At each shop window, Liz thought of Penne and her mother... and said, "Let's go in and buy gifts for everyone."
And that's how the entire week went.
Henry said to Liz, "You buy gifts for everyone, even for me, but I haven't seen you buy anything for yourself."
She replied that she had bought several things for the baby.
"That's still not for you," he insisted.
"Today we're going shopping for you."
"Alright, let's go shopping. I saw some beautiful dresses and jumpsuits, and I'll be able to wear them a lot during the pregnancy." So they went to the store where she had seen the clothes.
"What about this short dress? Blue and white, my favorite color."
"It's beautiful! But isn't it too short?"
"No. I love it."
"And this white jumpsuit? Do you like it?"
"Perfect."
"I want this one... and this one too. This set is gorgeous."
"This one's too short... and this one... way too low-cut."
"I want all of these."
"And these three pairs of shoes too."
"I'm done with my shopping."
"We still need to buy that wine and olive oil to take to your parents and my mom too."
"But those short and low-cut clothes are only when I'm with you."
"Henry, since when do you care about that? You've never been jealous of me."
"Liz, I was always jealous of you. I just couldn't say anything."
"It's not about what I wear; it's about what I feel. And I love you, my husband."
"I wonder if you'll still make me jealous when I'm round as a ball."
"You're more beautiful than ever right now. I'll love you no matter what. For me, nothing changes."
"Your son is craving that Greek salad and the lamb ribs for lunch. And that dessert I forgot the name of (baklava) that has nuts and honey."
"Shall we have lunch? I'm really hungry."
They asked to have their shopping bags sent to the hotel.
"Look, Henry, what a nice pair of shorts. Shall we get them for you?"
"Liz, you've already done this like five times. I've got shorts for the whole year, and I barely have time to wear them."
"You will, once our baby is born. Let's work hard now so that when he arrives, we can spend more time just enjoying ourselves. We won't miss any part of his growth."
"After lunch, I want to take a bath, then put my legs up and relax next to you. Maybe we can watch a movie. What do you think?"
"Are you sure you'll make it to the end of the movie?" Henry teased, just to see Liz's reaction.
"I'll watch the whole movie this time."
"You know I've been falling asleep easily. What can I do?"
"I know, I'm just teasing. Yes, let's have a relaxing bath and then watch the movie. That'll be our afternoon plan."
The afternoon went exactly as planned—except that Liz, as usual, fell asleep during the movie.
Henry took the opportunity to check messages from Nick, which said:
"I spoke with the driver of the car Liz was in. He told me that a man introduced himself as the bride's cousin and said the driver could leave, as he would wait in the car with the bride for her entrance. He asked the driver to look for a guest, claiming she was his fiancée, but he gave a name no one knew, so it took a while for him to return to the car. When he did, the bride was no longer in the car. He assumed she had already gone inside."
"Good afternoon, Nick. I've just seen your messages. What do you think of the driver's explanation? Did it convince you? Something doesn't quite add up with this justification. When I get back, I'll dig deeper into this. Talk soon. Let me know if there's any news, please."
Henry poured himself a glass of wine and sat on the bed, his eyes fixed on Liz. When she woke up, she asked, "Why did you let me sleep? And why were you watching me?"
He replied, "I never get tired of admiring you, seeing how beautiful my wife is. I'm such a lucky man to be with the woman I've always loved by my side."
Liz responded, "I'm the lucky one. Sometimes I wonder if I deserve so much. I have the most gentle, handsome, and caring husband. There's no one like you."
"Come, lie down here beside me. Let's finish the movie. Then tell me everything that happened before."
"Alright, my love. Your wish is my command."
That cold day ended with the warmth of their love, which overflowed.
And under the covers, they continued to make promises of eternal love