Hey everyone, thank you so so much for all your support on this story. I really do appreciate it and can't thank you enough. I am currently trying to see if I can make a next day chapter (or two) work, but if I can't then this chapter will be the last one. But I have everything crossed that it will work out as I have really enjoyed working on this story and don't want it to end.
But anyway, here's the chapter for you all now..
Enjoy!
Inside the box was a ring, a very special gold ring that had three natural blue sapphires and two diamonds set beside the central sapphire. It also had scroll detailing on the shoulders of the ring too. "It was my grandmothers wedding ring," Joseph said as Clarisse lifted her head to look up at him, "and it was handed down to my father, who gave it to my mother on their wedding day. When she passed away it was left to me, to give to my special someone," he smiled.
"That is a very special heirloom to have," Clarisse nodded and looked back down at it still in the ring box. A sense of sadness washing over her when she realised that he had kept it all these years. Obviously saving it for her.
"It is," he nodded, sensing her sudden sadness, "and if you take it out of the box, you will see it's engraved with the words 'Ti amo per sempre'." He said, hoping to distract her from whatever had made her sad, and watched as she took the ring from the box, to get a better look, "which of course translates to-,"
"I'll love you forever," she said, interrupting him while reading the engraving from inside the ring before smiling up at her husband and placing the box down in her lap.
"Yes, I'll love you forever," he smiled in surprise and studied her face. He had forgotten for a brief moment that she was fluent in Italian, as she was in many other languages, and always found it incredibly sexy when she would reply to him in his native language. Especially when they were in the company of others who had absolutely no idea what they were saying.
"It's such a special meaning," Clarisse said with a twinkle in her eye.
"It is, and with the detailing too," he said and pointed it out to her as she looked back at the ring, "I was told my grandfather chose this ring because it reminded him of a new page of their life together. Their wedding day being the first chapter of a brand new book, so to speak."
"Oh Joseph, that's so romantic," Clarisse exclaimed softly as she looked back up at him and studied his face a moment as he continued to look at the ring.
"Now, I know you already have a ring from today, but it's not technically ours. And you don't have to wear this one, I know with you being a Queen that you have to follow Royal traditions and all that, but I wanted to give it you. My special someone," he said and finally looked up at her, to catch her staring at him and they both smiled at one another.
"I know I have to follow certain traditions, but to hell with them now," Clarisse nodded as she glanced at the ring before looking back up at her husband. "Next week Amelia will become Queen, but today I married you. I became Mrs Joseph Elizondo. Your family and your traditions are apart of my life now and I would be honoured to be able to continue with what your grandfather started."
"Really?" Joseph said in surprise and watched as Clarisse nodded.
"Yes really," she chuckled and leant closer to kiss him a couple times before looking down at her hands and handed him the ring. "Today we start the first chapter of our future together," she said and removed the other ring from her finger, "let's make it amazing."
"Yes, and what an amazing story it's gonna be," he smiled and looked down at his family's ring in his hand, the ring he was about to slip onto his brides finger, "oh god, I just had a thought," he began while looking back up at her. "I don't know if it will fit."
"I'm sure it will," Clarisse said as she placed the other ring that he had placed on her finger when they said their vows earlier that day into the box for safe keeping and put the box onto the coffee table.
"I'm sure it will too, but if it doesn't we can always get it resized," Joseph suggested as he looked back up at her.
"No," Clarisse said with a shake of her head, "if it doesn't fit then I will wear it on a chain instead. Because with it being such a special ring, I wouldn't feel comfortable getting it resized in case it got lost, or ruined," she said, taking his face in her hands, "but I'm positive it will be fine."
"Yes, it will be," he nodded with a smile and leant closer to her, to kiss her before slipping off the edge of the sofa to kneel down on one knee in front of her, as she turned in the seat to face him. Taking her hand in his, Joseph looked down a moment as he held the ring at the tip of her wedding finger before looking back up into her eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes that caused his stomach to somersault and his heart to flutter. "Ti amo per sempre."
Watching him look back down at her hand as he slowly slipped his family heirloom onto her finger, Clarisse's heart swelled with pride. This morning she was heartbroken, lost, that he was going to retire and leave her after all these years, but now, tonight, she was on cloud nine. She was married. To him. The only man she had ever really loved and she couldn't be happier.
And she couldn't wait to see what the future held for them.
"Ti amo per sempre," she whispered softly and moved in closer to him still kneeling before her, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she tilted her head ever so slightly, closed her eyes and pressed her soft lips to his.
As the kiss intensified between them, stirring their desire for one another even more, Joseph put one hand down on the side of her thigh and his other up to cup the side of her head before breaking the kiss a moment later and resting his forehead against hers. "Has that got really hot in here, or is it just me?" He asked and they both laughed.
"It has a bit, yes," Clarisse smiled, her cheeks flushed as Joseph pulled back just enough to look into his sparkling eyes.
"I think we need to slow it down a tad, or I won't be able to concentrate on surprise number five," Joseph said while cupping her face and brushing his thumb gently over her red, swollen lips before leaning closer and kissing her once again as she placed her hands on his chest. "Nope, I need to stop," he said, pulling back once again and quickly clambered to his feet. "Give me a minute to set up your next surprise."
Biting her bottom lip, Clarisse smoothed her hands up and down the tops of her thighs a couple times as she watched him remove his jacket and lay it down over hers draped over the arm of the settee before walking across the room to where the CD player was located. "Are you okay?" She asked nervously.
"Yes," he nodded and twisted his body to look over at her, flashing her his gorgeous smile. "Are you?"
"I'm fine too," she nodded, her heart beating wildly in her chest. But the truth was, she was incredibly nervous. It had been many years since she was last intimate with her first husband, long long before he passed away, but whenever they had shared a moment together, or shared their bed, it had never spiked the feelings, the desire, that she was feeling right now.
"Good," he nodded, "I won't be a minute."
"Ok," Clarisse nodded while reaching out for her glass of champagne on the coffee table and took a hearty gulp of it as her stomach somersaulted. As if she had just remembered all over again that it was their wedding night.
As the song began to play a moment later, Joseph turned back to Clarisse placing her now empty glass back down on the coffee table and put her hands on her knees while looking up at him. "May I have this dance?"
Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, Clarisse heard what song was playing and nodded. "You may," she smiled and slowly rose to her feet as Joseph walked back over to her and held out his hand to her.
Taking her hand in his, Joseph gently pulled her closer to his body and wrapped his free arm around her waist, placing his hand on her back, as they began to sway slowly in time to the song playing. "I always imagined that this would be the song we would dance to as our first dance together as husband and wife," he smiled as she snaked her free arm around his shoulder, placing her hand on the back of his neck.
"Me too," she agreed and closed her eyes as he rested the side of his head against hers. The both of them getting caught up in the words of the song a moment before Joseph stepped back and raised their hands in the air, inviting her to twirl under them before pulling her back to him, making her laugh as he wrapped both of his arms around her waist, holding her against him. "Is it just me, or does this feel even more real now?"
"How do you mean?" Joseph asked and raised his eyebrow.
"Well since you have given me this ring, and us sharing this dance to this song," Clarisse said as she snaked her arms around his neck, "something that we couldn't do at the reception. I don't know, it just feels more real now."
"Oh, I understand what you mean," Joseph said after contemplating what she had said and smiled. "It does feel more real now, you're right."
Smiling, Clarisse looked up into her husbands eyes a moment. "And this is definitely our song."
"I'm glad you said that because I thought so too," he smiled and kissed her a couple times before looking back into her eyes. "I have a confession to make."
"Oh you do?" She teased and smiled as she smoothed one of her hands to the back of his head as they continued to sway together, even though it had now changed to a different song, "and what's that then?"
"Well this is the first night of the rest of our life's together, I want it to be beautiful, I want it to be perfect," Joseph said while smoothing his hands up her back as they stopped swaying and stood completely still, "I want it to be special, but I'm that nervous, I'm terrified I'm going to mess it up."
"Honestly, I'm nervous too," Clarisse said while smoothing her hands from his back and over his shoulders to cup his face in them as they gazed into each other's eyes. "But I know that we will both be fine as long as we are patient with ourselves, and each other, and remember not to rush because our first time definitely won't be our last time." She smiled brazenly.
"You're right," he smiled, feeling a bit better about the situation. "You always know the right thing to say."
"Of course I do, I'm the Queen," she said and they both laughed as she once again wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've had a lot of practice saying the right thing."
"That's true," he laughed while smoothing his hands back down her back as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes.
"Shall we go upstairs now?" She smiled and glanced down at his lips while licking her own.
"Only if you feel ready too," he smiled and smoothed his hands from her back onto her sides, "I don't want you to feel like you have to just because it's our wedding night."
With that, Clarisse reached up to kiss him just once before stepping back and turning to walk out of the living room and across the entrance hall to the bottom of the stairs where she stopped for a brief moment, to kick off her shoes, before looking over her shoulder at her husband still standing in the living room and slowly starting to ascend the staircase.
Laughing to himself, Joseph watched as she disappeared out of sight before hurrying over to turn off the CD player and following her up to the master bedroom, where they would be spending their first night together as husband and wife. Getting to know one another a bit more intimately now that they were finally married.
Thoughts? Please do let me know what you think :) it's always appreciated.
Thank you x
