UNFORGETTABLE VACATIONS (BY DEYSE)

As Roma’s doctor started to spread the gel over her 5-month belly, John reached out for her hand and squeezed it, stroking her brown hair with the other hand, and the actress shot him a tender look.

"I just hope we can see the sex this time; I have to confess that I’m dying with curiosity to find that out, you know..." she said, anxiously looking at the monitor where it was possible to see the image of the tiny little baby inside her belly.

The woman smiled understandingly. "Yes, this little one is making a lot of suspense! I’m sure if this little baby here knew how anxious you are, she or he would’ve given me a little help!"

"As a matter of fact, I have to confess I am the one who is anxious! Johnny is the calmest daddy in the world!"

"Well..." he smiled, but in fact, he knew she was telling the truth.

"Aren’t you anxious to know if it’s a boy or a girl, John?"

"Well, I am but... you see... boy or girl... I don’t have any preference... I’m just so happy we’re actually having a baby!"

He and Roma exchanged another loving gaze, which wasn’t unnoticed by the doctor.

"I understand that perfectly..." the woman said, and, a minute later, after checking the monitor where it was possible to see the tiny little baby, she smiled. "Hum... Finally your little one decided to collaborate!"

"You mean you already know the sex?" Roma’s eyes grew wide with that information and John felt her squeezing his hand even more.

"Yes... Roma you have a little girl, Reilly, right?"

"Yes..." she replied, and John couldn’t help but chuckling at the desperate look on his wife’s face.

"Well... let’s make it 2 little girls now!"

The couple looked at each other with a happy and fascinated smile on their faces, "A girl? A little girl?" the Irish actress repeated, still in awe.

"Yes, definitely a little girl!"

"Another little princess in our lives, honey!" John spoke, with emotion evident on his face, and bent his head to kiss her lips.

"Yes..." she whispered, with tears in her eyes.

"Now you can start thinking about the names!" the doctor said, keeping the equipment.

"Oh yes... but first of all, we have to inform our other little princess that her predictions were wrong..." the blond actor spoke.

"Well... she was right about you being in love with me; about me being in love with you, about our marriage and even about a wee baby on the way... I guess that tiny mistake doesn’t count that much!" Roma joked, she and John smiling.

*

By the end of the afternoon, Reilly left her school after one more class day – it was almost the end of the term and summer vacations where soon to start. Roma had promised her, as a birthday present, that they would spend 2 weeks on vacation at the Caribbean islands, and Reilly was very excited about travelling with her mother and the one she considered her father, as, now that they were married, it would be the first vacation they would spend together as family.

And the little girl was surprised to see both Roma and John waiting for her outside the school building.

"Mommy! Uncle Johnny!" she greeted each one with a warm hug and then looked at the two with anxious eyes. "Are we going to the beach now?"

Laughing at that question, they held each of her tiny hands and headed to their car. "No, sweetheart. I told you before, we’re going next Saturday. Did you forget?" Roma spoke.

"Besides, you have classes until Friday, remember?" John added.

"Well... Yes, I know but... wouldn’t it be cool if we travelled today?"

They went back home and after dinner the couple and the little girl gathered together in the living room and Roma placed her talkative daughter on her lap. Reilly provided them a detailed explanation about her school day, which she always did 5 times a week, causing them to laugh and to love her cheerful mood a little bit more everyday. And after she had finished her narrative, she finally asked, "Did you go to the doctor to see my little brother, mommy?"

John and Roma exchanged a glance and the actress nodded, "Yes, honey, and uncle Johnny went with me."

"And how is he doing?"

"Well... the doctor examined you mom and said that everything is fine with her and the baby." John spoke, taking her small hand.

Reilly looked at his face and then at her mother’s and raised an eyebrow. "But there’s something you wanna tell me, right?"

Smiling at her wittiness, and a bit nervous about how she would react to the news, they nodded and Roma kissed the top of her head. "Yes, you’re absolutely right, my little princess!"

"What is it?" but suddenly, before they could go on talking, an expression of worry appeared on Reilly’s face, "Wait! We’re still going to the beach, right?"

"Oh yes, honey, the beach is waiting for us!" John reassured her.

"Phew! I thought you had given up!" she exclaimed, a lot more relieved.

"Never! And it’s not only our vacations but also your birthday, little angel!" the blond actor spoke, "We definitely need to celebrate!"

Smiling at her beloved stepfather and at her mom, Reilly kept on talking, "I love you two!"

Now their smile grew wider and the couple couldn’t resist to the cute and adorable expression on her meek face nor to her loving words, and both hugged Reilly tightly and kissed her cheeks, "Oh my wee one! You’re my little princess!"

"Have you any idea of how adorable you are?" John asked; and with a totally pleased smile upon her face, the little girl nodded, "Well... I guess I have!" Watching as they laughed at her words, she finally asked, "Now, what do you want to tell me?

Feeling a bit calmer, Roma took her other hand, "I went to the doctor today with John and the doctor found out something... you’re actually getting a little sister, honey..."

"A sister?" Reilly frowned.

"Yes... You see... Dr Adams examined me and we found out that it’s a baby girl right here in mom’s belly..." Roma and John exchanged another glance, worried about the pensive expression on Reilly’s face.

"Are you sure?" she asked, still uncertain.

"Yes, honey, we’re sure. The doctor checked it very carefully, you know..." John said.

"Can’t the doctor be wrong?"

"No... she’s right, baby. It’s a little sister here." Her mother replied, "Is there a problem?"

"Well... not for me... I kinda like it it’s a little sister... but I thought it could be a little brother, you know, because of uncle Johnny..."

"Because of me? What do you mean, honey?"

"It’s cuz you’re always with lots of girls around you, uncle Johnny! Auntie Della, auntie Martha, mommy and me... I’m sorry of ya, girls are a wee bit complicated! If we had a little boy then he would make you some company!"

Relieved to hear that answer and really touched by Reilly’s true feelings, Roma and John smiled with tenderness and the blond actor kissed the back of her little hand, lost for words with her concern. "Oh sweetie... Thank you for worrying about me, baby. But you, your mom, auntie Della and auntie Martha have always been a great company to me. I love being with you all, talking, working and playing with you girls. And I don’t want to imagine how sad my life would be if I didn’t have my two girls right here with me!"

Although she liked his words, Reilly was a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Of course! I love you and you mom so much baby and I wouldn’t need a little boy to make me company, you see... I love everything about you two! And the same goes for your little sister here," he placed his hand over Roma’s belly, who watched him with enchantment and pure love reflected in her eyes, "Being surrounded with you all makes me the happiest guy in the world!"

"Don’t you think we girls are complicated?"

Trying his best not to laugh at that question, he shook his head, "No! absolutely not! And you’re my girls! You’re my world!"

"So you’re not upset it’s a baby girl, right?"

"Of course not, sweetie. Now I have 2 little princesses!"

"Oh... So if you guys are happy, then I’m happy too!

Roma kissed her cheek and gently soothed her curly hair; she and John now with a much more relieved look.

And after chatting for some more time, Reilly started yawning, indicating that it was time to go to bed.

"Can I have a piggy back?" she pleaded, stretching her tinny arms and looking at John, who smiled and nodded his head, "On board everyone!"

He and Roma tucked the talkative little girl in bed some time later and she gave each of them a hug and a kiss. "Have wonderful dreams, sweetie!"

"I’ll dream with us all at the beach, uncle Johnny!"

"Sleep well, my little angel!" Roma spoke, she and John leaving the bedroom afterwards.

*

"She is amazing, Roma. I never met a more adorable child in all my life!" John said; he and Roma had just changed into their pyjamas and were comfortably lying in bed; with the actress resting her head on his chest, "There’s something about Reilly that is different, you know. She’s definitely a special little girl."

Roma smiled, loving to hear such comment, "Although the mother’s opinion can be biased, I have to agree with you! Sometimes I myself am surprised with what she says, you know." she raised her head to look at his face, "She’s a present..."

"To both of us!" he completed, tenderly soothing her hair.

"Yes... And so is this wee one here!"

Smiling, they shared a tender kiss and John tightened his hold on her, "God... look at us, Roma... This is so much more than I could ever ask for..." he spoke, kissing the top of her head repeatedly. With the same smile, she also held him tightly, "I have to agree with you again, my dear husband!"

"Well, I’m very wise, you know!"

Giggling, she raised her head again and placed tiny kisses on his cheek and lips. Then, she returned to the same place on his chest while he turned off the light of the night stand.

One minute later, Roma spoke again, "Johnny?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sleepy?"

A mischievous smile appeared on his face, "Well... Actually I was but now... I ... I guess I’m not anymore..."

"Oh really?"

"Yes!" he said, enthusiastically.

"So... I was wondering if we still have that mango ice cream you bought the other day..."

He frowned, "Mango ice cream?"

"Yes... Could you get me some? I’m feeling an uncontrollable desire to eat it... I mean we are feeling..."

"Well... honey, I guess we don’t have it anymore; you ate everything yesterday, remember?"

"Oh... well... do you think that grocery store where you bought it is still open?"

*

Half hour later...

"I won’t take long, sweetie, the store is just about 20 minutes from here..." John spoke, finishing to put on his shoes and fully dressed up. Roma was sitting on the bed, with her hands over her belly and had a slightly guilty expression on her face. "You don’t have to go out, it’s late already, you know..."

The blond actor stood up and looked at her: the image of his pregnant wife was enough to melt his heart and there wasn’t anything he could deny her.

"No; it’s ok, honey, I’ll go and get your ice cream, I’ll be right back, ok?" he spoke, leaning to kiss her lips.

"I love you..."

"I love you too, sweetie."

*

Two hours later, John parked his car in the garage and, in a hurry, entered the house carrying a packet with 3 pots of mango ice cream. Quickly, he put two pots in the freezer and some of the content of the third one in a bowl with some strawberries. Then, he put it on a tray and climbed up the stairs, towards their bedroom. "Roma, dear, I finally found your..." the sentence died in his mouth when he looked at the bed and saw his wife peacefully sleeping among the pillows. "... mango ice cream..." he spoke, taking a deep breath. And, without much choice, he at the ice cream.

"Can you forgive me?" Roma said, placing lots of tiny kisses on John’s cheek. He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion evident on his face due to the previous night search for the mango ice cream and a mock upset expression appeared on his face.

"Hum... I don’t know... you made me go to 3 different stores to find that ice cream..."

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would have to go so far!" she replied, gently stroking his face and running her fingers through his blond hair. And he was enjoying those caresses so much that pretending to be upset became a bit difficult. "Well... I was going to say that I forgive you but I kinda like it the way you ask me to forgive you..." he spoke, hardly managing to hold his smile. And, also smiling, she gently made him turn his head and kissed his lips. "I love you so much, Johnny..." her voice and the look in her eyes were filled with tenderness and the most absolute love and she rested her head on his chest, holding him.

Unable to resist to such sweetness, he kissed the top of her head, "How are my 2 girls feeling this morning?" he asked, placing his hand over her belly and stroking it gently.

"We’re just fine, it was a good night’s sleep!"

Chuckling, he pulled away and kissed her forehead, "Good. So I’ll tell you what: you 2 stay here in bed and rest a little more while I wake my other girl up; it’s time to go to school and today is her last day!"

Roma raised her head and looked deep inside his green eyes; her heart swelling with love for that man; his infinite care not only about her but also about her little daughter was a constant evidence of how much he loved them. She placed a tender kiss on his lips. "I’ll go in some minutes, ok?"

"Take your time, honey. We’ll have a busy day packing our bags and it’ll be even worse without Karen to help us out! I’ll wake Reilly up and prepare her breakfast, ok?" he gave her a final peck on the lips and stood up from the bed. But before he left, he remembered something else, "Would you like some of your mango ice cream now?"

"OH...Actually, I don’t feel like eating it anymore, you know..."

"Hum... ok, then..."

*

After waking Reilly up and preparing her breakfast, John went to change his clothes while Roma gave the little girl a shower and got her ready to school. The couple of actors placed the talkative little girl inside the car and half hour later, they left her at the school gate. Reilly was more excited than ever and the ‘trip to the beach’ was everything she talked about, filling her parents with hundreds of questions about that magical place she was about to visit. She gave Roma and John a warm hug and a kiss and they watched her climbing the stairs and taking her teacher’s hand.

*

Reilly finished to paint a very colourful picture in a white sheet of paper and, after checking it one last time, she smiled pleased with her work, and signed her name at the bottom of the page. Her teacher had asked the group to draw a picture of their family and the girl was happy that , for the real first time, she could proudly introduce her mom, ‘daddy’ and her little sister, still inside her mom’s belly, to the rest of the class. "this is my mom and this is my uncle Johnny... and my little sister is inside my mom’s belly."

But all of a sudden she was interrupted by a boy, "your uncle? And where is your dad?" the boy had an ironic expression on his face.

"He’s my step daddy and I love him as if he were my real daddy!" she explained, not pleased with that comment. "And he loves me as if I were his real daughter!"

"But then it’s not her family, her picture is wrong!" he replied.

"It’s not! you’re just envious cuz it’s more beautiful than yours!"

"Brian stay quiet and wait for you turn to speak!" the teacher intervened. After Reilly had finished to give her explanation she went to her place and the boy, who was sitting next to her, spoke again, "Your uncle lied to you, of course he prefers your sister!"

"He does not! you’re lying!"

"Of course he does! your sister is his real daughter and after your sister is born he and your mom won’t care about you anymore!"

"Brian that’s enough!" the teacher shouted, but it was too late: somehow his hurtful words entered Reilly’s little heart and she looked at the picture again, now with a worried look in her eyes.

*

After the class was over, Reilly ran to the front gate but was visibly disappointed to see Julie, her nanny, waiting for her. "Hey sweetie! how was your day?"

"Where are mom and uncle Johnny?" she quickly asked, ; her little eyes eagerly looking for the couple inside the car.

"They asked me to pick you up cause they’re packing the bags for the trip tomorrow. is there a problem?" she spoke, not missing the sadness in her hazel eyes.

"No... I... I thought they were coming to pick me..."

"They wanted to dear, but this way they could organise things better."

They entered the car and Charlie greeted her. "Hey little girl!"

"Hi..." was her feeble response.

When they arrived at home, Reilly went to look for Roma and John but deception appeared on her face again when didn’t find them.

"Where are they Julie? Did they go to the beach without me?"

"Oh of course not, Reilly! Where did you get this idea from?" she had hardly said that when she found a note on the coffee table, "Look, they left a note: Dears Reilly and Julie, we went to the mall to buy an extra bag for the trip. We’ll be back soon. Love, Roma & John."

20 minutes later, John and Roma arrived carrying some bags. "Oh God, she’s here already! If it hadn’t been for that traffic jam we would’ve arrived her an hour ago!" Roma spoke, looking around searching for her daughter;

"Don’t worry, we can put her presents in our bedroom, she won’t suspect of anything." He said, in a low voice.

Roma stared at him, "John... it’s Reilly we’re talking about! Our little one, remember?"

Chuckling, he nodded his head, "Yes, well... so we’d better leave it in the car."

At that moment, Reilly entered the living room with a very serious expression on her face. "Hey sweetheart! This time you were the one who come home first!"

"Where were you?"

"Well, we went to the mall to buy a bag and I ended up buying some things for you little sister..." John replied, placing his hand over Roma’s belly.. Reilly’s face fell even more to se that. "And while we were coming back home, we bought you your favourite cookies!" he added, but, much to their surprise, she kept the serious face.

"Reilly? What is it honey?"

"Nothing, mommy..."

She and John exchanged a worried look and during the rest of the evening they kept on wondering what had caused that drastic change in the girl’s behaviour. And, after dinner, instead of sitting with them and talk about her day, Reilly said she was "tired" and wanted to go to bed.

They tucked her in bed and, really worried, they left the bedroom.

"What could possibly make her feel this way?"

John ran his fingers through his blond hair, "Something happened at school, Roma! She was so happy and excited in the morning, eager to travel and now..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! You know how some kids can be mean to others! Something definitely happened there!" he and Roma headed to the living room and the blond actor grabbed a notebook, "I’m gonna call her teacher."

"Oh yes, good idea!"

But after five attempts, they gave up, as nobody answered the phone.

"She must’ve travelled too..."

"And what are we gonna do now? She is so sad!" the Irish actress spoke.

"I’m sure some other kid said something to her that hurt her feelings!" John said, visibly angry to think that someone had caused Reilly the smallest inch of suffering."

"Yes... I think this is perfectly possible, ya know. there is a boy who sometimes picks on her an don the other children in her class."

"I know how it feels!"

Roma looked at him questioningly, "You do?"

"Yes. When... when I was a kid I... I was a bit chubby, you know..."

Now her face softened and she smiled, "I know, I’ve seen your pictures... You were such a cute wee boy!"

"Well, the other kids didn’t think the same and it was not nice to hear them teasing me all the time! Besides, after hearing all kind of jokes about ‘Dye’ in every sandbox before you were six, you start thinking that there’s something wrong with you..."

Feeling extremely sympathetic and with her heart full of love, she wrapped her arms around his waist, propping her chin against his chest. "I wish I had met you then..."

"You wouldn’t give much importance to me...Besides, you were the heck of a cute little princess, just like our little angel upstairs!"

Giggling, she stood on the tip of her toes and kissed his lips repeatedly, "I doubt that! Bet I’d have fallen in love immediately! Besides, you grew up and became a dazzling, charming and handsome gentleman, you know... I’m sure that there were lots of girls eager to hug you tightly and fill your face with hundreds of kisses!"

Now smiling, although his annoyance was still lingering there, he tightened his hold on her and gently placed the palm of his hand against her cheek, "But only three of them managed to steal my heart!" he said, kissing her lips afterwards.

"Three of them? Really?" Roma replied, amused with his words.

"Yes... two of them I’m holding right now. And the third one is sleeping upstairs!"

They closed their eyes almost unconsciously, their lips collided in a loving and tender kiss.

*

On the following day, Roma was the first one to wake up and before they started to get dressed to go the airport, she headed to her daughter’s bedroom. "Reilly? Sweetheart, it’s time to wake..." she whispered, gently stroking the girl’s hair. Reilly stirred in bed and rubbed her eyes. "Mommy?"

"Hey, my little princess... It’s time to go to the beach. We’ll have breakfast and go to the airport to catch the plane!"

She sat up in bed. "Really?"

"Yes... You still want to go, right?"

Reilly nodded her head in silence, and Roma kept on talking, "But before I want you to tell me what’s upsetting you... Was it something that happened at school?"

After a long sigh, she nodded again.

"Was anybody unkind to you?"

"Yes... Brian said my picture was ugly..."

"Oh baby..." Roma kissed her forehead and reached for the drawing inside her backpack, "Is it the picture?"

"Yes..." The actress smiled broadly when she saw what her little daughter had made, "Oh Reilly, it’s lovely! You shouldn’t pay attention to what Brian says, sweetie! It’s as beautiful as the others! I love it!"

They talked a little bit more, but the little girl was still sad, as she didn’t tell Roma the whole truth: what caused her sadness was to think that she would lose John’s love, as, in her little world, it was the same as losing her daddy’s love.

They had breakfast and went to the airport. Hours later, John, Roma and Reilly arrived at the Caribbean Islands, and the actress felt an extreme sensation of joy to be back a the place where she and John had spent their honeymoon. They exchanged a loving gaze and kissed each other. Then, they took a taxi and headed straight to the hotel.

When the couple of actors and the little girl arrived, there were some tourists in the hall, waiting to check into and the trio had to wait a little, being recognised by some of these tourists.

But the attendant soon handed John the keys to their suite and Roma and Reilly followed the bellboy, who carried their bags. John finally received his credit card back and was going to the room when he noticed that Reilly had forgotten her small bag on the hall couch. He took it and was already leaving when a couple stopped him, "Excuse me, aren’t you John Dye?" the woman asked. He smiled friendly, "Yes."

"Oh, forgive me for bothering you, but I just wanted to tell you I’m a great fan of yours and Roma!"

"Thanks! and you’re not bothering, really."

"And my wife really means it! She never misses an episode of Touched by an angel, even now that the show has come to an end!"

Reilly and Roma were waiting for the elevator when the little girl realised she had forgotten her bag, "I’ll go get it mommy! Alice’s clothes are in it!" she said, running back to the hall. But she stopped abruptly behind a huge vase with a tall plant when she saw John talking to the tourists, and before he could see her, she heard what they were saying. "Are you here filming something?" the man asked.

"Oh no; I’m here with my family, my wife and my daughter have just gone to our room."

A broad, beautiful smile appeared on Reilly’s face and it grew wider with what John said next, "Besides, it’s our daughter’s birthday and we’ll celebrate it here."

The little girl wasted no time in running towards John and she was so excited that she ended up bumping into him abruptly.

"Hey baby!" the actor spoke, a bit surprised, while she wrapped her little arms around his waist. And seeing the smile of pure happiness back to her meek face, he smiled too. "You forgot Alice’s clothes here, sweetie! Poor Alice would be with nothing to wear!"

"Yes... But you found it; you take care of everybody, even Alice! That’s why I love you!" she spoke, causing his heart to practically melt with love for that little child.

"Is that your little girl?" the woman asked; she and her husband enchanted with her cheerfulness.

"Yes, that’s Reilly..." he said, still confused with the subtle change in her mood.

"Hi!" the little girl greeted.

"Hello, sweetheart. You’re a rather cute lady!"

"Thank you, madam..."

"She’s adorable! Congratulations, Mr Dye, you have a beautiful family!"

"Thanks!"

"Well, we’ll, leave you now, you must be tired," the woman said, "It was a pleasure to meet you; both of you!"

When they left, Reilly looked at John and raised her arms pleadingly, "Can I have a piggy back?"

Smiling and somewhat intrigued, he took her in his arms, "Of course you can, my little one!" he headed to the elevators, "So... I can see you’re not upset anymore!"

"No, I’m not. I’m sorry I was mad, uncle Johnny..."

"No, you don’t need to be sorry, sweetie. But the next time something bothers you, talk to your mom or to me, ok?"

"Ok..." Reilly chose not to tell him the true reason why she was so sad, as now, it didn’t matter any longer. "I love you, uncle Johnny, you’re my Papa Bear!"

"And you are my little princess!" he said, kissing her cheek, really feeling so much love for that little girl – in his heart, she was really his little daughter, who he would love forever.

During the rest of the day they decided to stay at the hotel most of the time, as the trip had been a bit tiring and Roma’s condition demanded some extra care. And Reilly’s talkative mood came back in full force: she had a question for each and every little thing that appeared on her way and John and Roma were greatly relieved to see how happy she was.

On the following day...

"... mommy are you ready?" Reilly spoke, knocking on the door. She and John had been in the living room of their suite for about half hour, waiting for Roma. As it was early in the morning, they had decided to go to the beach and Reilly was so excited about it that she had even asked for a new swimming suit – it was one piece and pink, matching a white and pink pareau and flowered hat and sandals. And to complete the look, a cute pair of sunglasses.

But the Irish actress was taking too long to get dressed and her daughter was getting a little impatient.

"I’m coming!" Roma spoke, from inside the bedroom.

"Hurry mommy!"

A minute later, the Irish actress opened the door and John and Reilly looked at her with smiling faces.

"How do I look?" she asked, with a rather worried expression. She was wearing a 2 piece white swimming suit which left her 5 month belly exposed, and a blue pareau.

"The belly is funny but you look pretty, mommy."

But that innocent comment caused her to worry even more, "Funny? Is the belly too big? I guess it grew more these days, I’d better change into a T-shirt..."

"You look absolutely gorgeous, honey!" John spoke, walking over to her and kissing her temple, enchanted with the image right before his eyes.

"Really?"

Noticing that she was still unsure, he nodded.

"Really."

"The doctor said I should get some sun bath on my belly, you know."

"And the doctor is totally right, a little bit of sun is good to everybody. And now that my two gorgeous girls are ready, let’s go!"

*

The beach was in front of the hotel and practically deserted at that time of the morning, with just a few tourists. John, Roma and Reilly settled three beach chairs in the send and Roma spread more sunscreen all over the little girl’s body. When she finished, Reilly turned around with a smile, "Can you lend me the Sundown, mommy?"

"What for, honey?"

"To put it over your belly! I’ll protect my little sister too!"

Lost for words with that sweet gesture, Roma and John exchanged an amused and moved glance and she handed her the bottle of sunscreen. The little girl spread the lotion all over Roma’s belly and, at the end, she skilfully used her index finger and the white cream to draw a smiling face on her mother’s skin. "She’s smiling!" Reilly said, and then headed to the sand, to play with her beach toys, spread not far from there.

"It’s amazing how that little one manages to enchant me every single day with her sweetness!" John spoke, taking Roma’s hand.

Being extremely sensitive due to her pregnancy (although she was already a very emotive person) she nodded her eyes were filled with tears. "It’s times like these, when I look at her and think about how God can take something... very sad like an unhappy marriage, into something wonderful like that little princes..."

He squeezed her hand and stroked her cheek with tenderness, "I can’t imagine the world without her... Or you!" watching as a feeble smile appeared on her face, he kept on talking, decided to send away those sudden bad memories, "And let’s not forget that she’s one of the greatest responsible for our meeting each other! If it hadn’t been for your pregnancy, Andrew wouldn’t have become a permanent character in the show!"

Pleased to see as her smile grew wider, he leaned over and kissed his wife’s lips with infinite love and tenderness.

*

The couple spent some time in the sand helping Reilly to build a sand castle and when it was finally ready, she placed a small flag on the top of it. "The last castle we built I married you guys and you became the king and the queen!" she remembered.

"Yes, I remember that! And now we have two little princesses in this castle!" John spoke, winking at little girl, who returned the smile. Then, she stood up and asked, "Can we go swimming now?"

"Sure!" he said, offering his hand to Roma.

Some time later, in the water...

"... c’mon my little fish, you can do it!" Roma cried, standing at some distance from John and Reilly.

The blond actor was holding the little girl in his arms but she was ready to let go and start her first "long" swim towards her mother. "Don’t be afraid, little one, I’ll be right next to you, ok?" he said, noticing some apprehension in her hazel eyes, mixed with her excitement. "You promise, uncle Johnny?"

"Of course I promise, I’d never let anything happen to my little princess!" he watched as her meek smile grew wider and finally spoke, "Now... are you ready to go?"

"Yes!"

He freed her from his arms and the girl started to move her little arms and feet in order to cross the distance between her and her mom, and the small armbands in her arms also helped her not to sink in the water. Besides, as John said, he was walking permanently next to her, with all his protectiveness written in his green eyes.

"I’m coming mommy!" Reilly cried, so excited that she made her parents laugh even more.

"I’m here honey, I’m waiting for you!"

Finally, a minute later, the little girl managed to complete her first official swimming test, throwing herself into her mom’s arms. The Irish actress held her tightly and kissed her face repeatedly. "I did it mommy! I can swim!" she announced, totally thrilled with that small achievement.

"Of course you can, sweetheart!"

"Uncle Johnny I did it right, didn’t I?"

"Yes, you did, little one, and we’re proud of you!" he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Can I do it again?"

"Well, honey, we’ve been here for almost 3 hours, it’s a wee bit late already and the sun is getting hotter," Roma said, "So why don’t we go back to the hotel, have a shower and eat something? We can take a walk on the city later and tomorrow, early in the morning, we can come back so that your uncle Johnny can give you more swimming lessons; what do you think?"

With a pensive expression on her face, Reilly nodded her head, "Hum... ok... My tummy is making funny noises anyway..."

"Ok, then, tomorrow we’ll have more swimming classes!" John said, and reached up to take Reilly in his arms, as due to her condition, Roma couldn’t carry a lot of weight. "On board little princess?"

"Yes!"

They headed to the spot where they had left their belongings and Roma immediately took a towel to dry Reilly. At that time of the day the number of tourists on the beach was considerably bigger than when they arrived and, it was exactly one of these tourists, a blond woman, who walked over up to them. "John?" she said, with surprised blue eyes. Roma and Reilly, as well as John, turned around to face her, thinking that it was probably one of the many Touched by an angel fans. But the blond actor’s words, a second later, showed that they were wrong.

"Melissa?"

Melissa. Roma had heard that name before: she was John’s ex-girlfriend, according to his best friends; his "one and only true love before he had met her; the woman to whom he wanted to marry and raise a family, but who walked out on him to live in another country. And now the destiny had sent her to that exact place, at that exact time, and one thing Roma couldn’t deny: Melissa was indeed very beautiful.

"Oh God! This is such a coincidence! Who would say we’d meet again right here, on a beach, in the Caribbean Islands!"

"Yes, that’s... that’s really a surprise... I thought you were conducting a research in the Amazon rainforest..."

"I was and I got married there, but, well, the marriage didn’t work and the research finally came to an end, so I decided to get a vacation!"

"Well... I’m sorry for your marriage..."

"Oh it’s ok, John. It wasn’t meant to be. And there’s always a new chance waiting around the corner!" she said, smiling at him, who was visibly embarrassed with that odd situation. Melissa had come from a time in his life he had left behind, that he had forgotten at the moment he had met Roma, over 10 years before.

"What about you? what have you been doing? The last time I’ve heard from you, you had finished the drama school..."

That question made him come back to the present and brought a smile back to his handsome face. "Well, yes, I finished the drama school and some time later I was invited to act in a show... But the most important is that, in this meantime, I raised a family..." he turned to Roma and Reilly and placed his hand over the actress’ shoulder, "This is Roma and this is Reilly... And, as you can see, we have another little one on the way!" he said, pointing to Roma’s belly and visibly proud of his family, like he always was whenever they all went out together. "Roma, honey, this is Melissa, an old friend. I guess I’ve told you about her before."

"Y-yes... you did..." the Irish actress spoke, not really happy to meet that woman in person. "Well, hullo, Melissa, it’s nice to meet you!"

"Hi..." the little girl replied, eyeing that stranger from head to toe, with her eyebrows raised and a suspicious glance.

"Hi Roma, Reilly! Nice to meet you both... and congratulations Roma!"

"Thank you..." she replied, feeling an awkward need to wrap her pareau around her waist, maybe with an irrational embarrassment about her new forms, and not missing Melissa’s perfect ones. For some instants, she felt like disappearing from that place and it was little Reilly who gave a little push. "Mommy, can we go now? I’m hungry..."

"Yes, sweetie, we’re already going," it was John who replied to her request, as he knew neither Roma nor Reilly should stay under that hot sun for a long time; his eternal protectiveness towards them evident on his face, "Melissa, I’m sorry but we were already leaving, it’s getting late and they’d better avoid hot sun..."

"Oh yes, of course, you have to be careful in your condition, Roma..."

"Yes..." the Irish actress replied, with a feeble smile. John ruffled Reilly’s hair, "We take a good care of her, don’t we, little princess?"

"Yes!" Reilly’s enthusiasm contrasted with her mother’s voice. Chuckling at the little girl’s reply, he turned to his ex-girlfriend, "Well, Melissa, it was nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you, John. How long are you staying?"

"Two weeks."

"Oh, then maybe we’ll see each other again, I’m staying at the Plaza Hotel."

"Yes, maybe. We’re staying at the Ritz, it’s quite near the beach." He said.

"Bye Roma, bye Reilly. It was nice to meet you!"

"Bye Melissa, nice to meet you too..."

"Bye..." Reilly spoke, still suspicious of that stranger, and held her mother’s and John’s hands.

Melissa stood there for some time, watching as the trio left the beach. The initial smile she had on her face died little by little, as if, for the first time, the woman realised she had lost John forever, as anyone could see the love and devotion he felt for Roma evident in his green eyes.

*

Their return to the hotel was a quiet one, but for 3 different reasons. Reilly was hungry and thirsty, Roma was upset by that totally unexpected meeting on the beach and John was innocently thinking that the two "loves of his life" were just tired. As soon as they got into their room, the actress was quick to send her daughter to the bathroom and give her a good shower.

Half hour later, when they were all clean and with dry clothes...

"Well, let’s get going? There’s a good restaurant not far from here and I remember that food there was great!" John said, with a smile on his face. But Roma lowered her head, not really wanting to face him. "Er... John I guess we’d better have lunch in here... we could ask the room service to deliver some food..."

Hearing those words, and now noticing the almost sad look on her face, John’s smile was replaced by a worried frown. "Roma? Are you ok? is there something wrong? Are you feeling something?" came the avalanche of questions, while he cupped her chin and lifted her head up, looking deep inside her brown pools for quick answer for his worries.

"N-no... I’m fine Johnny... just a bit tired..."

"Oh, come here, sit down, honey..." he made her sit on the sofa and immediately placed his hand over her 5 month belly, "Is there something you want me to bring you? Any medicine?"

"You’re not feeling well, mommy?"

Watching John’s and Reilly’s worried faces looking at her, she felt extremely guilty, without knowing what to say, as the truth was that Roma didn’t want to meet that woman that had come from John’s past to spoil their vacations on that island. The fact that he had loved her deeply once, wanting to marry her and spend his entire life by her side, along with the exact time they had met – when she herself wasn’t in her best shape with a five month belly clearing appearing, did upset her. Melissa was beautiful, she had a perfect body and, from what Roma had heard, she was even younger than the Irish actress, who was almost 3 years older than John.

But she couldn’t confess that – what would John think of her? That she was being a fool and that she didn’t fully trusted him. Yet, she didn’t want them to go out and risk meeting that woman again.

"John, Reilly, there’s nothing wrong with me, I swear. I’m just a wee bit tired, you know. Maybe because I woke up early, even before you two, and it was a long trip yesterday, I couldn’t recover from it yet." She said, and that wasn’t a lie, she was really feeling a bit sleepy.

John let out a short sigh and nodded his head, convinced with her explanations but not less protective of her – if she was tired, then she needed to rest and do no effort at all. "Ok, then, we’ll eat here and after that you are heading straight to our room and take a nap, Mrs Dye!!!" he said, with a mock stern tone in his voice. And that, as well as the expression Mrs Dye were enough to bring a slight smile back to the Irish actress’ face. "Yes, sir!"

"Besides, I guess I’d better send you two to bed, as I can see you’re not the only sleepyhead around here!" he said, and both looked at Reilly, who was rubbing her eyes and yawning.

And, in fact, after they had a delicious meal, both Reilly and Roma were feeling the urgent need to lay down somewhere and rest and while John waited for the room service to remove the lunch objects, the two lay down in Roma’s bed. After the hotel service had gone, John closed the door and went to their room. The image of his beloved wife and the one he considered his little daughter sleeping peacefully together, with little Reilly holding her mom’s body tightly, soothed his heart. Quietly, with a tender smile on his face and his heart full of love, he removed his sandals and also lay down in bed, taking the opportunity to stroke Roma’s hair.

John remembered his early meeting with Melissa on the beach and the fact that he didn’t give much importance to that even surprised him. For years he had loved that woman and wanted to marry her and raising a family. And when she left him to go to Brazil, he had suffered for a long time, even swearing that he wouldn’t get married again or have children. But then everything changed on a dark, rainy day, when he came to meet a charming Irish actress, already expecting a cute little baby girl, and how he had loved them both immediately.

Looking at everything he got at the present days – that beautiful family lying next to him, left him with the certainty that there was a God and He couldn’t have been a more loving Father to him. John had Roma, the most wonderful woman he had ever met in his whole life; he had Reilly, who he had helped to raise and who was indeed his little daughter; and they also had a new baby girl coming. Smiling, he leaned over to his side and placed a tender kiss on Roma’s and Reilly’s cheek and stroked the actress’ belly. "I love you all; very, very much, my precious girls."

Some hours of sleep after that tiring and somewhat troubled morning did wonders for Roma, as when she woke up, the actress was feeling much better.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty!" John whispered in her ear, and the fact that she was lying between the two people that she loved most in the entire world (as Reilly was still sleeping peacefully clinging to her) only caused her to feel even better. Roma turned her head to the right and smiled at him. "Hey, my handsome prince!"

John inched his face closer and kissed her lips softly and tenderly, "How are you feeling?"

"I’m fine, Johnny. In fact, I guess I was a wee bit sleepy; don’t you remember when I was expecting Reilly and I used to fall asleep in my trailer or even at the studio when I wasn’t filming?"

The blond actor’s smile grew wider with that memory, "And how could I possibly forget that? I was always the one to wake you up!"

"Yes..." she said, a big smile now formed on her face too, "Always with a snack or a glass of vitamin especially prepared for the ‘two angel girls’! I didn’t forget that either!"

He reached out and stroked her cheek, "I loved to watch you sleeping... it was the only time I was with you that I could be completely honest and didn’t have to hide my feelings..."

"... John..." she whispered, with a moved expression on her face. But that remark wasn’t a sad one, and, with a permanent smile, he started to deliver kisses on her face, "Fortunately for me nowadays I can do a lot more than just look..." he stifled a giggle a second later, with another loving kiss.

"I love you..." the actress said, looking at him with emotion filling her eyes.

"I love you, too, my angel..."

At that moment, Reilly stirred in bed and opened her eyes. "Hey, now I have my two Sleeping Beauties awake!"

"Hi..." the little girl said, rubbing her eyes and with a sleepy smile.

"Well, since you’re all awake, how about having a snack and then going to a nice amusement park near here?"

Reilly’s eyes grew wide, "A park?"

"Yes, not far from the hotel."

"Oh can we, mommy? Please? Please?" she begged, now fully awake and with excited hazel eyes. And who in the world could deny Reilly something when she made that cute pleading face? Besides, Roma was indeed feeling better and, most importantly, the chances of meeting Melissa in an amusement park were reduced to zero.

"Yes, of course we can, poppet!" the actress replied, kissing the top of her head. "In fact... I’m suddenly eager to have some cotton candy myself!"

That last statement caused John to chuckle: he surely had to get used to her sudden ‘wishes’ concerning all sorts of food – some of them a bit unusual.

*

As John had said, the amusement park wasn’t far from the hotel and Reilly wasn’t the only having a lot of fun: while they waited for her to come out of one of the attractions, John and Roma stood a bit away from the other adults that were equally waiting for their children and exchanged some small kisses and loving words, and anyone who looked at the couple was under the impression that they had just fallen in love.

"He he he! You guys look so funny thinking that no one is looking at you kissing!" Reilly’s voice came to their ears at the exact moment they were sharing another tiny kiss, which was even sweeter due to the fact that she was eating cotton candy. Amused, they pulled away and looked down at the outrageous little girl, who kept on smiling at them with a mischievous expression on her face.

"What do we have here? A little paparazzi?" John said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, with a mock indignant look on his face.

"No, it’s cuz you guys can’t hide properly!" she said, looking at the cotton candy in her mom’s hands with interested eyes, and stretched her little arms. "I can hold it for you, mommy, while you continue kissing..."

While John tried to suppress a smile, Roma looked at her with shocked eyes, "You know, I guess you had enough fun for today and it’s time for you to go to bed!"

"Oh... but you and uncle Johnny look cute, mommy! And the cotton candy isn’t finished yet..." she replied, now with an almost desperate face. And they couldn’t help chuckling at that cute and funny face.

*

Some time later, now happily holding some cotton candy, Reilly marched obediently back to the hotel. After a warm shower, Roma helped her to put her pyjamas on an, as usual, she and John tucked her in bed.

"Have wonderful dreams, my little princess." He said, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you, uncle Johnny..."

"Sleep well, my angel..." Roma spoke, also kissing her little daughter.

"You two and my little sister too..." she replied, her eyelids growing heavily, almost closing.

"We 3 love you very much..." the Irish actress whispered in her ear, a second before Reilly fell asleep.

With their hearts filled with tenderness, the couple turned off the light and left the girl’s bedroom holding each other.

"She had a lot of fun today!" Roma said, resting her head on his shoulder while they walked to their room.

"Yes, she really did! Our little one is worn out!" he agreed, smiling at how busy Reilly’s day had been – and their too.

"And I liked the little amusement park, you know!"

"Oh yes, the attractions are almost all appropriate for her age."

"We have to go back there! I didn’t know there was an amusement park near here; I don’t remember seeing it when we were on honeymoon!" the Irish actress said, turning around to face him and with an innocent expression. But at the memory of the wonderful days they had spent there on honeymoon, John gave some steps closer to her and held her in his strong arms, "Well, yes, I didn’t remember seeing that park either," he kissed her forehead lovingly and his loving smile turned into a mischievous one, "... but I know why we didn’t notice that before..."

"Why? It’s a new park, you mean?" she asked, visibly enjoying being in his arms, but still unaware of his gaze. John tightened his hold on her and started to lay kisses on her lips and cheeks, finally reaching her ear, "No... that’s because we spent almost all our honeymoon inside the hotel room!" he whispered, and now her smile also turned into a mischievous one.

"Oh yes... I guess I remember that..." Roma replied, as he made a trail of kisses back to her, finally kissing her mouth lovingly and passionately. "... but my hormones are making me a wee bit confused and I’ve been a wee bit forgetful lately, ya know..."

"Don’t worry, honey, you got your husband here to help you!"

"That’s why I love you!" she said, looking lovingly at him, and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another passionate and always sweet and tender kiss.

*

The following days at the islands were calm ones and, to Roma’s relief, Melissa didn’t cross their way again. Besides, little Reilly made a lot of good friends at the hotel – American children of the same age whose parents were spending their vacations there too.

John and Roma were sitting nearby the adults swimming pool of the hotel, "... she’s gonna love the doll’s house, John. It’s something she’s been asking me since she was a wee baby girl..." Roma spoke, watching her daughter playing with the other children in the smaller swimming pool.

He was delicately putting sunscreen on her soft skin. "I can even picture her excitement when she finds out that that big ‘suitcase’ with ‘our clothes’ that’s locked inside our closet is her birthday present! Besides, look at her! She’s absolutely loving every minute of this trip!"

"And she’s not the only one..." the Irish actress replied, with a pleased smile upon her face, clearly enjoying the slow movements of his hands on her shoulders and back. Also with a smile upon his handsome face, he inched closer to her, "She definitely isn’t the only one... Allow me?"

Roma turned around to face him and the blond actor started to spread more of the lotion on her nose, "I remember the first time I did this you were wearing a lot more clothes..." he joked, hearing her giggles a second later, and looking straight into her brown eyes.

"But you had to do it again and again!"

"Yeah... how clumsy of me to put so much sunscreen in my hand..." he spoke, and only then Roma noticed the mischievous tone in his voice. "John! Are you just saying you did it on purpose?"

"Well... let’s just say that was an opportunity I couldn’t miss!"

"I am shocked!" she mouthed every word.

"Well... I am pleased!" he whispered in her ear, "... Little things like this resulted in this little one here..." he kissed her lips softly and started to spread the sunscreen on her exposed belly.

"You are hopeless, Mr Dye!"

"I’d say I’m quite the opposite, sweetie!"

"I love you!"

"I love you, too, Rose Marie!" he looked at her belly, "And you too, little angel! We have to find a name for you very soon!"

"Yes... we really do..." Roma sighed, contentedly stroking her belly, "But right now we have to find a place to make the party for our other little angel!"

"Oh yes, I talked to the hotel service and they have a space for events like this; it’s not big, but I guess it’ll suit us perfectly cause there are her new little friends and Sam and Frank are coming along with Betty."

"Really? So it’s all arranged?"

"I’ll talk to the person in charge of this in the afternoon, but yes, I just have to confirm with him."

*

By noon, the happy trio left the swimming pool area and headed to their room, to take a shower and go to the hotel’s restaurant. It was a great lunch time, they laughed and made plans for the party and one could say Reilly was really excited about it. And the best thing was that Roma was feeling so well that they decided to go and buy the little girl’s dress for the party in a nearby shopping centre. Besides, they needed to buy an extra card for the camera and while his two favourite girls were inside one of the shops that sold clothes for children, John went to a nearby store that sold computer products.

"Ah, she looks like a little princess!" the sales woman said, she and Roma marvelled at how cute Reilly looked like in her new dress.

"Am I pretty mommy?" the little girl wanted to know, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Yes, sweetheart, you look absolutely lovely!" Roma said, watching as a broad and pleased smile appeared on her meek face, "Do you like this one?"

"Yes..."

The Irish actress turned to the saleswoman, "Ok, so we’ll take it..."

"No! Wait!" Reilly suddenly said.

"What is it, baby?"

"I want uncle Johnny to see it too!"

"Well... he’s waiting for us on the first floor, honey, you can dress it again and show it to him at the hotel."

"But what if he doesn’t like it?"

Roma chuckled at that question – and who would not like to see that cute little girl dressed up like a little princess? And it was obvious that John would love that image. "Baby, I think your uncle Johnny will love it!"

"Are you sure?" she asked, with a worried expression on her face.

"I’m definitely sure!"

"But... if he doesn’t like it, can we change it?"

When Roma finally convinced Reilly that she was beautiful and the girl agreed to take the dress off, they paid for the new outfit and went to meet John on the first floor.

The blond actor had just paid for the card for the camera and was leaving the shop when someone called him, "John?"

It was Melissa.

"Oh, hi Melissa, how are you?"

"I’m fine, thanks. Enjoying the stay here?"

"Yes, it’s a beautiful place," he replied, with a friendly smile.

"Oh yes... I’ve visited some really nice restaurants and small islands since I arrived here. You should go there too, if you can..."

"Well... thanks for suggestion, but I guess we won’t be able to visit them right now, you see, because of Roma’s condition..."

"Oh I see... yes, I can imagine you haven’t had much of a chance to go out..." the woman replied, slightly pleased to hear that. "Well... I’m sorry, John."

But of course the statement wasn’t a complaint, much on the contrary, considering why Roma couldn’t go anywhere she wanted. "Oh, no, there’s nothing to be sorry. Actually, Roma and I visited the islands 4 months ago, when we got married. We spent our honeymoon here!" he said, with a pleased smile.

"Oh... really? So... you got married recently?" her smile faded away a second later.

"Yes, though we’ve known each other for years; almost 10 years already!"

The woman nodded her head, "So... one after we... broke up, right?"

"Yes, I guess so..." She looked at him straight in the eyes, "Would you believe I’m sorry that what we had finished like that... with me going away? That I’m really so..."

"No, Melissa, please don’t be." John gently interrupted her. "It wasn’t meant to be."

"Maybe because I screwed it all up..."

"No..." he smiled turned into a tender one, "Whenever I look at Roma and Reilly, when I see Roma expecting a baby and think that I have their love... It’s much more than I could ever ask for. I never felt so happy in my entire life, you know."

The woman felt her soul filled with deception and regret: yes, she had lost that man forever, and only now she realised how wonderful he was. "I’m... I’m glad to hear it..."

"It’s in times like these that I come to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason. God was very good to me giving me them... I can’t imagine myself without my two... I mean, without my three girls! And Melissa, I truly wish you as much happiness as Roma and I have..." he placed his hand over her shoulder briefly, "I’m sure some day you’ll find someone who you will want to spend the rest of your life with, just as I found."

And John was being nothing but honest. He had everything he had dreamed about – even more than he had once dreamed to have. A wonderful family and he knew that he had never loved anyone, even Melissa, with the same intensity and devotion as he had loved Roma, she was his soul mate, his dearest friend and eternal valentine.

"I guess I missed that chance a long time ago... but thanks John..."

Roma and Reilly took the escalators looking for John and it didn’t take them a long time to find him, but when Roma saw who was talking to him in front of the shop, her smile died and once again, she felt like disappearing from that place. Reilly for herself, ran towards John, nearly bumping into him "We chose the dress!!!" she shouted.

"Great! I bet my little princess looks gorgeous in her birthday dress!" he said, tenderly ruffling her hair.

"You gotta see me first!"

"Oh I’m eager to see you, little one, but I’m sure you look gorgeous!"

Slowly, Roma came closer to them and Melissa was quick to greet her. "Hello, Roma, Reilly..."

"Hello, Melissa. Shopping around too?" she asked, managing a forceful smile and feeling John holding her hand.

"Yes... and I was also telling John about the places you can visit around the islands... boat trips and all. But I agree that you should wait for a few months..."

"Yes..." the Irish actress nodded, with a low voice, while Reilly grabbed John’s other hand and started to stare at Melissa from head to toe with a very suspicious face.

"Well, the last time we went to one of these trips it was me who needed some medicine, remember that, sweetie?" John said, finally managing to make her smile.

"Oh yes..."

Melissa watched their hands intertwined and sighed, "Well, if you have a chance, you should go again, it’s a great trip..."

"Yes, we’ll see about it. But now we have to hurry, I still have to meet Mrs Adams to set our little princess birthday party!" John said, and looked at his ex-girlfriend, "Good to see you, Melissa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay!"

"You too, John. Bye Roma, bye Reilly."

"Goodbye Melissa..." the actress replied, politely.

When they moved away, Reilly kept on looking at the woman, who didn’t stop looking at them. Finally the little girl turned to her parents with a very worried face, "Why is she following us? Is she a spy or something?"

The return to the hotel was a quiet one. As much as she tried, Roma couldn’t hide all the insecurity she felt near that woman who John, her beloved John, had once loved so much. And, due to her silence, the blond actor finally started to realise that there was something wrong with her.

"Roma? Sweetie, are you feeling something?" he asked, as they entered their room.

"Hum... n-no, I... I guess I just feel a wee bit tired, you know..." she didn’t look at him as she said that.

"We should’ve done the shopping later! Come with me, lie down in bed for a little while..."

"Are you feeling bad again, mommy?" Reilly spoke, with a worried frown.

"No, honey, mommy just needs to rest a little..."

But about half hour later, what had started as an indisposition turned into another session of sickness in the bathroom, which caused little Reilly to be twice frightened, as she wasn’t used to see her mother in such condition. And although he knew it was normal, and he had witnessed the same process when Roma was expecting Reilly, John too was deeply worried – watching someone he loved so much feeling so bad and knowing that she was having a risky pregnancy due to her age was really scary.

"... I want you to be right here and rest, ok? The worst is gone and now you just need to rest." the blond actor said, taking her hand and helping her to lie down on their bed, after the sickness was over. Reilly sat down right beside her mother and started to stroke her hair.

"You have to go and see the man about the party..." Roma managed to say, with a weak voice.

"No, I’m not moving away from here until you get better..."

"I am getting better John, I..."

"Shh... Roma, sweetie, close your eyes and sleep, ok? We’ll see about that later..."

"Yes, mommy, it’s ok, we can go to the beach instead of a party..." the little girl said, lying down and snuggling close to her. Roma immediately wrapped her arms around Reilly’s small form and kissed the top of her head, "You will have your party, sweetheart. And don’t be scared, ok? This is normal, when you were inside my belly, the same thing used to happen. Right, Johnny?"

He chuckled: that memory alleviated some of the tension, "Yes, that’s true..."

"And the same thing happens to all the mommies that are expecting their babies..."

Reilly nodded and tightened her hold on her mother in silence.

*

When the Irish actress and the little girl finally managed to sleep, and sensing that they would be fine, John left the bedroom and went to meet the man who worked in the hotel and who would allow them to rent one of the halls for Reilly’s birthday party. Deep inside, the blond actor wanted to be at his beloved wife’s side, but the space would be available for only one night and, if he missed that appointment, then there wouldn’t be any party at all, what would make a certain ‘little angel’ quite sad.

Some time later, Roma woke up and realised he had gone. She was feeling much better already but just thinking about him meeting that woman again was enough to upset her. In fact, the Irish actress was upset for two reasons: Melissa’s presence and her insecurity with it. She felt threatened by that woman, everything in her bothered Roma – her appearance, the way she talked, the way she dressed and most importantly, the past she had shared with John.

After a long and discontented sigh, she heard a little girl’s voice right beside her, "Are you sad, mommy?"

"Hey, little angel... I didn’t know you were awake..."

"I am..." Reilly straightened her body and looked up at her mother’s face, "Are you mad at uncle Johnny?"

"Oh...no! No, honey, I’m not mad at him..." and that was the truth – she wasn’t.

"So it’s that weird lady that shows up all of a sudden, isn’t it?" Roma stared at her daughter’s meek face in disbelief: how in the world did that little child become so smart? And Reilly kept on talking, "She’s really strange... she appears everywhere we go... she must be a witch or something..."

Now the actress couldn’t help giggling at that conclusion and at the seriousness on Reilly’s face when she said that, "No... no, sweetheart, she’s... she was uncle Johnny’s girlfriend... a long time ago."

"His girlfriend? He had another girlfriend besides you? How come?" now the tone of her voice was a surprised, nearly shocked one.

"Well, that lady was his girlfriend before he met me." Roma replied, trying hard not to laugh at her daughter’s face.

"Oh, I see! Well... so now she is the one who is sad, cuz he loves you now..." suddenly her meek face turned into a really worried one, "So that’s it! She’s mad and is trying to cast a spell on you!"

"Reilly, she’s not trying to do anything with me!"

"Then why do you always feel bad after she appears?"

Roma stopped giggling and pondered about that remark: it was true, in the two times they had met, she had felt bad.

"Well, I’m pregnant and that happens, I already told you. It can happen here or in our home, sweetie."

"But that lady is mad, I know. And that’s because uncle Johnny loves us very much..."

"I know he does, honey..."

"No, I mean it mommy... I heard him talking to those people downstairs..."

"What people, Reilly?"

"An old lady and a man... they were asking him about the show and if he was working here." A smile appeared on her face as she remembered that, "He didn’t see me, but I heard what they were saying..."

"Reilly!"

"He said I was his little daughter!"

Hearing that, Roma’s face softened; the love that wonderful man had always showed towards her little daughter had always touched her, "Oh honey..."

"And I was mad at him cuz Brian said that uncle Johnny would love my little sister more than he loves me cuz I’m not his real daughter, but then, I heard him saying that and I gave him a big hug. He even showed me to those people and said I was his daughter again!"

"Brian said that? Is that why you were so sad?"

"Yes, but I’m not sad anymore cuz I know it wasn’t true. Uncle Johnny loves us very much, mommy, he takes care of me, you, my little sister and even Alice. We’re his favourite girls!"

The actress’ eyes were immediately filled with tears: that little innocent child was right, John loved them all - what she had just told her only confirmed that fact, and no one, try as they might, would ever be able to change that. With her heart full of tenderness, Roma hugged her daughter tightly and kissed the top of her head repeatedly, "You’re right, my little angel. He does love us all and yes, he’ll take care of us from now on. And don’t listen to what Brian tells you; never forget how much we both love you, ok?"

"I won’t listen, mommy. I know you guys love me."

*

By the end of the afternoon, the party problem had been completely solved. The hotel manager had kindly accepted to rent the space and after they had spoken, the blond actor had even talked to some parents about the little celebration on the following Saturday, including Sam and Frank, who had just arrived bringing little Betty with them. Of course, in this meantime, he phoned Roma 4 times to make sure that everything was fine with her.

When he came back to their room, John found little Reilly sleeping peacefully in her bed and, by the noise that was coming from their bedroom, he knew that Roma was awake. But when he entered their room, his heart started to beat wildly with what he saw: she was sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing the dress she had bought for the birthday party, and crying miserably.

"Roma? Roma, honey, what happened? Why are you crying? Is there something wrong? Are you feeling sick again?" came the avalanche of questions, as he rushed to her side and took her hands. Roma looked at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh Johnny... I’m such a fool!" she said, and held him tightly.

"Baby, calm down, please, stop crying... what happened? Are you feeling sick? There’s a hospital here, we..."

"No... I’m not feeling sick..."

"So... does anything hurt? Are you in any pain?"

"No..."

With his heart beating wildly, he gently pulled away and placed his hand on her face, "So tell me, sweetie, what happened? Why are you crying?"

Sniffling, she lowered her head, visibly ashamed of what she was about to say, "I’m such a fool! All this time I’ve been worried about what you were thinking about me... now that my body is changing... I’m not the same woman of one year ago, I’m different!"

Hearing that a flood of relief invaded his soul and he felt his accelerated heartbeats coming back to normal. "Roma, what are you talking about? You look lovely, I loved your appearance one year ago and I love your appearance now..."

"I know... it’s just that I keep having these feelings... that you might now like me a little less... and that all the women look better than me now that I’m growing further and further... I can’t help it... and then Melissa appears out of nothing and I just keep thinking that she might want to steal you away from me..."

And the blond actor finally understood what was going on: she was feeling threatened by what Melissa represented; by the past that they had once shared. And for a split second he mentally scolded himself for not realising that before. But how could he? Despite meeting the woman he had loved so much, she continued to be where she had always been since when he had met Roma: in his past.

Tenderly, John pulled his beloved wife to his arms again, kissing the top of her head repeatedly, "Oh Roma... my angel... I’m sorry I didn’t realise Melissa’s presence was causing you to feel uncomfortable..."

"No... I’m the one who is sorry! I’m such a fool!" she replied, sniffling against his shoulder. And he couldn’t help but chuckling. "Hum... now I have to agree with you, honey. You are the prettiest, most adorable fool in the world, who I love so much... So I’m gonna ask you to please stop crying..."

"I can’t..." she pulled away and while he wiped her tears she showed him her dress, "I put this dress on to see if it needed any adjustment and... look at this! I can’t even fit inside a dress that I bought only one week ago!"

John looked at the beautiful sky blue dress and his mouth dropped open with what he saw: although Roma could put the outfit on, she couldn’t fasten the buttons on the upper part of the dress because her breasts had grown, and now her bra was the only thing that could cover them.

"I... er..." swallowing hard, and trying his best not to lose the concentration, the blond actor took a deep breath and turned to face her, moved to see her tears and happy that her crying was caused by nothing but a battle of hormones and some insecurity. He tenderly took her hand and pulled her to their bed, sitting together with her and making her rest her head over his chest. "Oh honey... I love you so much, you know..."

"I know..."

"Remember the first time we met? When you were already expecting Reilly?"

Her face softened at that memory and a tiny smile appeared on her face, "Yes..."

"Do you have any idea of how many times I wished she was my daughter?" The actress raised her head and looked at him, and he smiled tenderly, "And, well, realising that I was asking for something rather impossible, I decided that I would take care of you and of the cute little baby girl you were expecting for the rest of my life, even if we continued to be just friends."

"Oh John..." she started to cry again, and he lay more soft kisses on her temple.

"I loved you when we first met... when your belly started to grow... when you gave birth to Reilly... when you carried her to the studio because there wasn’t anybody to stay with her... I loved you when you cried in my arms during tough times... And when we first kissed... When I realised you might have feelings for me, I... I couldn’t even believe it myself..." he kissed her hand and concluded, "And there’s nothing that can make me change my mind about it, honey, nothing or nobody... Melissa is in my past; in a past that... doesn’t mean anything to me, not anymore. Maybe that’s why I didn’t even realise how you were feeling, because her presence here doesn’t represent anything to me. In a way, I even feel grateful that she walked out of my life, because I could meet you, Roma." He cupped her chin and looked deep inside her eyes, "And I cannot imagine myself without you, angel."

"I love you so much, Johnny..."

They shared a loving and affectionate kiss, full of emotion, and John tightened his hold on her. "I love you, honey... With all my heart, and no matter who you look like, you’ll always be my pretty little Irish valentine."

"So will you to me..." she replied, with a tearful smile.

And a smile also appeared on his handsome face, although it was now a mischievous one "And... about your dress... Honey, you have no idea what’s doing to me right now..."

His soul was immediately filled with relief when he heard her giggling against his chest. "We can buy another dress for you, baby, and you’ll look just as beautiful. But if you need any help to take this one off just tell me, ok?"

While Roma and Sam got their nails and hair done, at the hairdresser in the shopping centre near the hotel, John took Reilly and Betty to go around the mall and bought them popcorn and cotton candy. Frank, Sam’s husband, stayed at the hotel, recovering from a bad flu at the blond actor had to do all the babysitter work – something he was very pleased with.

And when they returned to the hairdresser, to meet the two women, Roma was curious with the package John was carrying in his hand. "I thought shopping around was exclusively for the girls!" she joked.

John and the 2 little girls exchanged an amused glance, "Well, it happens that I decided to buy a present for my eternal valentine, and Reilly and Betty helped me out to choose it!" he spoke, giving her the package.

"It’s a dress, mommy!" Reilly announced, with a pleased smile.

"The most beautiful in the shop!" Betty added. Roma looked at her husband with surprised and loving eyes, "John!"

"I hope you like it, honey..." he gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I had two good assistants here to help me!"

"Oh Johnny, thanks..." she looked at the girls, "I’m sure I’ll like it very much! I trust your good taste and I’m sure these two gave you some good help!"

"Oh, all the ladies in the shop wanted to help uncle Johnny!" Reilly informed.

Watching with amusement as he blushed deeply, Roma and Sam looked at each other and smiled, and, standing on the tip of her toes, the Irish actress placed a tiny kiss on his lips.

*

Roma finished her make up and put on the dress John had bought for her and the outfit – a lilac coloured one, suited her perfectly. She was looking at herself in the mirror when John entered the bedroom with a contented smile upon his face, "Hum... I guess I’d better take a good look on you, Mrs! You are just gorgeous and I don’t want anybody making eyes on my girl!"

Giggling, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, "It’s lovely..." she tightened her hold on him and rested her head on his chest, sighing deeply with contentment. "You’re so good to me... Thank you so much..."

"You are lovely, honey! And I treat you the way you should always be treated," he lifted her head up and kissed her lips lovingly. The Irish actress looked at his eyes with a mysterious and tender smile.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked, stroking her face with the back of his hand, and never letting go of her.

"Well... I’ve been thinking, ya know..."

"About?"

"About how we met... how our destinies ended up converging to the same place, to take part of the same show..."

"I thank for that every single day of my life... I believe I already told you that, ‘angel girl’!" he joked, also smiling with tenderness.

"Touched by an angel was so important to us... to me... It brought you and Della to my life and I can’t imagine myself without you both; my wonderful husband and mother..."

"I believe it gave us all the most precious gifts a person can have, honey. I got a family with you and Reilly, and now with this little one here, and I’m sure that Della got a wonderful daughter too."

He gave her another soft kiss and when they pulled away, the actress continued to speak. "I have something to ask you, Johnny..."

"And what is it?"

"Well... looking back at the past... at the show and how much it means to us... What do you think if we named this wee one here Monica?"

The tender smile upon his handsome face turned into a contented grin and he nodded his head enthusiastically, "I love it... In fact, I was about to suggest the same thing!" pulling away, he caressed her belly lovingly, "Little Monica... our little angel girl!"

They looked at each other with their eyes full of love and the blond actor pulled her close to him once again, and bent his head: their lips collided in a long, sweet loving kiss, with John’s fingers running through her hair and Roma’s arms wrapping around his neck.

But something, or someone, interrupted that romantic moment, and they had to part.

"Oh John! She’s kicking again!" Roma exclaimed; she and John placing their hands over her belly. "And gee! Now she’s really fully awake!"

"I guess she approves of her name too! Hey, little Monica... I bet you’re eager to see how gorgeous your mom look, right?" he said, tenderly caressing her belly.

"Oh my! I guess she said yes!" the Irish actress spoke, feeling one more kick. Reilly, also wearing her beautiful dress and now fully ready for the party, entered the bedroom at that moment. "Mommy? Uncle Johnny? What’s happening?"

"Sweetheart, your little sister is kicking..." her mother announced, and it took the little girl just a second to rush and place her hand over Roma’s belly and a terrified expression immediately appeared on her face. "Is she coming out now?! Do we need to get to the hospital?!"

"Oh no, honey..." Roma replied, she and John laughing at that question and at the worry on Reilly’s face.

"Are you sure? She’s stuck in there, she might suffocate!"

"Yes, baby, we’re sure..." John spoke, "Your little sister is sleeping in there, you know. When you sleep, you move sometimes, don’t you?"

"Yes..." she replied, her hazel eyes still focused on the belly and the worry evident on her meek face.

"Well, it’s the same thing with this little one here; she has to move sometimes cause she gets tired to stay in the same position all the time."

"Really?"

"Really..."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief hearing that piece of news, "Phew!"

*

The hall rented for Reilly’s birthday party was beautifully decorated with all the Disney princesses as a theme, with pink balloons hanging on the walls and with a big beautiful cake on the big table. There were smaller tables spread around the hall, where the children’s parents could sit and watch their little ones playing around with Reilly. There was music in the air, a lot of soda for everybody and the food served by the buffet service that John had rented was delicious.

"Look at her... she’s so happy!" Roma said, watching her daughter playing with the other children, laughing out loud and having the time of her life with that improvised party.

"She is a happy child, sweetie, thanks to you. You’ve always been a wonderful mother!" John spoke, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind (and not missing the opportunity to caress her belly). Roma tilted her head a little so that she could look at him, "Well, I had a huge help from you... You’ve always been a wonderful step father... In fact, you’ve been a wonderful father to her."

He smiled and nodded his head, "I love her as if she were mine, you know."

"I know... And she knows that too, you can be sure of that! That wee one loves you as if you were her real daddy!"

Grinning happily, he bent his head and kissed her cheek repeatedly, "What would become of me without my girls, huh?"

At a certain point of the party, John disappeared for a few minutes and came back carrying a big package in a present box. Reilly’s eyes grew wide when she saw that, as she was innocently thinking that her birthday present had been her new dress and 2 Barbies. "Mommy? Uncle Johnny? What’s that?"

"That, honey, is your birthday present..." Roma explained, while John put the box right in front of her.

"Really? Another one???" she asked, with haunted eyes.

"Yes, my little pretty princess! This is our present for you..." John replied, and both he and Roma watched with contentment as she unwrapped the box – which was nearly her size, and looked at each other grinning with satisfaction as she finally opened the box and found a big, beautiful doll house inside.

"A DOLL HOUSE!!!" she shouted. And her excitement was such that John had to help her to get rid of the box before she literally fell inside of it. "Oh, mommy, uncle Johnny, now all my dolls will have a home to live!!! They’re all gonna live together!!!"

"Well, just be careful so that Alice doesn’t stay homeless, ok?"

"Oh no, uncle Johnny, Alice lives with me; and now she’ll live with my wee sister Monica too!"

With her heart practically melting to hear that, Roma knelt next to her, "So did you like it?"

"Yes!!!" she replied, with a broad, happy smile, and threw herself into Roma’s arms, "Thank you, mommy! I love you!"

"You’re welcome, my little angel. Mommy loves you very much. Happy birthday and God bless you..." the actress said, kissing her daughter’s face repeatedly. Then, Reilly changed her mom’s embrace for the one she considered her real daddy. "Thank you, uncle Johnny! I love you very much too!"

"Oh my little princess! I love you so much..." he too kissed her cheek, "God bless you, sweetie. And I want you to know that you’ll always be my little one, no matter what other people say."

"I know! And you’ll always be my Papa Bear!" she said, also kissing his cheek.

*

Some time after that, it was time to sing "Happy birthday" to Reilly and cut the cake. Many pictures were taken, all of them registering the happiness on their faces and those vacations would be in their memory forever.

The party ended at about 10 PM, and by that time, little Reilly was sitting on a chair, with her shoes off, and her eyes nearly closing. The buffet service was in charge of cleaning up the mess left by the children and Roma and John said goodbye to the last guests (Sam, Frank and a sleeping little Betty). One of the bellboys took Reilly’s presents up to their room and, seeing how exhausted the girl was, John gathered her in his arms – and it took her only a few seconds to fall asleep on his shoulder. Then, they too left the hall and came back to their suite.

*

"Oh, here we are!" Roma exclaimed, as the couple entered their room.

"Yes, it was quite a day! And this little one here didn’t even wait for it to finish!" John joked, referring to the little one peacefully sleeping in his arms. Smiling, she lit up the lights in Reilly’s bedroom and John placed her carefully in her bed. Then, while he removed her socks, the actress looked for Reilly’s pink pyjamas and they managed to change her clothes without waking her up (as, in fact, she was way too tired to wake up anyway). After they had finished it, Roma covered her small form with a warm blanket and John placed Alice next to her. Then, they kissed the little girls cheeks, turned off the lights (except the one on the nightstand) and left the bedroom.

"Oh... my sandals are killing me..." Roma spoke, looking for his support so that she could remove the pair of high heel sandals she had been wearing all night long.

"I wonder how women can possibly walk around with these without losing their balance!" he said, frowning with concern.

"Well, we look prettier in them! And taller!" she raised her head and looked at him, "You see? Now I’m even shorter!"

Smiling, John wrapped his arms around her waist, "But just as adorable, charming and pretty!!!" he bent his head and kissed her lips lovingly. Then, she rested her head on his chest and sighed with contentment. "But you’re right, this is more comfortable... and a shower now would be lovely."

"Well... what if I told you that your shower is ready, Mrs Dye?" he whispered in her ear, causing her to smile with some memories coming back to her mind. "Really?"

"Really..." he gently kissed her cheek and led her until the bathroom, and she saw that the Jacuzzi was ready, once again, with two Alexander waiting at the side.

"Why does it suddenly reminds me of a certain day in Manzanillo, some time ago, huh?"

John kept on holding her from behind and making a trail of kisses down her neck, "It does?"

"Yes..." she replied, with another contented sigh, clearly enjoying his caresses.

"...funny, I’m having some memory problems right now... could you please, explain it?" he said, smelling her sweet perfume while the trail of kisses continued now up to her ear again.

Roma finally turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a long, passionate kiss, which he welcomed with the same passion.

"... ok... close that door!" she ordered, and he obediently obliged her.

Some time later, the happy couple just had to move a few steps from the bathroom to their room, also locking the door, and none of them was willing to pull apart until the end of the night.

*

The following days in the Caribbean Islands were happy and calm ones. On that pleasant Friday morning, the trio visited a beautiful beach, almost deserted, with deep blue waters and white sand. Roma was sitting lazily on her beach chair, looking at the blue sea, when she felt her baby daughter kicking once again. With a smile upon her face, she placed her hand on her belly and caressed it gently, "Don’t worry, wee one, we’ll come back here someday, when you grow up a little!"

Then, she turned her eyes to her other precious baby, who was walking along the sand, quite close to the water, together with John. Both were a bit far from where she was, but she could see that they were picking seashells and, whenever they found a new one, Reilly let out an excited squeal – which was undoubtedly causing the blond actor to laugh with amusement.

When she saw that they were finally coming back, the Irish actress stood up from the chair and walked over to the water, letting the small waves tickle her feet, and waited until they were closer. Reilly rushed to her mother and showed her the small bucket full of her new ‘acquisitions’.

"Look, mommy!!! Uncle Johnny and I picked all these seashells!!!" she said, excitedly.

"Oh I see it, honey! They’re lovely!"

"I’ll start to collect them, ya know?"

"That’s a very good idea, I’m sure you’ll get lots of them!"

"Will you and uncle Johnny help me?" the little girl asked, with a cheerful smile.

"Of course we will, little one!" the blond actor said.

Roma pulled her daughter and her husband closer to her, in a tight embrace, "Yes, uncle Johnny is right, we will, my little angel... now come here you both, let me hold you a little..."

While Reilly wrapped her little arms around her mother’s and John’s waists, John bent his head and kissed Roma’s lips softly – both adults stroking the little girl’s curly hair, and feeling the baby kicking once again.

THE END