Beyond Graceland's Gates

Chapter 30 - Dreaming of Tomorrow

The golden sun had begun its descent over the desert, casting long, soft shadows across the hills. Elvis and I had spent another lazy day exploring the quiet roads, soaking in the stillness we knew would disappear as soon as we left Palm Springs. But tonight, as we settled on the terrace, something felt different. There was an air of excitement, of possibility, that hung between us like an unspoken secret waiting to be shared.

Elvis rested his guitar on his knee, strumming absentmindedly as we watched the sun sink lower in the sky. "You know, Vic," he started, his voice low and thoughtful, "I've been thinking a lot about the future."

I turned toward him, smiling at the serious look on his face. "Oh yeah? What about it?"

He paused, the music from his guitar fading as he set it aside. "I mean... this. Us. We're married now. And I don't want to just live from movie set to stage and back again. I want more than that. I want a real life. A family."

The word family hung in the air, heavy with meaning. I felt my heart skip a beat, realizing where the conversation was heading. It wasn't the first time we'd spoken about children, but this was different. Now, we were married. It was real.

"A family," I echoed softly, turning the idea over in my mind. "I always thought we'd get there someday. But with everything going on, do you really think now is the right time?"

Elvis leaned forward, his blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart race. "Why not now? What's stopping us? I'm tired of putting off the things that really matter, Vic. We're always waiting for the 'right' time, but the truth is, there's never a perfect time. Life keeps moving, and we gotta decide what's important."

I bit my lip, considering his words. He wasn't wrong. We had spent so much of our time together waiting—waiting for the craziness to die down, waiting for the world to give us a moment to ourselves. But what if that moment never came?

"You really want kids?" I asked softly, my voice barely a whisper. I needed to hear him say it, to know that this was something he truly wanted.

Elvis didn't hesitate. "I do, Vic. I want a little one running around, filling this crazy world of ours with something pure. I want to see you as a mother." He reached across the table and took my hand, his touch gentle but firm. "I think we'd be good at it. Don't you?"

A smile spread across my face, despite the butterflies in my stomach. The thought of having a baby with Elvis filled me with a mix of excitement and fear. Could we handle it? Could we raise a child in the midst of the whirlwind that was his life?

"I think we'd be great," I admitted, my hand resting on top of his. "But it won't be easy, Elvis. You know how unpredictable things are. How do we raise a child when we're always being pulled in a million directions?"

"We'll figure it out," he said confidently, his voice steady. "We've gotten through everything else, haven't we? This would be different, sure. But maybe it's what we need. Something to ground us."

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the decision settle over me. He was right, in a way. Having a child would change everything, but maybe it would change things for the better. Maybe it would be the anchor we needed to keep us rooted in something real.

"You're really serious about this," I said, more as a statement than a question.

Elvis smiled, that familiar playful glint in his eyes. "Dead serious, darlin'. I've always wanted a family. You know that. And now that we're married, I don't see any reason to wait."

I looked out at the horizon, the last sliver of sunlight disappearing behind the mountains. The future felt so vast, so full of unknowns. But for the first time, it didn't feel frightening. It felt like an adventure, something new and beautiful waiting to unfold.

"What if we did it here?" I said suddenly, the idea spilling out of me before I had time to second-guess it. "What if we made a baby here, on our honeymoon? Start our family right now."

Elvis blinked, surprised for a moment, before a slow grin spread across his face. "You mean that?"

I nodded, my heart pounding. "Yeah. Why not? If we're going to do this, let's do it. Right here, right now. In this perfect little bubble we've created for ourselves."

He stood up, pulling me into his arms, his grin widening. "I like the way you think, Mrs. Presley."

I laughed, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. "Are you sure you're ready for this? Once we start, there's no turning back."

Elvis leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

We spent the rest of the evening wrapped up in each other, the world outside our little hideaway forgotten. There were no cameras, no crowds, no demands—just us, together, dreaming of the family we would build. And as we made the decision to start our family, something shifted between us. It wasn't just love anymore. It was deeper, stronger. It was a promise to build a life together, no matter what the world threw our way.

Later that night, as we lay in each other's arms, the reality of what we were about to embark on began to sink in. I rested my head on Elvis's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"I can't believe we're really doing this," I murmured, my voice thick with emotion.

"Believe it, baby," Elvis whispered, kissing the top of my head. "We're gonna be parents. And it's gonna be the greatest thing we ever do."