Elizabeth
The moment Seb and I stepped into my family mansion, it almost seems like I dragged the most powerful king out of his throne to come down here with me.
Debora left the comic she was reading and ran down to Sebastian. Seb grabbed her into a big hug and carried her like a kid. Of course she is a kid. A nine years old baby.
He gave her a little present wrapped in a small box and her eyes beamed as she couldn't stop kissing his cheeks.
My family members froze. They were looking like sheep with wide eyes. They can't believe they're staring at a magnificent man of power and aura.
Grandma Abigail's mouth dropped. The stuff she was knitting fell off her grasp without she knowing. Her gaze was fixated on Seb the whole time. In fact, the rest of the household couldn't take their eyes off him and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
Grandma Abigail has always wanted to come face-to-face with Seb right from day one and today, she's seeing him life and direct in the mansion. My aunt—Debora's mom Gabriella eyes popped as her mouth dropped and my mom had to shut it for her when she couldn't stop staring.
Uncle Fernando was the first to break the awkwardness. He welcomed Seb with a firm handshake and I quickly look around if dad was anywhere near.
Gratefully and luckily, mom said he's not home. He went to church and hasn't returned.
I swear, a big breath of relief left my chest. I finally feel better not having him in the house at this hour. I'm hundred percent sure he'd have made a scene.
I wasn't expecting we'd stay long but Seb on the other hand was liking his welcome here. My cousins were hovering around him like leeches, asking several random questions and I caught him laughing a couple of times.
I feel somehow neglected without his presence beside me. It almost felt like my family has stolen him away from me. Grandma Abigail was showing him a lot of things she'd knitted by herself and he praised her bountifully. He pecked her cheeks and she blushed like a ripe tomato.
Since Seb was less busy today and doesn't have anything to do in the study later, he volunteer he take my entire family outing.
I was like; That's too much stress and it's gonna cost a lot.
I look at my family who are so engrossed in the offer, super happy that they gave in easily. I don't have anything to say other than agree with him.
Uncle Fernando brought the family bus— but hell, the bus I know used to be old and cracky but what I saw was clean and new and I had to ask Uncle how the hell did this came on board.
He explained to me that the old one was sold and the money was used to buy a new one.
I was like: A double-decker? It's way too much to be expensive. Uncle said the harvest last year was great and bountiful so they added a little money gotten from the sold old bus to the profit of the harvest and used it to get a new one.
Our family name was boldly scribbled on the skyblue double-decker: THE BARROS. And Uncle Fernando drove us all the way.
We went to the movies, the stadium, the amusement park and even the polo. It was so much fun it could be and Seb made it lively for everyone. We grabbed ice-creams, cotton candies, etc. We also got to eat street foods which were new to Seb.
It was evening when we finally got back home. And everyone hopped out of the bus with satisfaction written all over their faces. To my greatest surprise, dad was not back home yet. And I feel like today is actually working for my favour.
It was when Seb leaned over and whisper to me that he hasn't met my dad yet that I had to snap out of my daze.
I made him understand that dad was not necessary at the moment. He didn't push more questions. He understood and nodded over it.
Mom escorts us out when it was time for us to leave. We stopped beside Seb's G-wagon and mom couldn't stop thanking him for the love and care he showed to the entire family today.
I was the one who was more amazed to see how Seb accepted my family like they were his.
Seb asked mom what she does for a living and she told him she was a tailor. I was surprised Seb took interest in the matter. He volunteered to see where mom was working when she told him it was the family shop down the street.
Since it wasn't far—just a five minutes walk from home, we trekked. Although, Seb asked me to stay back in the car because of my condition but I insisted and went with them.
Seb was not happy after seeing the condition of the place. He talked about renovation and I almost cried my ass out. Mom was not believing it. She thought he was kidding until next day when Seb and I came to the shop with a few contractors. Mom left what she was sewing and hopped to my side if she was dreaming. I pinched her so she knows she wasn't.
A lot of changes that required time were done and that took almost another week out of our scheduled duration. Seb furnished the whole place. It looked good as new, with so many sewing machines and accessories flaunting the whole place. It never had a sting resemblance of my old family shop.
And I said to myself: A new wine in a new bottle.
Mom cried. She couldn't believe this neither hold back her emotions. She blessed him and blessed our union.
Uncle Fernando hold himself back not to tear up when we said our goodbyes at the airport. His eyes welled so much and I know how much effort he's putting into not shedding a tear.
In the middle of the moment, Seb asked him to call out the family's account details. Uncle Fernando was carried away he didn't know when he called it right. His eyes opened to reality when his phone buzzed in his pocket and he received a strange notification.
Ten Million.
He blinked. Looked at Seb then back at me. Seb told him it's his compensation for the family's upkeep.
Uncle didn't know what to do. The digits were too much for only his eyes. He hasn't seen such a huge amount before in his entire life.
Unable to contain the moment, Uncle passed out. And that was another problem we had to deal with before flying back to Wroclaw.
**********
Few months later…..
Inside my office…
Natasha and Bianca couldn't stop acting weird and staring wide-eyed at the wedding dress on the mannequin.
They've been looking at it sheepishly since they got in. I never mind them anyway. I had a lot of things piled up in my schedule and notifications popping up in my emails.
I'm too busy to pay attention to them.
"God, bitch. I still don't believe you made this dress yourself. Like damn, girl. This was done by the designer who made Hailey Bieber's wedding dress." Natasha trailed her fingers over the transparent lace.
Bianca was comfortably sitting on the couch while reading a fashion magazine. I'd asked her to stay back home and rest because her due date is near and fast approaching but she said it's too lonely in the house since Antoni left with her mom to the grocery store this morning.
"It's too good to be you." She said.
Still not taking my eyes off the thousands orders of notification on my email, I told them, "Check around the neckline or the sides if you'll find any label that says: Hailey Bieber's designer."
Natasha who is just five months pregnant, sheepishly look through the dress if she could find one label. "I don't find one here, not even your brand."
Bianca lift her head off the magazine and to me, "Wait, we all once agreed to make our wedding dresses the same but yours is the hottest of it all. Even better than that Paris designer. Did you stay up all night making this? I wish I had my wedding in this era. Because this dress is killing the shot."
I put my phone down and swirl my chair to the desk, "Well, I had to. Seb wanted to save me the stress and just order a mind-blowing one but, I returned it and asked for a refund unknowing to Seb. I spend the money."
Natasha grinned and flashed me her brows, "You're a bad girl. So tell me, all night awake and abstaining from sex just to put in all the effort? Worth it."
I shifted my eyes to the dress on the mannequin.
God, Elizabeth. You've done so well. What style of wedding dress is this? It's too revealing.
The white transparent floral net from top to down was crazy. The white inner linen was mind-blowing. The designer with my name embroidered on the chest area, forming a bra cage was killing the shot like Bianca said. I scribbled Seb's name and mine at the tail, sprouting out on the floor.
Mixing our names together to give it a shot: ELIBASTIAN.
I look deeper: the inner linen stopped at the knee level, leaving the white floral net to float out its best to the ground. It's handless with only the bra cage cupping the cleavages. The back? You wanna find out?
It's a bomb.
The cut at the back is so deep that I'm scared the small of my back would be revealing later. There are white straps that when knotted together, it'd form an XXXXX.
The veil is magnificent. It's heaven. I made it out of love with so much effort puts into it, even as little as it is. It's transparent all through with so much weaving and designing puts into it. I designed the hem as our wedding name ELIBASTIAN all through and it's crazily sophisticated seeing the alphabets hanging out.
"ELIBASTIAN." Bianca drew me out of my daze. "This is too romantic. You're head-over-heels for him."
I flung my head on the headrest and sighed, "I've always been, Bianca."
"Making a dress to entice him and draw all the attention is one thing but mixing your names together to form a click is another thing." Natasha added.
"Add it to your diary—"
"Guys, what happens if your water breaks out?" Bianca said and we turn our heads at her.
Tasha and I look down to her legs and saw transparent liquids dripping and rolling down her thighs to her feet.
We exchanged look, "Oh my God." Natasha said. I don't know what's about to happen but I think Tasha has a clue since her husband is a doctor. "Bitch, I think you're falling into labour."
I was like: Labour? Just like that?
The next thing I'm hearing…..is Bianca's thrilled voice screaming the roof down.
"ANTONI!!!"
That day, Bianca welcomed a set of twins. A boy and a girl. Which Antoni named: Tymon Kacper Antoni Jakub and Milena Aniela Antoni Jakub.
I was still at the hospital reception when Seb called my phone. "Sharon just delivered. Two boys and two girls."
I gasped, covering my mouth. "Are you for real?"
He chuckled, the pride of becoming an uncle for the first time, "I just sent you pictures."
"Oh my," I scrolled over and—God, they're so marvelous in the sight. Four babies sleeping inside a big cot. Two wrapped in blue blankets and two in pink blankets. "They're chubby and cute. How did she do that?"
"Just the way Bianca did hers." He said, and I heard his soft chuckles in the background.
When we hang up, I sat on the couch, biting my fingers and thinking about one thing.
Mine is on the way. Would it be easy for me just as my friends found theirs easy?