Chapter 25 #2
“And we were,” she said, moving on top of him until he was hard. She shifted until the tip of his dick was at her entrance, and then she took him all the way inside of her. His hands were on her waist as she rode him. This was what he’d secretly always wanted but never believed he’d find.
Cora Quill.
They came together and then cuddled in his bed, talking about the future and the life they wanted together. Nick wanted the peace of this moment to last. The newness of their love made everything seem possible. But there were plans that had to be made.
“Not to rush you, but since you agreed to marry me, would you do it on Christmas Eve day?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ll need to start planning. I want Fliss and Hannah to be part of the ceremony.”
“Of course. Do you know where you want to be married? It can be in either realm.”
“Realms. Goodness. That’s going to take some getting used to. Is there a place that you’d like to marry? I don’t have any family to invite except Fliss and Hannah.”
Nick hadn’t thought of the ceremony. In hindsight, it was miracle he’d found Cora and fallen in love with her. His dating record and plan to just find a woman had been flawed from the beginning.
“I’d like the ceremony to be here. In the Winter Gardens. Hannah and your mortal guests would be allowed to enter for the ceremony and reception and when they leave their memories will feel like a dream, much the same as yours did after you came here with me the first time.”
“The Winter Gardens? That sounds lovely. Let’s get married here. Will Christmas Eve be too busy for you?”
“We’ll make it work. There will be people in your life that aren’t who you believed them to be.”
Cora tipped her head to the side. “Fliss? I mean, Hannah has her kids.”
“Fliss is a Thornwatch elf. She works for Pete.”
“The family business,” Cora said. “I’m going to have a little chat with Pete… I met Fliss’s cousin and they’re both being worked too hard.”
Nick would enjoy watching Cora and Pete interact.
“Buddy will have to be invited of course.”
“Most of my staff too.”
“What about your parents?”
“They have chosen to leave Hearthvale and are in retirement. They’ll age normally now as mortals,” he told her.
“Wait, how old are you?”
“132.”
“That’s a bit to take in. Why haven’t you fallen in love before this?”
“Because I hadn’t met you,” he told her. The truth of this resounded in his heart and soul. It was only now that he had Cora in his arms that he realized it. He’d been waiting for her all along.
Cora had never had any dreams of weddings or dresses, so Hannah stepped in to help. “Four days to plan a wedding is nuts,” her friend said. “But I found the perfect dress for you.”
As Hannah took it out of the garment bag, Cora immediately recognized that her friend had made the dress for her herself. “Thank you for this. I don’t know what to say…”
“No problem. I had some help.”
“I did the lace work,” Fliss informed her as she walked in carrying a wreath of flowers.
The two women had discussed Fliss being a Thornwatch elf.
Fliss had explained that Cora had been on a watch list for a few years.
Pete tried to keep as many mortals from the Naughty List as possible and had put Fliss with Cora to keep an eye on her.
Knowing that her assistant and friend was immortal had made the last few days easier.
Whenever she panicked—and it had happened a few times—Fliss had been at her side to reassure her and answer all her questions.
She’d wanted to tell Hannah as well, but Nick had explained that their friend could never know.
In time, they’d use Gold Lumen to give themselves the appearance of aging so Hannah would never suspect.
Eventually Cora would have to give up the Winter Wonderland but not for several decades. It was so odd to think of being an immortal, but she would be as soon as she signed the contract.
Max and Sophie were dressed for the ceremony as well—Max as a ring bearer and Sophie as flower girl.
They ran around the room while Cora got dressed.
For a loner, she had certainly found quite the family that she’d never thought she wanted.
Sisters and a niece and nephew. Her heart felt full.
She hadn’t been aware of how empty it had been before—she’d kept herself too busy for that—and now she knew what a precious gift these people were.
The Winter Gardens stretched along terraced slopes of the hill behind the castle.
They looked like a secluded wonderland. Snow-laden evergreens glimmered with frost, each branch catching the light of the sun as she walked down the path.
Rounding the corner, she saw the guests sitting in chairs on either side of the aisle.
Fliss and Hannah both waited with the children.
Pachelbel’s canon started playing as Max went first, holding a pillow carrying rings that Nick had carved for them himself.
Then came little Sophie throwing out petals of crimson roses.
Hannah followed her children then came Fliss.
Cora nervously held the bouquet in her hands, wondering if she was actually going to do this.
Was she actually going to marry Nick Bari? Was she going to marry Santa?
But then she saw him at the end of the aisle, dressed in a perfectly tailored tux. Her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat sped up. She started walking toward him and her steps seemed lighter than air.
When she reached Nick’s side, his smile was wider than she’d ever seen it before and tears glittered in his blue eyes. Jack nudged Nick to take her hands, which made Cora laugh.
The Weaver of Seasons arrived to officiate. They took the form of a woman resplendent in gold and white. Light emanated around them. The vows she put to them were simple.
“Do you, Cora Quill, promise to love Nicholas Bari, keeping him in your heart always as the years pass and the seasons change? Do you commit to keeping the spirit of love and joy that you feel now always?”
“I do,” she said. Nick had explained that this was a binding commitment and that she’d sign a physical contract later.
“Nicholas Bari, do you understand that Cora is now bound to you and that your actions will impact her? Is your love for her unwavering, for you must weather not only the storms that a married couple encounters but also those in the wider world? Will you keep her happiness and joy at the center of every season?”
“I will,” Nick said, his voice booming out.
“I pronounce you married. You may kiss each other.”
And so they did, with all their friends and family cheering them on.
The reception was lively, with lots of dancing and drinking and eating. Hannah and her kids left after a few hours and then the entire mood changed as everyone poured into the banquet hall.
“It’s time to get ready for the ride.”
Cora and Nick changed—her into a pair of comfy leggings and an oversized sweater and Nick transformed as soon as his tux came off. He pulled on his red suit, his body getting bigger and his beard growing longer and whiter, his thick chestnut hair whitening also.
“I’m seeing it but…”
“Gives you a preview of what I’ll look like when I’m older. I’ll have time to kiss you in between rides but not much else.”
“Nick, once you told me you were Santa Claus, I understood the assignment. I’m not going to berate you for doing a job that brings so much joy and love to the world. I always wanted a gift from Santa. Every year, as much as I believed he wasn’t real, I still hoped.”
“I’m sorry you didn’t get one. I’m going to make it up to you.”
“You already have,” she told him.
He pulled her into his arms, kissing her, before there was a knock on the door.
The evening flew by in a buzz of energy and soon it was Christmas morning and they were in each other’s arms, celebrating their first Christmas together and the beginning of their eternal life.