Destined Hearts Ch. 01

"There you are." Victoria got up and held his hands. "You are finally here. Mrs. Emilia has been waiting for you for a long time now. Where did you go?"

"Well, I was at the..."

"It's okay." Emilia quickly got up and held his hand, sweetly rubbing on it while giving him a brilliant smile. "The good thing is that you are here. Why don't you come and sit with me?"

Praveen grinned and then sat with Emilia, staring to get really nervous. Victoria excused herself to give the two some privacy.

"So..." Emilia took both his hands and just held them in hers. "How have you been?"

"I have been fine. And how are you?"

"I am okay." Then she giggled happily, looking at him lovingly. "I have some really good news for you and I am sure it will make you happy."

"Good news?" He gasped, getting even more nervous.

"Yes!" Emilia babbled, taking a really deep breath. "Antonio is arriving tonight and he is coming back for good."

At that very moment, fear crept into Praveen. He couldn't understand where it came from and he felt cold and warm at the same time. He had no idea why he had a strange feeling about Antonio's return. He didn't even know if he was ready to meet him.

"He is coming back today and that means that you two are gonna get married real soon."

She moved her hands and cupped his cheeks, slowly rubbing on them. Praveen gave her a half smile just to make her know that he was happy even though he wasn't totally.

"I am so happy right now and I can't wait to make you my son in law." She chuckled happily. Her happiness was overflowing. She was really fond of Praveen. She loved him and she knew he was gonna make her son and her family happy. "Finally, I will be able to fulfill the vow we made to your mother."

Emilia knew how Grace affected Praveen but she understood him. "She would have been really happy seeing you married."

Praveen smiled as tears started building up in his eyes. "I am sure she will be very happy wherever she is." He sighed. "I will be happy knowing that she is happy wherever she is."

A tear went down his cheek which he quickly rubbed.

"She would have been very proud of you." Emilia said softly. "She is not here but her presence is still here. She will guide your path and I also know that she will give you her blessings. You just have to believe in her and her love."

"Yes!" Praveen nodded. "Thank you so much."

"For what?" Emilia asked.

"For everything that you have done for me." He said in a sincere tone, getting even more emotional. "I really appreciate it and..."

"It's nothing, Praveen." She said softly. "If your mother in law doesn't do all these things for you then who do you expect to do them for you?"

He couldn't say a thing to answer her. She was a really good woman and he also knew that she was gonna make a really good mother in law. He hadn't met anyone else from her family but he was really hoping that her entire family was gonna love him like she did.

Emilia stayed for over an hour just telling him about Antonio and how she wanted them to be together. Praveen was awfully quiet. He just listened, smiled from time to time and answered her when she asked questions.

Emilia on the other hand just loved Praveen to the moon. She knew her husband was gonna be happy wherever he was, knowing that his loving wife was doing all she can to unite her son and Praveen. She knew that Antonio loved her and he was gonna agree to the marriage. She hadn't told him anything because it was meant to be a surprise.

"As soon as he comes, I want you to get ready." She said as the two of them got out of the house. "We will come and visit you officially. Then you and Antonio can get to know each other. We will even start arrangements for your wedding. Just get ready."

Praveen nodded. He received a warm hug from her before she finally left in her fancy car. Praveen remained standing in the door, looking at the car as it drove away. He started thinking about all that she had said, his fears and his expectations. It was scaring him a whole lot.

What if Antonio was just a stupid, egocentric pervert, he thought as he tried to control his thoughts? But there was also a huge possibility of him being nice, loving and romantic. Some people had found love from arranged marriages and Praveen was hoping he was gonna be one of them.

"Are you alright?" Praveen heard his aunt's voice.

He slowly turned, nodded and gave her a smile. "Yes!"

"Don't lie to me." She warned, pointing at him. "I know you and I can tell something is on your mind. Did Emilia say..."

"No!" Praveen chimed in, shaking his heard. Of course, Emilia was a good woman and she couldn't say anything bad to him. "She didn't say anything." He took a deep breath. "Well, she said Antonio is coming back."

"Great!" Victoria grinned, chuckling softly. "That's good news. At least, you will get to meet your husband to be. But tell me honestly," She folded her arms on her chest. "Are you happy?"

Praveen looked at his aunt and nodded as if he wasn't sure. "Yes!" He lied. "Who wouldn't be happy?"

"I know he will make you happy." She said. "Emilia's family is very good and you will be a lucky son in law to have a mother in law like her."

She patted on his back and hugged him tightly before she took him inside because she needed details of what Emilia had said to him.

***

"He's here!" A happy voice sounded throughout the living room. "My brother is finally here."

Everyone moved their eyes to see Andrea who came rushing back to the living room. She was a really beautiful girl, classy and really elegant. Andrea was a tall, dark haired girl with brown eyes. She was so fashionable that it showed in her movements. Andrea was 20 years old and she was the youngest of Emilia's children, the baby of the family.

Her eldest son was Eduardo, a well known doctor who was doing well in his career. He was 26 years old. He had decided to follow his career rather than manage his family wealth. It was left for his brother now. He was a tall cute guy with brown hair. He was married to a beautiful woman, Celine who was a tall, blonde lady. She was lovely.

In the house, there was also their grandmother who was their late father's mother. She was lovely and they loved her so much. She was a woman of wisdom.

"He's here!" Andrea chuckled happily, jumping like a little kid.

"Really?" Emilia anxiously got up as a smile shot up her face. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Would I ever lie to you, mother?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She crossed her mother's arm with hers and held on tightly to her. "I know you are looking forward to seeing him. But I saw his car arriving and please," She pleaded, shaking her head. "Let's go and welcome him. I have missed him so much, mother..."

"Okay," Emilia raised her hands as if she was surrendering. "Let's go."

The whole family started heading outside to welcome Antonio. They had missed him so much and they were all anxious to see him, hug him and kiss him after such a long time. They were glad he had finally decided to come back for good and live with them.

The house or rather the mansion they lived in was extremely beautiful and huge. It was a three floor, beautiful white mansion which was admired by everyone. The mansion was filled with every luxurious thing anyone could ever need. The mansion had a total of 23 rooms which were fully furnished.

There was a huge living room with a very big TV and white couches, a large kitchen with the latest equipment. The mansion was filled with servants that were at everyone's disposal although most of the times, grandmother preferred food which was cooked by herself or any other member of the family.

There was a beautiful pure silver staircase and an elevator starting from the living room all the way to the third floor. There was also a terrace on the roof and also a pool there for relaxing. As if that wasn't enough, there was also an outdoor fire pit living room with a beautiful skylight.

The house was surrounded by a white fence and there was a tall white gate which was guarded by two armed security men. There was a beautiful garden behind the house with a fountain and huge pool in front of the house.

In other words, the mansion had all things anyone could ever need. The Gonzalez family was just really rich.

Anyway, when the family got out of the house, they were just in time to find the car stopping right in front of the entrance. Their hearts started racing immediately. They couldn't see him from inside because the car glasses were tinted. But they were anxious as hell.

Finally, the moment they had been waiting for arrived. The guard opened the door and he came out, a really handsome tall man, Antonio.

Antonio was a really handsome and sexy guy. He had a wonderful, muscular and sexy body of a gymnast. He had short dark hair which was shaven on the sides and then gelled. His light green eyes were shining and his face, fuck that smile on his face made everyone's hearts melt.

He was putting on a deep pink designer's shirt which was tucked in a classy, stylish black designer's skinny jean and he had sparkly white designer's shoes on his feet. He was looking like a prince. His shirt was half way buttoned, revealing his sexy chest with little hair. He was really a hunk and Emilia couldn't have been prouder.

Antonio chuckled, opening his arms wider. "Are you gonna stare at me whole day or will I get my hug?"

Hearing her son's voice, Emilia felt tears building in her eyes. She couldn't move an inch of her body. She just stood there, admiring her son and getting emotional. It had been four years since she had last seen him. She had been talking to him on the phone but seeing him was actually a bit too much for her. She couldn't control herself.

"Antonio!"

Andrea rushed to her brother, threw her arms around him and just hugged him tightly.

"You are finally here!"

"Yeah!" Antonio chuckled, hugging his sister tightly.

They hugged for a few seconds before Andrea finally pulled away.

"I missed you so much, Antonio." She said, looking straight into his eyes.

"I missed you too, sis."

"Yeah," She softly punched him on the chest. "But you are gonna have to make up for it." They both laughed. "I just hope you have brought something for me and..."

"Hey!" Granny interrupted, sounding a little angry. "Are you gonna leave an old woman hanging or what?"

"No!" Antonio moved closer to her, smiling brightly at her. "I missed you so much, granny."

He ran to her and then hugged her tightly. She took his head and placed kisses all over it and all over his face. Oh! He had missed her warm kisses, warm hugs and her wonderful presence. He was really glad to be back home.

"Welcome back home, son."

"Thanks granny."

Antonio hugged his granny once more before he went further and hugged his brother, his wife and the rest of the family except his mother. She was just standing there, staring at him with tears still in her eyes. When he was done with everyone, he stood right in front of her and stared into her beautiful eyes. He had missed her the most because he was closer to her than anyone else.

"What?" He chuckled softly. "Are you gonna stand there just staring at me or am I gonna get my hug?" He said softly. "I missed you so much, mom."

"No!" Emilia shook her head, chuckling like a little girl. She went to her son, gave him a long hug and kissed his cheeks. A tear went down her cheeks which she quickly rubbed because she didn't want to make anyone emotional.

"I am glad you are back, son."

"I am happy to see you too." He held her hands, placing kisses on each of them. "But now we are gonna be together because I am back for good."

"I know that, son." She said enthusiastically, rubbing on his hands. "And I am really happy because there is a lot that I have to tell you."

"Hmm," Antonio raised his eyebrow, looking at his mother as if he was suspecting something. "My ears are all for you and I hope there is food because I am starving."

Granny laughed, patting on his shoulder. "Of course, you crazy boy... there is plenty of food just waiting for you. Your mother and I cooked it ourselves so I am very sure you are going to enjoy it."

"Hmmm," Antonio rubbed on his tummy, winking at his granny playfully. "I really can't wait."

"And mom has prepared your room especially just for you." Eduardo said with a pat on the back. "You are gonna love it."

"And we have so many things to talk about and..."

"I think you three will catch up later." Granny interrupted Andrea. "My grandson is hungry and he needs some food. Besides, as his grandmother I think I will be the first one he will be entertaining with stories."

They all laughed loudly. They were happy their family was complete although their father wasn't with them. He was dead.

Emilia on the other hand couldn't wait to tell her son the good news. She was happy he was home but nothing else was gonna make her extremely happy than telling him that he was gonna be getting married to someone special. She just wanted him to eat and freshen up before telling him the good news.

"Come on," She coiled his arm with hers. "Let's go inside."

Antonio grinned at his mother and they went inside talking. The rest of the family was with them. They went straight to the beautiful huge dining where they all had a wonderful meal as a family while getting entertained by Antonio's wonderful adventures and how he was doing in the music industry.

Emilia couldn't help shed a tear or two. She couldn't believe how much her son had grown. And now he was gonna be a married man. She wished her husband had been alive to witness everything that was happening in their son's life.

Dinner was great and they all enjoyed it a lot. After that, they all went to the living room where they just interacted and enjoyed the wonderful company of Antonio. After some time, Emilia showed Antonio to his beautiful room where he went to shower and just relax. What he didn't know was that very soon, he was gonna be living as a married man. She just couldn't wait to break the news to him.

***

It was a really cold night. The wind was blowing and it was quiet everywhere. Praveen was standing outside with his arms wrapped around his shoulders. He was rubbing his shoulders, trying to make himself calm down.

His hair was loose and it was being blown backwards, revealing his gorgeous face. He was nervous and really worried. He kept on thinking about what Emilia had told him and he had no idea whether he was gonna be happy meeting with Antonio or he was gonna be disappointed.

"Antonio is coming back..." Her voice rang through his head. "Very soon you are gonna be my son in law."

"Hmmm," He thought, taking a deep breath. "I don't know whether I should be happy with this news or I should be sad. What if the man I am getting married to isn't nice or what if he won't like me."

Praveen was really nervous. There were so many questions in his head, questions he knew he wasn't gonna get answers to no matter what he did. In that situation, the only thing he had to do was keeping on hoping for the best.

As Praveen was standing there, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder that almost made him jump. His heart started pounding and he held his chest, giving out a harsh breath. He moved his eyes past his shoulder and saw Mike smiling at him.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Mike apologized, squeezing his shoulder.

"It's fine!" Praveen tried to catch his breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping?"

"Yeah," He took a deep breath. "I was sleeping but when I woke up to have some water, I saw you here." He came in front of Praveen and looked deep in his eyes. "Is anything bothering you?"

Praveen looked at Mike and shook his head. "No!" He smiled. "I just came to catch some air."

"At this time of the night?" He folded his arms, raising his eyebrows. "Hmm, maybe you can't sleep because Prince Charming is coming back right?" He teased, giving a laugh. "I now know that you are anxious and..."

"That's not true." Praveen said abruptly. "I just came here to catch some air because I can't sleep. Maybe..." He paused and took a deep breath. "...that is also bothering me a little. You see Mike," He breathed. "I haven't met this guy before and it's making me nervous. I will be honest with you..." He took a few steps forward, sounding even more worried. "...I am really worried and..."

"For what?" Mike shrugged. "Do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes right now?" He couldn't mask the excitement in his voice. "You are getting married to Antonio Gonzalez. Not only is he famous, but he is also nice. I have heard a lot about him from people. I know that he will make my best friend happy."

Those words were really comforting. Praveen was really happy. "But..."

"No buts..." Mike shook his finger. "Just trust me and leave everything for the almighty. I am sure when you meet this guy, he will be head over heels with you. Trust me, this will happen."

Praveen had nothing to say. Maybe Mike was actually right. He was worried for nothing. If Emilia was so good and kind then her son had to be, right? There was nothing to be worried about.

"I guess you are right." He gave a deep sigh. "I am worried for nothing."

Mike felt happy when he saw that wonderful smile on Praveen's face.

"Besides," He cleared his throat, moving closer to Praveen as if to tell him a big secret. "That smile of yours is good enough to turn him on and make him fall for you."

"What? You are very naughty." Praveen hit Mike softly on the arm.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Mike said jokingly. "Besides, I am right ain't I?"

Praveen felt really embarrassed, even in front of Mike. He couldn't help but look away.

"Hmm," Mike teased. "You are even brushing. I bet you can't wait to have his big strong arms wrapped around you and kiss him and wake up in his ar..."

"I think you are going insane." Praveen quickly turned and started rushing back to the house. "Goodnight!"

"Oh! So now you wanna sleep? I thought you wanted air and..."

"Yeah, I feel sleepy." He didn't want Mike to tease him at all.

"Wait! I am coming."

Mike followed Praveen behind and he was already laughing, teasing the boy. Oh! He was gonna miss him so much.

***

"Hey baby," Antonio said with burgeoning excitement, holding on to the phone like his life depended on it. "I miss you so much."

"Oh!" the sweet voice on the other end of the line mourned. "I miss you more, my love. I miss your touch and... making love whole night."

"Really?" Antonio asked, going down memory lane. He could remember all those passionate nights and the pleasure he felt. "Hmm, I miss those wonderful moments too, kissing your sweet lips and just holding you in my arms, baby."

"But..." the voice on the other end of the line sighed. "...I really want you with me, baby. I miss you so much that at night, I just want you to make love to me like we always do but..."

"Bruce!" Antonio said with sadness, slowly walking to the door leading to the balcony. "My love, you are making me feel really bad. But baby, you are the one that chose to remain there because you still had..."

"I know that and right now I regret it." Bruce breathed. "I am sorry that..."

"It's fine, baby." Antonio assured, chuckling softly. He was just so much in love. "The important thing is that you will be joining me soon and we will be together. I will introduce you to my family and we will all live happily."

"Oh my God," Bruce gasped. Antonio could sense his happiness even through the phone. "Really?"

"Yes!" Antonio nodded. "I love you so much. You have changed my life and I just want you to be part of it. We've been together for long now and I just want my family to know that we are dating. You are the only one that I want to spend the rest of my life with, baby..."