.”
“Oh, sure, of course.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head, “I’ll be right back babe.”
Once we are in the car and headed home, I feel the need to explain why I wasn’t back there with her. “I’m so sorry that you were alone. I asked to come back with you and they said only family was allowed back. I tried to explain I was you fiancé but they didn’t seem to care.”
“It’s okay, babe. When I mentioned to Doctor Williams that they hadn’t let you come back with me, he explained that when a woman comes in injured it’s protocol to have them separated from their husbands or boyfriends, just in case there is some sort of abuse. He knew that wasn’t the case with us, but by the time he arrived, they had already prepared my discharge orders and were just waiting for his portion of the examination to be completed and for him to sign the discharge paperwork.”
“Well that’s good to know, and I guess I can understand their reasoning. I still didn’t like not knowing what was going on. Speaking of knowing what’s going on, I think you need to call Javier and Maya and let them know what happened.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she says as she picks up her phone and dials their number.
After dinner, while Isabel takes a hot bath, I call Jody to let her know that Isabel won’t be at work the next day. It’s been a long day for her and she needs to get some real rest. Between the fall and the emergency room, I know she’s a little stressed out. Not to mention the tongue-lashing she received from Javier and Maya. Checking the locks and turning off the lights, I head to the bathroom to check on Isabel. Leaning against the door, I ask, “You doing okay, babe?”
“Mhmm,” she hums, eyes closed, head resting on a towel. “Thank you
for suggesting this. I should probably get out before I turn into a prune.”
Chuckling I step forward, “Need some help?” She shifts and I reach out to help her stand, opening the towel for her to step into. Leaving my arms around her waist, I begin placing kisses along her neck. A soft moan escapes her and she leans back into me, I scoop her into my arms and carry her to bed, ready to show her just how much she means to me.
Chapter 11
With the frustrating events of the emergency room still rolling through my mind, and an idea on how to avoid it in the future, I enlisted Javier and Maya’s help to pull off an epic surprise.
Since moving in together, Isabel and I have managed to make sure that, our schedules coincide, especially on weekends. The café is open for breakfast and lunch and closes at three every afternoon. Isabel, goes in around ten, works the lunch shift and closes the café. While I open my store, which closes at five. What Isabel doesn’t know is, that today instead of working, I spent the morning at Javier and Maya’s helping get everything set up.
On the ride over to Javier and Maya’s, Isabel asks for the third time, “Are you sure we weren’t supposed to bring anything?”
“Yes babe, I’m positive. Maya has everything under control.”
Eyeing me suspiciously, she finally concedes, “Okay, if you say so.”
As we pull into the driveway, Isabel recognizes one of the cars. “That looks like my parent’s car. Maya didn’t say they would be here tonight. I wonder why she didn’t tell me.”
“Maybe they wanted to surprise you,” I suggest while helping her out of the car.
“Yeah maybe,” she says, a touch of hurt evident in her voice.
Walking hand in hand to the front door, I ring the bell. As we wait for someone to answer, I lean in and give her a kiss just as the door opens.
“Hey that’s enough of that,” Javier teases, “save it for later.”
Isabel rolls her eyes and smiles at her brother, before walking in to give him a hug.
“You look beautiful,” he says, “babies treating you well today?”
“Thanks and yes they are behaving so far.” As I walk in Javier pats me on the back and winks, as Isabel continues. “Is that Mom’s car in the driveway?”
“It is, they drove up for the weekend,” he says as we follow him to the living room.
Isabel walks straight over to her parents to give them a hug, “Mom, Dad, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming up this weekend.”
“It was a last minute decision,” her Dad says as he releases her and shakes my hand.
Before he can continue, a woman says from across the room, “That and Logan made us promise not to tell you.”
Surprised Isabel spins in her direction, “Aunt Viv?” She makes a beeline to her aunt, giving her a hug as well. “And what do you mean, Logan made you promise not to tell me?” she asks while looking at me.
Her mother walks over and takes her hand, causing her focus to shift from me to what her mother is saying. “Because my sweet girl, he loves you so much he wanted to surprise you.”
As her eyes make their way back to mine she asks, “Surprise me with what?”
Confusion mars her features as I make my way to her, only answering when I’m standing in front of her. “Our wedding.”
She tilts her head considering what I just said. “What? I don’t understand.”
“Isabel, I could come up with a hundred different reasons why I want to marry you tonight. The truth is, I love you and I can’t imagine waiting another day to make you my wife. So I had lunch with Javier and Maya and began planning.”
Just as I finish, I hear the door open and Marco and his family walk in, “And Javy called us,” Marco says stepping into the room, baby carrier in hand.
“Marco! What are you doing here?”
He walks over and wraps Isabel in a hug and kisses the top of her head, “There was no way we were missing my baby sister’s wedding.” Marco claps me on the shoulder and smiles as he moves to stand beside his wife.
Isabel looks around at her family before finding her way back to me, “What about your parents? Don’t you want them to be here?”
“Of course, and they will be in about half an hour. And so will Evan, Rachel and the boys.”
“Logan, this is crazy, I don’t even have a dress!”
“Well actually,” her mother says, “I brought my wedding dress for you to wear.”
I take a step closer to her, taking her hands in mine and speak softly and clearly so there is no confusion about what I am saying. “Isabel, if you don’t want to do this, just say the word and we’ll wait. If you have always dreamed about having a big church wedding, then we can have that. Talk to me Isabel. Tell me what’s making you hesitate.
“Logan,” she says softly as her eyes fill with tears. “I’m four months pregnant.”
“I know.” I wipe away a tear as it makes it’s way down her cheek. “I don’t care. Don’t you see, it wouldn’t matter to me if you were blue and had purple hair, I would still want to marry you. It may have been your incredibly sexy legs that made me notice you, but Isabel it was your beautiful heart that I fell in love with.”
As I wait for her to agree, I hear sniffling all around us. After what feels like an eternity, Isabel, never taking her eyes from mine questions, “Mom are you sure your dress will fit me?”
“Yes sweetheart, I’m positive,” her mother replies confidently.
“Good,” she replies as bright smile spreads across her face, “because I’m getting married today!”
The room erupts in cheers, as I sweep her into my arms and spin her around. Cutting our celebration short, Maya takes charge, “Okay everyone knows what needs to be done, so let’s get moving!”
Laying a hand on Isabel’s arm her mother says, “Come darling, let’s get you ready.” Giving me a quick kiss, Isabel turns and follows her mother and Carolina to one of the bedrooms to get ready for the ceremony.
I watch, smile firmly in place as she disappears behind the door to get ready to become my wife. Drawn from my musings as Marco slaps me on the back, “Come on Romeo, we need your help moving some furniture before you get dressed.”
As I turn to follow Marco to the backyard, where the ceremony will take place, the doorbell sounds as the door opens and I hear, “Is there a bride and groom in the house?” Turning I see Molly and Travis walk through the door, followed closely by my family.
Moving to greet them, I reply, “Indeed there is.” Giving Molly a hug and shaking Travis’s hand I tell them, “Thank you both so much for being here. I didn’t get a chance to tell Isabel that you were coming or standing up with us so she is going to be surprised.”
Giving my mom and Rachel a hug, I suggest, “Why don’t you two go with Molly and say hello to Isabel, and then I’m sure Maya and Viv can use some help, if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all son,” my mother says while laying her hand on my cheek. “We’re so happy for you Logan.”
“Thanks Mom,” I reply as I kiss her cheek and direct them to where they can find Isabel. Clapping my hands together, I turn to my Dad and brother, “Okay guys we’ve got some work to do outside so follow me.”
Finding Marco, we begin moving the patio furniture around to accommodate the seating for the ceremony. Thanks to Molly and Travis, who are serving as our best man and maid of honor, I was able to borrow the same archway they used at their wedding for ours. Decorated with flowers and white lights, it is already in place where Isabel and I will stand before our family and become husband and wife.
Stepping back into the house to change for the ceremony, I find my mother, along with Molly, Maya and Viv setting up the catered dinner I had delivered. In the dining room, a small table has been set up to hold the wedding cake, and two long tables with chairs are set up in the living room to add seating for dinner. My mom catches me taking it all in and says, “Hi sweetheart, did you need something?”
I smile and shak
e my head as I hug her to me, “No ma’am, I have everything I need. You all have done an amazing job pulling everything together. I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to thank you.”
“Logan,” Maya says getting my attention, “compared to what Isabel is doing for us, hosting a wedding for the two of you is the least we can do.”
I hear Molly sniffle before she says, “Okay, the minister will be here in twenty minutes, let’s save the sappy stuff for the ceremony. I can’t stand up with the bride with mascara streaking down my face.” As everyone laughs, I begin to back out of the room to go get ready.
Thirty minutes later Viv wrangles everyone out onto the back patio. Our loved ones now occupy the chairs we set up earlier, and are ready to witness our exchanging of vows. Candles and flowers float in the swimming pool as the sun begins to set behind us. Travis and I take our position beside the minister as music softly plays. When the French doors open, and Molly begins to walk toward us, I take a deep breath knowing the next person to walk through those doors will be the woman I love. Glancing over at Travis, whose eyes are firmly locked with Molly’s, all I can see is the love they share shining between them.
As Molly takes her place, everyone stands as Isabel steps out on her father’s arm. Making their way to me, I am in awe at how beautiful she is. Proudly wearing her mother’s wedding dress, which fits her perfectly, her love for me evident in her eyes. When they reach the archway, her father kisses her cheek and places her hand in mine, before taking his seat beside his wife.
As the minister begins the service, I can’t take my eyes off the woman who is about to become my wife. Handing her bouquet to Molly, we repeat our vows and exchange rings. All of the minister’s words fade away until I hear him say, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Without hesitation, I wrap my arms around her and kiss her for the first time as my wife. As our family and friends begin to applaud and cheer, I reluctantly pull away, knowing it will be quite some time before the smile on my face fades. As Molly hands Isabel her bouquet, and we turn to face our family, the minister says, “I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Logan and Isabel Matthews.”
