Chapter Seven
Madeline
Christmas the next year came so quickly It was hard to believe Alejandra was eleven months old.
"Oh, come on, petite fille!" Papa said as she tottered around, trying to head towards Ivan over and over. "Just walk towards me once!"
"Serves you right for buying her that hideous dress." Dad stated, looking at said dress while saying it. It had apparently been a horrible impulse buy, and Carlos and I had done our best to smile when we opened it for her.
"One, my taste in fashion is impeccable, and two, she is eleven months old. We could put her in anything and she wouldn't be offended."
Ivan swept her up into his lap. "Is Uncle Ivan your favorite person after mom and dad? Or is it just because Uncle Alfred is behind me?"
Alfred reached down and fluffed up her hair. "Hey, cutie. I don't care if you prefer Ivan, because he's a good guy. But don't hate me."
Carlos rolled his eyes, but I laughed, sorting presents into little piles, such as clothes, toys, and books. "As if she could hate you, Al."
Soon enough, the afternoon came, and we had dinner. Papa was feeding Alejandra off his own plate. "Do you like the rolls, petite fille?"
"Francis, she's not going to tell you what she likes or what she hates."
"No, but I can make educated guesses, and carrots are a no no." Papa responded. I had to shake my head. Alejandra was still getting used to solid food, and she was unsure about most things.
Carlos, turning to me, smiled and cut a tiny piece of ham, setting it on her high chair's tray. She giggled and grabbed it. "Ham is her favorite so far." He stated. "Especially when her papà cooked it."
Dad shook his head. "Hope there's no more baby food in the house, because she won't eat it after this."
I nodded. "Don't worry. It's gone."

Carlos
At about five in the evening, Alfred and Ivan headed over to see Sofia and Natalia and enjoy Christmas supper with them. Francis and Arthur finally left at six, ready to enjoy their own Christmas.
Alejandra was asleep, and while Maddie swept the floor, I took her up to the crib. "Good night, kiddo."
Her eyes opened and I moaned a little. Please don't wake back up.
"Op-pa." She said, reaching a hand out towards me. "Op-pa!"
I picked her up, and giggling, she reached for a handful of my hair. I stopped her and began to hum, trying to lull her into sleep.
Once she was asleep again, I set her down into the crib, and turned to find Maddie smiling at me. "I suspect that Op-pa is her favorite person."
I chuckled a little. "Don't think it's particularly acceptable English, Spanish, or French, though."
Maddie came over, setting her hands on the rails of the crib. "She's so beautiful."
I took her hand and spoke. "There's one last gift downstairs for you."
As I guided downstairs, she giggled. "Are we making the surprise present a yearly thing? Last year, this year? I might suspect you have something to hide."
I shook my head, and stopped next to the Christmas tree. "Cover your eyes."
Maddie shook her head, but closed her eyes and then covered her face with her hands. I pulled out the present I had been saving all day.
"Okay, you can look now."
She opened her eyes and I handed her the box. "Merry Christmas."
She opened it to find a small silver heart necklace with a ruby inside a tiny spiral. She looked up at me in surprise, and I took her hand. "Marry me?"
A smile spread across her face, and she practically leapt into my arms, kissing me. When she pulled back, she grinned. "Yes. Yes."

Madeline
It was the end of August, trees just beginning to change the color of their leaves. My maid of honor, Sofia, carefully adjusted my hair. "You look perfect, Maddie."
I smiled, and nodded. "Thank you, Sofia, for everything."
She smiled, and then looked out of the room. "Well, Carlos is gone, and Ivan as well. Should we walk out or wait for your fathers?"
"Let's wait for my dads."
I looked at my hair, pulled back into a loose bun, with curls hanging loose to frame my face. My thin framed glasses, light eyeshadow, a smile across my face. An a-line dress with sleeves, and a bundle of autumnal colored flowers in my hand.
The tiny church was a perfect location, with a big stained glass window.
Soon enough, I could hear a quiet argument. "Stop crying, Francis, you don't want her to see you sobbing."
"As if you aren't going to cry, Arthur. We're handing away our only daughter."
"We still see Alfred, Francis. Marriage doesn't mean they're dead to us."
I had to laugh, as did Sofia. We both knew in the end, dad would be crying more than papa.
Sofia opened the door and guided me out. Both papa and dad looked up and saw me in my dress.
"Oh, mon fille..." Papa began, hurriedly wiping away a tear.
Dad instantly began blinking really fast. "You're beautiful, Maddie."
"It's okay to cry, dad."
I looked over to the door. Natalia was our flower girl. The idea of using Alejandra had quickly been dismissed when she refused to leave Alfred's side during rehearsal, not that I'd been all that fond of it in the first place.
The procession began, and then I found myself walking down the aisle, dad and papa on either side of me. Carlos smiled when he saw me, trying not to cry.
"Mama!" Alejandra said, smiling from Alfred's lap. It was a small ceremony. We had more of a wedding party than an audience. Toris, Natalia's boyfriend, smiled friendly.
Reaching Carlos,I took his hands. "I love you, Carlos."
"I love you too."

"I now pronounce you man and wife."
Carlos and I kissed and we went outside into our reception. The second Alfred let go of Alejandra, she rushed up to Carlos and me. "Papá! Momma!"
Carlos picked her up and swung her around. I had to smile. Once she was set back down, I knelt down and looked my daughter in the eyes. "Alejandra Madeline, I love you."
My daughter smiled and I picked her up. My curls, her papá's black hair and dark skin. I carried her into the reception and we sat down at the table.
Finally, as we all filed our plates, Ivan, as Best Man, stood and raised a glass. "I don't think we need to make this long. Carlos, Madeline, I can't say any of us ever expected you two to end up together, but we're all glad you are. You've given us a niece, your fathers a granddaughter, and created a family. We're all very happy for you. To many more years to come."
A clink of glass, sips of champagne and one sippy cup full of apple juice.
I looked at Carlos and we smiled at each other.
To many more years to come.

Epilogue
"Juan, get back here!"
The happy two year old streaked through the house, past his grandparents, and on towards the backyard, followed closely by his mother. Alejandra, at seven, shook her head at her younger brother's antics.
Alfred, sitting next to his oldest daughter, Anya, cut her meat for her. She smiled. "Thanks, daddy."
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
Ivan was busy trying to calm down Amelia in the kitchen. Carlos waited for the front door to open.
It swung open and he caught Juan. "And where are you going without clothes?"
Maddie came in the door and sighed. "Get a diaper on him, will you? I beg you."
Carlos saluted and did as asked, disappearing into the house with his son desperately trying to get away from him.
Once she had sat back down, Maddie looked at three year old Anya and shook her head. "You're going to have two toddlers. I don't know whether to applaud or call you a madman."
"Applaud." Ivan started, but Alfred interrupted with "Madman." Ivan gave him a glare at that, but then Amelia began to cry again and he turned his attention back to the four month old. "Please calm down for papa." He said, exasperated
Alfred finally sighed and took the infant. "Go help Anya, I'll deal with this one."
Amelia went silent the second Alfred took her, and Ivan muttered something under his breath. Arthur laughed at the sight. "Madeline used to do the same thing to me, Ivan. Don't worry."
Francis was talking to his oldest petite fille and looked up. "And Alfred did the same to me. Infants prefer certain people.
Ivan sighed. "They both prefer Al."
"I like you, Uncle Ivan." Alejandra added, and Ivan chuckled.
Carlos returned, a clothed Juan at his side. "Now, are you going to sit and eat?"
The boy nodded in a sulking manner and sat next to Ivan, across the table from his father. Maddie had to laugh.
"At least you're the favorite uncle, Ivan! Even Odeta likes you better than Alfred."
Ivan laughed at that. His niece Odeta, Natalia and Toris's daughter, had screamed the first time Al had held her, but when Ivan held her she was as quiet as a sleeping lamb.
"Well, that makes it fair. All the nieces and nephews adore you, so I get the adoration of the girls." Alfred retorted.
The adults laughed, and Alejandra and Anya ran off to go play, followed closely by Juan. Amelia finally went to sleep, and Maddie felt a hand grab hers under the table. She turned and smiled at her husband, and quickly leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek before continuing in conversation with her family.
It had already been eight years, but it had been a wonderful adventure. The dream she had had as a child, with the white fence and the kids, the dogs and her family smiling had come true. Sure, it had come around in the most unexpected of ways, but it had happened.
That was enough.

Translations

French
Petite fille-granddaughter