Ava couldn't sleep. It was the middle of the night but her stomach was churning with excitement as she lifted her hand to stare at the sparkling emerald on her left ring finger again. She smiled to herself and let out a little squeal as she hugged the ringed hand to her body. She was engaged. She was engaged to Alfie and she didn't think she had ever been as happy in all of her life.

He had gone above and beyond to arrange all of this, and even though the proposal hadn't gone as he had envisaged, to Ava it was perfection. As were the lengths he had gone to before they came away, like visiting her parents. Alfie had actually visited her parents! She smiled again as she recalled the letter he had given to her last night when they returned to the cottage. Inside it contained such kind and happy words from her parents, and their delight that she was to become engaged to Alfie, and genuinely she couldn't believe that he had even thought to get her parents' permission to marry her. He had truly thought of everything. Ava's face felt like it would split from smiling so much.

"Hello Mrs Solomons," Alfie's voice was croaky as he woke from his sleep. "You're looking rather happy with yourself considering what time it is."

"I'm not Mrs Solomons yet," she smiled leaning down to kiss him.

"Well you as good as are, eh?" he grinned, entwining his hands in her hair to deepen the kiss.

"Mm," Ava hummed as their tongues danced leisurely together.

She climbed on top of Alfie, her long hair enveloping them, and they both groaned at the feeling of his erection rubbing against her core. Alfie cupped her breasts through her nightgown, his thumbs brushing against her nipples but he decided he needed more. He needed to feel her skin. Impatiently, he yanked her night gown over her head and launched it across the room, licking his lips at the sight of her bared breasts. Rolling Ava onto her back, his lips closed around one nipple, his tongue sucking and his teeth gently nipping. His hand wandered lazily down in between her thighs where she was already soaking wet for him.

"Alfie," she murmured, her back arching off the bed as his fingers slid inside of her while his thumb immediately found that sweet spot that would send her crazy. "Alfie, I want you."

"What?" Alfie frowned down at her, stopping his movements momentarily.

"I said, I want you," she repeated firmly.

"Ava," Alfie sighed, hating himself for what he was about to do. "I told you that when we eventually did that it would be when we're married and not before."

"I know," she nodded, reaching up to cup his face. "But you just said yourself that we're almost as good as married, so why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter?" he looked at her incredulously. "It matters a great deal actually. It matters, yeah, cos you're the one thing I've got right in my life and I don't want that to change."

"It won't," she lifted herself up to kiss him gently. "Alfie Solomons, I love you and I don't want to wait. You're my husband in my heart even if you're not on paper."

"Ava," Alfie looked torn.

Christ knew he wanted to more than anything but at the same time he wanted to wait. He wanted their marriage to start right. He wanted their life to start right. But as he looked down at Ava's face, all he could think about was the urge to claim her right there and then.

Claim was the wrong word though. It made it sound like he wanted to own her and possess her. He did, but not as her superior. He wanted to be her equal. He wanted to make her his and in the same breath give himself completely to her so that they were one and the same.

"If we do this, there's no goin' back," Alfie leaned his forehead against hers.

"I know," she nodded without hesitation.

Alfie's thumb brushed across her lips as his eyes looked for any hint of hesitance in her own. He could barely control himself and he felt like a randy teenager all over again. Her tongue darted out to lick at his finger and that was Alfie's undoing.

He didn't recall how his clothes came to be scattered around the room. All he could think about was how terrified he was of hurting her. He paused at her entrance, taking a breath and wondering if maybe he should stop this after all, when Ava smiled at him with such love that he couldn't do anything over than slide slowly inside of her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, licking her neck and nibbling gently when he broke through her virginal barrier and felt her tense up. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Alf," she whispered, forcing him to look at her. "I love you, Alfie."

"I love you too," he muttered, his voice hoarse with the sudden emotion that had come over him.

Ava had given him the most precious thing she possessed and he didn't know how he could ever thank her for it. There weren't enough jewels or riches in the world; not that she would want them anyway. She wasn't like that, was she?

He was brought back to Ava when her hips shifted slightly and a frisson of pleasure shot through him. He grunted and bit his lip trying to hold out. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman, and the first time he'd ever been with one that actually meant something to him. He'd imagined this exact moment for months, but his rather vivid imagination was nothing compared to the real thing.

The room was quiet apart from the rustle of the bed sheets as Alfie began to move. Underneath him, Ava threw her head back when Alfie's fingers reached down to manipulate her clit. He moved slowly, even though he wanted nothing more than to rut like a fucking beast, and drew out their pleasure for as long as he could.

"Alfie," Ava breathed as her climax drew close.

Alfie could feel it and he lent down to take her nipple into his mouth. Ava came apart within seconds and the feeling of her walls clenching around him was enough to almost bring him to his own end, but he held out. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was a selfish man, and he needed to see her come undone again and again before this ended.

"Alfie please," Ava begged. "I can't."

"You can," Alfie nodded, kissing her fiercely.

Sweat was pouring from him as he kept up this relentlessly slow pace. He was beginning to lose it though and having already drawn another two orgasms from her, he knew she was almost done. He couldn't help himself though; he was desperate for this moment to never end. But even the most amazing of things had to end eventually.

"Come on, love," he rubbed his nose against hers as he picked up his speed desperately. "Just one more."

They came together and Alfie poured into her with a roar. Later he would regret it and pray to God that he would spare them from Ava falling pregnant before they were married, but right now he was too enraptured by this feeling of complete and utter bliss that encompassed him.

Their breathing slowed and their perspiring bodies stuck together, but neither minded or even noticed. Alfie kissed Ava so softly that she found tears trickling out of the corners of her eyes.

"Hey, why you cryin'?" he frowned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she shook her head and sniffed. "I just… you're going to think I'm an idiot."

"Well, I already think that anyway so you may as well tell me," he teased, wiping her tears away.

"It's just that I love you so much," you whispered, blinking back more tears. "And I suppose I didn't realise it was possible to feel even closer to you than I already did. But this was… I don't know how to describe it."

"I know exactly what you mean," Alfie smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I feel it too."

"You do?"

"I do," he promised, kissing her on the nose. "I bloody love you, Ava Hirschman."

"I love you, too."

Alfie and Ava awoke at almost midday and neither were in a hurry to get out of bed. Cyril, however, was eager to get out and go for a walk. Alfie rolled his eyes and told Ava to stay in bed while he took Cyril out and when he came back they'd eat. But Ava shook her head and said she'd come with them both and that the fresh air would do them good.

It turned out she wasn't wrong. The air was crisp but the sun was shining, and as they walked hand in hand, Alfie wished he could bottle up this feeling and carry it with him wherever he went.

"Come here, you," he came to an abrupt stop and pulled Ava against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Mm, I think so," Ava grinned. "But I don't think a girl can ever hear it too much."

"Is that right?" Alfie grinned back, bending his head to kiss her. He wondered if he would ever get tired of kissing her? When they were old and grey perhaps? Nah, he could never get enough of her sweet taste for as long as he lived. "What shall we do for the rest of the day, hm?"

"I think we should just stay right here," she smiled up at him. "In fact, I wish we could just stay here forever."

"Me too," Alfie nodded. "But one day, we'll never leave here. And our kids can come and visit, and all our grandkids and great grandkids."

"Steady on," Ava chuckled. "Just how many kids do you think we're having exactly?"

"Dunno," he shrugged as though he hadn't really thought about it, when it truth it was one of the things always on his mind. "Maybe four or five?"

"Four or five?" Ava scoffed. "You trying to turn me into Miriam, eh?"

"Oh yeah, that's a point actually," Alfie conceded, wrinkling up his forehead. "If they've already got three and one on the way, we'll have to make sure that by the time we've been married as long as them that we have at least four and another on the way."

"It's not a flipping competition, Alfie," Ava pulled a face.

"It damn well is," he answered seriously, cupping her face and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear where it had escaped from her braid. "I wanna come home from work every day and see your belly swollen with my baby while our other kids run around with the biggest smiles on their faces cos they've got a mum who is an absolute fuckin' angel."

"And what if I don't want that?" she asked. "What if I told you that I want to go to school or something?"

"Truthfully? It wouldn't be what I have planned for us, but I want you to be happy, Ava," he answered sincerely. "You being my wife and you being happy are the only two things that matter to me."

The beaming smile on Ava's face was brighter than the sun in the sky above them, and she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Alfie sweetly.

"Once I was certain I wanted more than just marriage and a load of kids," she murmured. "But now that's all I want. Although I don't know about five kids if I'm being honest."

"Alright well maybe we can negotiate the number a bit, yeah?" Alfie smirked.

"I suppose we could come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement," Ava winked playfully.

"I'll give you beneficial," Alfie grinned, lunging forwards to wrestle her to the sandy ground and making her squeal. "It's all good and well talkin' about havin' babies, but I think we're forgettin' that the best bit is all the practicin'."

"Hmm, well if you insist of twisting my arm."

The rest of the weekend was spent in that happy little bubble where nothing existed except for them and their future together. Little did they know that once they returned home to Camden, that bubble would soon be burst.