"Mexican sounds great. Here is some cash to pay for the food." I said as I passed her the keys and some money.
An hour later, Gabriella returned with a bag of groceries and set about preparing dinner. It felt good to have a woman in the house again and hearing the chopping of vegetables. Not that I'm against doing cooking and cleaning but it's nice to be spoiled for once. Gabriella had even managed to find my wife's old apron. The smells wafting out of the kitchen were delicious. I knew we were in for a treat. Just before dinner time, I heard a call from Sam's bedroom and went up to get him. He was overjoyed to see Gabriella still in the house.
I set the table with Sam desperate to have Gabriella sit next to him and feed him. Gabriella had made something simple for Sam and a delicious chicken mole dish for the two of us. I was suitably impressed. Sam couldn't get his eyes of Gabriella and was chowing down on the food, including a heap of vegetables that he usually was at pains to avoid. After dinner, Gabriella helped with bath-time and putting Sam to bed. It was 7:30pm by the time Gabriella was leaving. I thanked her profusely for her help and heap praise on her cooking and the way she got along with Sam. She could tell I was impressed. So she turned to me and said: "If you up for meeting my parents I think I'd like that. You could bring Sam along too. We usually do a cook up in the park with some other families on Sundays after church. I'll send you the details via text. Give me your phone and I'll put in my digits." With that she entered her number and made a text message to her phone.
"Can I call you an Uber?" I asked.
"No, I'll take the bus. There is a direct route from here to home so it's no problem." Gabriella said and off she went.
That night I had a vivid dream, it all seemed so real. Gabriella was running around the back yard naked as a jaybird, laughing and giggling, teasing me and telling me that I wasn't going to catch her. But she wasn't trying too hard to get away. I woke up in the morning with a huge erection. I had it bad already after just one "date". I texted Gabriella that day to say how much I had enjoyed our day together and that Sam was still asking after her.
The next week passed quickly and before I knew it, Sam and I were in our clean and smart duds heading to the park around the corner from Gabriella's apartment. There was a large gathering of about 30 people around a smoking grill which I assumed was the right party since just about everybody was Latino looking. Gabriella broke out of the group and grabbed by hand and that of Sam to introduce us to her parents. What I hadn't told Gabriella was that I was a pretty decent Spanish speaker so she was a little astonished when I followed up her introduction in Spanish with one of my own thanking them for inviting us.
Sam ran off to play in the sandpit with a bunch of kids his age that were under the watchful eye of a couple of aunties. Meanwhile, Gabriella's dad and mother were relieved to be able to speak with me directly about my family, my work, my upbringing and ultimately my interest in their daughter. I imagine they had been quietly suspicious at first, but I think they came away with the belief that my intentions were honorable - at least I wasn't going to love her and leave her if we started a relationship. Gabriella listened from the sidelines, interjecting from time to time, describing my wonderful son, our lovely house, and how much fun she had with us both.
Her parents were simple people, who cared about their family and Gabriella in particular. They weren't impressed by anything fancy, they just wanted their daughter to be happy. Yes, the circumstances of our meeting were a bit unusual but they seemed willing to overlook the age difference and the extra child. A few hours later it was time to leave as the party wound down. I offered to help with the clean-up but was shooed away. Gabriella's mother made a point of exempting her from helping and told her to help me get Sam into the car. So we walked off hand in hand looking every part the family already except for the age difference.
Once we reached the car which was parked around the corner, Gabriella helped Sam into his car seat and then turned to me, put both hands on my waist and said: "You were amazing today. I'm so proud to have brought you to meet my parents." Then she moved in gently to give me a simple peck on the lips. She flushed a little pink in the face perhaps wondering if she had gone too far. I put my arms around her to reassure her and returned the kiss. "Me too. I had a great time and loved meeting your parents. Let's meet up later in the week, are you free Wednesday evening? I can book Josie so we can have an adults-only evening." I said. "Sure I'm free, say 6 o'clock? Where shall we meet?" She asked. "I'll come and pick you up." I said.
That Wednesday I arrived prompt at 6 o'clock to the apartment of Gabriella's family. Her mother opened the door and ushered me in to take a seat for a few minutes. Not too long after, I heard sounds down the main corridor and out she came. Gabriella had been transformed. She had on a small black dress, her hair was stylishly blow dried, she has tastefully applied makeup and he nails were polished. She no longer looked like a gangly teenager but more a confident woman. The braces remained somewhat marring the whole picture. I complimented Gabriella on her look, making sure it was in Spanish and that her mother was listening. She shooed us out of the house, saying not to worry how late we stayed out. I knew I had at least one ally in the family!
Since this was our first proper one-on-one date I wanted to make sure to make the most of it to woo Gabriella. We drove to a trendy restaurant that had only recently opened. Typical "farm-to-table" type place. There was a good mixture of bearded hipsters and regular people. Fortunately, the hostess didn't bat an eyelid when seating us, I guess I was a bit guilty that I would be seen as a sugar-daddy or perhaps her real daddy - which was possible given our age differences. In some ways, this dinner was a bit of a low stakes test to see how Gabriella could handle herself in an adult setting.
I helped Gabriella into her seat like a proper gentleman and we perused the menus. She scanned the menu and ordered a mid-priced entrΓ©e. I followed suit. It was good to see she wasn't extravagant when given the chance. We talked about the future what we both wanted out of life. Gabriella wanted to be a mother and take care of her family. She also wanted to make sure her brothers and sisters and parents were well taken care of. I let her know I was looking for a wife who would take care of us and have more children to love. We were remarkably congruent in our needs and goals.
After dinner I asked Gabriella if she wanted to come to my home to spend some time alone. Sam was staying with his grandparents so no one would be bothering us. The sexual tension was high when we got home. Gabriella took my hands and led me to the sofa. She pulled me down to the sofa and started giving me a searing hot kiss. I started fondling her breasts and rubbing her crotch. Gabriella's breath became ragged and she orgasmed with a nearly silent gasp coming out of her mouth. I knew that if I wasn't the responsible one, she would lose her virginity tonight and I wanted to respect her family and wait for the wedding night that I hoped would only be weeks away anyway.
The next day, I met with Gabriella's father at a local coffee shop. I told him about my family situation, how much I like Gabriella, my financial prospects and stability. Finally, I asked for her hand in marriage. He asked only a few questions and seemed satisfied by my answers. He was happy, he said, to accept me into their family. "My only wish is you are good to my daughter and make her happy. Oh, and give me a grandkid or two" he said. Of course, I was happy to accept those terms.
With the father's consent granted, it was time to get a ring and break the news to Gabriella herself. My cousin was in the diamond business so I went straight to him. I wanted something a bit larger than normal but not too ostentatious. We settled on a 2 carat princess cut in a simple platinum setting - classic and tasteful. Properly prepared with the black velvet box, it was time to pop the question. I'd proposed to my first wife on a sandy beach while on vacation. This time it would have to be more simple. I invited Gabriella for a walk in my favorite woods nearby. There was a lovely overlook with a bench that had a breathtaking view of a lake and the mountains beyond. That is where I got down on one need and ask Gabriella to be my wife. She was totally surprised, probably thinking I would take much longer to make my decision. She wept and hugged me and most importantly said "Yes".
Given the family's immigration situation there was no time to lose on the wedding preparations. Her family got into high gear. Gabriella's father was a proud man and he made it clear that he would be taking care of the wedding expenses. Two weeks later the day came and I pulled up in our car with my son Sam pressed into service as the ring bearer. We got their early and did the last minute preparations in the vestry. Sam was dressed like a mini-me. At the appointed hour we walked out to the front of the church and waited. Jeff was in one of the front rows - he was looking pretty pleased with himself. This was the first time he'd played matchmaker. I suspected that with this success and his clientele mix that it probably wasn't the last time. Gabriella's extended family and friends overflowed from her side of the church and they started to fill our side making it look a little less uneven.
Finally, the wedding march music began, and for the second time in my life I stared down the aisle looking at my future wife. Gabriella's light brown skin contrasted with the bright white gown. She'd taken off her braces for the day, and her smile was a delight if a little crooked in places. Like all brides she'd lost a bit of weight with the nerves of it all. For the benefit of both sides of the church the ceremony was bi-lingual and Catholic. I'd had to get special permission as a Protestant - but these days the Catholic church was happy for any new souls!
I can't honestly remember much of the ceremony nor the reception that happened after. It was all a blur. The first time I caught my breath was when we had transferred to the car to be driven away to the airport. I'd booked us into a wonderful plantation house of some long forgotten Southern family in West Virginia. I wanted somewhere quiet and remote where we could get to know each other better without any distractions. When we arrived, we drove down a long curving driveway complete with drooping trees covered with Spanish moss. Our suite was huge and had a fireplace and large bathroom. After a quick bite to eat in the dining room we retired to the bedroom and I placed the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob. We each took turns to shower and get ready for bed. I was first and slid under the covers while Gabriella took a small bag of clothes with her into the bathroom.