“Oh, I have an idea.” He grinned as he pulled away, out of my embrace, to look me directly in the eye. “Just you look after it until the big day.”
“I’ll guard with my life,” I promised before taking a deep breath and exiting the room.
We touched back down on British soil the following afternoon and headed straight to my apartment. I still couldn’t get my head around the ring that seemed to be burning a hole in my left pocket. It didn’t feel right. Emily’s mother’s ring belonged on Emily’s finger, not in my pocket, but I would stick to my word and guard it with my life until the big day. Though, that day may have to be sooner than either of us had planned. What would it do to Emily when I handed her her mothers ring? Would she break down in front of a hall full of people, or would she simply take it proudly. God, the suspense was killing me already; I wasn’t sure how long I could last.
“So, when you asked if it was too soon to set a wedding date, did you mean it?” I asked Emily. She startled slightly at the sound of my voice. I had been so occupied with my own thoughts that I hadn’t spoken since we got in the car. Emily had been watching me from the corner of her eye, as she always did when I drove, but she didn’t know I knew that judging by the way her head snapped back to face the window as soon as I spoke.
“Of course I meant it,” she said, her tone casual. “Why? Are you having second thoughts?”
“Second thoughts about a long engagement, yes. I think we should book the castle.” I risked a quick glance at Emily. She was looking at my face now, seemingly studying my expression as a huge grin spread across her face. “What? I’m serious.”
“Then let’s do it. Let’s set the date.”
“When were you thinking? A spring wedding? Summer?” I tried to sound as casual as possible, hoping I wouldn’t scare her off with any sign of my desperation.
“I was thinking more along the lines of winter. It’d be like a magical winter wonderland if there was snow outside. It’d look really pretty.”
I felt my stomach drop. I wasn’t sure I could keep this ring to myself for another year or so. But I didn’t want her to think I was pressuring her. “Okay, winter it is. We may have to wait a little bit to book, though. Most places only take bookings a maximum of a year in advance.” I knew this from the many corporal events I had had to organise in the past. ‘We don’t take bookings more than a year in advance’ I had been told on many of occasions.
“I wasn’t thinking about next year. More like next month. Or would February be better? I don’t know, when does it normally snow?” She stopped rambling as soon as she realised I was pulling over to the side of the road. “What are you doing?”
“Kissing you,” I said before crashing my lips into hers. “I love you....I...love...you,” I mumbled against her lips between kisses.
Wow, next month. We had some serious planning to do. And there I was, feeling every bit the excited little boy again as my mind raced with imaginary scenes of the day I get my own Mrs Scott.
I opened the door to my apartment and was instantly greeted by the smell of new paint. “Please bear in mind, you love me that much that you’ve just agreed to marry me next month,” I said as I pulled Emily through the door and covered her eyes with my hand.
“What are you doing?” she shrieked, trying to push my hand away. I held it firmly in place
“Just bear it in mind,” I repeated. “Just one more surprise, then I promise I’ll stop. Well, I promise I’ll try.”
“Julian! What else can you possibly surprise me with this week?”
I walked behind Emily, covering her eyes with one hand and Maia’s with the other as she clung onto Emily’s shoulders. I pushed the Maia’s bedroom door open with my foot and coaxed them inside the room as Emily carried on ranting. “If you’ve been spending more money on me, I’m going to k...” She stopped abruptly as I dropped my hands to my sides and we both gasped in unison as Maia let out a high pitched squeal.
I had never seen anything so perfect. The walls were a soft pink against a plush white carpet. Large pink fluffy rugs were scattered around the floor and huge pictures of princesses and castles hung from every wall. Along the far wall was the bed. My God, I had never seen anything like it. The white edging ran across the floor, just like I’d asked, and made its way up the walls until it met the ceiling. It was almost like a four poster bed, but more extravagant, somehow. Soft pink opaque veils draped from a fixture in the middle and ran along the posts until they wafted down around the entire bed, with just a small triangular gap for her to crawl between. It was like her own little den. Her own safe haven.
Maia was out of Emily’s arms and in the bed before I even had the chance to scan the rest of the room. There were two tall white wardrobes with what appeared to be pink feathers and curled ribbons hanging down the edges. She had her own mini dressing table with a mirror, and a huge wooden castle in the corner that looked big enough for her to fit inside.
“When did you do this?” Emily asked, looking every bit as awed as I felt.
“I had someone in yesterday to do it while we were away. What do you think?”
“What do I think?” she gasped. “I don’t even know what to say. No one had ever done anything like this for us before. God, thank you so much, Julian.” A stray tear rolled down her cheek and I wiped it away with the pad of my thumb.
“That’s because no one has ever loved you both as much as I do, Emily. And no one ever will.” I pressed a kiss against her temple. “Oh, and one last thing,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to our bedroom. “I hope you don’t mind, I was just trying to help.” I led her straight to the wardrobe. Where there were once evenly spaced hanging suits, were now two clearly differing sections. One section held my suits; the other held Emily’s newly moved clothes. The shelves on the left hand side now housed various pairs of shoes and boots, all belonging to Emily. I pulled her towards the chest of drawers, opening them slowly to reveal her collection of pyjamas and underwear. The French style dresser was filled with her cosmetics; the bedside cabinet was filled with her photos of Maia that had been beside her bed in her old room.
“Welcome home, baby.” I smiled, mimicking the hand gesture I had used in France.
“When...how?” she stammered, running her fingertip across the black and white photo of her and Maia that now hung on the wall.
“I had someone move it in while we were away. I thought it’d save us the bother.”
Emily opened her mouth to speak but I quickly covered it with my own, halting her words. She had thanked me far too much over the past couple of days for my liking. I didn’t do things for her to receive praise; I did them because I wanted to.
I left Emily and Maia to explore her new den and went into my office, closing the door firmly behind me. I flicked through the pages of one of the wedding magazines, stopping abruptly when I spotted the castle with the many fairy lights. Emily’s chosen venue. My eyes scanned rapidly over the page for the contact details, and soon as I saw them, I dialled the number. The voice on the other end of the line sounded as if it belonged to an elderly woman. There was a natural tremble in her words. She seemed friendly enough, and only too happy to help.
“Did you have a date in mind?” she asked, her voice full of optimism.
“No specific date, but we were looking for next month. Any date you have.”
“Next month?” she almost gasped
“I’ll pay whatever it takes, but yes, any date next month.”
“That’s going to cost, dear. I’ll have to find staff, and decor, and furnishings. And all at such short notice.”
Wow, it seemed this castle really was derelict. I had kind of expected it to be a popular tourist attraction or some sort of running business. I hadn’t thought for a second that it would actually be completely abandoned.
“I’ll handle the decor and furnishings. You take care of the staff, money isn’t an issue.”
After a long discussion of requirements and the delegation of tasks, the charming lady finally agreed to set the date. I took the squared box from my pocket, opening it one last time to admire the ring inside, and then put it in the top drawer of my desk, locking it securely.
As soon as Emily and I had tucked Maia into bed, I raced to the office and tore the printed sheet from the desk.
“Just one more surprise, I promise.” I grinned as I slumped down on the sofa beside Emily. Emily eyed me suspiciously, taking the sheet from my hand.
“What’s this?” she asked, sounding exasperated.
“Read it.”
Her brows lowered as her eyes scanned the page. And then they widened considerably. “Oh my God! You’ve booked it?”
“I have. How does the twenty-sixth of January fit with you?”
She threw herself into my lap, pressing kiss after kiss against my lips. I was smiling so widely that her lips made contact with my teeth a couple of times.
“I take it the date fits.” I laughed, pushing her shoulders back gently so I could see her face. Her brows were still crinkled, but it wasn’t a frown. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was desperately fighting against threatening tears.
“The twenty-sixth is perfect. You are perfect. God, will you ever stop being so...perfect?” she trilled, apparently struggling to find an alternative word to ‘perfect’.
“That might be difficult.” I laughed. “Now, I think it’s about time I showed you just how perfect I can be,” I teased, raising a single brow suggestively.
Her loving gaze instantly heated before her lips crashed against mine. She opened her mouth, granting my tongue entry, and I took a few moments to completely taste her before lifting her and making for the bedroom.
I laid her gently across the bed, taking care not to rush a single movement. She clearly had other ideas, her fingers clutched at my shirt, pulling me into her desperate kiss as she writhed beneath me. I had to concentrate hard to keep my control. I wouldn’t lose it, not this time. I wanted to worship every part of her, taste every inch of her skin, feel every heartbeat. I wanted to show her just how much she meant to me with the only way I knew how, with my hands, my mouth. I slowly slid down her jeans, following their trail with my mouth, gently kissing and nipping a line, down one leg and up the other. Then I grasped at the hem of her top and gently raised it up and over her head. She placed both hands on the back of my neck and tried to pull me towards her mouth. But, I knew if I kissed her now, my control would waver, so I let my elbows give way, purposely ducking my head to avoid her pleading mouth. I landed my lips at the top of her breast and kissed gently as I pulled at the lace of her bra, effectively freeing her nipple. I took the sweet little nub into my mouth and sucked gently before swirling it around my tongue. She sucked in a sharp breath as her back arched, thrusting her breast further into my mouth. Her fingers tangled in my hair and she tugged hard as I took her between my teeth, causing a deep groan to rumble within my chest. To see how much she needed me, to feel it, was almost enough to drive me insane.
My tongue trailed lightly down the centre of her stomach until it reached its destination. Emily’s fingers pressed firmly into my shoulders as my open mouth covered her opening. She cried out and thrust her hips upwards, giving more of herself to me, as I pushed my tongue into her. It took only a few fast flicks of my tongue to have her hips bucking uncontrollably beneath me. I pushed harder against her and began the slow and firm circular motion that I knew completely unravelled her. Her hands left my shoulders and grasped desperately at the sheets, crumpling them between her fingers as her thighs tightened their grip around my head. And then she lost herself. She cried out my name as her climax consumed her, her body shuddering hopelessly as the tremors rippled through her. And that was the end of my self control.
I was directly above her and ramming myself into her in a matter of seconds. Her legs still trembled as she wrapped them around my waist, lifting her hips to greet my every thrust. I slowed my desperate pace and watched her every reaction as I rocked into her. Her eyes flickered open and she held my gaze, and at that moment, I felt as if I was melting. Melting into her eyes, her body. Melting into her.
“I love you, Emily,” I whispered into her ear.
As I raised my head again, I was greeted by moistened, almost pleading eyes. I pressed a firm kiss to her lips before lifting her leg over my shoulder and pounding into her with everything I had. She cried out again and again as I slammed against an obvious sensitive spot inside of her. I could feel the beads of sweat tickling the skin on my forehead; I could taste them on my upper lip. But I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t. I needed her, and I needed this. I felt her inner muscles clench around me and that was my undoing.
“Fuck!” The curse spilled from my mouth involuntarily as my body shuddered out of control. My arms gave way and I collapsed against Emily’s chest, my face buried into the pillow beside her as she stroked a gentle hand through my dampened hair.
I lay, completely spent, with my head resting lightly on Emily’s stomach. She twisted strands of my hair around her finger, over and over, calming me into an almost dream like state. When I gave in to my heavy lids and closed my eyes, all I could see was Emily. I couldn’t believe how much she had changed me, entirely. If someone had told me that one day I’d be lying here, tangled around a woman in my
own
bed, with her daughter sleeping in the next room, I’d have told them to piss off and laughed in their face. But, here I was, thoroughly depending on the woman that I was tangled around, and loving the little girl sleeping in the next room. It was only just sinking in that both Emily and Maia were finally a permanent fixture in my life. She was here, they were here, in my apartment that had today became
our
apartment.
Our
home. And I couldn’t be happier.
The realisation of today being Saturday thrilled me as I peeled my eyes open to see Maia hovering above me whilst prodding her tiny hand into my shoulder over and over again.
“Are you awake?” she whispered in her sweet, angelic voice.