Gabriel says one more thing to her, and she laughs. She looks far happier than any of the other attendants, and I don’t know if that’s due to her personality, or Gabriel.
“What was that about?” I ask when Gabriel comes walking over.
He rubs his hands together in excitement. “We’ve been upgraded to first class.”
My mouth opens. “What? How?”
“I asked her if there was room. She said there were two seats available, and when she told me how much it would be to upgrade, I said never mind. Then she said she might let the cost slide if I told her how we met. She said it had to be a good story.” He chuckles. “So I told her how we met.”
“That’s in-sane.” I singsong the second word.
“Yep. I even told her she could look us up on the internet. I told her there’d be two articles she could read about us.”
Domenica did a follow up on our wedding, but her first article is my favorite.
“And did she?”
He nods. “I watched her type our names into the search bar on her phone. She got really excited after that.”
“Aww.” I grip the back of his neck with one hand. “You’re the best.”
Nine hours later and one stop in Miami, our plane is descending over the turquoise waters of St. Lucia.
By the time we get to the van sent by the resort to collect guests, I’m high on life. The air is thick, sultry, so moist I think maybe I could swipe a cupped hand through it and capture water droplets. I tuck away my passport, freshly stamped for the first time in my life, and lean over Gabriel’s lap to watch the scenery as we pass. Gabriel tugs at my waist, lifting me up and over as he slides left, giving up his window seat.
The high continues. We’re shown to our room, but it’s not a room at all. It’s detached, a single structure, and it’s bigger than our home in Phoenix. I don’t think we’re in the right place.
“Excuse me?” Gabriel says to the man carrying in our luggage. “I booked a standard room.”
The man smiles. “This room was available, so they bumped you up.”
Gabriel and I turn wide eyes on each other. His cheeks quake as he holds in his response, and I feel my own cheeks trembling.
As soon as the bellman is gone, we lose our cool.
“Holy shit,” I yell, as Gabriel spins me around. He throws his head back, disbelieving laughter pours from him.
I peer down at him, my gaze sliding as he lowers my feet to the floor. “Did you have something to do with this, too?”
He shakes his head. “This is not my work.”
“It must be our lucky day.” The universe wants the best for us. I can feel it. We went off the rails, but our cart is now righted.
Gabriel’s hand slips gently over my throat. His hungry gaze digs into me, and we shed our clothes with record speed.
After, when we’re in the bathroom unpacking toiletries, Gabriel lifts one item out of the pile I’ve dumped on the counter.
He flips the small disc of plastic between two fingers, eyes on my reflection in the mirror. “What do you think about not taking these anymore?”
I stare at him. The surprises of the day aren't slowing.
“You’re serious?”
He nods.
“Are we ready?” Having a baby has never been an ‘if’ but a ‘when,’ and maybe this is what Gabriel needs. A life to care for, a child to love and raise. He needs to see the world is bigger than his grief, that it needs more from him.
He nods again. “I’ve been talking to some of the guys at work about it. According to them, you’re never really ready, even when you think you are.” He takes my hand, dropping his attention from my reflection and on to me. “Let’s do it. Let’s jump.”
