Love Letters (38 page)

There was a knock on her door. “Come in.”

“
Hey girl, what’s taking you so long?” Nicole asked. “Everybody’s waiting for the birthday girl to come down.”

Chloe walked over to Nicole and gave her a tight embrace. “Can you believe it’s been two years since Josh gave me this telescope?”

Nicole grinned. “You’re still as sentimental as ever.”

Chloe took her friend’s arm. “Well, need I mention that in the past two years, I’ve organized more than a dozen weddings?”

“
You’ve done a great job, my friend, and we’ll need to celebrate that, but first Suzanne said you need to open her gift before everybody else’s gifts – including Josh’s,” Nicole said, heading downstairs.

“
Some things never change,” Chloe said, following Nicole.

They walked into the dining room where all the guests were seated and chatting.

“
Here’s the birthday girl,” Matt said, giving Chloe a kiss.

“
Thank you.”

Suzanne nudged Chloe from behind
.
“Happy Birthday, Chloe, you need to ope –”

“
I know, Mom. Nicole told me. Thanks.”

“
Just making sure,” Suzanne said.

“
Happy Birthday, Chloe. You look so beautiful and radiant.” Jill embraced her warmly.

“
Thank you, Aunt Jill,” Chloe said, looking for any sign of Josh. She hadn’t seen him all day.

“
Feliz Cumpleaños, Chloe,” Ignacio greeted her as more people continued to shower Chloe with birthday wishes while eating and drinking.

Chloe pulled Suzanne to the corner and whispered, “Mom, thank you for organizing this party but I hardly recognize half of the people you invited. You know I prefer intimate gatherings.”

“
Sweetie, it’s your birthday and what better way to build contacts for your business.” Suzanne winked. “Now take a deep breath and mingle. You’ll thank me afterwards.”

Chloe shrugged and excused herself to go to the kitchen.
Where’s Josh?
The last time she had seen him was this morning when he had kissed her goodbye and left for work. She looked at her watch and pulled out her cell phone to call him.

“
Josh’s here,” Nicole yelled from the hallway.

Chloe put her cell phone away and rushed to open the front door, Nicole behind her. “Josh, you’re here. What took you so long?”

Josh walked in and handed Nicole a cake box, then turned to Chloe. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I’m sorry I took so long, but your birthday wouldn’t be complete without a cake and balloons.” He handed her the balloons and gave her a big kiss.

Chloe closed her eyes and once again remembered her dad returning home to surprise her with balloons and a cake. She embraced Josh. One day soon, he would be celebrating their baby’s birthday just as her father had with her. “Thank you for making my birthday special.”

“
The birthday cake is ready,” Nicole announced.

Chloe opened her eyes and gave Josh a big kiss as they followed Nicole to the dining room.

“
Before Chloe blows out the candles, we need to make an announcement,” Josh said, opening a bottle of champagne.

Nicole and Suzanne poured champagne for the guests as Josh opened sparkling cider for Chloe. “I didn’t forget about you,” he said, kissing her nose.

She smiled and held his hands tight.

“
We are proud to announce that Chloe is pregnant and will be having a boy,” Josh said.

“
Oh sweetie, that’s wonderful,” Suzanne said reaching out her hands to Chloe and kissing her cheeks. “Did you hear that? I’m going to be a grandmother.”

The guests squealed in delight as they all congratulated Chloe and Josh.

“
Thank you!” Chloe and Josh made a toast.

“
Cheers.”

“
Do you know what that means, Chloe?” Suzanne squealed in delight. “We’ll need to plan a baby shower.”

“
Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure you plan it.” Chloe winked.

“
Ignacio, amor, I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandma,” Suzanne said, her eyes moist.

Ignacio kissed her on the lips. “And I will be a grandpa.”

The guests laughed and continued to drink their champagne.

“
Can we sing Happy Birthday now?” Nicole said, putting the cake in the center of the table as the guests gathered together in a circle.

Ignacio lit the birthday candles as each of them sang Happy Birthday to Chloe.

“
Don’t forget to make a wish,” Suzanne said, patting Chloe’s back.

Chloe looked at her friends and family – her mom clinging to Ignacio while she sang; Nicole holding Matt’s hands as she smiled at her; Jill clapping her hands; Josh standing in front of her taking photos; and the little one on the way. She closed her eyes one last time.
What could I wish for when I already have everything?

As she opened her eyes to blow out her candles, Greta ran out with wrapping paper in her mouth, Gyro chasing her, a heart shaped locket necklace with a photo of Josh and Chloe in his mouth. Behind Gyro and Greta their two little babies, Gulliver and Gertrude, slipped and slid through the room while chewing on the chain.

“
Greta! Gyro!” Suzanne yelled. “That’s my gift to Chloe.”

Everybody laughed as Chloe blew out her candles.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost I would like to thank my amazing editor and writing coach, Carol Craig who was there to hold my hand and guide me through the ropes. I learned more than I could possibly learn in a lifetime from you.

A big thanks to Melissa Miller of Solstice Publishing for opening the door of opportunity and for believing in my novel. Without you, none of this would have happened.

Thank you to Lorna Lynch, Susan Lohrer, and Deborah Beale for evaluating my first chapter and sharing your tips and advice.

Thank you so much to Christine Lemmon for the wonderful blurb you wrote. Your humility and kindness has truly inspired me.

I would like to also thank Alan Rinzler for your brilliance and sharing your wisdom about the publishing industry. If it weren’t for you, I never would have taken my novel to the next level.

A million thanks my beloved husband and best friend, Arnel Solon for your love, patience and support; even if all I did was write till the wee hours of the morning. You stood by me all throughout this journey.

Thank you so much to my exceptional son, Stefan Solon for giving me the inspiration to keep going and fulfilling my dream. You are a writer in the making.

Thanks to my delightful step-daughter, Kimberly Solon for always listening to me and for your love and support. You will always be the daughter I never had.

Thank you so much to my enchanting mother, Carmen Zialcita who has played an influential role in my life – so much that I had to include her character in this book.

A big thanks to my wonderful father, Jean Pierre Zialcita who bought us books at an early age and taught us to appreciate the beauty of words. I give a lot of credit to you for my love of writing.

Thank you to my dear bookworm sister, Victoria Marin for all your support and enthusiasm in my novel. Your insight has brought me a long way.

To my sweet brother, Ramon Zialcita, thank you for all your support and for cheering for me. I will never forget that it was you who gave me a job at a newspaper company which brought me closer to my dream.

Thank you so much to my dear friend, Carina Burns for being my number one fan and standing by me all this time.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank God, Almighty for his never-ending grace and faithfulness. This all happened in your perfect timing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geraldine Solon is the award winning author of Romance and Women’s fiction novels. Her debut novel, Love Letters won the Beach Book Festival for the Romance category and has also been nominated for the Global eBook Awards. Dream Real Pictures has optioned Love Letters and is currently being adapted into film. Love Letters was listed on Goodreads as one of the best books published in 2011. Geraldine is a member of the California Writers Club and has studied writing courses at Stanford University. She resides in the Bay area California with her family. You can visit her website at
www.geraldinesolon.com