Chapter Eight
Gualtiero
We’re still in the bathtub, and Ella is once more snuggled against my chest.
The bubbles are long gone, and so are the candles, their flames having carved hollows within them.
We’ve drained the water twice to replenish it with more warmth. Sated and happy, my angel almost purrs as I stroke her back.
“Has it only been this morning that you suggested getting married in the next few days? It seemed impossible, but look at how far we’ve come in a single day.”
She lifts her head to gaze at me.
“Marriage license started: check.” She draws a tick on my wet chest.
“Marriage officiant: check.” I pull her back against me and smile into her hair.
Having Claudette marry us is bound to be an unforgettable experience. Of that I’m sure.
Ella’s psychic friend is unpredictable at best. God knows what her ceremony will look like.
We tried to talk to her about it, but she only lifted her hands and told us to trust her.
To my surprise, Ella agreed.
It means a lot to her that her friend is doing this for us.
At the end of the day, all I want is to be married to her. How it happens doesn’t matter.
If it were up to me, I’d marry her right here and now, in this bathtub, with candles burning around us and the starry Alaskan sky as a backdrop.
“Bridesmaid and witnesses: check,” Ella continues.
I’m glad Rhia and Lex are back early. Dougal flew them back here in a plane he purchased in Atlanta.
Being a pilot gives him a lot of freedom. Perhaps I should get my own license. It would be useful when we get our private island.
“Wedding dress: check.” Ella’s voice brings me back.
Then there’s silence. Her fingers tap out a steady rhythm over my heart, a clear sign her thoughts have drifted. I lift her chin and study her.
Her eyes have gone glassy, unshed tears threatening to fall. It happens often these days, her emotions spilling over at the slightest trigger. A byproduct of pregnancy, I’ve read, but I don’t mind.
“What’s going on?” I ask gently.
She shakes her head, as if to clear it.
“It probably sounds absurd to you, but I feel like my mother played a role in leading Claudette to that dress. I’m sure all our parents are watching from wherever they are, but wearing it will bring ma closer to me on our special day. I’m so grateful for that.”
A lone tear slips free and trails down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb and press a kiss to her forehead.
“It doesn’t sound absurd, cuore mio. I’ve been feeling Papà’s presence too. I dreamed of him the other night,” I admit.
“Oh? Was it a good dream?”
“Mostly. He seemed happy and carefree, like he was before Mamma died. We were fishing at our pond, and he clapped me on the shoulder and said how proud he was of me.”
Ella’s eyes soften and new tears form.
“I wish I could have met your parents,” she whispers, laying her head back onto my chest, the air now heavy with memories of the ones we’ve lost.
I search for something to lift the sudden heaviness.
“Did you know Lex bought fishing gear on their trip?” I ask to change the subject.
Even with Ella resting against me, I feel her eyebrows lift.
“But it’s the middle of winter.”
“That’s what I told him. But he wants to go ice fishing.”
“Don’t you need an auger or something to drill a hole in the ice? Where is he going to get that?”
“He’s got one, along with a tent for shelter… as if that could keep out the cold,” I scoff.
“Doesn’t bother Claudette,” Ella laughs. “Lex better make sure the first thing he hauls up from the deep isn’t her naked butt.”
I can’t say the image forming in my mind is enticing.
“Good thing then you’ll be too busy scouting the perfect tree to get married under,” Ella says, “and setting up the fairy lights and torches. Which, I might add, you still have to buy.”
“How you talked me into an outdoor wedding, I’ll never know.”
“I just smile at you sweetly with big puppy eyes, and you’re a goner.”
Sadly, she’s right. It’s all it takes.
I roll my eyes, and even though she can’t see me, she chuckles. We’re that in tune. I pray that never changes.
“Everybody loves the idea of an outdoor winter wonderland wedding.”
I growl playfully, and she swats my thigh.
“As long as we don’t get frostbite from that adventure.”
“We won’t,” she promises. “Not with all the thermal underwear you’re going to make us wear.”
That was my condition, and it’s not negotiable. I won’t risk her health, or that of our unborn child.
“So, ceremony location is a half-tick. Now we only need flowers and a cake. The latter we’ll bake ourselves. Any requests?”
I shake my head. Unlike Ella, I don’t have a sweet tooth.
“As long as I can cut it with you and feed you a piece, I’m happy.”
“I’ll surprise you then,” she declares, making me grin.
“I have a fair idea of what you’ll make.”
“Impossible. I’m not that predictable.”
“Want to bet?”
“Yes, I do, actually,” she says, her tone challenging. “How about you write down what kind of cake you expect me to make, put it in an envelope, and we’ll open it after the cake cutting?”
“What are the stakes?” I ask.
My angel’s face contorts adorably as she thinks.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve got everything I could ever need right here.”
Truer words have not been spoken. “Bragging rights then.”
We shake on it, Ella’s face transforming into a mischievous smirk.
“You can’t change your plan,” I add. “You have to stick with whatever you were going to make.”
“Of course,” she says, far too innocent. “We play fair and square.”
We’ll see about that. She’s surprisingly competitive.
We fall quiet, basking in each other’s presence.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Rhia has planned a trip for you and Lex to Soldotna tomorrow to get supplies. There’s a large shop that sells all kinds of Christmas decorations, and she had them put aside whatever they had left.”
“I don’t recall that place. Where is it?”
“It’s two hours by car, but I wasn’t keen on you driving in these icy conditions, so Lex is going to fly.”
She suddenly turns in my arms to face me.
“You know, I heard their plane when they arrived earlier today. Claudette and I were in the kitchen when it flew over the house. It’s kind of cool that they have their own plane now.”
“I’ve been considering getting a license myself. Then you can drool over me in a pilot uniform,” I tease.
She bites her lip, clearly picturing it. When her tongue flicks over the indent, my cock stirs again.
My gaze drifts down her body and settles on her breasts. They glisten as droplets of water slide over them. I might have only just had her, but the sight is enough to make me want her all over again.
Each night, it’s the same. Having her once is never enough.
Leaning forward, I guide her toward the other side of the bathtub, my nose finding her neck as I breathe against her damp skin. Goosebumps rise along her arms, and I smile to myself, enjoying her body’s response.
“Hmm, if I’m the pilot, you’ll have to dress up as a flight attendant in one of those tight uniforms.”
I trace her collarbone with my tongue, then kiss my way up to her mouth. When she parts her lips to tease me about clichés, I slip my tongue in and find hers.
And so round two begins.