Surprise to Start a New Year

[theprivate_ryan]

She had not been able to get what she wanted for him before Christmas, so she had given him other things. However, when the searched for items finally arrived, Ryan was as excited as a little kid, bouncing around until everything was just perfect

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[theprivate_ryan]

"Married will make me your PaPa's wife." Ryan thought carefully about how to approach this, because Sufi was newly deceased, and she did not want to disrespect her in any manner. "Kamil...your ammi was a very brave lady. She loved you very much, and she will always be with you, in your heart and as your special angel." Taking another sip of milk, Ryan glanced at Altaaf, before continuing. "I made your ammi a promise, that I would love you and look out for you, and I will keep that promise. If you want to call me ammi, that is fine. I would be honored. But if you want to just call me Ryan, or mama, or something else that you feel comfortable with, that is fine, too. I want you to be okay, with whatever you feel right with. I will love you, no matter what you call me."

They agreed about Bane's gift of sneakiness, and laughed about it a few times in the days to come. The hurry of getting to Vegas for the wedding kept them from being too focused on Kamil's adjusting to the new home and family. When they arrived at Carolina's hotel, he was in awe of the stunning penthouse suite that they had. The bathtub was big enough for four people, and the two story suite had rooms for the security men. Caro and Nick brought their kids over, the first night, and they had a rowdy, fun family supper, with the Stokes kids going out of their way to make Kamil feel welcome. They were going to have the ceremony the next day, after they had the henna tattoos.

"How about Kamil spending the night with us, at my place?" Carolina offered, taking a sip of her coffee, as they watched the boy playing indoor bowling with the twins, JJ and Sara, who was being the bossy director of the crew. Ryan was amazed at how easily Kamil played with the rowdy Stokes bunch, laughing as though he had known them forever. "You two should have your wedding night in peace, and he will have a ball with the kids, and the pool."

"I don't know...he had some trouble sleeping alone the other night." Ryan bit her bottom lip, torn between her responsibility and her need for romance.

"I can put them all in the living room, on pallets, and they can watch movies." Caro glanced at Nick, who nodded. "Leftover wedding cake, some fun movies...if they go swimming, you know they will pass out. Bane could stay with us, so Kamil will have him there."

"What do you think, love?" Ryan took a bite of her dessert, a very delicious pot d'creme, with whipped cream, which was soothing to her still tender tummy. She grinned at her soon to be husband, noticing how he and Nick got on so well, and that Elizabeth seemed to have a wee crush on the handsome Kashmiri artist.

[theprivate_ryan]

Ryan was following the antics of the kids, relieved to see that Kamil was getting along with the others, particularly the twins. In the question of whether Kamil should spend their wedding night with the Jacks-Stokes clan, Ryan ultimately deferred to Altaaf. He was, after all, the child's father. Of course, neither one of them was experienced as parents, but she couldn't imagine any problems.

Carolina had sent three wedding dresses up to her room, which she tried on in front of Caro, Elizabeth and Sara, who shook her head and said "nono" to all of them. Finally, she settled on a sleek, simple and romantic look, with a fingertip veil. Cake topper dresses would overwhelm her small frame. Besides, she was feeling so tired and woozy, she didn't think she could handle the weight of one. Caro and Lizzie would be attendants with her, while Nick and Bane and Sergei all stood for Altaaf.

"You okay?" Carolina looked Ryan over, her bright blue eyes clouded with concern.

"Yeah...just feeling kind of crappy, last few days." Ryan zipped up the bag for the dress she chose, while maids took away the rejected designer duds.

"Ryan...could you be pregnant?" Caro stroked her fingers over her niece's forehead, worried.

"NO! I mean...no, that would be...noooo." Ryan shook her head, in denial, as Elizabeth grinned at Caro.

"RyRy have baby." Sara pronounced, loudly, while Ryan shushed her.

"No, Sara, no don't say that. Please." Oh, that was all they needed. As if they didn't have enough on their plates.

By the time that she and Altaaf had their henna tattoos and then prepared for the wedding, Ryan forgot all about the baby talk. She got dressed, nervous and yet very excited. It was her wedding day, and she had a new son. That was the joy of it all, as she walked down the aisle in the private room of the hotel, where Caro arranged for both a Muslim and Christian officiates, at the small altar. To the side, there was a small band, who played as she came out to walk behind Caro to her husband to be. The girls were all in blush, and she carried a simple, romantic flower bouquet. On a nearby table, there was a lovely cake, as well as beverages. Simple...that was what they needed.

Ryan looked up at Altaaf, and her vision narrowed to just him, so handsome in his tux. She smiled, and forgot about everything else.

[theprivate_ryan]

"So are you." Ryan whispered back, feeling lighter than she had in a long time. The ceremony seemed like a blur to her, the words of the two officiants flowing over her, as her entire focus was on the man beside her. So this was what love was... Ryan clutched her bouquet tightly, to cling to something, until Carolina gently eased it from her. They had already come to the part with vows and rings.

Nick handed them each a ring, and Ryan gasped softly at how beautiful they were, each half of a heart. It was perfect. "Altaaf, I give you this ring, and wear yours, as a sign of my love and fidelity. I promise to love you, defend you and stand by you, no matter what may come. I promise to always fight for our family, and to put it above all other things, forever." Carolina gave Ryan something, and Ryan knelt down in front of Kamil, to put it around his neck. "Kamil, I promise to always love you, and to be a good ammi for you. I am giving you this, to show you that I am not just marrying your father, but I am also pledging my heart and my life to you."

Inside the small, simple round locket, there were two pictures. One was of Sufi, and the other was Ryan with Altaaf. It was not something a small boy would wear, but rather a keepsake for him to hold on to, to include him in this ceremony.

Ryan rose, and smiled at her man, wishing that they would hurry up. Finally, they got to the part where Altaaf could kiss the bride. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carolina slip away, to the table that held the refreshments. She returned with JJ in her arms, his face showing traces of the pink cake icing that he had been swiping from the back and licking off his little finger. Ryan giggled, softly, before turning to kiss her new husband.