Thank you for reading. Ladies, only one chapter today. I am so tired because the baby is teething. He kept me awake last night. The next chapter is tomorrow.
“Carlos?” Kate asked. “I know I agreed to see you during every championship game, but -” “Take as much rest as you need,” Carlos suggested. “I’m going away, happy, contented, and inspired, knowing that when I return, I have a wife and a child to go home to.” Carlos sighed, thinking about his schedule. He declared, “Kate, I only have three weeks before I leave again for the Australian Open. I will spoil you every minute while I am here.” The Devil was true to his words. Every after his tennis practice, he spent the rest of his daily hours preparing Kate’s meals, walking her to the bathroom, massaging her feet, buying in advance all the pregnancy care his wife would need, and in just about everything, Carlos was being overprotective of his wife. He refused to let Kate work during the first trimester. While the doctor did not order the same, he and Kate were careful this time. A day before Carlos would leave, Kate was sitting on their bed, checking her emails, when her husband walk
“Talk about over moisturizing,” Kate remarked as Carlos repeatedly put lotion on her stomach. Carlos’s smile reached his ears while sometimes speaking to Kate’s belly. “Hello, baby. Daddy’s home. I miss you and mommy so much.” Carlos’s happiness seemed endless, but soon, a hint of sadness washed over him. He looked up at Kate and revealed, “The competition is moving up faster than I expected.” “Oh,” Kate reacted, her heart aching with the news. “I’ll be here for six weeks, practicing with Alex. Then I’ll be leaving again for Wimbledon,” Carlos reminded. “On the bright side, I am no longer required to join minor tournaments after Europe, so I can stay until the US Open.” Kate’s smile returned. She uttered, “I think that’s great. You’ll be here when our baby is bigger. I heard that is the most trying time for me.” Lifting his brow, Carlos asked, “How so?” “I remember Gaby whining about not being able to… put on her socks and bending,” Kate revealed, encouraging laughter from th
“Out!” The umpire announced. The Wimbledon finals had stretched to the fourth set, with Carlos leading by two sets. Carlos was still in the lead in the fourth set, and the potential championship point was in question. The referee called the ball out while The Devil’s fans doubted the findings. Carlos had hit the ball a little higher, and while the referee thought it was out, the crowd called it in. Claims from the audience came roaring. “It was in!” “The Devil wins!” "We saw it! The ball was in!" Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the LED screen, where the Hawkeye system would replay where the ball landed. When the cameras reflected how the ball went in, the audience screamed! Carlos felt his skin crawl with the way his fans yelped their happiness and cheers. “And this year’s Wimbledon champion is Carlos Ronaldo, The Devil!” The Devil moved closer to the net and shook hands with Roger Murray. He complimented, “Great game.” “Don’t be so thankful yet, Ronaldo. I want a comeback.
Scoreboard:Ronaldo: 6, 6, 5Murray: 4, 4, 4 In the third set, Carlos was ahead by five games, and in the final game, he was leading by a point. “Thirty, fifteen,” the umpire announced the scores. Carlos’ face was red from all the running he had done. He was chasing his breath as he bounced the ball against the hard court, ready to serve. He had been giving his finest, not letting Roger Murray score a set. After he thrust up the ball, he hit it with his racket. “Out!” Letting out a sigh, Carlos was relieved he still had a second try to serve the ball correctly. After serving it again, Roger ran to the far right of his court and returned the ball. Carlos quickie volleyed it back, and Roger missed another point. “Forty, fifteen, championship point.” Ready to serve, Carlos pecked his pendant. He wiped the sweat off his face with his wristband and threw the ball up in the air. Carlos served once and twice, but he hit the net in both instances. The crowd was barking, both angry
Kate and Carlos watched as Kyle held Manuel’s legs up, and cleaned his dirt. They observed how the CEO of the Wright Diamond Corporation turned Manuel’s delicate frame, gentry, from side to side to clothe him with his top. After effectively pulling up the baby’s pants, Kyle claimed, “See! It’s easy! Like a walk in the park." “That was very fast,” Carlos had to admit. “I’m a natural at caring for babies,” Kyle claimed. A confident grin formed on his face, adding, “It also comes with experience.” Kate looked past her brother and saw Gaby giggling while carrying her one-year-old daughter, Gale. She wasn’t sure what to believe, but, nonetheless, they were thankful for Kyle’s help, showing his best technique to change an infant. “Let me hold my nephew for a while,” Kyle asked, carrying Manuel from the stroller. “You carry him like this. Listen to your older brother now.” “What about my style? Do you want to see how I change my nephew?” This time around, Kaleb offered. "No. No, he i
"Alexander and Savannah, have you come here of your own free will and without a compulsion to marry each other?” the officiant asked. Immediately, Alexander and Savannah said together, “Yes.” “You may kiss the bride.” Applause could be heard at the wedding, held in the countryside of Savannah’s hometown. The wedding was celebrated in front of a historical castle in Tipperary. Tables and chairs were spread across the green lawns surrounding the castle. Tents covered the guests from the sun. Steel frames rose to twenty-feet high, decorated with various purple and white blooms. Everyone in the Wright family attended the Irish wedding. Samantha and Ethan were present. Carlos and Kate came with Manuel, Kaleb brought his son, Liam, Kyle and Gaby made a side trip from Freedonia to Ireland, and Kenzie came with her husband, Andrew. A trip to the countryside of Ireland was not something they would miss. The views were just breathtaking. The mountain and greenery slopes could widely be
Months passed. “Till this very day, Carlos Ronaldo is still number one and had been consistent for 426 days, more than 60 weeks, and counting. The Devil had claimed both the Wimbledon and the US Open. Erik Berg is still behind him, and Alexander Jenkins is next. Roger Murray fell to the 4th rank after the US Open.” “How long will the Devil be on top? With his growing business, until when will The Devil keep playing?” On a Sunday, Kate and Carlos were watching the national TV recorded news from within their home's living room. After the reporter’s initial statements, The Devil answered an interview. On the monitor, Carlos could be seen walking out of a tennis training camp in New York. He said in front of the camera, “I will still keep playing, but I’ll be on court on and off. If fate would have me to remain number one for a longer time, then that is a blessing, and I am happy to take that role and be a model to many tennis aspirants out there.” “However, I am not pressuring myself
“Hwuah! Hwuah!” The sound of a baby’s cry echoed throughout the delivery room, and just like her first delivery, tears stung Kate’s eyes. “Baby boy Ronaldo is out,” announced the doctor. The crying baby was placed in Kate’s chest for her and The Devil to cherish. “Ah, what an angry little one,” Carlos said, seeing how Andre wasn’t hushing down his cries. The time came and went. At thirty-eight weeks, Kate delivered her second son, Andre Pete Ronaldo. “Congratulations on having a healthy baby boy, Mister, and Misses Ronaldo.” The couple relished seconds of caressing Andre’s head before Carlos indicated, “I am happy with our two sons, Kate, but… we should still keep trying. Who knows, we’ll have a mini-Kate.” Kate nodded, saying, “There is no harm in trying.” She gazed at her son, mesmerized. She studied his cute lips, saying, “I love you, baby!” “And daddy loves you, Andre,” Carlos echoed. It was another year to celebrate as The Devil maintained his number one ranking. He