Book 2 - Chapter 1: Our Blissful Bubble

Life After Winning The Christmas Lottery Prologue Liz and Zander are now married and are taking a well deserved honeymoon. As they wait for the birth of their son, things start to change around them. Now they need to navigate married life and a baby as new dangers lurk in the shadows. Are they really free from the nightmare they lived through? Maybe this peace they are feeling is just an illusion. Take the journey with them and share in the highs and lows of this beautiful extended family. Zander With Liz’s help, we cleared my workload, and I am free for the next month. All I want to do now is spend every moment I can with my wife. We have four weeks and four destinations to explore. We started our honeymoon on Mykonos, the very place I proposed to her. The weather is much better now, so we can enjoy the beach. We left right after our wedding reception, and we are now three days into our honeymoon. Liz sleeps a lot, but she deserves the rest. She is growing my mini-me, and this honeymoon is all about us and relaxation. “Are you ready to go?” I asked Liz and she smiled brightly. “Yes, I can't wait!” she said excitedly, putting on her sun hat. Today Liz and I are going to explore some of the smaller islands. I rented a yacht for the day, and the captain agreed to give us both lessons. I know a bit, but not enough to venture the seas alone. My dad loved sailing, and he always let me take the helm. But I was little, and I didn't really make time to take lessons when I got older. We had breakfast at a little diner on the pier first. This place has had the same owner since it opened its doors. My grandparents invested funds when they first opened, as they did with most of the businesses on the island. Daphne and her husband, Georgio, always welcome me when I am here. The food is great, but the atmosphere is why people love coming here. It's like a taste of home. They know everyone by name, and even take the time to get to know the tourists that pass through. You don't get many places like this anymore and Liz loves it. I brought her here for lunch yesterday and Daphne fell in love with her instantly. I don't remember many of the locals, but they know who I am. There is always chatter when there is movement at the villa. The story of what happened to my grandparents is a part of this town's history. They were major contributors to the livelihood of the village, so many looked up to them. My parents continued in their footsteps, and after they died, I made sure to still support the island's businesses. It's a part of my heritage and now that I have Liz, I would like to spend more time here. Maybe bring my son here too, and all the other kids I hope we have. At least two, but I could go for three or four. But that isn't up to me, whatever Liz decides is okay with me. “Did I mention that I love this place?” Liz asks and I chuckle. “Maybe just a few times,” I answer and she giggles. We settle the bill and say goodbye to Daphne, before we board the yacht. The captain is a guy named Petros. Daphne recommended him, and he seems like a cool guy. We headed to the first island and I must say, I had a great time and Liz was positively glowing. I think I need to make time to get proper lessons, so I can take her out on my dad’s yacht. By the time we reached the second island, I could tell she was tired. I made her take a little nap below deck, while Petros taught me as much as he could. I have to learn to do what a deckhand does first, before I can be a skipper or captain. But that's okay, I know all about hard work. Everything I have achieved in my own name, I worked for. I didn't have it easy. My father believed in hard work. Having money didn't mean that I had an easy ride. “It really is beautiful out here. The water is clearer and much more inviting,” Liz says. I didn't even see her approach. “That was a short nap,” I say, pulling her into my arms. “I feel a little more energized,” she says, and I smile and kiss her forehead. “I changed my mind, let's rather live on a yacht instead of the jet,” she says, and I chuckle. The first time I took her on my jet, she decided we could just live there when we get bored with life. Though the jet is comfortable, I would much rather be on the open sea. “That’s not a bad idea, but maybe when the kids leave the nest.” “Kids? Let me first see if I can manage this one, before you dream of more.” she says, chuckling. We visited one more island, before we headed back. Petros actually allowed me to take the helm the whole way home, and it was exhilarating. We spent the rest of our week lounging on the beach, making love and eating all the local cuisine we could. Then we moved onto our next destination, Istanbul, Turkey. We were proper tourists and experienced everything we could. From hot air balloon flights, visits to the Turkish baths, horseback riding, to a beautiful sunset cruise on the Bosphorus Strait. It was truly magical. I have been here before, but for work. So I never got to experience the rich culture and cuisine. Liz enjoyed the shopping and the markets too. Our next destination was Tuscany, Italy. Simply because Liz loves Italian food and where else could you get the original feel and taste? Every day we tried a different restaurant, and we even went for cooking classes. I made sure to get a workout every day, because all these carbs are killing me. But as long as Liz was happy, I was. We did go on a wine tour, but that was mostly for me. Liz did enjoy the cheese and scenery. They were very sweet to always offer her non-alcoholic drinks. Our final week we spent lounging on the beach in Zanzibar. I hired a private villa so that we could just relax and enjoy the amenities. They had a massage therapist that specialized in pregnancy, so Liz got to enjoy a relaxing massage. She even showed me what I can do to help when she has back pain. I gladly accepted the advice. Whatever I can do to make this pregnancy smoother for her, I will. This last week was all about relaxation to get us ready to head home. Not that we wanted to, but we knew we had to get back to reality eventually. Liz was sun-kissed, relaxed and happy and that was all I wanted. I just couldn't get enough of her. Blame it on the sea breeze or how sexy she looked in a bikini, I don't mind. Seeing her baby bump was so adorable. It’s getting bigger and the baby is also getting more active. I can feel his strong kicks, and he goes crazy when I talk to him. Liz and I can't wait to meet him. “This has been the best few weeks of my life. Thank you for an unforgettable honeymoon, husband.” Liz says, as she lays in my arms after our lovemaking. “It's not over yet, my wife. We still have one day of bliss before we have to let the world into our little bubble.” I answered and kissed the top of her head. All we did the next day was rest and relax. The day seemed to go by so fast, and we soon found ourselves boarding the jet to head back home. Liz slept for most of the flight, so I used the opportunity to check my emails. Something I haven't done for the whole month. I trust my team and I know I can rely on Toby to hold the fort. There was an email from DA Sauls to let us know that Elaine had been sentenced to 35 years without the possibility of parole. Taking her age into account, she will be well in her 80s if she survives that long. They have also wrapped up all the pending cases against the cartel. Both David and Horis will be spending the rest of their lives behind bars. I just hope and pray this is the end of it, and we never hear from them again. But somehow in the back of my mind I have this nagging feeling that tells me it isn't over. I hope I am wrong, but I won’t dwell on it. When the driver pulled up at home, I knew something was up. There were way too many cars and I have a feeling they are here to surprise us. “Wake up, my Liz. We are home and I think we have a welcoming party.” I whispered and kissed her forehead. She fell asleep on the drive home, with her head on my shoulder. She sits up and yawns, and looks out of the window. “Everyone seems to be here, even Rebel,” she says smiling. “If they wanted to surprise us, they should've hidden their cars.” I say and we both chuckle. We get out, while the driver gets our luggage out of the boot. I help her inside and the minute we step inside, we are accosted by our friends and family. Rosa went all out and made a lovely dinner for everyone. We ate on the patio under the stars and we had an awesome time. It felt good to be back, but I also wish we were still in our blissful bubble. By the time everyone left, Liz was exhausted. It will take a day or two for her body to adjust to being back home. So I know she will still be out of it tomorrow. Luckily, I am not going back to work immediately. We have a checkup tomorrow, but it's later in the day, so Liz can sleep as late as she wants to. I checked in with the security office at the park and there was still no sign of Mary. I knew that would be the first thing that Liz would want to do, so I made sure to be one step ahead. The next day, we went to see Dr. Nox and she assured us everything was perfect. Liz and the baby are gaining weight as they should. Liz has no ailments, so she is perfectly healthy. The only issue we had was stress, but that has been taken care of. When we left Dr. Nox’s office, Chris called me. “I hope I am not interrupting your appointment,” he said when I answered. “No, we just left, we are heading to the car now. What’s up?” I asked. “I have good news and bad news. I don't know how Liz will take it, that’s why I called you.” he says. I don't need anything upsetting her now, but I also don't want to keep anything from her. “Just give me the good news first,” I say. “I found Mary,” he says, and I smile and look down at Liz. “That's brilliant, thanks man.” “Don't thank me yet. She passed away, Zander. She died of cancer a few days after Liz claimed her winnings,” he says. This is not good.