Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Mariana, Part 1

I race to the door when I hear the knock. Santos and I have spent a lot of time together lately, but this is the first time we're going to leave the kids behind when we do it. I'm both excited and really, really nervous. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, and I'm feeling good about it.

I open the door and he turns around slowly. Wearing khaki shorts and a red shirt with leather flip flops, he looks just like I remember… breathtaking. My heart beats a little faster and the nerves fade away, leaving me feeling giddy about this new chapter.

"Mari," he breathes. "You look amazing."

I look down at my knee length dress. It's black with red dots and hugs me in the right places. It's a jersey dress, but the strappy black heeled sandals dress it up just enough. I feel pretty.

"Thank you. I'm getting better at doing my hair and make-up."

"It's different?" He looks at me quizzically.