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THE TOWNHOUSE
Gabi was getting worried...she had called everywhere looking for Antonio. It was late and he had told her he would call her later when he left the house. The baby was protesting the fact that Gabi hadn’t eaten dinner yet. "Okay, okay," she said gently as she rubbed her belly. "We’ll go now." She headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. Her heart jumped as she heard the front door close softly. "Antonio?" she called as she ran from the kitchen. "Oh my God!" Antonio was a mess. His nose was bleeding, his shirt was half un-tucked and ripped on the shoulder. Gabi could see a bruise forming on his jaw. "What happened?" she cried as she put her arm around him leading him over to the couch. Antonio was limping from Ricardo’s shot to his crotch. "Ricardo?" she asked as she helped him sit down. Antonio raised his eyes to meet her. "It’s over, Gabi." Gabi sat down next to him. "It’s over," he repeated sadly. Gabi felt suddenly nervous. "What’s over, Antonio?" She touched his arm and he winced in pain. Antonio shifted uncomfortably, his entire body aching violently. "Ricardo is no longer part of our lives," he whispered. Gabi furrowed her brow. "I don’t want to talk about him again." "Antonio...what happened between the two of you?" Gabi desperately needed to know. Antonio looked at her with love. "You happened." Gabi felt her heart sink as tears filled her eyes. She had known from the day that they found out about her baby that he and Ricardo would never share the same closeness again. Antonio knew she was blaming herself. He forced himself to raise his hand to her cheek. "I love you, Gabi. You’re all that matters to me." Gabi touched his hand with her own as she closed her eyes tightly. Antonio felt a wave of pain and let out a moan. "Oh, Antonio...are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Gabi was very concerned seeing him in so much pain. "No, I just need to go to bed." Gabi stood up and helped him carefully off the couch. Gabi tried to support him as he made his way up the stairs. "Why are you limping, Antonio?" she asked worriedly. "What did he do to you?" "I don’t want to talk about it, Gabi." Antonio cringed as he recalled Ricardo’s punch and the gun. "I’ll be okay, really." Gabi led him into the bedroom and sat him down on the bed. She gingerly helped him remove his clothes. Gabi gasped as she saw Antonio’s stomach covered with fresh bruises. "I think we should take you to the hospital…your stomach!" Antonio dropped his eyes to his largely purple abdomen. "No, Gabi," he protested. "I just want to go to bed." He lay back carefully and closed his eyes. Gabi pulled the blanket up over him and leaned over to kiss his forehead. He managed a small smile but didn’t look at her. "I love you," he whispered. Gabi watched him quietly from the door as he tried to find a comfortable position. When he finally fell asleep, Gabi reluctantly went downstairs to find something to eat. Antonio was having a nightmare about what had happened with Ricardo. Antonio looked up to find Ricardo pointing the gun down at him. "How did you say this would have to end?" The cold, hateful look in his eyes bore into Antonio. Ricardo was close enough to the edge that Antonio was afraid he might just follow through. "Ricardo," Antonio pleaded, his voice cracking. "Shut the hell up, you bastard." Ricardo waved the gun slightly. "Not feeling so tough now, are we?" A thousand things ran through Antonio’s mind in a single second. He thought of Gabi raising their baby alone. He thought of his unborn son who would never know his father. He thought about his mother and how devastated she would be that one of her sons killed the other. Mostly, he thought about Gabi and how she would have to live the rest of her life without him knowing his brother killed him because of her. Antonio felt his resolve crumbling as Ricardo inched closer. He was determined to be strong and accept whatever fate God chose for him. He prayed silently for Gabi to always remember how much he loved her. Ricardo’s mind raced with images of Gabi running out on their wedding, sitting by Antonio’s bed in the hospital, Antonio announcing that he and Gabi had been lovers, Tyus’ announcement about Michael’s paternity, seeing them marry at the chapel, attacking Gabi that night and fighting with Antonio, getting his brother on tape with Heather, and trying to have Gabi see it. His head was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach. Their eyes locked as Antonio shifted his weight slightly. Ricardo straightened his arm and pulled back the chamber taking aim at his brother’s heart. Antonio closed his eyes as he waited to hear the gunshot. He felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he whispered Gabi’s name. He heard the trigger snap but felt no pain. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Ricardo’s hand shaking as he held the gun still pointed at Antonio. It was never loaded. Ricardo stood for a long moment then dropped the gun to the floor. It landed inches from Antonio. Ricardo turned and walked silently out the door leaving it open behind him. Gabi was finishing her sandwich when she heard Antonio yell "NO" loudly. It startled her as she jumped from her chair and ran upstairs. As she ran into the bedroom, she saw Antonio writhing in bed gripping the covers. He was repeating the word over and over and she could see he was drenched in sweat. Gabi sat down beside him and placed her hand against his shoulder. "Antonio," she tried to wake him gently. "Antonio." Antonio’s eyes flew open with fear as he frantically looked around. Gabi was frightened by his reaction as she pulled him into her arms. "Shhh," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, his head resting next to their baby. Gabi could feel him trembling and his tears made her shirt wet. She held him close stroking his hair until he fell silently back to sleep. Gabi knew that something terrible had happened between Ricardo and Antonio tonight. This wasn’t just another one of their arguments – Antonio was very shaken. Gabi tried to slip from Antonio’s arms, but he had a hold on her that was much stronger than she was. She slipped off her shoes and settled down on the bed beside him. It had been a long day for all of them and Gabi drifted off quickly. Gabi stood in front of the bathroom mirror fixing her hair. It had been almost a week since whatever happened between Antonio and Ricardo. Antonio never discussed it and Gabi knew not to bring it up. Antonio’s injuries were quite well healed, except for his heart. Tonight was their big anniversary date and Gabi was meeting him at the Deep. Gabi pulled on her new dress and checked out her profile. Dr. Green had been right – Gabi had blossomed almost overnight and her stomach was now protruding amply. Thank goodness the dress she bought with Maria was generous in the tummy area. Under her dress, Gabi wore the other surprise she had for Antonio. She smiled as she imagined the look on his face when he would see it. Gabi did a final once over and headed downstairs. She secured the house before she left...Maria had slipped her that much of a hint. Gabi grabbed her purse and made her way to the car. THE DEEP Gabi knocked quietly on Antonio’s office door. She pushed the door open to find Antonio making his was to the door with a broad smile. "Hi," he said as he took her into his arms. Gabi hugged him tightly. "You look amazing." He held her back slightly and gave her the once over. "Thank you," she said shyly. "You look good, too." She leaned up and kissed him tenderly. "SO, what’s my surprise?" she asked anxiously. Antonio laughed as he turned back to his desk. "Okay, okay...you’ve been very patient." He grabbed his keys. "Let’s go." He put his arm around her and led her out the door. Gabi could hardly sit still as they drove along in the car. Antonio kept glancing over at her with a smile and a laugh. He was so unbelievably happy and proud to be married to Gabi and expecting their child. They pulled up outside the Inn at the Beach. Gabi waited for Antonio to step around to her side of the car. He opened the door and helped her out. Antonio handed his keys to the valet and they went inside. Gabi turned down the hallway to head for Grenadine’s when Antonio grabbed her hand. "No, this way." He walked her over to the elevator and pushed the up button. Gabi smiled as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. They got on the elevator and Antonio insisted she close her eyes. "If I close my eyes, this elevator ride is going to make me sick," she protested. Antonio took her into his arms and held her tightly as he pushed the button. They rode to the top floor. The doors opened and Antonio helped her off. Checking to make sure her eyes were still closed, he led her carefully to the door of the penthouse suite. "Okay, just another second," he said as he let go of her hand and unlocked the door. "Happy anniversary, Mrs. Torres," he whispered in her ear as he pushed the door open. Gabi opened her eyes and was immediately overcome with tears as she peered inside the penthouse. The large, posh hotel room was filled with vases of long stemmed roses. Every available space held a beautiful arrangement of roses and baby’s breath. Gabi walked into the room with her mouth slightly open. She turned slowly as she took in the elegance of the room and the fragrance of the roses. White candles illuminated the room. A small table for two in the corner was set for dinner. The white satin sheets on the king size bed were sprinkled with rose petals. Champagne glasses sat on the nightstand next to an ice bucket with non-alcoholic champagne. The french doors across from the bed opened to a large balcony overlooking the ocean. Gabi turned to Antonio with a smile as she took his hand in hers. They walked together onto the balcony. Antonio put his arms around Gabi from behind as she took a deep breath of the warm ocean air. Antonio leaned over and kissed her neck gently. "Do you like it?" he asked quietly. Gabi turned around and threw her arms around his neck. "I love it and I love you. Happy anniversary." They began kissing and it turned intensely passionate almost immediately. Antonio entwined Gabi’s hair in his fingers as he held his other arm around her waist. Gabi melted into his kiss. They kissed until they were both breathless and pulled back slowly from each other. "Maybe we should eat dinner," Antonio sighed as he touched her stomach lightly with his hand. "I don’t want the baby to be hungry and we have plenty of time." Gabi smiled as Antonio led her by the hand to the table. He pulled out her chair and she sat down. They enjoyed a delicious dinner without ever really taking their eyes off each other. "Antonio, this is such a wonderful surprise," she gushed as they finished their meal. "Well, I wanted to take you someplace special," he smiled. "But Dr. Green said you shouldn’t fly, so I had to plan something in town." "Fly?" Gabi said with astonishment. "What did you have in mind?" Antonio raised his eyebrows at her. "If I told you now, it wouldn’t be a surprise later, now would it?" Gabi was always amazed by how thoughtful and romantic Antonio was. No man had ever treated her this way, with so much love and caring. Antonio stood from his chair and pulled Gabi to stand in front of him. He took her chin with his fingers and lifted her face. "Dance with me?" Gabi felt a warm rush as he walked over and turned on the CD player. They moved to the middle of the room as the soft music filled the air. Antonio took her gently into his arms as she rested her head against his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her waist as they began swaying slowly to the music. Gabi closed her eyes as Antonio kissed the top of her head. She raised her eyes to his and they began to kiss. Gabi slipped open the buttons on his shirt as he caressed her back. She slid her hands up his chest and pushed his shirt off. Antonio found the zipper of her dress and pulled it down slowly. He kissed her shoulders as he removed the fabric. The dress slid into a heap at her feet and Antonio’s breath caught at the sight of her. Gabi’s full breasts bulged softly out of a white lace bra. Her very pregnant belly bulged over the top of white lace bikini underwear. Antonio smiled seductively at her. "You like?" she asked playfully. "I like," he growled back at her. "You are so beautiful." Antonio pulled her lips against his as she removed his pants. Antonio turned around and led Gabi by the hand back to the bed. He laid her down gently against the soft satin sheets as he stood over her in his boxers and ran his eyes over her entire body. Gabi smiled softly as he lowered himself next to her on the bed and brought their lips together. They made love tenderly and slowly, their souls becoming truly one. Gabi wanted him to make love to her all night long. Antonio kissed and caressed every inch of her body as she lost herself in the ecstasy of his touch. Their bodies molded together perfectly as they surrendered together to their passion. Gabi ran her fingers over his chest with a feather-light touch as Antonio reached over for the champagne and glasses. He poured their glasses and handed one to Gabi. Leaning on his elbow, he looked directly into her eyes. "This past year with you Gabi has been the most wonderful of my life." Gabi felt her eyes welling with tears. "You are my wife, my lover and my very best friend. I love you more with each passing day and I will love you more every day for the rest of our lives." He leaned over and kissed her softly. "You’ve made me so happy and I hope I’ve made you happy, too." Gabi nodded as the tears slipped from her eyes. "I couldn’t live without you, Gabriella Torres. I love you," his voice cracked with emotion. Gabi began crying as she pulled his lips against hers. She kissed him deeply as she held the back of his neck. "I love you, Antonio. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life." Antonio smiled as he kissed her again. Antonio rolled over and opened the nightstand. He pulled out a small black box with a wide white ribbon. "Happy anniversary," he said handing the box to Gabi. She sat up and pulled the sheet around her chest. Antonio lay back on his elbow and watched her open the present excitedly. As she flipped the box open, her eyes widened. "Oh, Antonio. It’s beautiful." Gabi put her hand to her chest as she stared in awe at the gorgeous diamond solitaire pendant in the box. "It’s beautiful," she repeated in a whisper. Antonio took the box from her hand with a smile and removed the one-carat pendant. He opened the clasp as Gabi turned and pulled her hair off her neck. "You’re beautiful," he said softly as he fastened the necklace around her. He put his hands on her shoulders as his lips caressed the nape of her neck. Gabi put her hand against the diamond as she closed her eyes. She was still overcome with the depth of their love. She turned back to him slowly as their eyes met. He looked at the pendant hanging against her chest and bent forward to kiss her next to where it hung. They made love over and over until it was almost dawn. When they were completely spent, Gabi curled up next to Antonio with his arm draped around her shoulder. They held each other and fell asleep smiling.
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