Final chapter - 53
Iris
After having hugged everyone during the wedding, having had a video chat with Danny, Jake and Ron, and having had a photoshoot, we'd arrived at the reception. The reception was being held in a major tent on the grounds of Bellatio. It was decorated with all kinds of candlelight, and nature ornaments… and in the middle a huge dancefloor. Jimmy and Emma walked in first, and Drake and I walked in after, and all our guests were exulting as we heard our names being called out. "King Jimmy and Queen Emma Rys!" Jimmy and Emma waved, smiling big. "Duke Drake and Duchess Iris Walker!" Drake sighed jokingly because of the "Duke" part, and then smiled mischievously as he twirled me around in his arms. I laughed and shook my head. 'Get used to it!'
It was time for our first dance, and we took our places onto the ballroom floor. Drake bowed at me, and I curtsied, both smiling big. He offered me his hand, and pulled me against him. 'The time has come to show off your dancing skills,' I whispered. He chuckled, 'not sure if anyone could be impressed by my skills. Yours, however,' he said, and twirled me around before catching me again, 'are impeccable.' I blushed slightly, 'only part of me my mom's genes didn't ruin.' He let out a soft laugh and stared into my eyes lovingly. 'What about Tim?' I shook my head. 'The ballroom floor should file for a restraining order against Tim.' Drake smirked. 'God, Valentine, you're relentless.'
I chuckled. 'I'm kidding, Tim is a great dancer. Still thinking he would've opened his own dance studio had he not become a Lord.' I smiled and tilted my head slightly. 'Don't step on Emma's toes in a minute, okay?' He shrugged, 'heh. Can't make any promises.' I giggled and kissed my husband. 'Good luck,' I whispered, as he twirled me, and I felt myself land in Jimmy's arms. 'My King,' I said happily, and continued dancing with him. I loved my husband more than anything, but dancing just wasn't his thing. He'd gotten pretty good, however no one could beat Jimmy… and I noticed the difference immediately.
We started dancing the official Cordonian waltz, which Emma and Drake didn't know. Yet. 'Hello Duchess,' Jimmy joked, as he twirled me into the air, and caught me again. Our crowd exulted, and Emma and Drake were grinning at us. 'Have you packed your luggage yet?' Jimmy asked. I nodded, 'our suitcases are ready, all we have to do is change into something less wedding-y and we're ready to go!' Jimmy chuckled, 'well, you only get to wear your dress once, right?' I pretended to frown. 'Depends on how much I like Drake as my husband,' I joked. Jimmy pretended to look stern, damn well knowing I was joking. 'Don't you break his heart, Mrs Walker.' I smiled big, hearing those words. 'And don't you break Emma's heart, Mr Rys!' He let out a laugh. 'Fair enough.'
We smiled at each other. 'Ready?' He asked. I nodded, ready to be spun back into my husband's arms. Jimmy smiled at me, lovingly, showing me how much he cared for me – as a friend. I shot him the same look, and squeezed his hand before I found myself back in Drake's arms. 'Damn, I missed your body against mine,' he whispered in my ear. I bit my lip, and felt sparks between my legs, as I saw the hungry look in his eyes. 'You look like you're devouring me in your mind,' I whispered back. He smiled coyly, 'I'm not just devouring. I'm savouring.'
I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks, causing him to smile bigger. He had no idea what he was doing to my body at that moment. 'You know I want you, Valentine, right now… up against the wall,' he continued. 'You can't talk like that right now,' I hissed, feeling a dire need to tear his clothes off. I had been feeling that way ever since that morning, and he wasn't making it any easier. He kept smiling, 'why not?' I frowned, 'because I…' His smile turned smug. 'Yes?' I sighed, 'I won't be eating too much cake, that's for sure.' He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. 'We have the rest of our lives to misbehave, if you want cake, then-' He was cut off by my words. 'I want you. I want your hands all over my body, touching me where I'm aching… right now.'
His eyes turned dark. 'Say that again, and I'll take you with me.' I smiled, pressing my lips together, as I knew we couldn't just up and leave our own reception while we were in the spotlights. 'That's what I thought,' he said, then he smiled teasingly, 'chicken.' I giggled and slapped his shoulder. 'Everyone's watching us!' More people joined us on the dancefloor now, but I knew we'd be cutting the cake soon. 'All of them know what we want to be doing instead of dancing right now,' he whispered into my ear. I felt goosebumps all over, which were gone quickly once a warm summer breeze blew all over my skin.
'You're teasing me right now, but just so you know…' I whispered back, and caught his eyes. 'I'm your wife now, and I'll be in charge tonight.' I knew he loved it when I was dominant, and claimed what I wanted. His eyes grew immensely dark as I whispered a few words in his ear. 'I'm going to make you earn it first.' 'Valentine…' his voice was hoarse. I smiled coyly now, 'you like the sound of that, don't you?' He sighed, 'maybe a little too much.' I bit my lip, knowing he was talking about him growing hard due to my words. 'Worth it,' I whispered. He shook his head, an amused look on his face. 'I'll get you,' he warned. I smiled up at him, and pulled his face close to mine. 'I'm counting on that.' He smiled, and closed the space between our lips.
'Now distract me, I'm about to dance with my mother,' he begged. I giggled, and pointed at one of the tables. 'Pilou is trying to play with a mouse, even though the mouse seems terrified.' He looked up and frowned as he saw Pilou tapping the mouse, which was huddled in a corner, completely petrified. 'Stupid cat,' he said. I cocked an eyebrow, and he smiled big, 'I'll never admit it again, Valentine.' I chuckled, and put my arms around his neck, slowing him down. His eyes examined mine, and I smiled. 'Am still pregnant,' I chuckled, hinting on my tiredness. Drake's eyes softened, and he pulled me close. 'Maybe you should sit down, it's been one hell of a day already.' I shook my head, wanting to remain close to my husband. 'This is good.' We slow danced for a few minutes, before our parents cut in.
'Can I have this dance, Mrs Walker?' My dad joked, reaching his hand to me. Drake winked at me, and whispered something in dad's ear. He wrapped his arms around his mother, and they danced away. Dad smiled and held me close, 'Drake said you're quite tired.' I chuckled and nodded. 'This pregnancy thing is exhausting, I don't know why women keep doing it.' Dad let out a laugh, 'just wait 'till you're holding your baby.' He smiled lovingly, as he looked at me. 'Everything's worth it.' I felt a lump in my throat, and hugged him tight. 'Daddy.' He kissed my forehead, and we started dancing.
Later that night, when all four of us had performed our songs, we were mingling with our guests. The boys had performed Somebody Like You by Keith Urban, the song I'd told Drake to add to his list during our first date. They'd sung incredibly well, causing Emma and me to exult and jump up. Emma and I had sung The Only Exception by Paramore. I'd played the guitar, and Emma had sung most of the song. Drake's eyes had been so loving, and I knew I'd remember the look on his face for the rest of my life. He'd looked at me like I was some sort of miracle he'd come across.
I knew he really saw it that way, because he'd had no idea of what to do with his life when I came along. He saw me as his happy ever after… and he was mine.
I was sitting at a table with Bianca and Savannah, chatting and getting to know each other better. 'How's the pregnancy going, Iris?' Savannah asked, while bouncing Bartie up and down. I smiled big, 'it's fine! It's been so hectic lately that I've hardly had the chance to think about it. Having said that, Drake and I had an appointment… two days ago. The baby's fine, it's growing and it's healthy.' I smiled even bigger, 'I'm so curious to know whether it's a boy or a girl.' Bianca chuckled, 'I understand. I was so curious during my pregnancy with Drake, I could hardly take it. I drove Jackson so crazy, that during my pregnancy with Savannah, the first thing he asked the doctor was "please tell her the gender".' Savannah and I laughed, and Savannah nodded agreeingly. 'Same thing here, I just had to know,' she giggled. I grinned, 'yeah, first question I'm asking the doctor during the twenty week sonogram.' Bianca smiled, then her face changed into a frown, slowly. 'I'm glad to hear you and the baby are fine, Iris. We were so worried about you, back there in Australia.' My heart skipped a beat, as a few images of Australia flashed before my eyes.
I blinked a few times and took a deep breath, trying not to let it through. 'It's been scary, definitely. Thankfully, we all got back safely,' I said quickly, and smiled, 'and in time for the wedding!' Bianca noticed I didn't want to talk about Australia, so she smiled and changed the topic. 'You make my son so happy, Iris, I can't even thank you enough. I've never seen him smile the way he does since he has you.' 'That's definitely true,' Savannah said agreeingly. 'I didn't know he was still capable of smiling, he'd hardly smiled since dad died.' I frowned, and Bianca shook her head. 'Yes, Jackson's death was incredibly hard on Drake. He felt like his role model was gone, and he was completely lost.'
Her face fell, and her eyes searched Drake inside the tent. Her eyes lit up as she saw him, laughing together with Maxwell and Isabelle. 'I saw the change in his heart when the two of you visited the ranch, two months ago. His smile was genuine, and the way he looks at you…' Bianca paused and smiled at me. 'He'll never leave you, that's for sure.' I felt a lump in my throat as I looked at my husband.
As if he'd felt it, he looked up, caught my eyes and smiled big. I smiled back, and he winked before looking back at Maxwell. 'I love your son so much, Bianca. He'll never leave, I won't either,' I told Bianca, and shook my head. 'I owe him my life… and now we're going to be raising a child together, hopefully.' She smiled lovingly and put her hand on mine. 'Welcome to the family, darlin'.' I smiled big, and felt a blush rise to my cheeks. 'I love being a part of your family.'
After a few more minutes of chatting, I stood up to make my rounds and mingle. Before I could even look around, I felt myself being dragged towards the dance floor. I looked up, and stared into my own eyes. Tim. 'Ready to dance?' He grinned. I chuckled and nodded. 'With my twin? Always.' He smiled at me and reached me his hand. I put mine into it, and we started a slow waltz. 'You look happy, sis,' he said, with a genuine smile on his face. I tilted my head and nodded. 'I'm more than that,' I said, and smiled back.
'Remember what we used to do, when we were really happy about something?' He asked, and spun me around. I chuckled and nodded. 'Of course. We'd sit down on the ground…' I started, and grinned at him. 'Face to face,' he continued. 'Put our feet together…' I went on. 'And wiggle!' He said. We chuckled and looked at each other. 'And then we'd just talk. About everything,' I said softly, and smiled half-heartedly as his face fell slightly. Both of us had been feeling a little distant since Australia. It had only happened a few times before that we'd hardly had an idea of what the other was going through, and this time, Tim seemed to be aching to hear from me.
'You are my best friend, in the entire world,' I said, and felt the well-known lump in my throat resurface when he frowned and swallowed hard. 'You are mine,' he said, and I could hear he had trouble keeping his voice steady. 'I will tell you about Australia, really,' I said softly, and looked up into his eyes, which had gone worried. 'I just…' I took a deep breath. 'It's going to take some time to get over it.' 'I get it.' He kissed my forehead and smiled slightly. 'I loved the donutting Drake's car, by the way. He just knew you were going to pull a stunt, but this went beyond my wildest dreams.' I burst into laughter and shook his head. 'He's been doubting my skills. Had to teach him a lesson.' Tim chuckled, 'your marriage is already one of my favourites.' I giggled, and put my head onto his shoulder. He put his cheek on my head, and we danced like that for a few minutes, until it was almost time for the send-off.
Drake
As soon as it was time for the send-off, I said goodbye to my mother and Savannah, whom I'd been talking to, and I went to search for my wife. I found her, dancing with her brother. I smiled slightly as I caught Tim's eyes. He smiled back and nodded, knowing it was time. I put my hand on Iris' lower back, and leaned towards her ear. 'It's time to go, baby.' She looked up, and she smiled sweetly as she put her hand on my arm. Her smile reminded me of the way she'd smiled as me that first night I met her. She'd smiled so heavenly… it had turned into a memory for me. I could still see her standing there, in the ballroom, telling me that she hoped I'd let someone new in one day. I'd told her she shouldn't count on it… But damn did I let her into my life, and hell… hadn't it been the best decision ever.
Well, decision. It was unstoppable.
We said goodbye to Tim, and I led her towards the exit. 'Can't believe we're going on our honeymoon,' she said happily. I shook my head, and took her hand in mine. 'Damn time, we married three days ago.' She giggled and looked up at me. 'I love you, Drake Walker.' I pulled her close, and kissed her, causing our guests to exult. We laughed and I shook my head. 'I love you, Iris.' Her eyes widened. 'No Valentine? No Walker? Just Iris, that's all I get?' 'I'd go down on one knee again, to give you everything, but we married twice in the past week…' I joked. She laughed, 'fine. Iris is fine.'
I chuckled, and looked into her eyes. 'What?' She asked surprised, and looked around. 'Nothing,' I said, mischievously as I swept her off her feet and lifted her in my arms, bridal style. She shrieked, then laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck. 'Turn around please,' she whispered. I raised my eyebrows as I turned our backs to the crowd. She raised her bouquet, and threw it behind us. I quickly turned around, and saw that Hana had caught it, her cheeks turning red as she looked down at the bouquet. Tim smiled down lovingly, and raised her chin with his finger to kiss her. 'Trust me, you'll get married,' he said. Hana bit her lip, and smiled big as she leaned forward and kissed him.
Emma threw her bouquet, which was caught by Penelope. Penelope had been dating Kiara's brother Ezekiel for only two weeks, so she blushed slightly as he chuckled. 'Let's go,' Iris whispered into my ear, giving me goosebumps. I couldn't wait to have her all to myself for two whole weeks. 'Your wish is my command,' I whispered back, as I looked into her eyes. 'Since when are you this compliant?' She joked. I put her down so she could hug her family, yet quickly whispered in her ear before they could get to her. 'I had to earn it first… right?' She smiled and bit her lip. 'That you'll have to do.'
After having said goodbye to our loved ones, we grabbed our bags and went on our way to Piloude. We'd spend the night at home, before flying out the day after. We said goodbye to Jimmy and Emma in the driveway, hugging each other before getting into our limousines and driving away. I looked at Iris and smiled. She smiled back, but she could hardly keep her eyes open. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her. 'C'mere Valentine.' She nuzzled into my chest and sighed contently. I stroke her hair softly, and smiled down at my wife. Her eyes had already closed, and she was dozing off into my arms. My heart skipped a beat as I thought of all the years we'd yet to have together.
Thank god for Jimmy's choosing period.
This is the end of She Will Be Loved, I hope you've enjoyed my story!
I am working on the sequel which will be up soon, if you hadn't had enough of Drake, Iris, Jimmy and Emma.
Thanks for reading!
