‘Off, boy! This is not a kiss you can take over!’
Javi was giggling and clapping his hands in glee. ‘Yay, Papa!’ He ran up to greet them both with a huge hug that threatened to squish all her flowers, but she could hardly see a thing through the tears in her eyes.
She realised she was grinning like a teenager now as she looked from Javi to Gabriel. How could she not feel blessed, being here with two of the most important people in her life? And now she not only had her best friend back, she had an incredible, loving, kind, hotter-than-hot boyfriend too—not to mention his adorable son. Oh, and a dog, she thought, laughing again as Savio went in for another lick...
One year later
‘Gabriel, come and try the cake!’ Ana called out.
Gabriel disentangled himself from the increasingly knotted bunch of strings dangling around him. ‘One second,’ he called back from the top of the ladder. His house was already filled with decorations for Javi’s birthday party but he needed to tie the last of the colourful balloons to the curtain poles. They were bobbing from every corner, as if they wanted to escape through the window and take flight in the sky, and it wouldn’t do to release them before Javi and his friends had even seen them.
The smell of freshly baked cake had been wafting in from the kitchen all morning as Ana cooked, and the sweet vanilla essence already had him feeling hungry as he stepped into the kitchen. He couldn’t help smiling at the sight of his beautiful girlfriend. Ana was covered in flour and her colourful patterned shirt was coated in a layer of fine dust as he leaned down to kiss her.
‘My floury maiden,’ he teased, and she laughed, handing him a small cupcake.
‘Taste it! I made the main cake from the same mix.’ She looked at him hopefully while he took a huge bite and chewed it, his eyes never leaving her face.
She wrinkled up her nose. ‘Oh no, is it too sweet?’
‘They’re kids, they live on sugar,’ he replied. ‘It’s perfect!’
Ana still looked nervous as she dabbed at her face and seemed only just to realise she was covered in flour. ‘I should shower; Ines and Pedro will be here soon with Javi.’
‘Want me to join you?’ he asked, cocking an eyebrow, and before she could even answer he was swiping her giggling body up from her chair and making for the bathroom.
By the time they emerged from the bedroom, hot and sweating after their shower, they were even later for the start of the party. Gabriel watched her dress in amusement. He didn’t miss how she swiped up items of clothing from the drawers he’d cleared for her and put them back again straight away. When she decided on a floral printed dress with a green headscarf covered in peacocks, she promptly spilled the rest of her scarves and headbands from their box onto the floor.
‘Hey, what’s going on with you?’ He laughed, racing to help gather them up. ‘It’s just a children’s birthday party!’
Ana couldn’t seem to look him in the eye. Something was wrong. He pressed a kiss to her lips, as if to calm her, and she sighed against his mouth. Then thankfully she smiled, but he could tell she was nervous about something.
‘Everything’s going to be great. The cake is delicious, the decorations are amazing and Javi will know how much effort you’ve put in,’ he reassured her.
Ever since she’d moved into his place last year and they’d adapted the house for her wheelchair, she’d been going out of her way for Javi and him, and he was very much enjoying working more at the clinic. He did just three shifts a week with the ambulance team at the Hospital General de Buenos Aires, and the rest of the time he spent with her and the patients at the clinic was the perfect mix of action and calm for him at this stage in his life—but this was still Ana, of course. Everything had to be perfect. Most of the time now she let him help her, if only by calming her down. Hopefully she’d relax before Ines arrived...
Too late—the doorbell was ringing. They were here, and Javi’s friends would be arriving in less than half an hour. Pressing another kiss to her lips, he said, ‘You’re perfect—I love you,’ and hurried down the stairs.
Ana took a deep breath, staring at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. The peacocks on her headband seemed to be smirking at her. Why was she suddenly losing the ability to think straight? Gabriel—dear, sweet, wonderful, unsuspecting Gabriel—had no idea why she was so antsy. In fact, only Ines knew. Ines was her accomplice, her co-conspirator and...dared she say it?... friend.
She met Ines downstairs in the kitchen, where she was admiring the robot-shaped cake Ana had made, her arm looped through Pedro’s. They both smiled warmly at her before Ines leant to kiss both her cheeks. Ana didn’t miss the look in her eyes before she whispered, ‘You’ve got this, Ana.’
Gabriel popped his head in. ‘Are you guys coming? We’re about to start “pass the parcel”!’
Gabriel had hung streamers from the windows to the doorway, and she felt as though she was floating as she entered the party with Ines and Pedro. Javi had invited ten of his closest friends over. Music filled the air and laughter echoed through the house as he ran around excitedly with his friends, dressed in an adorable sailor costume complete with captain’s hat. He’d insisted on a fancy dress party. Even Savio had on a special costume—the poor dog was sitting a little grouchily on the floor in the corner, no doubt feeling sorry for himself, dressed as a giant watermelon.
Everyone else was enjoying themselves and, for a moment, she simply watched them all, drinking in their faces and listening to their conversations and laughter as the parcel went round and round the circle, stopping with the music to let another child tear off a layer, revealing a little gift inside.
It all felt like a dream, even though her nerves were now sky-high. Since Gabriel had asked her to move in a year ago, things had been pretty much perfect. As the most talked about couple in the district, not least because of their hugely successful practice, she was proud to be seen out and about at events and functions, and even prouder to be invited to couple’s gatherings and family fun days with Gabriel and Javi. No more loneliness! She no longer felt the sting of sad nights by herself, and she’d even taken up cooking, much to her mother’s delight.
Ana’s mother had developed the special knack of arriving early at the weekend with a bundle of fresh ingredients and her recipe box. She would take over the kitchen, bustling to and fro as she chopped vegetables and simmered sauces, explaining every step as she worked.
Ana had felt awkward at first, but she had gradually come to understand that everything her mum did was out of deep love, respect and pride for her other more professional achievements. Accepting her parents’ help every now and then didn’t feel so suffocating, now that she had Gabriel to bring his light-hearted presence and sense of humour into every situation—she was happy to need him. She was even happier that he seemed to need her just as much in return.
The time had come. Ana steeled herself; there was no going back now. When the last layer of the parcel had been snatched up and torn into even smaller pieces by the watermelon dog, she wheeled herself to the front of the room, her heart beating a million miles a minute as she shifted slightly in her chair. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she reached into the pouch by her right thigh and called for Gabriel. She could see Ines was fighting a smile, while Pedro and Gabriel, who’d been chatting in the corner, just looked confused.
‘Gabriel, you’ve made me think a lot this past year,’ she started, as he dropped to the couch just by her side and ran his hands through his hair. Looking straight into his gorgeous brown eyes, she felt the chattering children and the music fade away and had to fight an enormous wave of emotion just to get her next words out. Clutching the box containing the ring to her heart for a moment, she took his fingers.
‘Ana, what is it?’ he whispered. She almost giggled at the concern and confusion on his face, but Ines was encouraging her, nodding for her to continue, as they had planned when they’d chosen the ring for him.
‘Being your friend was wonderful,’ she said. ‘Being your girlfriend is even more so. But, Gabriel, I want more than anything to be your wife.’ She opened the box up slowly and swallowed a last flurry of nerves as an audible gasp travelled around the room. ‘I love you. Will you be my husband? Will you marry me?’
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. He seemed nearly as taken aback as everyone else, and he just stared at the ring for what felt like for ever. Then finally, in a soft voice, he said, ‘Yes.’
He stood up, letting her push the ring onto his finger, a grin breaking out on his face. ‘Yes!’ he exclaimed loudly, lifting her clean from her chair and spinning her around. Pandemonium broke out among the children as they laughed and Gabriel kissed her. Everyone was clapping and cheering, no-one louder than Javi, and she even caught Ines crying softly as she leaned into Pedro’s shoulder.
‘You’re crazy, but I am in love with you,’ Gabriel whispered, just as a giant fuzzy watermelon jumped up for one more group kiss. This time Ana didn’t push him off. There was enough love here for everyone, however they wanted to show it.
Look out for the next story in the Buenos Aires Docs quartet
Secretly Dating the Baby Doc
by JC Harroway
And if you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Becky Wicks
Melting the Surgeon’s Heart
Finding Forever with the Single Dad
