Okay, this is it: the last chapter! I've had fun with this story, but I feel like I've been writing it forever. I got the idea for it at the beach the last week in August and have been writing it ever since.
When I originally outlined the story I didn't plan to put in the reunion between Evan and Michelle or Michelle and Tony's trip to the beach house, but so many of you mentioned those events in reviews that I decided to revise the story and include them. So here is Tony and Michelle's long awaited weekend alone. I gave the story an overall "PG" rating but this chapter is pure "R" no doubt about it. If you've read my stories before you know that my love scenes are graphic but, I think, tasteful (If it isn't tasteful, let me know and I'll edit it.) So, if you aren't into love scenes, scroll down to the "Epilogue".
Thanks again to all of my readers. If you haven't reviewed, please click the submit review button and do so. I accept anonymous reviews. If you've been reviewing right along, how about one more for old time sake. (I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten for this story. You guys are the greatest!)
Chapter 23: The Beach
Tony and Michelle kissed the children goodbye and told them for the fifth time to be good for their grandparents.
"The kids will be fine; it's you two that I'm worried about." Tony's father teased them. "Now, go!" He said as he hugged and kissed Michelle.
"Thanks Pop." She said returning his kiss.
Tony shook his father's hand and they exchanged knowing glances. "Have a good time." His father said as he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Tony looked sheepishly at the ground. "Thanks," he said. He and Michelle had been married almost nine years and had had four children together but it still embarrassed him when his father made even the most subtle reference to sex.
The two climbed into their SUV and pulled out of the driveway. The kids waved wildly and threw kisses as they shouted "'bye, Mommy! 'bye Daddy!" from the front porch. Spencer, who the Almeida's "inherited" after Evan's death, wagged his tail and barked his goodbye. Tony and Michelle waved back until the children and the house were out of view.
They looked at each other and smiled. "Four days to ourselves!" Tony said happily. "It's like a dream come true."
"I know. I love the kids but sometimes it's nice to get away for a couple of days."
They drove along listening to music and chatting about nothing in particular. Tony looked over at Michelle and noticed her eyes shining as she gazed out the window at the California coastline. "What are you smiling at?" He asked her.
"The view. No matter how many times we drive along the coast, the view still takes my breath away; it's spectacular."
Tony took his eyes off the road for a moment and gave Michelle a long look. "The view from here is pretty spectacular, too."
Michelle looked away, as always, embarrassed by the compliment.
"Why do you do that?" He asked her as he reached over and squeezed her hand. "Why do you blush when I tell you that you're beautiful? I've been telling you that for ten years; I'd think you'd be used to it by now."
"I think your eyesight must be failing. I've got a lot more gray hair and wrinkles than I had ten years ago."
"I don't see them. You look the same as the first day I ever laid eyes on you and you stole my heart." He told her truthfully. "By the way, how long did it take you to pick out that outfit this morning? Did you stand in front of your closet and say 'Gee, what can I wear that will turn Tony on so much that he can barely keep his mind on the road?'"
"You like this?" Michelle asked with a smile. She was wearing a tight black sweater with a wide, oval neckline and three quarter length sleeves and a khaki colored denim skirt that fell to an inch or two above her knees. Her legs were bare and she slipped her feet into a pair of brown leather, open-toed slides. She hadn't thought of the outfit as sexy.
"Like it! It's taking every bit of my self control not to pull off the road, drag you into the back seat and make love to you right here."
Michelle reached over and put her hand on his knee then slowly slid it up his thigh. He exhaled audibly and his whole body tensed up as she cupped her hand around him and squeezed gently. "So what's stopping you from doing that?" She asked in a low, sexy voice.
"Oh God, Michelle." He whispered and glanced over at her. She gave him an innocent smile as if she was doing nothing.
"That didn't answer my question." She told him as she tightened her grip again. "What's stopping you?"
"Mostly the fact that my forty year old body doesn't fit in a back seat the way it did when I was eighteen."
"Oh, then maybe I should let you concentrate so we can get to the beach house in one piece." Michelle said as she took her hand away slowly, letting her fingertips graze his thigh. He closed his eyes for a second and his body relaxed.
"You're a tease." He told her with a seductive look. "You know, two can play at that game." He reached over and put his hand above her knee and gently caressed her bare thigh. Michelle put her head back and closed her eyes as she bit her lower lip. "Oh, you like that?" He asked her.
Without answering Michelle separated her legs just a little further allowing Tony's hand to slide to the top of her thigh. He could feel the heat radiating from her body and it turned him on even more. Michelle groaned out loud as he ran his fingers along her lace panties.
"Ah, let me guess, the black lace panties. Am I right?"
"Exactly," she told him without opening her eyes.
He slowly drew his hand back, ran it up over her stomach and slipped it under her sweater. "Then I'm going to guess that you're wearing the matching bra, too." He said as his hand encircled her breast.
"You're good at this game." She told him breathlessly.
"Do I get a prize?"
"Yeah, when we get to the beach house you get to take those articles of clothing off of me."
"Promise?" Tony asked as he raised his eyebrows.
"Guaranteed."
They both smiled and settled back in silence for the rest of the drive. The level of excitement and desire between them was almost palpable. And by the time Tony turned into the mile long private drive back to the house both of them wondered how they would ever make it inside with their clothes on.
Tony parked the car in front of the house. "Why don't you go inside and pour some champagne while I get the bags and take them back to our room."
"Sounds good," Michelle said as she fumbled for the house keys that had fallen to the bottom of her purse.
Tony opened the back door and pulled out two small overnight bags. Neither of them bothered to pack much. Tony's bag consisted of a robe, a couple pairs of boxer shorts and clothes to wear home on Tuesday. Michelle's bag also contained an outfit for the return trip and a variety of lacy lingerie.
Tony followed Michelle into the house and dropped their bags off in the bedroom. Michelle was in the kitchen. She took two champagne flutes from a rack above the bar where they were hanging upside down and set them on the counter. Then she proceeded to open the refrigerator.
"There's an awful lot of champagne and not a lot of food in here." She commented.
"That was my plan." Tony said as he reached past her and grabbed a bottle of champagne. "I'll give you just enough food so you can keep up your strength and enough alcohol to make me irresistible." He popped the cork and filled the two glasses.
"You're always irresistible." She told him as she took a glass from him.
"To us," Tony said as he raised his glass and touched it to hers.
They both took deep drinks from the glasses then leaned in for a long passionate kiss. They broke the kiss and finished off the first glass of champagne. They set their glasses on the counter and began kissing again. This time their hands were free to explore each others body. The kisses became hotter and hotter as Tony began to back Michelle out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom. In the process of negotiating the necessary turns, he backed her into the dining room table.
Their progress toward the bedroom momentarily halted, Tony and Michelle took advantage of the fact that their movement had stopped and pulled each other closer. Michelle reached up and caressed Tony's face and ran her hands through his hair. Tony let his hands slide down Michelle's sides and over her hips. As they retraced the course back up her body, Tony's hands slipped under her sweater. Michelle instinctively raised her arms so he could lift the sweater up over her head. Tony dropped the sweater onto the table and began gently kneading her breasts. He reached behind her and opened the clasp on her bra, pushed the bra off of her shoulders and arms and let it drop to the floor. Now that he was touching her bare breasts his level of excitement rose to a fevered pitch.
At this point they were kissing wildly and moaning out loud. Their mouths and tongues were kissing whatever bit of skin they could reach: lips, cheeks, necks, foreheads. It didn't matter.
Tony ran his hands down Michelle's hips and legs until he reached the bottom of her skirt. He put his hands under her skirt and drew them up the backs of her legs allowing the tips of his fingers to curl around inside of her thighs. He pushed the black lace panties aside and fondled her urgently while she groaned into his mouth. This only fueled his excitement. He reached up further and pulled down her panties and then pushed them down her legs until she was able to kick them off and step out of them.
Michelle was as excited as Tony. Their pelvises were pressed close together and she could feel how aroused he was. She had her hands behind him caressing his bottom and pulling him against her. She brought both hands around to the front and began to open his belt and pants. Seconds later his pants were around his ankles and she pushed down his boxer shorts. Michelle wrapped her hand around him and stroked him roughly.
Tony closed his eyes, his mouth open panting loudly. It took him a second to regain his composure, but when he did, he cupped his hands under Michelle's bottom and lifted her onto the table. Tony pushed his body between her legs and she wrapped her legs around his hips and directed him inside of her. They both let out long, loud groans and found each others mouth. They were one now and their hips pounded out a frantic rhythm.
"Aaah, Michelle," Tony cried out loudly. "Oh God, Baby!" He whispered dropping his head and resting it on her shoulder and gasping for breath. "That was incredible." He raised his head and rested his forehead against hers. "You're amazing."
Michelle angled her head so they could kiss again. "Can we continue this in the bedroom?"
Without a word, Tony stepped out of his pants that still lay in a heap around his ankles and kicked them aside. He again cupped his hands under her bottom and lifted her up. Michelle helped him by putting her arms tightly around his neck and her legs around his waist. They continued kissing as Tony carried her to the bedroom.
The November sun, low in the sky, shone brightly through the shear curtains on the French doors and onto the bed in the center of the room. The doors opened onto a patio surrounded by a low wall. Thirty yards past the wall the Pacific Ocean lapped the sand. The breeze was brisk and the air salty. The repetitive sound of the surf added to the romantic atmosphere of the room.
Tony sat on the bed with Michelle on his lap. "Hey, where are you going?" Tony asked her as she slipped off his lap and stood up.
"I just thought I'd take this off." She told him as she seductively stripped herself of her khaki skirt.
Tony stood up and took her face in his hands. "God, you're beautiful. I love you so much. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
Michelle smiled. "I think I'm pretty lucky, too." She said as she kissed him. "But you still have some clothes on, so let's fix that problem." She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders. She let her hands slide down his muscular arms. "How about if I turn down the bed and you go and get that champagne from the kitchen."
"It sounds like a plan." Tony told her as he kissed her lightly and left to retrieve the champagne.
Tony returned from the kitchen carrying a tray with the champagne bottle and glasses and a plate of large, ripe strawberries. Michelle was sitting on the bed wearing a white lace camisole and matching lace and satin boxer shorts. She had taken her hair down and it fell loosely around her shoulders. Her pale skin and white lingerie were a stark contrast to the crimson satin sheets that covered the bed.
Tony set the tray on the nightstand and handed Michelle a glass of champagne. Still standing he picked up a strawberry by its stem and held it just above Michelle's mouth. She tipped her head back, licked her lips and bit into the strawberry just below the stem. A drop of the juice rolled down her lip. Tony wiped it away with the tip of his finger then held his finger near her mouth. Michelle licked his finger seductively. Tony dropped the stem onto the tray, pulled back the sheet and slipped into bed beside Michelle. She set her glass on the nightstand and climbed back onto his lap.
"Now, where were we?" She asked him.
"Right about here, I think." He told her as he began kissing her again.
The earlier urgency now past, it was replaced by a quiet, tender passion. They kissed slowly and caressed lovingly; in no hurry for this feeling to end. Tony eventually laid Michelle on the bed and took off her camisole. He kissed her face and her neck and her body as she writhed beneath him. He enjoyed the softness of her skin as he worked his way down her body. When he reached the satin shorts, he pulled them down her legs. Then he started at her feet and began kissing his way up her legs. She moaned loudly as he pushed her legs apart and kissed and licked her. She begged him for more and moved her hips against him. He felt her body begin to tense as she let out a long groan. In one motion he slid quickly up her body and thrust himself deep inside of her. At the same moment he felt her body nearly convulse beneath his.
Moments later they lay still; both completely spent and trying to catch their breath. The sound of the ocean pounding the shore and the sweet, salty smell of the air wafted through an open window. The moment was perfect and they reveled in it. They wanted it to go on forever. The love they shared consumed them. It was eternal; nothing would ever change that. Their relationship was marked by so much pain, but it paled in comparison to the many good and happy times. They were stronger because of the pain and they used that strength to move forward.
EPILOGUE: One Year Later
"Daddy, put the star on top and then the Christmas tree will be all decorated." Joe said anxiously.
"Yeah Daddy, put the star on." Dess repeated. At two-and-a-half, he adored his big brother and repeated almost everything Joe said.
"Okay, guys. Here's the star." Tony reached to the top and placed the star on the highest branch.
"Yea! It's finished." Joe and Dess cried.
"It's not finished yet." Sophie told them. "We have to put our special ornaments on."
"Michelle," Tony called up the steps. "Where are the family ornaments?"
"I've got them right here." She called back to him. "Can you come get them, Tony? I'm in the middle of something."
Tony trotted up the steps and descended with a box. "Here we go. Let's see what we've got here." He opened the box and began pawing through tissue paper. "Here's Mommy and Daddy's ornament." He said as he took an ivory china ornament shaped like two doves with a heart between them. "Tony and Michelle" and the date they were married was printed in gold leaf on the heart.
"You put that one on the tree." Sophie directed him.
The children waited patiently while Tony found the next ornament. "Okay, Sophie, here's your. Be careful." He handed her a china teddy bear with her name painted on it."
Sophie proudly carried it to the tree and hung it on the highest branch that she could reach. "How does it look? Is that a good spot?" She asked.
"It's perfect." Tony assured her.
"Me next!" Joe told Tony. "I get to put mine on next."
"That's right." Tony said as he handed Joe the train ornament with his name on it. "Be careful, Joe. You don't want to break that."
Joe showed the ornament to Dess. "See, it's mine. It says 'Joe' on it." Like Sophie, Joe found the highest branch he could reach to display his ornament. Tony held his breath while Joe handled the fragile ornament.
"Good job." Tony praised him.
"My turn! My turn!" Dess sang as he jumped up and down in front of Tony.
"Okay, Buddy." Tony took a sailboat ornament out of the box and held it in front of Dess.
"Look," he told Joe. "It say 'Dess'."
"No, it doesn't." Joe informed him. "It says 'John'. That's your real name. That's what Mommy calls you."
Dess reached for the ornament but Tony held it just out of his reach. "How about if I help you with this?"
"No!" Dess said emphatically. "I do it myself!"
"I don't know, Dess," Tony said shaking his head. "I think I better help you."
"Joe do it!" Dess told him as he pouted.
Tony thought for a second then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you let me help you, you can put it up higher than Sophie and Joe did."
Dess' face lit up. "Okay!" He said as he reached out to Tony.
Tony picked him up and helped him hang the ornament near the top of the tree.
"Hey Dad, that's not fair!" Joe protested. "He can't reach up there by himself."
"Up until last year I held you up near the top, too. He's still pretty little, Joe. Let's give him a break." Tony said as he tousled Joe's hair.
Tony set Dess on the floor and went back to the ornament box. "Sophie, why don't you put Maria's ornament on the tree." Tony handed Sophie the delicate china angel.
"Maria isn't here. Why does she get an ornament?" Joe asked.
"Maria isn't here to celebrate Christmas with us, Joe, but she's still part of our family." Tony told him.
"Maria celebrates Christmas in Heaven with Granddad. Right, Daddy?" Sophie said.
"That's right, Sweetie." It had been more than a year and a half since Maria died and Tony could still feel tears well up when he thought of her.
"Does Santa Claus know to take her presents there?" Joe asked.
"I think so, Buddy." Tony said looking away and trying to keep his emotions in check.
Like most boys his age, Joe's mind quickly changed gears. "Where is Spencer's ornament?" He asked.
"Here it is." Tony said holding up an ornament shaped like a dog bone with Spencer's name on it. "Would you like to hang this one up?"
"Sure!" Joe told him as he took the ornament and hung it carefully on a low branch. "I'll hang it here so Spencer can see it."
"'nother one! 'nother one!" Dess, who wanted a chance to hang another ornament, begged Tony.
"That's it, Buddy. We're all done. That was the last one."
"No we're not." Michelle said as she came down the stairs. "Here, John. You and Daddy can hang this last one."
Michelle handed Tony a new ornament. "I didn't know you got one already." Tony said taking the ornament from her. It was china like the others and was shaped like a rag doll. Across the doll's skirt was painted "Chloe". Tony picked Dess up again and they hung the ornament on the tree.
"There, Sweet Pea," Michelle said holding four month old Chloe up so she could see the tree. "Your first Christmas tree."
"Okay guys," Tony said as he came back with a camera. "We need a picture for our Christmas card. Sophie, you sit over there. Joe, kneel next to her. Good, that looks good. Now Dess," he said as he took Dess' hand. "You sit here in front of Joe. Good job, Buddy. You need to stay there while I take the picture." Tony started to back up.
"Here Sophie," Michelle said as she knelt next to her. "You hold Chloe. Make sure you support her head, Honey."
"I know how to hold her, Mom." Sophie said confidently.
Michelle stood and backed up near Tony. "Okay, Dad will count to three then everybody say 'cheese'."
"Wait," Joe said. "We need Spencer. We can't have a family picture without Spencer."
"Okay," Michelle said. "Spencer!" She called. Spencer got up from the sunny spot near the window where he was sleeping and casually walked to Michelle. "Here, Spence. Sit here." She got him to sit next to the boys.
"Now I think we're ready." Tony said. "On three, ready? One, two, three."
The room was filled with a chorus of "Cheese!" and the flash lit up the room. "Hold still. Let me take a couple more and then we'll pick the best one." Tony took a total of five pictures before the kids and Spencer got restless.
Michelle took Chloe from Sophie and the three children ran off to play with Spencer in tow. "So what do you think of that tree, Chloe?" Michelle asked as she held the baby up. Chloe's brown eyes were bright as she looked at the lights.
Tony came close and kissed her chubby cheek. "You were Mommy and Daddy's Christmas present last year, Pumpkin. Did you know that?" She smiled brightly at him as it she understood.
Tony and Michelle looked at each other and laughed remembering clearly last Christmas night. Sophie and Joe and Dess were finally in bed and the two of them were exhausted. Tony was getting ready for bed when Michelle came into the bedroom with a present in her hand. She handed it to Tony. "Merry Christmas," she told him. She looked happy but wasn't quite smiling.
"What's this?" Tony asked as he tore the wrapping paper off. He read the box and looked back at Michelle. "A pregnancy test kit? Are you…"
"I think so." She said biting her lower lip trying to stifle a smile. "I'm two weeks late."
Tony thought for a moment. If she was two weeks late, she would have had to conceive four weeks ago. "It happened at the beach?" He phrased it as a question.
Michelle nodded. "I bought the kit last week but I've been too nervous to do it."
"You want to do it now?" Tony asked hesitantly. As much as they both wanted one more child they were desperately afraid. Losing Maria had been almost unbearable and Dr. Hild had warned them that it would not be unusual for the same problems to occur in a subsequent pregnancy. They both feared that losing another child would be more than they could bear.
Michelle nodded again. He handed her the kit and she went into the bathroom. Tony paced in front of the closed door not quite sure how he felt. The door finally opened and Michelle stood smiling and holding out the positive result for him to see. He couldn't help but smile back. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her feet off the ground and turned her around in a circle as he kissed her.
"You're going to call the doctor tomorrow, right?" Michelle nodded. "We will do exactly what she tells us. You will follow her instructions to the letter, right?" She nodded again. "Michelle, I don't care if you have to be on bedrest for the next nine months. We'll do whatever it takes. My mom will help, so will Vanessa and my nieces, the neighbors, our friends. Maybe Julio can come and help me at work so I can spend more time at home. We're going to have a healthy baby this time, Michelle. I just know it."
Michelle went into labor early again but this time the doctors were able to control it. She spent the next couple of months at home, on bedrest and, as Tony predicted their friends and family were all there to help. Chloe weighed just over 5 pounds when she was born a month early and she screamed heartily as she took her first breath. Michelle smiled as she watched Tony cut the umbilical cord. The nurses wrapped up the new baby and handed her to Tony who triumphantly placed her in Michelle's arms. They named her Chloe Paula. Each of their children was named for someone important in their lives. Chloe was named for their colleague Chloe O'Brien who had helped in Tony's escape to Argentina and who, almost single handedly, arranged his trip back to the US after Sophie was born. The middle name Paula was in memory of Paula Schaefer who worked briefly at CTU before the bombing and gave her life trying to stop the nuclear threat. They hadn't worked with her long, but she left a lasting impression on both Tony and Michelle and they wanted to honor her memory.
Michelle sat on the couch near the tree. Chloe was hungry and starting to fuss. "Are you always hungry?" Michelle asked her as she opened her blouse. Chloe latched on and sucked hungrily on her mother's breast. Once she settled in her gaze focused on the shiny lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Tony stood near the tree and took down the ornament with their names on it. He studied it closely and looked at the date. "Ten years!" He said. "Can you believe it?"
Michelle looked down at their newest child. "It's been an eventful ten years. And it's been wonderful." She said with a smile.
"Oh ya, let's see. I've been shot, convicted of treason and kidnapped. Do I know how to show a girl a good time, or what?" Tony laughed as he plopped down on the sofa next to Michelle still holding the ornament.
"I'm serious, Tony. I know we've had some bumps in the road…"
"Bumps in the road!" Tony interrupted. "More like boulders, Michelle."
"Okay, so maybe we've had a rougher go of it than some other couples we know, but I stand by what I said before. We've had some bad times, but the good times have been great. What would you change, Tony? Because as soon as you change one thing everything else changes, too. Everything is interconnected." She paused for a moment and Tony gave her a skeptical look. "Follow my logic here. If you hadn't been kidnapped, you would have never met my father and convinced me to see him again. Seeing Dad after all those years gave me a whole new perspective. In a way it changed my life. Not to mention that if I hadn't reconciled with him, your mother and I wouldn't have been washing dishes together after the funeral luncheon and she wouldn't have offered to watch the kids so that we could go to the beach. If we hadn't gone to the beach we wouldn't have had Chloe. Would you prefer not to have her?"
Chloe, who had been focused on the tree, was now watching Michelle and Tony. Her eyes went back and forth between them. She stopped sucking for a moment as if she was waiting for Tony's answer.
"I love her to death, Michelle. Of course I want her."
"All I'm saying Tony is that you can't take away those events, as terrible as they were, and say that the rest of our life would have been the same. As much as I wish we hadn't suffered through the bad times, there isn't a moment of the good that I want to change."
Tony shook his head. "I understand your logic, but it doesn't change the way I feel. You never deserved to suffer through those times the way you did." He stood up and walked back to the Christmas tree and replaced the ornament before she could say anything more. He looked at the tree for a long time before speaking again but finally, without looking at her spoke quietly. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer."
"Tony, I'm always honest with you."
"I know, but this might be hard to answer honestly." He paused as he looked for the right words. "Are you ever sorry that you married me?"
"What?" Michelle asked her voice incredulous. "Why would you ever ask that, Tony?"
"Because I want to know. You've been put though hell and back because of me, Michelle. Look at what you've gone through. You went through your entire pregnancy with Sophie alone while I was in Argentina. You had both Sophie and Maria when I was gone. I can't imagine how lonely and scared you were. I just… I just can't help thinking that you would have been happier with someone else, someone who had been there when you needed him."
"Come here," Michelle said smiling softly and reaching her free hand out in front of her. Tony took her hand and kissed it as he knelt on one knee in front of her. "I have never, ever, not for one moment regretted marrying you, Tony Almeida. I've been through a lot of emotions but not one of them was ever regret. Not everyone is lucky enough to find a soul-mate, Tony, but I'm one of the lucky ones. From the first time we kissed that night in the hallway at CTU, I knew I wanted to get closer to you. The next night, against my better judgment, we ended up in bed together making the most incredible love I had ever known and I knew for sure that you were all I ever wanted. I knew by the gentle way you treated me and by how safe I felt in your arms that I never wanted another man to touch me again, that I wanted to have your children and spend my life with you. I still feel that way, Tony. Of all the scary things I've had to face since we've been married, the scariest was when I convinced myself that you were cheating on me. I still can't believe I ever thought that. But the truth is, Tony that I was more afraid that you had stopped loving me than of anything else that has ever happened. Your love means more to me than anything in this world."
They both leaned forward across Chloe and kissed deeply. They were in their own world and neither of them heard Joe come in the room.
"Yuck! Do you guys have to kiss all the time?" He asked.
They broke the kiss and laughed. "Did you need something, Buddy?" Tony asked him.
"I wanted you to go outside and play soccer with me."
"I need to clean up all of the boxes from the lights and the ornaments." Tony told him indicating the boxes cluttering the room.
"I'll clean up when Chloe's finished eating." Michelle told him. "You two go outside and play."
"Thanks, Mom! I'll go get the ball." Joe said as he ran out of the room.
"I'll be there in a minute." Tony called after him. He leaned over and stole one more kiss from Michelle. "What you said a few minutes ago, Michelle, was beautiful. One thing you never have to worry about is that I'll stop loving you; that can't happen. I will always love you with all of my heart and nothing can change that." He kissed her once more for emphasis before he ran outside to play with his son.
THE END
Note to Grace- I think you have the stories confused. This is a sequel to Escape to Argentina, not a sequel to Carnival Town. In Carnival Town, Tony & Michelle had 3 kids, Ric, Lucy and Carmen. Kate and Jack's kids were also named Mason and Ryan in that story mostly because I couldn't think up more perfect names for their children and I had already mentioned in Escape that they had two boys and the second was named Ryan. I never named the first. If you read the Epilogue to Escape to Argentina you will find that the four Almeida children are the same in that story as in this. Hope that clears it up for you.