Alejandro Castillo

“Oh you want a party you should go to one of Catalan’s carnivals, I was sixteen when we left and I’ll forever be bitter I didn’t experience one of those when I was legal to drink.” Melora said with a bright laugh, just because she was underage hadn’t meant she hadn’t partied with the best of them. “It does make sense don’t worry. Will Greyson be raised with our football then?”

“Sounds like a lot of fun, but now that I am in my forties married with one son and two on the way I don’t see me partying anytime soon.”  He chuckled.  Alejandro nodded his head, “of course.  Thankfully, my wife is amazing at wanting to keep my culture alive in our house and football is a huge part of it.  And plus little Gray really wants to be a soccer player, we’ve been practicing a lot in the backyard.”

“Don’t worry, I believe you.” She chuckled softly. “You know, it takes a real man or woman to admit their mistakes and grow from them.” This was something she found very admirable anytime she noticed it in any relationship. It was not something she often saw in her household growing up. “So, Rhiannon likes to read? I’ll be honest, I may not be the best to help you out here. I did a lifetime worth of reading in university. I come here for my niece. Not entirely sure how I ended up with family and a best friend who loves to read so much. Guess I’m the odd one out.” She went on. “Anyway! Rhiannon. What genres does she like?”

“Well thank you,” he responded.  Alejandro for the most part tried to remain a humble person and when he was at fault he liked to own up to his mistakes.  “Yes, when she has the chance.  It is hard lately with a little one running around plus work.  Oh, I completely understand university ruining your appetite for reading.  I love reading, but I hardly have time with the restaurant, Grayson, and other things.”  He smiled, “well her favorite books are Charlotte’s Web and The Great Gatsby.”

“You’re still got more family than I have, so you’re fucking winning dude.” Riley scoffed, wondering what it was like to have a sibling you could call on when you needed to. There had to be some security in that, surely. Riley chewed her bottom lip as she looked at the photo of lily with a little boy, Alejandro’s son, but she didn’t remember if she’d ever even met him. Probably not. Or she’d just forgotten. “She looks like a little terror, that’s my girl.” There was a warmth in her tone as she smiled lovingly down at the screen for a couple more seconds before passing it back to him. “Can you text that to me?” The brunette asked, looking up. There was every chance he could say no, be an asshole like the rest of the people in this place, but she was going to ask anyway.

Alejandro frowned at her remarks, “it is not a competition Riley.”  For him, it had been rough saying goodbye to his family and his long list of siblings that he would no longer see.  His children never meeting their grandparents, because of decisions he made from his twenties.  “She can be at times,” he chuckled.  “But for the most part, she actually is one of the sweetest little girls.  She loves Elsa from Frozen and dresses up as her a lot.”  At her request, he nodded and sent her a text with the photo once she gave him her number.  “Hey, if you ever need me.  Now you have my number, don’t hesitate to call.”

As always, Ale’s words were reassuring for Rhiannon. He managed to calm her down when she was freaking out. “You’re right. Everything is going to be fine. We’ll be busy, but so happy,” she said to him. She began to wonder if the twins were going to be boys, girls, or one of each. She didn’t care as long as they were both healthy, since she knew there were so many risks, especially since she would be almost thirty-six by the time she had them. “Let’s not have that discussion until it’s time to, we’ll figure something out,” she said, wiping the ultrasound gel off her belly now that they were finished. She would take some more time to think about being primarily a stay at home mother and then coming to help out at the restaurant or maybe teaching a class or two. It seemed like the right decision. Becoming a mother was the best thing that ever happened to her. “I love you, Ale. I’m very excited for this next adventure of ours.” Giving him a peck on the lips, she stood up so they could leave. “Do you want to grab breakfast? I should probably try to eat something. Or we can go back home and you can make something if you feel like cooking?”

It was nice to know Rhiannon calmed down with the initial news of having twins, he knew it was a lot to handle but they both were going to be fine.  “Alright,” he quietly said.  The conversation would happen eventually, because he knew three children under five were going to be rough and sacrifices were going to happen.  Since his wife was giving up so much by having more children he was at peace of stepping down as chef and hiring someone to handle the restaurant.  “I love you too beautiful,” he commented as their lips touched in a small delightful kiss.  “Yes, let’s get you some food.  Let’s go to the diner, it would be nice just to have a relaxing morning with you.”

At the diner, Alejandro greeted Sal and sat down across from his wife.  “Chicken and waffles sound really good.  What are you thinking about hon?”  He asked as his eyes looked over the menu.  When the server came, he ordered a glass of orange juice and water.”

Poppy looked up from her own shelf of books as she heard the familiar voice. She immediately recognized it to belong to Alejandro, as she was, somewhat, regular at La Pampa. “Oh, hi!” She gave him a smile. “Um, well… I could try.” Poppy always loved Alejandro and Rhiannon, however, they weren’t exactly close. Poppy knew them from all the times she had been to La Pampa. She wasn’t, necessarily, on a level of friendship to know too much about the couple or their interests. “Everything alright with you two? I would feel rude for asking, but now I feel like I’m apart of it.” She chuckled softly.

Not paying attention to who he was talking to, he was surprised to see Poppy.  “Hi!  How are you?”  Although he liked Poppy as a person the two have yet to really become on a friend level.  Perhaps in the near future, because he tended to be friends with everyone that could tolerate him.  “Oh, everything is great between us.  I just been pushing on a few things and now I realized I should have taken a step back.  Nothing bad at all, I promise you.”  The man did not want word to get around that Rhi and him were fighting, because that wasn’t the case at all.  He just felt he handled a situation wrong and wanted to make it up to his wife.

“That’s the Cassidy line for you,” Will mused with a slight smile on her face. “Take a big Irish family and throw them in the same place and we’re all tripping over each other sometimes. But usually in the best way. Because we can be loud and chaotic but we tend to look out for each other. Mom used to say Grandad insisted on it. That family was always supposed to be there for each other and look out for each other. You, Rhi, Gray and even Marisa- you’re family. Which just means we’re there- even if you don’t need us. So, I hate to break it to you, Ale- but even if you hated it? You’d be stuck with us,” she ended teasingly, the smile still on her face as she spoke. It wasn’t a lie though. Her mother loved fiercely when it came to her family and Will had been taught to love just as fiercely.

“Yeah, everything worked out pretty well for you. And I can’t say I’m mad you broke out on your own. Seeing Rhi happy is great and if you hadn’t we would have that adorable little boy in this family. So, I definitely approve of your decision- for the record.” But for Will it never felt so easy. Since she was thirteen she had been helping raise her brother’s kids, sometimes being almost like their parent herself when it came to the twins. The idea of breaking away and not focusing on them let alone not being around for them almost felt like abandoning her children even while she knew they weren’t her own. The relationship between herself and the twins was always a weird, twisted one because of the dynamics they had been forced to have while Cassidy was spiraling but she loved those kids and would have done anything for them. “It takes a special someone to date into the Bolton family,” the redhead mused, almost amused by the implication she would end up dating. In high school dating had been a rare occurrence- and usually she’d end up cancelling to be home with the twins. And as an adult it wasn’t much easier. She was always too something- too intense, too involved in her family, too emotional. “A special kind of crazy.” A flicker of a smile spread across her face once more to reassure him she was joking around. “Not a problem. I can never spend enough time with Gray. And I’ll let my mom know tonight about the invite. I’m sure she’d love to come over after service on Sunday.”

The fact Willow called him family meant a lot to him, he knew he might just be Rhiannon's husband but he considered the Cassidy and Bolton clans family.  And he loved all the members dearly and loved the fact Grayson was being raised around so much family.  “Well, no worries there.  I enjoy all of you and am beyond blessed to know Grayson has so many people he can count on.  I know Rhi loves that we are surrounded by family.”

Things worked out the way they did for the greater good, but Alejandro made a huge sacrifice to have the life he has now.  It hurt knowing he wouldn’t go back to his homeland any time soon nor would his son meet his grandparents.  However, lines were drawn and now there was no going back.  “Oh, I think you will do great if you put yourself out there.  You are a beautiful young lady with such an amazing personality.”  He shook his head, “some men love crazy.”  He teased with a playful smile.  “Sounds wonderful, again thank you so much.”

Melora gave a small nod rather than even trying to explain that she’d practically ran away from New York when she’d gotten pregnant. It had seemed like the best option but she couldn’t help but wonder what it might have been like if she’d stayed with them. 

“Spain is certainly the place to go if you’re looking for a party.” She said with a bright laugh before shaking her head. “No not really, unless Clark’s under 12s team counts.”

Alejandro chuckled, “yes, Spain is certainly the place to be if you want to party.  I love it there, the culture and the beauty of the place.”  He nodded, “I get it.  I still follow some teams but not like I used to.  It is harder being her in the US.  They’re more concerned over their football and soccer seems to be a second rate sport here.  If that makes sense.”  He rambled.  

As always, Alejandro was right by her side through everything. He was the most loving and supportive husband she could have ever asked for. Truly, Rhiannon did not know how to feel about the fact that they were going to have twins. On one hand, she was excited because having a family with Alejandro was the most amazing thing, but on the other hand she was nervous and afraid. How would her body handle it? And how would they manage with a toddler and two newborns? Hearing her husband speak Rhiannon started to calm down a little bit. He always managed to do that. He balanced her out perfectly by always being a calming presence. “How are you so relaxed with all of this?” She asked, looking away from him to glance at their two babies on the screen. “On the bright side, we have a lot of time to figure things out,” she said, starting to think more rationally. “God, I’m going to be huge,” she laughed, shaking her head. 

Twins were a lot to take in, but Alejandro decided to quickly view this as a blessing.  Both babies were loved so much already and it meant their family would be bigger which was something he always wanted.  Alejandro grew up with lots of siblings, so to him this was amazing.  “Because, I know we will get through it and in the end we are going to be the happiest we have ever been.  We wouldn’t be able to picture out lives without both of them.”  He continued to gently stroke her hair, “we do have some time.  And, I can always stay at home.  I know you love your career and we can find someone to run the restaurant.”  Although, he loved being a chef.  In reality, he loved being a father and husband more.  And he would do anything to make sure their family was well taken care of.  “Stop, you’re going to be beautiful as always carrying our beautiful children.”  He told her as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.  “I loved when you were pregnant with Grayson.”

“Oh fuck, yeah, you’re married to Rhiannon. I like her. One of the few people in this god forsaken town that’s not a supreme asshole. Well done you.” Riley scoffed, although her compliment was genuine, Rhiannon was one of the few people in Sonoma she didn’t want to slap at the bear sight of. “I don’t blame your sister, I’d want out of an arranged marriage too, they’re fucked up. Controlling.” Taking another sip of her beer as he looked for something on his phone, before leaning over to glance at the screen. Eyes landing on a photo of her baby girl her breath was snatched out of her chest and her grip on her beer bottle tightened so hard it was at risk of breaking it entirely. “Look how big she’s gotten, she has so much hair…” the brunette whispered, reaching over to take the phone from him carefully like she was actually holding Lily instead of just an image of her.

“Well I kind of like her too,” he chuckled.  Alejandro did not say anything about the citizens of the town, he found most people to be fairly pleasant.  “Yes, sadly we are here now without our family...well besides the one we created together.”  The man felt bad for Riley, he knew addiction was a terrible thing.  At one point his own wife had a problem, but thankfully managed to overcome it and he was so grateful that he had the Rhiannon of today rather than the one he never met.  Showing some mercy, he showed a picture of her daughter playing with his son.  When she took over the phone, he just waited patiently as she got to admire her daughter.  “She’s a spitfire,” he told her with a smile.

There was a tiny hint of mirth in her eyes when he apologized, before Talia dismissed the apology with a slight wave of her hand. “Yeah, the heat and I don’t do so well together.” Talia said, as if that explained everything. Still, the brunette didn’t protest when he nudged her arm, guiding her over to sit in the shade. The offer took her by surprise, however. “You— don’t have to do that.” She shook her head. “This was help enough.” A lift of the water bottle, which she took another sip from. Accepting kindness from strangers – actually, any kindness – was something that Talia wasn’t great at. 

“I understand,” he knew people that could not handle the heat.  Although he preferred the Autumn he was able to handle the heat during the summer.  In the shade, he hoped that would help a bit but the heat seemed to be clinging all around even in the shade.  “Talia, I do not mind.  In fact, I insist we go somewhere and be inside an air conditioned building.  Please, it would make me feel better.” 

Location: Doctor’s Office

With: @castillo-alejandro​

For Rhiannon, the last few weeks since finding out she was pregnant hadn’t been easy. The morning sickness was worse than it had been with Grayson, but she was never one to complain. She was now ten weeks along and she was definitely showing. She just chalked it up to the fact this was her second child and most women showed sooner with second pregnancies. Today, she and Alejandro were going to the appointment for the first ultrasound, which was very exciting considering the last appointment was just a checkup. Sitting with Ale while the ultrasound was being done, she held his hand and was looking forward to seeing the baby for the first time. All seemed to be going perfectly until she heard the word twins come out of her OBGYN’s mouth. “I’m sorry, what? Are you sure?” Rhiannon said, even though she could clearly see two distinct little baby-looking blobs. It was shocking, to say the least. And she didn’t know how to process it since she got overwhelmed easily. “What…how on earth are we going to do this?” She asked, looking to her husband, her blue eyes brimming with tears. She had previously been worried about having one more baby, now there would be two. “I should have thought this would be a possibility. My mum was a twin.” 

Over the last few weeks, Alejandro did his best to be there for Rhiannon and her morning sickness.  The woman though always handled things gracefully and always appeared to be together.  Today was the day they were going to get their first ultrasound and Alejandro was ecstatic.  In the room, standing next to his beautiful wife he held her hand as he stared at the screen all giddy about their second child.  Scratch that, their second and third child apparently.  Alejandro stood there, his mouth hanging open as he tried to register what the OBGYN just stated.  Hearing his wife, he snapped back and gently squeezed her hand.  “We will get through this, it is just another blessing.”  He smiled.  “We have each other and a growing family.”  With his other hand, he leaned over and ran his fingers through her hair.  “This is wonderful, I love it.”

Rhiannon was unsure about how things would go with her job once the baby was born, but they had a lot of time to think about different options. Alejandro had reassured her that everything would be fine. They worked so well together, and would surely be able to come up with a solution that worked for them both. “Maybe the room across the hall from ours? That way we can be close by just like we are with Grayson. I love the big window in that room, too.” Taking Alejandro’s hand in hers, she walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Perfect, I’ll try to schedule something for this week. The sooner the better.” As a medical professional, she knew how important those first few appointments were. “We can start telling people now. I don’t see why we can’t.” They were excited and wanted to share it with everyone. “We can stop by the store after the appointment, how about that? We’ll have to think of how to tell Gray he’s going to be a big brother, too.” 

Right now, all Alejandro could think about was the fact they were going to be having another baby.  If he had it his way, he would climb up on the roof and scream it out onto the town.  “Yes, that would be perfect.  What do you think about a pale greenish color, that is gender neutral.”  He of course was already several steps ahead, knowing he needed to carve out time to set up the nursery and prepare the house for a baby.  “Yes, sounds lovely and I will have Dominique step in at the restaurant.  Alejandro pulled her in close to him, his hand resting at the end of her back as he stared down into her beautiful big blue eyes.  “Are you sure you are ready for people to know?”  Even though he would love to tell, he knew Rhiannon’s wishes came first.  Especially since she was the one who would be carrying their child the next nine months.  “Absolutely, I am sure Gray is going to be so excited to be a big brother.  We can maybe do something a little fun as a way to tell him.”

With a polite smile, Wren dipped her head in thanks before sidling into the seat opposite his own. “I did, nothing too complicated though thankfully. A valve replacement early this morning and then I just finished up putting in a pacemaker.” The blonde explained. “And I’m doing alright, thank you for asking. Just trying to keep up with all the changes of the last few weeks. What about you? How are you and Rhiannon doing? I’m sorry I haven’t been more communicative.” The surgeon asked, following up quickly with an apology. While Alejandro had been nothing but nice to her, she got the sense he still wasn’t certain about her and her presence in Adam’s life. Not that she could blame him, some days she felt the exact same way.

“Wow, that is incredible.  I could not imagine having my hands inside someone.”  The whole concept was amazing and he was just in awe with what the woman did for a living.  “Glad to hear you are doing well.”  Alejandro smiled widely, anytime someone asked about his wife he always lit up.  Rhiannon was his everything and he didn’t care that people knew he was head over heels in love.  “We are doing great, just enjoying life.  And no need to apologize.  I know you are a busy woman and that Adam and you are adjusting to the marriage and everything.  Just know that I am always here for the both of you for whatever you two might need.  And I am looking forward to when we all can have dinner together.  I know Rhi would love to have another woman at the table.”

“Ooh, words you would definitely regret,” Willow teased with a wide smile spread across her face. It was all obviously a joke but the mental image of her literally commandeering their couch and refusing to leave was entertaining. But presently she actually did enjoy living alone. She had been living with her parents and for the most part also Cassidy’s kids for a long time so it was nice to actually be able to have a little bit of privacy. It was strangely not a lonely situation like she thought it might be. And maybe one day she would want to no longer be on her own- but for the time being it worked for her. And her cat.

“Much easier said than doe, Ale. Much easier said than done.” Living for herself somehow felt selfish, strangely enough. Perhaps it was because she had always felt like she had to live for her family. Or more accurately she always felt she had to help out her brother- which in turn always meant helping out the rest of her family. It wasn’t even as though Cassidy forced that on her. Most of the time she actually thought he hated all of the help his little sister offered. But it was second nature for her by that point. “Oh, you mean people my age are usually out on dates on a Saturday,” she teased in response raising both of her eyebrows as if silently asking him to disagree. “I guess I’m the abnormal one in that regard admittedly. I don’t really date much.” Or to be fair she didn’t date much at all these days. “So, I’m definitely available to babysit. And I’ll let Mom and Dad know about the dinner invitation. You know my mother- she loves a good family dinner or get together. She can never turn them down.”

“Surely not, you are too sweet to be a nuisance.”  There was no way Willow could ever overstay her welcome, he was sure of it.  And he truly did enjoy having all of Rhiannon’s family around...well most of them.  And he adored his baby sister who was the greatest aunt to Grayson.  “And seriously, I really love that fact you, your mom, your brother are so intertwined in our lives and such a big part of Grayson’s.  It reminds me of how close knit everyone is.”

“Understandable, but as someone who chose to break away and live for myself.  All I can say is that it was the best decision I ever made.  If I didn’t do it, I would have never met Rhi and wouldn’t be living this perfect life.”  Of course, there were things that did not go his way, but overall everything came together.  His only wish would be that his whole family played an active role in his son’s life, but he was grateful to have Marisa.  He raised a brow and nodded, “yes and you should be out there living life.”  Alejandro smiled, “well I’m sure when a person comes along that grabs your attention, you’ll date a lot more often.”  It was nice to know that he and his wife would enjoy a great date night.  It had been too long and he wanted to spoil the woman as much as possible.  “Awesome, I appreciate it immensely and would love to see your parents soon.”

Sitting with Alejandro right now felt so surreal. She was so happy that they were going to have another baby, and she already couldn’t wait to see his or her little face. Having a family of her own was something she never thought possible, but Ale continued to give her everything. “I love you and our family so much, Alejandro. I cannot wait to see you become a father again, our children are so lucky,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and placing another kiss on his lips. “I just can’t believe this is happening so fast, I wonder how far along I am,” she said, unsure of it. It was difficult to pinpoint when exactly they would have conceived because of how often they had sex. She assumed it probably wasn’t more than a few weeks since she had only recently started having symptoms and this was the first missed period. “I’ll call the OBGYN tomorrow and schedule an appointment. I’m assuming you want to go?” She asked, knowing he did. 

No amount of words could eloquently put how thrilled Alejandro was to know they had another baby on the way.  Rhiannon and Grayson were his whole world and now they were going to be getting an addition and everything felt perfect.  “I love you too,” he told her with the biggest grin still placed across his lips.  With one arm around her tiny frame, he nodded.  It was a bit surreal that the two decided to add to their beautiful family and the moment they agreed to it, she ended up pregnant.  “Same, but I’m so excited, I’m already trying to figure out which room should be the nursery and everything.”  He nodded, “of course I want to go and be there with you and our new addition.”  He said, giving her another kiss.  Alejandro always wanted to go to all the appointments with Grayson and only missed a few because of work or other prior engagements he was unable to get out of.  “When do you think we should start telling people?”  He asked, all excited.  “Oh, I am going to get you the proper vitamins and whatever you need.”

When she heard her name, Talia squinted up, seeing Alejandro standing there, flashing her a gentle smile. Talia wasn’t sure if she was glad to see a face she recognized, or would have rather had a stranger help her. But Alejandro was nice enough, she knew that. So at least she assumed that he’d be happy to help with her pathetic request. And she was right, his hand coming out to accept the bottle a moment later, which she was grateful for. “Hey now, didn’t your mother teach you it’s not polite to tell a woman she looks like shit?” She was teasing, of course, however bluntly, because that’s not what he had said at all, but she couldn’t help herself. A shrug fell from her shoulders. “Just got too hot.” She replied, only telling half of the truth. 

“My apologies,” he responded even though he knew she was teasing.  “I am just concerned over your well being and it has been a lot warmer this week than usual.”  Alejandro, “understandable.  Let’s get you into the shade.”  With those words, he guided her towards the shade to get out of the direct sunlight.  “Are you feeling a little better?  Would you like to maybe go somewhere and just have an iced drink and maybe a small snack?  Sometimes that heat can really get to you.”  And he didn’t want to just leave the young woman alone when she could need his help.

“Be careful, Ale, or you may just find me permanently taking up a spot on your couch,” the redhead teased. She would never do that, of course. She knew that if she ever needed a place to stay for the night for some reason and couldn’t stay with her parents or Danny for some reason? Well, she could always turn to Ale and Rhi for a place to stay. It was the advantage of family. But it was also the advantage of family being as close as the Bolton-Cassidy clan had a tendency to be. She knew that her mother’s generation had faced some distance and struggles- a lot of which came from their father and how he was- but she also knew that her mother dearly loved her siblings. And they loved her. They had inherited their love of family from their grandfather and Evelyn had absolutely passed it down to her own kids.

“Alejandro the wise man,” Willow teased affectionately at the tailend of his little phrase. “I used to think I was passionate about being a nurse but…I realized it was just about wanting to help out my brother. I don’t regret it. I learned a lot. I just know that without passion behind it I wouldn’t have done as good as a job as I could have if I had that passion.” Perhaps one day she would find what she was truly passionate about. But first, she reasoned, she would have to figure out who she was herself. Sometime she wasn’t sure she even knew and that she was just a patchwork of her family rather than her own person. She, like Ale, had never thought she’d be where she was in life but at least it had worked out well for Ale. For Willow? Well, whether it worked out well remained to be seen. “I get off of work by two on Saturday so if Rhi agrees to Saturday night I’m definitely free to watch Gray. No other way I’d rather spend my evening than taking care of one of my favorite little kids. And I might have to take you up on the Sunday dinner offer. I go to Sunday services with Mom in the morning but I’m absolutely down for coming to see you guys later. I’d have to be crazy to turn down that offer.”

“And you would always be welcomed to stay,” he simply responded knowing the woman had been teasing.  For him, family meant everything and distant relatives were important from where he came from.  If he had it his way, he would have more dinners with all those related to Rhiannon.  After all, they made up a good portion of the town.  Yet, they all had their own lives going on and he didn’t get to spend much time with all of them.

“I think it was an incredibly nice thing you wanted to do, I know it had to be hard going through everything you did and still wanting to help him.  But you can’t live your life for your family, you need to find that thing that you love.”  Of course, Alejandro was an optimist who lucked out doing exactly what he wanted.  He knew that was not always the case and people went to work to make money and that was it, there was no passion behind the job.  Just a paycheck.  “Oh that would be wonderful if you are sure you are available.  I know you are young and a Saturday night is a night when a lot of people your age go out.”  He nodded, “absolutely and you know your parents are always welcome to join on Sunday night dinner if you like to extend the offer.”