Returning to her suite after she'd done her makeup once again, Clarisse found Joseph still stood where she had left him, only now he was talking to Pierre and Nicholas, while Mia had moved over to the sofa with Lilly. "Ah, here you are," Joseph smiled when he spotted her walking over to them and grabbed a fresh glass of champagne from the cake table for her. "I have a drink for you."
"Lovely, thank you," Clarisse smiled as she took the glass from him with one hand while reaching her other hand out to his side as he stepped closer to her.
"Are you okay?" Joseph asked and kissed her cheek as she took a sip of her champagne.
"I am," she nodded and lowered her glass, her arm slipping around his back, as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Where's Charlotte gone?"
"She's gone to fetch a vase for your bridal bouquet," Pierre replied and looked up at the door as she returned. "And she's just walked through the door now."
"Where would you like me to put your beautiful flowers, Your Majesty?" Charlotte asked as she made her way over to them.
"I would love them on my bedside table please, that way I will see them when I wake up in the morning," Clarisse smiled as Joseph leant to one side and removed his arm from around her shoulders.
"That's a lovely idea," Charlotte smiled as Joseph held out his free hand to her.
"I'll take them, Charlotte," Joseph smiled, taking them from her and handed her his glass. "You've done enough today."
"Are you sure?" Charlotte asked. "I don't mind."
"Absolutely," he smiled at her then at Clarisse before turning and making his way over to the bedroom door, "I won't be a minute."
"Where's grandpa going?" Mia asked as she and Lilly made their way over to them.
"Oh, he's just putting my bridal bouquet in the bedroom," Clarisse smiled as she looked at her granddaughter.
"Ahh okay, when he gets back then we will do the cake," Mia smiled as she looked at her grandmother. "Are you feeling better now?"
"I am, and as long as no one else makes me cry tonight, I'll be just fine," Clarisse smiled and put her arm around her granddaughters shoulders and pulled her closer for a quick hug.
"Sorry grandma," Mia said as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother's waist.
"It's fine, sweetheart," Clarisse said and kissed the side of her head before looking up at her husband as he returned to the suite.
"Right, shall we get this cake cut?" Joseph smiled and took his champagne glass back from Charlotte, "thank you, Charlotte," he said and watched as she bowed her head in acknowledgement.
"Absolutely, yes," Mia smiled and stepped back from her grandmother as everyone made their way closer to the table.
"It's such a beautiful cake though, how it's all arranged, it seems a shame we got to cut it," she said as she glanced over at the cake.
"I know," Mia smiled. "But it's gonna taste even better, and I have it on good authority that it will taste delicious," she laughed and turned to her grandmother.
"I love a good cake," Joseph smiled as he came up behind Clarisse and put his free hand out onto her side.
"Me too," Clarisse agreed and turned her head to the side to smile at her husband over her shoulder before looking back at her granddaughter. "Okay, sweetheart, where do we need to stand?" She asked as Charlotte took her and Joseph's drinks from them.
"Just here," Mia smiled as she pointed to where they needed to be and watched as they moved there. With Joseph standing slightly to Clarisse's side. "Remember, Lilly will be taking pictures, so no cake fights okay? Although it would be a funny memory for us all to look back on and tell future generations all about," she laughed, now pondering the idea.
"Now, there's an idea," Joseph said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and watched as Clarisse gasped and spun around to him. "I'm joking," he laughed and held up his hands while leaning closer to her, "as if I would have a cake fight with you, my love."
"Hmm, makes me wonder," Clarisse smiled coyly and slowly turned back around so her back was to him once again and picked up the cake knife from the table as he laughed and placed a hand on her lower back.
"Alright, no cake fights then," Mia said, ruling the idea out, as everyone laughed.
"No Amelia, there will be no cake fights today," Clarisse said, glancing at her granddaughter before looking back at the cake and bit her bottom lip as Joseph smoothed his hand from her back to her hip as he stepped even closer to her.
"Okay, duly noted, grandma," Mia nodded with a laugh. "So, anyway moving on… I've been told that the symbolism of cutting the wedding cake is that the hand of the groom is placed over the bride's, to show his support and as a promise to always take care of her and their future together." Mia said with a smile as both Clarisse and Joseph looked back at her.
"I always have," Joseph said and smiled, his tummy fluttering as Clarisse leant back against him, "and I always will."
"We know you will," Pierre smiled and watched as both his mother and Joseph turned to look at him.
"Yes we do," Mia agreed and smiled. "Okay now, let's do this."
"Okay," Joseph smiled as they once again took their positions and he gently placed his hand lovingly over Clarisse's hand holding the cake knife, his other hand still resting on her hip.
Once the cake had been cut and everyone served a slice, they all moved back over to the seating area to sit and enjoy the cake. "Mmm, Mia," Clarisse said as she looked up at her granddaughter from where she sat on the edge of the sofa with her legs turned to the side, a knee resting against Joseph's leg, and a foot tucked behind her ankle. "This cake is absolutely delicious."
"Mhmm, I agree," Joseph said, nodding as he popped another bit in his mouth.
"See, I told you it would taste better," Mia laughed and watched her grandmother put another small bit in her mouth before putting her fork down on the plate resting on her legs and reaching forward to pick up her drink from the coffee table as Joseph leant closer to her.
"I might consider it if we were alone, but certainly not in front of everyone," he whispered softly in her ear and pulled back to study her face.
"What do you mean? Consider what," she asked quietly and sipped her champagne as he once again leant closer to whisper in her ear.
"A cake fight… that way I could lick every last bit of you," he smirked and pulled back as a breath hitched in her throat at the idea of him doing just that. An idea she found quite erotic. Something she would never have thought before marrying him.
"Grandma," Mia said and watched as she placed her glass back down on the coffee table before slowly looking up at her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh yes," Clarisse nodded and placed her hand on her flushed chest as Joseph chuckled beside her. "I'm fine."
"Good," Mia smiled and averted her gaze to Joseph, watching him lean closer to her grandmother once again while wrapping his arm around her back as she turned her head to look at him before they shared a quick, but loving kiss with his hand up under her chin. Smiling, she looked away, giving them their privacy.
"That was rather tasty," Pierre said several moments later as he placed his now empty plate on the coffee table and sat back in the armchair he was sitting in and looked over at his mother. "Are you going to have a honeymoon?"
"We will be eventually, yes," Clarisse said as she placed her empty plate on the coffee table too. "Once things have calmed down and Mia's settled as Queen."
"Do you know where you're going to go? Or would like to go," Pierre smiled.
"I haven't given it much thought, not yet at least," Clarisse smiled and looked at her husband sitting back against the cushions beside her. His hand smoothing back and forth across the bottom of her back. "All I know is that it will be somewhere nice and warm, and where we can just relax."
"With a nice cold beer," Joseph added with a laugh.
"Sounds like a good plan," Pierre smiled, knowing how hard they have both worked over the years.
"I have thought about it," Joseph said and glanced across at Pierre before looking back at Clarisse. "A lot today actually."
"Have you?" Clarisse asked in surprise and put her hand down on his thigh as he sat back up straight beside her.
"I have yes," Joseph nodded. "I would love to take you to Puerto Rico. Show you a bit of my history and where my grandparents came from. And to meet some of my family, especially my sisters. Well, you have already met Valentina and her husband when they visited Genovia a few years back, but you haven't met Juana. Or their families."
"Aww, that will be lovely," Mia smiled as she watched her grandparents for a moment. "And Puerto Rico is exotic too, so you'll definitely be able to relax there, grandma. Get a nice tan and all."
"Yes it is," Joseph smiled and looked to Clarisse.
"Is it okay that I'm a little bit jealous?" Lilly asked and everyone laughed.
"I know I was just thinking that too," Mia laughed.
"Maybe we could all go together sometime," Joseph smiled before realising what he had said. "But just not this time. This time is just for me and your grandmother," he quickly exclaimed and smirked as everyone laughed at his mistake.
"Yeah, grandpa, no offence and all, and as much as I would love it if we all went, I would rather not go on your honeymoon with you both," Mia said, pulling a funny face at the thought, knowing full well what a honeymoon entails, as everyone laughed and Clarisse slumped back against the arm of the sofa, laughing and covering her face in her hands. A blush creeping over her face.
"Yes, I would rather you didn't either," Joseph chuckled as he looked at Clarisse beside him before looking back at Mia. "But we can definitely arrange it with security to go another time."
"Yeah, definitely," Mia nodded with a smile. "Sounds great."
"There's us talking about it being our honeymoon, I'm just hoping your grandmother would like to go there with me now," Joseph said as he looked at Mia, then turned his head to look back at Clarisse. "She might not want to."
"I would love to go there with you, yes," Clarisse smiled as she sat back up and leant noticeably closer to him.
"There's a place I visited before, we can stay there, it's very private and it has a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the ocean," he said looking at Clarisse and smiling as she put her hand back on his thigh. "I can just see you swimming in there. My gorgeous wife finally relaxed with the sun on her beautifully tanned, freckled bod…. shoulders. On her freckled shoulders." He laughed and shook his head.
"Mmm," Clarisse smiled, trying not to laugh at his near slip-up, "sounds very romantic."
"Oh, it is," Joseph nodded as he moved his face closer to whisper in her ear, "and I can't wait to share it all with you. Walking hand in hand on the beach at sunset and making love every day."
"Well, then," Clarisse said, perhaps a little to enthusiastically, as a breath hitched in her throat, and looked at her granddaughter. "Looks like we are going to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon when you are settled then."
"Sounds heavenly, grandma," Mia smiled and watched Joseph lean closer to kiss her grandmother's cheek as she blushed.
"Oh, I just remembered something," Pierre said and got to his feet, glancing around the room as everyone looked at him. "I got you both something while I was in town this morning."
"Oh Pierre, you didn't have to do that," Clarisse said as she watched her son looking around the room.
"I know, but I wanted to," Pierre replied as he briefly looked up at her before looking back around the room. "I just need to find the bag they were in."
"You didn't bring anything with you when you came earlier uncle Pierre," Mia said as he stopped and looked across at her.
"I must have left it in my suite then, give me a couple of minutes and I'll run grab them," Pierre smiled, making his way across the suite and out the door.
Thoughts? Please do let me know, it's much appreciated :) thank you!