Chapter 63
"I'm not going to give some sappy speech. Jason, brother, you are a man of honor and respect. Elizabeth you are the epitome of grace and courage. Your love for each other should be shown as an example for the rest of us… an example of what we all need to strive for ourselves and our own relationships. To Jason and Elizabeth, perfectly in love. Salud." Sonny wished them and raised his glass as did the other guests.
He motioned to Emily and sat. Emily stood and raised her glass, "I must brag that I think I am your biggest cheerleader. I have seen what the two of you have for so long, at first you fought it… maybe out of fear, or stubbornness, or maybe just plain ignorance. As Elizabeth recently said at my wedding, there is this unseen force that draw you together, it always has… in good times and bad, never deny that. Jason, everything Sonny said is true, you are honorable, respectful, selfless, a wonderful father and the best brother I could have ever asked for. Elizabeth, you are beauty, grace, a terrific mother and have been the best, most caring friend… and now sister, well sister-in-law… same thing. Jason and Elizabeth, words cannot express how grateful I am for everything you both have done for me and how you have both helped me through so many hard times in my life. I am thankful that you have both found a love so great in each other that the rest of us are jealous when you even look at each other. To the Morgans, we love you."
Emily raised her glass, sipped it then went over and hugged Jason and Elizabeth. Elizabeth sat and took in her surroundings. The guests all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The patio was beautiful. Fireplaces crackled and produced a wonderful glow, a cool breeze would blow and be quickly warmed by the towering heaters. Small white lights hung from above, each with small crystals dangling that reflected the light from the fireplace which made them sparkle like diamonds. It was perfect and romantic, exactly what Elizabeth wanted.
Jason squeezed her hand under the table and whispered in her ear. His breath on her ear gave her chills, something he noticed and repeated, enjoying her reaction. He continued whispering in her ear, he told her how beautiful she was, he thanked her for marrying him and he told her that he couldn't wait to get her alone. His hand moved from hers and rested on her thigh as the waiters served their meal. He smiled when he saw that it was chicken picante, the meal she had cooked for him.
Once they finished eating they talked to the guests for a short time before Jason took her hand and pulled her to the small area reserved for dancing. There was no disk jockey, just a simple string band. She wrapped one arm around his neck and rested the other on his chest. He snaked an arm around her waist and the other brushed up and down her back. She tugged at his neck and he bent to brush a light kiss on her lips then began to sway.
"Jason?" she whispered. He moved his eyes to meet hers. "Thank you for my earrings."
"You, my wife, are welcome." He said and planted a kiss on her forehead.
She smiled, "I like the sound of that. Thank you for this too."
"For what?"
"This, the perfect wedding." She answered.
He shook his head, "No, you did this. I should be thanking you."
"Well you paid for it." She laughed.
"Money is just paper, it does not even compare to you and how you make me feel. It was worth every penny to see you walk down that aisle. I cannot even put into words how I felt the moment I saw you." Jason's hands cupped her face and his lips moved over hers. The kiss was soft and full of emotion. He pressed his forehead against hers, "I love you so much."
"I love you too." She replied in a whisper. She opened her mouth to speak but lost her words when her eyes met his. Their sway continued as they were locked in their own moment, alone, just the two of them. For the next few minutes no one else existed. They didn't hear the random conversations going on around them nor did they hear Jake whining when his bottle dropped on the floor.
When they finally moved from the dance floor, Carly approached them.
"Elizabeth, can I talk to you for a minute?" Carly asked.
Jason sternly glanced at Carly which she brushed off when Elizabeth followed her to an area that would allow them privacy.
Elizabeth waited impatiently for Carly to speak and hound her again. Surprisingly the conversation was exactly the opposite. "Look Elizabeth, I don't like you and you don't like me. I know that we agree on that. But… we both love Jason. I do see that you love him. Anyway, what I am asking for is a truce. I'm not saying that I want to have friends or go shopping together or anything. I promise I will not instigate a fight with you if you promise to do the same."
Elizabeth's eyes widened, "Wow, Carly. How mature of you."
"Don't start Lizzie… agree?" she asked, extending her hand to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stood for a minute before taking Carly's hand. "For the record, it's not that I don't like you… it is the meddling. As long as you don't meddle then we have a truce… for Jason's sake."
Carly rolled her eyes and turned to walk away but stopped and turned back toward Elizabeth. "By the way, congratulations on the baby."
Elizabeth stood stunned as she watched Carly walk away. Maybe things would get better between her and Carly but she knew that she needed to take Carly's promise with a grain of salt. She caught Jason's eyes on her from across the room. He was talking to Sonny but kept glancing her way to be sure her conversation with Carly did not turn into an argument. Dealing with Carly was worth it, she would even be nice to her if it made Jason happy.
A little over an hour later the guests began to depart the reception. Cameron kept rubbing his eyes and Jake was already sleeping when Audrey packed them up to leave. Elizabeth and Jason kissed them goodbye. Jason had pulled Audrey aside earlier and gone over the final details about the trip. Elizabeth was still unaware of Jason's plans which made him excited to surprise her.
Once Audrey left with the boys Jason held Elizabeth in the Livingroom while she cried. She promised him that she wanted to go away with him and that she would be ok when he offered to put off the trip.
Finally Emily and Nicholas were the last of the guests to leave. Once she shut the door, Elizabeth turned to Jason.
"So, husband, are you going to tell me where we are going now? I'd really like to be prepared… as far as packing is concerned."
Jason walked toward her shaking his head, "Nope, nice try though. You aren't going to know till we get there. You don't need to be prepared, we can buy whatever you need." He looked at his watch, "Actually we'd better get changed or we are going to be late. We have about twenty minutes to get on our way to the airport."
When he got close to her she backed away and pulled at the bottom of her dress to climb the steps. "Only twenty minutes huh?"
Quickly his arms swept under her knees and behind her back, he lifted her and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. He placed her on the floor and tipped her head for her eyes to meet his, "You know, we may be in a rush now, but…" he kissed her nose, "We have a long flight… with just me and you."
Her face flushed and she chewed on her bottom lip. "Well if we are in a big rush, it would be a lot quicker if you help me get out of this dress. There are so many buttons down the back, it is agonizing for me to reach each one."
He reached and began working the buttons, there had to be at least twenty five of them Jason thought. "And it is even more agonizing for me…" he said as the dress dropped to the floor, "To see you…" he swallowed at the sight of her stripping off her bra and panties. "Jesus."
She swayed across the room naked. She opened some drawers and removed a few articles of clothing, choosing to take her time for the process. She pulled on a t-shirt and pair of cotton pants. Jason took note that she did not put anything on under them. "Are you going to get changed Mr. Morgan? I thought we were in a rush."
"How do you expect me to function when you are teasing me like that?"
Digging through her drawers again, she rolled her eyes and smiled, "I don't know what you are talking about."
She turned around and stumbled into him. She did not hear him come up behind her. He leaned in and kissed her but as soon as he tried to deepen the kiss she pushed him away. "Come on, we need to get moving if we are going to make it in time for this long flight you promised me."
Fifteen minutes later they were loading themselves and their bags into the limo. The drive to the airport was mostly silent. Elizabeth cuddled into his side and listened to the calming sound of his heartbeat. It was such a simple sound, everyone everywhere in the world had one yet his was different because it was hers.
She lifted her head and caught his eyes, "Thank you Jason."
He smiled, "And what are you thanking me for now?"
"Everything… this, us, but mostly…" she rested her head back on his side to hear his heartbeat again, "Thank you for saving me."
The end!
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Thank you all for the wonderful feedback throughout the story. It has motivated me so much. This was my first fic so thank you for being so great through it all! I love you guys too!
I tried adding a link here for the new story but it will not allow me to. I have created it and it is called They went for it.
I will try to get a few chapters posted shortly!
