Back to us | Alexia Putellas

Made it.

"I don't know how she's going to react..." Ale admitted as we pulled onto the driveway of Eli's house.

"I'm sure she'll be fine"

"I don't know... we only got just engaged and now we're telling her that we are getting married in two days... she's going to freak out!" She said, the panic clear in her voice as she switched off the engine and we climbed out of the car.

"She won't freak out! she'll be happy for us..."

"She'll be happy for us... She'll be mad at me for not telling her sooner...." Ale mumbled, reaching for my hand and holding it tightly as we walked towards the house

"I think you are the one that's freaking out mi amor" I joked before knocking on the front door and waiting for Eli to answer.

She answered the door almost straight away, a wide smile spread across her face the moment she came into view, immediately reaching out and pulling us both into her embrace. She congratulated us both on the engagement even though we had spoken to her multiple times since the proposal, repeating how happy she was for us and how excited she was for the wedding.

The three of us were sat down at the table with cups of coffee in front of us while Eli admired the ring for the first time in person, holding my hand in hers as she spoke.

"It's so beautiful, you did well Hija!" She smiled across the table.

"Thank you mama" Ale said nervously, looking at me for a moment before she opened her mouth again.

"Actually mama, we've got something we need to tell you..." Ale started before reaching over and placing her hand on my thigh gripping it tightly as her nerves built.

"What is it?" Eli asked as she looked back and forth between us for any clues.

"Isy and I... we've decided to go to the courthouse on Wednesday and get married, and we'd love you to be there with us"

There was no response from Eli, she just sat opposite us staring at Alexia with a blank expression on her face.

"It's just that we don't see any reason to wait for another year while we plan a big ceremony... we just want to get married with the people we love the most there to celebrate with us" She explained further, her hand moving from my leg and searching for mine, quickly intertwining our fingers.

"Mama?"

"I can't believe you! Two days... you've given me two days to find a dress for my eldest daughter's wedding! Seriously Alexia!?" she exclaimed with a serious look, until a wide smile spread across her face and she started laughing.

Panic over.

Eli suddenly went into mother-of-the-bride mode, asking what still needed to be sorted and what she could do to help. It wasn't going to be a big wedding, no fancy wedding dresses, no big party, just us and our families taking a trip to the courthouse and going out for dinner together afterward, but Eli wanted to contribute something and was clearly disappointed that there seemed to be nothing left to organise.

"I'm going to need someone to walk me down the aisle mama" Ale smiled at her mother, tears building in her eyes as soon as the words left her mouth.

Eli's face suddenly warmed, tears filling her eyes as she stood up and made her way towards Ale. It was a happy moment that was also filled with extreme sadness, the person who should be walking her down the aisle in two days wasn't here. Ale didn't get to tell her dad that she was planning to propose, and she never got to introduce me to him like she did with Eli, losing him had been the hardest thing to ever happen to her and this moment was a reminder of how much of Ale's life he had missed.

"He'd be so proud of you" Eli whispered as she held Ale in a tight embrace, rubbing circles with her palm on Alexia's back.
"And he'll be right there on Wednesday, watching you marry the love of your life"

"I miss him mama" Ale mumbled into her mother's shoulder.

"I know you do, I do too"
"He would have loved you Isy..." Eli said in my direction as she loosened her grip on her daughter, both of them smiling in my direction.

We spent the next hour or so sitting around the table, talking about her father and the memories that Eli and Ale had of him, it was the most time I had ever heard Alexia talk about him. It had been nearly ten years since he died and Ale was still in a lot of pain, she didn't like to talk about it too much... she didn't like to let her emotions out, but it's times like this when she struggles the most. Personal milestones and professional achievements only deepen the loss, they are the moments that she wants to share with him, to talk to him about and share with him, but she can't. Signing with Barcelona, winning her first professional trophy, winning the Champions League and the Balon d'Or, being named captain of the national team... there are so many moments that she didn't get to share with him and our wedding was just the latest reminder of the loss.

When we arrived home later that afternoon Ale tried to put on a happy face, but I could tell that she was still upset. She busied herself with unpacking the last things from our suitcases and tidying up around the house, but she was just trying to distract herself.

"Ale, just stop for a second," I said, reaching for her arm as she walked past me.
"It's okay to be sad, you don't have to pretend everything is okay around me"

"I know I don't, you're the person I never have to pretend around. I am going to be sad about losing him for the rest of my life, I miss him every day and I wish he was here to see all of this happen, but he wouldn't want me to let my grief for him affect everything positive in my life" Ale spoke softly as she pulled me into her arms, placing a kiss on the top of my head as we stood in each others embrace.
"He'd just want me to be happy and I am, every second that I spend with you makes me happier and right now, I just want to focus on us and the fact that we are getting married in a couple of days"

The rest of our day was spent together, it was our last night with each other before getting married so we spent it like we always did, making dinner together, dancing around the kitchen, cuddling up together on the sofa, and eventually heading upstairs together tangled in each other's arms. It was perfect, every part of it.

I slept well that night, knowing that the next time we were lying in this bed together we would be married, I would be Isabel Putellas and Alexia would be my wife. Five years after our first kiss, after all the ups and downs in our relationship and almost two years apart we had finally got to this point. I was marrying the love of my life.

We had made it.