A/N I just thought that I'd let you know that there are about 10 more chapters until the end of this story. I'm going away for the weekend and then for about a month at the end of next week and I'm not sure whether I should start posting twice a day on some days to get it finished or whether I should just wait until I return to finish it off. Does anyone have any particular preferences? Let me know. Thanks. ;-)

The detour

Ryan booked into a small family run hotel on the waters edge. There were far grander establishments around but they were still keen to stick to something small and intimate. He knew that Marissa was still a little freaked out about the thought of the paparazzi upsetting their honeymoon and so he asked if it was possible to get a meal delivered to their room explaining that his travelling companion was not feeling well.

Marissa had stayed in the car and she was hoping that there would be some way for her to get to their room without being seen. She knew that she spent much too much time working on shoots for Italian designers to think that she would go unrecognised for long if she was out in public in places like this.

While Ryan had been inside making the reservation she had taken the opportunity to quickly call Cathy and tell her about the change of plans. Cathy had been horrified. She still had things that she'd wanted Marissa's final word on but Marissa told her to just go ahead and that what ever she decided would be fine. It crossed her mind to tell Cathy to talk to Summer but knowing how hard Summer found making any decision to do with weddings, she decided that Cathy would be better off on her own. Marissa ran the other options over in her mind. Emma was going to be arriving too late to be of any help, Cathy needed to know before then, but maybe Kirsten would help she suggested? The only other possibility Marissa wasn't prepared to mention. Julie had given up the right to play any part in the planning of Marissa's wedding when she'd lied to them both. When Marissa saw Ryan returning to the car she quickly told Cathy to just go ahead and do whatever she thought best. She just hoped that everything would end up going according to plan.

Marissa was delighted that Ryan had managed to get a room that had an external entry and they could pull the car up beside the room. It was a small apartment on the ground level and opened out directly onto the lakefront. They settled in to the room and opened a bottle of champagne and sat and watched the last remnants of the sunset over the lake. The clouds had now completely disappeared and it was truly magical.

After the sun was finally gone and the darkness had settled in, Ryan stood up and took Marissa by the hand leading her back to the large four poster bed that dominated the room and then he turned and silently started to unbutton her blouse.

Marissa smiled but followed suit and started on his buttons as well.

Ryan had been expecting some reticence on her part but he realised that he should have known better. "This is just a quickie before dinner." He explained. "It's just that you did tell me that doing it in Italy was even better than doing in France and I've been thinking about it ever since we crossed the border."

Marissa grinned. "That's a few hours ago."

"You're telling me?" Ryan said making sure that she appreciated just how preoccupied he'd become by the thought.

She laughed. "So no pressure to perform?" she asked rhetorically.

"No pressure." He replied as he divested her of the rest her clothes and then quickly dropped his pants to join her on the bed.

Marissa laughed out loud. "Did you know that I love you?"

Ryan pulled back a little surprised. It seemed that they tended to show one another how they felt more than actually state it. "I did have that suspicion." He said as his lips met hers and he started to work his magic on her. Soon all coherent thought was impossible as they lost themselves in one another again.

---

Some time later Marissa was collapsed on top of Ryan her breathing still ragged as she tried to regain some control and she could finally manage to say what she'd been about to say when he'd started to work his magic on her and caused her to completely lose her train of thought. "You know …" she panted. "I was hoping that you might return the sentiment." She prompted.

"What?" Ryan said. He was also trying to come back to earth and he had no idea what she was talking about.

Marissa took a deep steadying breath and started again. "I said I love you and I was sort of hoping that you might say that you love me too?" she prompted.

Marissa could feel Ryan starting to move beneath her; the small tremors getting larger as it started to build to a chuckle. He was still inside her and the feeling while not unpleasant was also quite unusual. She sat back up on top of him as he started to laugh out loud.

"I don't see what's so funny?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry. But you have no idea how hard I worked at NOT saying it." He explained.

"What do you mean? Why don't you want to say it? Don't you mean it?" she asked completely bewildered by his behaviour.

"Of course I do. But there was a point … just a short time ago when I was completely lost inside you and I had a flash of that guy in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" when his wife was on top of him still in her wedding gown and he's yelling out at the top of his voice. 'I … love … my … wife.' That was about to be me. But I was scared that if I opened my mouth that they would hear me in Venice." He explained.

"Oh." Marissa replied a little embarrassed now that it all made sense. "So you weren't disappointed in the Italian version?"

"Oh no. In fact …I'm thinking that we should never leave." He replied.

Marissa panicked. He couldn't do this to her again. "Oh yes we are. And early in the morning or you'll never get the Italian version again." She threatened.

Ryan looked at her in horror at her threat. "Does it still work in Venice?' Ryan asked.

"Of course. It's even better." Marissa teased.

He smiled. "Not possible. But then I thought that when you told me that Italy would be better than France and you proved me wrong so I'm willing to check it out."

Marissa laughed.

"But I'd better call up and order more dinner. I can see that what I asked for will be no where near enough to keep up my strength." Ryan remarked.

"Why do you think that Italians eat all that pasta. It's for the carbs. They need the energy to increase their staying power." She explained.

"Staying power hey?" Ryan quizzed. "Just what I need. More pasta coming up."

---

Cathy put the phone down from Marissa and instantly called out to Tony to come and take over the front desk. She had been holding the fort down not prepared to leave the desk for anything because she had been waiting for Ryan and Marissa to arrive but there was no need anymore. They wouldn't be here until tomorrow.

She'd wanted to check out for herself this guy that had finally won over her friend's heart; suspecting all along that he was the guy that Marissa had occasionally spoken to her about. Marissa had never revealed very much but whenever Cathy had asked her about her love life or dreams of falling in love and starting a family Marissa always just changed the subject saying that there had been someone special once but that it was over and that she didn't think that she'd ever find anyone else to replace him. Cathy could only think that he must be quite some guy and if the stories and photos that had been in the papers and magazines recently were anything to go by then he obviously was.

But she was going to have to wait another day to find out. What was important now was that she get the final arrangements all sorted out. She decided that even though she could make the decisions herself that she would rather not and so she would take Marissa's advice and go and talk to Kirsten. She had arranged for all the other guests to stay at a small hotel run by some friends of hers that was only a few minutes away. And so as soon as Tony had taken over from her she quickly excused herself and headed off there hoping to get the advice that she needed.