I woke up that morning to his soft kisses along my face and neck, with a smile on my face and a memory of how we fell asleep in the knotted sheets late last night. A warm arm that was wrapped around my bare waist moved to stroke my hip with the tips of his fingers. It tickled. "Ren!" A soft laugh near my ear replied to my outburst. "Yes Mrs. Rajaram? Is there a problem?" He began to nibble on my ear still moving his fingers over my flesh. I screeched "Yes! Your fingertips are making me ticklish!" He placed his whole hand flat on my hip and I sucked in a breath. With a playful smirk he asked me in his honey-like accent, "Is this better?" I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck. Very close to his his lips I teased him. "Much better." He grinned rakishly. Before I met Ren I never thought I could seduce a man but when I was dating both him and Lee in Oregon he refused to kiss me because I was easily distracted with him around so I did everything I could to make him kiss me and it almost worked, he'd said it was torture and I believed him. I now knew I had that power and I liked it, liked being able to be strong and not shy around him. From the look of his face he remembered that brief time in Oregon also. Then his expression changed and I could sense his mind was going back to last night. We had just been married on a beach in Japan and after carrying me over the threshold of the honeymoon suite we were staying in (and incidentally Ren decided to buy,) we'd made our way to our room. In the center of the room was a king bed with silk curtains hanging around it and a beautiful jeweled silk comforter in blush pink and cream. It looked like a room for a princess. The second thing I had noticed about the room was the expansive view seen through the large windows overlooking spectacular gardens and a smooth and shiny lake. "Where are we?" I had asked. Ren had said it was a surprise the last time I had asked him on the private jet but he'd answered me then. "Hangzhou China, this is where Marco Polo discovered silk." I had moved closer to my husband placing my hands on his chest. "That explains the bed." I'd kissed him slowly, deliciously, velvety and seductively. He'd responded by wrapping his arm around me and pressing me into his body. Falling back into the bed he had proceeded to attempt to take off my five hundred pound wedding dress. Looking bewildered Ren stared at my tight bodice. "How the hell does this come off?" I giggled. "I have no idea, I don't even know how I got it on, but I'm sure you have claws, if need be, you can tear it off, right tiger?" He finally figured it out and we spent our wedding night slowly exploring everything we had never explored of each other. Coming back to the present I blushed. Ren noticed my heated face and placed his fingers on my cheeks. "You're blushing iadala." His hair was hanging appealingly over his cobalt blue eyes and I moved to brush it back. "Am not." I argued. He chuckled and began to kiss me. They weren't as hot and sultry as last night but rather sweet and loving. Coming up for air I asked him. "We don't have anything planned for today do we? Perhaps we could stay in bed all day?" He laughed a deep rich laugh that reverberated through my bones."unfortunately we do have plans... But... I can...always... Cancel... Them." He trailed the softest kisses down from my ear to my collar bone. "Ummmmhhhm" was the only response I could muster up. He tangled his hands in my hair and I sighed in pleasure and pure happiness. This was what I had dreamed of for a long time. A life and family with Ren...and Kishan and Mr. Kadam. I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears in the back of my eyes from falling. They should have been here. Well not here here, but in our lives and alive. I miss them so much, I thought. "I know, I do too." I realized then that I had actually spoken out loud, and Ren completely understanding, didn't even have to ask who I was talking about. He kissed my shoulder gently. "Come on Kels, let's find something to eat." Food was a welcome distraction from the sadness that swirled within me. I dragged my body out of bed and went to go take a shower. As soon as I stood I peeked at Ren who was still on the bed grinning at me. "Appreciating the view are you?" I asked him. His smile grew wider. "Why yes Kelsey, yes I am." I rolled my eyes and muttered something about men and animalistic tendencies, walking to the bathroom. He laughed. "Well I was a tiger Kels and unless I'm mistaken you liked some of my animalistic tendencies." He began making a deep rumbling sound in his chest that I knew was his purring. I didn't know he could do that still even after he was mortal. Grumbling some more I flipped the switch in the bathroom on. "Yeah I remember, you led me through a jungle in the middle of India during summer to find Phet." I said dryly recollecting my first time in India, the truck driver under Mr. Kadam's orders drove away and left me with a backpack and an unleashed tiger near the jungle.
Showered and dressed Ren and I made our way out of our honeymoon suite, he had a car ( a 918 spyder Porsche no less) waiting for us by a valet. "You have got to be kidding me." I said gesturing to the car. Ren tried to put on an innocent face but I saw right through it. He dropped his innocence act after a fierce look from me. " It's not that expensive Kelsey. And plus, I like to travel in style." I sighed knowing I wouldn't win this battle. "You and your cars." I let the convertible go and slid into the passengers side as Ren opened the door for me. Ren went to the drivers side and got in. We drove for about an hour and I wondered where he was taking me for breakfast. He turned into an airport and I looked at him confused. "Why are we-" I started to ask, but he cut me off with a crooked smiled. "It's a surprise." Of course it was. I didn't argue and we boarded the jet (private obviously). I thought it was odd that we'd left our bags at the suite but Ren knew what he was doing... I hoped. As soon as I settled into my seat we took off. I looked out the window. The view was gorgeous. A large mountain surrounded by brilliant blue water. It took my breath away. Ren sat next to me a relaxed smile on his face. I leaned over and kissed him whispering "Mãĩ tumse pyār kartī hū̃." on his soft lips. I love you. The three simple words that never seemed like enough now, but was so hard to face not long ago. "Hum tumhay dilkeh her dharcun say prem kertah hoon" He replied kissing me passionately back. Ren had been teaching me some phrases in Hindi and I was able to understand it. I love you with every beat of my heart. We passed the time in the jet kissing and playing cribbage. Ren had never played the card game before and I had to teach it to him like my father taught me. As he pegged his points from his crib I noticed that he had passed the skunk and was thirty-five points ahead. I pointed this out and he grinned. "It's about time I beat you, you always won parcheesi when we played." I smacked him playfully. "Beginners luck." He arched his eyebrow and smirked. "Sundara hārē" He said under his breath. "Hmmm what was that?" I asked, realizing he was probably teasingly insulting me in Hindi. "Nothing." He said quickly. "That sounded awfully a lot like what you said to Randy. Kishan translated it for me. Something about being a lovely witch?" I teased him. "Not at all, I said 'Sundara patnī' which means beautiful wife." He moved the cards and cribbage board out of the way and wrapped his arms around me. Lifting me into his lap he kissed me deeply. I sighed against his mouth. He moved his fingers from my waist to my braid tied with a ribbon at the end of it. The ribbon was one he gave me for Christmas when he came to Oregon. His mouth ghosted across mine as he pulled the ribbon from my hair. I gripped his shoulders and pressed myself closer to him as my hair fell around us and created a curtain between us and the rest of the world. I nibbled lightly on his lip and he groaned. It was amazing, the affect I had on him. I pulled away from him smiling. "You did that to distract me from what we were talking about." I said. I really didn't mind it though, not in the least. He wrapped a finger around a piece of hair and twirled it. "Did it work?" He asked shamelessly. I laughed. "What would you say if I said no?" It was a running joke between us. When we were trying to break the curse he asked me for permission to kiss him, I had told him if he had to ask the answer was no. I felt his body shake with silent laughter. "I suppose then, I'd have to seduce you even better." Just then a green light came on that signaled we had landed although I hadn't even felt it. "I think you're out of time for that tiger." I said breezily, climbing out of his lap and standing up to exit the jet. I felt him follow me as I stepped outside to see snow capped mountains breaking the blue sky in the distance. I gaped. "Ren where are we?" He took my hand leading me to where a limousine was waiting for us. "Switzerland." He replied mildly. "You decided to stop in Switzerland for breakfast?" My voice rose higher and higher in disbelief. What in the world was I going to do with my husband? "It was between here and Belgium." He seemed amused by my reaction. "Let me guess, you heard they had good waffles?" I said dryly.
"Maybe", he eyed me warily, "but then I remembered you having a fetish for princes able to fight in wars and realized I should keep you away from the Belgium prince before you fall in love with each other." I laughed. "Don't worry tiger, I like my men to be princes from a different century." He kissed my hand and smiled. "I'm your ancient prince and you're my Ādhunika rājakumārī, modern princess."
Our chauffeur drove us expertly on the winding roads that would have had me all discombobulated had I been driving. We stopped at a tiny yet opulent place and shared a dish called Bürli (rolls) which our waiter explained was Tilsiter cheese, cold cuts, butter & jam, soft boiled eggs, coffee, tea, fresh fruit, and muesli. When we finished Ren paid and we got back in the limo and rode back to the jet. The rest of our honey moon proceeded much of the same way. We went back to China for a couple days and toured it, then we packed and left for France and then Whales, and after we went to Romania. We visited nearly every country in Europe, we even got to Belgium. Our honeymoon lasted longer than most people's; from summer to winter. The last place we visited before returning to India was Vermont in America. I'd always wanted to go skiing in Vermont since I'd watched White Christmas with my parents. It was Christmas Eve and I had given my last present to Ren to open. He carefully opened the box and took out the object inside looking puzzled. A little rattler with a white and black tiger painted on it. I'd known for weeks that I was pregnant but wanted to tell him on a special day. I had been able to hide the fact that I was pregnant well. "Kelsey what is this?" I laughed. "It's a baby rattler Ren." His eyes widened. "You mean...?" His voice trailed off as his eyes traveled from my face to my abdomen. " Yes, I'm pregnant Ren." I waited patiently for his response but when he didn't say anything I said his name, worried. "Dhiren?" He dragged his eyes from my belly to meet my eyes. His cobalt blue eyes that were usually crystal clear glistened and I realized they were tears. "I'm going to be a father?" He asked me quietly, almost disbelieving. "Yes."
He was silent for a moment, taking in what I had just told him the took my face in his and kissed me. He repeated a phrase over and over, "Mērā sundara parivāra." My beautiful family. Our life was next to perfect. We broke the curse, we were married, I was pregnant. Nothing could ever happen to make me think my life was anything less than perfect.