-Tommy-
Tommy watched as the sun slowly began to creep in through the curtains of his hotel room at the Midland. The ray of rare January sunshine inched its way across the room until it eventually met his eyes, and he had to squint to block out the harsh light. He'd barely slept all night, despite having drunk enough to inebriate himself. The thought of the day ahead had kept his heart pounding nervously in his chest that it had made it almost impossible. He hadn't been anywhere near this nervous when he'd married Grace, and it wasn't as though that day had been a walk in the park.
I wonder if Maddie is as nervous as I am…
Tommy had pondered this repeatedly as he lay awake in the hotel bed, longing for Maddie to be by his side so he could ask her just that. He doubted that she would be as terrified as he was, she was a slayer for fucks sake, there were much scarier things in her world than a damn wedding.
He glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was after seven and was finally time to get up and get ready for the most important day of his life. With a huff he sat up on the bed and reached for his cigarettes on the bedside table, refusing to do anything else before a much-needed smoke. He let the fumes settle his racing heart before finally getting up and walking into the bathroom. As he shaved the stubble that was starting to show on his face, Tommy tried his best to let the mundane act distract him from the thoughts rattling in his head. Did she really want to marry him? A gangster and a racketeer? Would the wedding go smoothly and not have any unwanted guests like his last wedding did? Would their marriage work? A slayer and a Peaky Blinder? Was it wishful thinking that this partnership would end in any other way than tragedy?
Tommy huffed angrily through his nose and pinched it before harshly swishing his razor in the water in the sink to wash the shaving cream away before returning to his task resolutely. His face was only half shaved with time rapidly dwindling away. He was never late and today definitely wasn't the day to try his hand at tardiness. Once washed and groomed, he returned to the bedroom and laid out his suit on the bed to begin dressing.
She loves you, he thought to himself, and that's all that matters. For better or for worse.
He let a small smile tug his lips up. Those iconic words had a whole other dimension and meaning when it came to him and Maddie, and he now found he respected that tenet of marriage a little bit more than he had before. It helped to finally calm his stuttering heart somewhat and he let himself sigh with relief.
For better or for worse, he and Maddie would soon be bound together forever, and he was more than ready for that.
-Maddie-
A soft knock on the door woke Maddie, her sleepiness initially making her forget what day it was before her memory returned and she sat upright with a start.
It's here. Her wedding day. The day she never thought she would have. After today, her life would be changed forever.
Mrs Madeline Shelby…
The thought made her both shudder and smile at the same time as another slightly louder knock pulled her from her daze.
'Come in,' she called, and the door opened and Ada stepped into the room in her dressing gown, switching the light on and making Maddie squint.
'You ready, Mads?' asked Ada, a soft smile on her lips.
Maddie swallowed thickly but nodded confidently. 'Let's do this.'
After getting a much-needed hot bath, the woman all gathered in the bedroom to help Maddie get ready. The lot of them bustling about like hens as they prepared her hair, make-up and dress. They had all awoken early to get ready first so they could focus on making her as beautiful as possible, but all she could think of was how beautiful all of them looked. Her bridesmaids looked like gorgeous bronze statues in their copper dresses and Maddie couldn't help but admire them in awe. There was no way that she was going to compare to their beauty, so classy and sexy. She felt sure she was going to be one of those brides that paled in comparison to her bridesmaids and hoped that Ada and the others could work some miracles with make-up.
As the women laughed and hurried about her as she sat obediently in the chair that Annie had told her to sit in, she couldn't stop her heart from starting to patter more and more. God, did she hope that today would go as perfectly and without a hitch as she dreamed it would. Her track record of social events going smoothly since she travelled back in time wasn't exactly good. In fact, it was at exactly zero and this realisation made her swallow thickly and wring her hands together in her lap.
Please, she begged to herself silently, please don't let there be any big bads or bitchy aristocrats to deal with today.
Maddie took a deep breath and tried to picture Tommy. She visualised his handsome face watching her as she walked down the aisle toward him. His body radiating its usual confident yet quiet and unassuming air that invited her in with ease. She loved him. She loved him so fucking much that it hurt her chest to think about being without him. She knew that their marriage was going to be filled with challenges. Their time together already had taught her that. But it had also shown her that they could get though anything. For better or for worse.
Ha, so that's what that means…
Maddie chuckled to herself as she figured out what the phrase meant, making Ada look at her perplexed as she pinned her hair into place.
'What are you laughing about?' she asked.
'Oh, nothing,' replied Maddie with a smile. 'I guess I'm just getting excited now.'
'You should be, this is going to be the most wonderful day of your life,' said Ada as she squeezed Maddie's shoulder reassuringly.
Despite the many pairs of hands that helped her get ready, the process still took over an hour before Ada was satisfied that Maddie was ready, leaving minimal time for them to get to the church on time. The guests were probably already there and waiting along with Tommy and the rest of the family. Was he nervous? As nervous as she was? Maybe she would never find out. He was so good at hiding his emotions after all. Despite the pressure on them for time, the women made Maddie shut her eyes before walking her over to the mirror so she could finally see the result of their hard work.
When she opened her eyes and her gaze landed on her reflection, Maddie gasped audibly and blinked twice to make sure she wasn't looking at some kind of magical glamour. She looked breath-taking. So much more beautiful that she ever thought possible. Her skin looked soft and for once not marked with any bruises or cuts. Her freckles stood out attractively and her blue eyes shone like lamps. The white dress hugged her perfectly and helped to make the auburn tinge in her hair stand out attractively. The finishing touches of red lipstick and red nail polish gave the look the final bold statement it needed. Not to mention her engagement ring glistening from her finger matching her outfit perfectly.
'What do you think?' asked Annie eagerly, her eyes shining knowingly as she also admired Maddie's reflection with pride.
'I…' stuttered Maddie, making Annie and the others smirk. 'It's perfect. More perfect than I could have ever hoped for.'
'You'll turn all the heads today my love,' smiled Pol. 'I can't wait to see Tommy's face when he sees you.'
The rest of the women chuckled and smirked in satisfaction, all very proud of their handiwork and Maddie smirked along with them. Tommy was going to get the surprise of his life, that's for sure.
Maddie had decided early in the wedding planning that she wanted to partake in the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue and Ada had been all too happy to help this become a reality. Maddie thought she had been familiar with the phrase until she learned it also included a sixpence in her shoe, which Pol had slipped into the sole of her left shoe before putting it on. Her dress was the new item and Pol had gifted an old ribbon to use as a headband. Ada had lent Maddie a fine pair of earrings and Esme and Linda had bought a pair of pale blue gloves for her to wear.
It was perfect. Everything was perfect.
'The carriage is here,' announced Ada as the women finished off making tiny adjustments to Maddie's outfit.
A sudden wash of nerves rippled through Maddie, and she felt her spine shiver as Ada spoke. She swallowed and let out a shaky breath as Annie game over and pinned the last item, the lace veil, into her hair and pulled it down to cover her face.
This is it slayer… you're about to be married.
-Tommy-
Tommy remained silent and stoic in the car as he drove him and his brothers to the church in the village as the rest of his bachelor attendees followed in the cars behind. Arthur had offered to drive but he had dismissed his offer. He needed the task of driving to distract him from his thoughts. He had managed to shake away the thoughts of what could go wrong today but nevertheless, he was still nervous to see Maddie. He had only dreamt about how beautiful she was no doubt going to look and he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to keep his composure when he finally laid eyes on her.
John, Arthur and Finn were chatting and laughing raucously in the car. The din for once providing a useful wash of white noise that was preferable to the silence he usually liked so much. They were discussing the events of the previous evening with fervour. Laughing like schoolboys at the stupid things they had done including making speeches whilst stood on the bar and breaking far too many items of glassware that Tommy had to pay the hotel manager a sizeable sum to not kick them out.
As should have been expected, John had hired a dancer to entertain them at one point in the evening. The young attractive woman had entered the private snug they had hired initially dressed in an attractive fur coat and ended it in nothing but her earrings. Tommy had initially let himself look at the naked woman as she danced for them, remembering that Maddie had given him permission to do so but he found the act uncomfortable and resided to looking away and let the other men enjoy her performance. However, the woman soon started dancing closer to them and even encouraged them to touch her as she did so which most of the men did eagerly. At that point, Tommy took the opportunity to leave the room as quickly as possible without looking conspicuous and went to the bar. A minute later, Zach had joined him looking rather red and flustered and had obviously chosen to escape as well, being the only one who was finding the experience more uncomfortable than Tommy was.
Despite this event, the rest of the night had been surprisingly enjoyable. He had never been one for engaging in traditional rituals like bachelor events, but even he admitted it helped him to let off some much-needed steam before the wedding.
'How are you feeling brother?' asked Arthur next to him during a brief lull in their raucous conversation.
Tommy tensed his jaw and gripped the steering wheel tighter. 'Fine,' he answered flatly.
He felt Arthur's gaze linger on him for a few seconds before he heard him grunt in response before deciding not to probe and he carried on his conversation with the others.
As they approached the village outside of Arrow House, Tommy felt his heart begin to pick up pace again in anticipation. He soon pulled up to the church where he saw the numerous guests gathered outside waiting. As soon as they got out of the car, it didn't take long for the guests to start greeting them and Tommy engaged in the tedious small talk as pleasantly as he could in the hope it would make the time pass a little faster. Thankfully it worked and he only managed to greet a handful of people before it was time to go into the church and take their places.
Even if it didn't feel like it, now only a short but agonising wait separated him from seeing Maddie walk up the aisle.
-Maddie-
The elegant carriage rocked along the narrow lane toward the church at a steady pace but to Maddie it felt like the driver was purposefully going at the slowest pace he could manage. Thank god it hadn't decided to rain today, she thought, even if it was rather chilly. She hooked her arm into Ada's who sat next to her in the carriage and looked at her through her veil, the events around her now seeming to feel very surreal.
'Nearly there Mads,' comforted Ada. 'The church is just around the corner.'
Maddie nodded and sucked in a breath through her nose as her heart began to ram harder in her chest and make a thudding sound in her ears. As the carriage turned the corner, she spotted the church a short way up the lane. There were fresh flowers decorating the doorway and Maddie quickly spotted John stood outside the door who waved as they approached. Maddie had asked John to be the one to give her away since he had been like a big brother to her since they met. She had also wanted to ask Arthur but as he was already burdened with the role of Tommy's best man, so she thought it would be fitting for John to have the honour of giving her away.
Her and Ada waved back at John as they pulled up outside the church gate, the driver climbing out to open the door and help them out as the other women pulled up in the car behind them. Maddie stepped out of the carriage and made her way with Ada towards John who beamed at them and strode over to hug them.
'I was starting to think you weren't going to show Mads,' teased John as he hugged her, and Maddie jabbed him in the stomach as they broke apart.
'Don't be silly,' she said with a nervous laugh which John noticed and held his hands up to apologise, realising his joke was poorly timed. He took a moment then to look at Maddie as the others gathered themselves together to go inside, his eyebrow quirking upward, impressed.
'You look… nice,' he said, giving her a brotherly smile which she returned before a mischievous smirk game across his face. 'Although, I don't think white is the most appropriate colour for you.'
'Hey!' responded Maddie with a shove, although she couldn't help but laugh.
'Okay Mads,' came Ada's voice behind her making them turn. 'We're going to take our seats; you and John will wait just inside with Jeramiah until the music starts.'
Maddie nodded, giving everyone the most confident smile she could muster as they passed and entered the church, Pol giving her a parting motherly smile and a wink.
'Come on then,' said John as he held his arm out for Maddie to take and she took it, grasping it a little harder than she needed to calm her nerves. He led her into the entrance of the church after a few seconds to be sure the others had gone into the chapel and closed the door behind them. Jeramiah, who was going to give the ceremony was stood waiting for them in his robes and he smiled widely as they entered.
'Are you ready?' he asked as they stopped next to him.
Am I? Am I ready?
Maddie fumbled over this thought for a moment before nodding and closing her eyes nervously. 'As I'll ever be I suppose.'
'Good,' smiled Jeramiah. 'I'll walk in first when the music starts, John, you lead Maddie in after a few seconds.'
John nodded his understanding and Maddie gripped his arm tighter causing him to look down at her and place his hand over hers and snicker quietly. 'I can manage that, assuming she doesn't squeeze all the blood from my arm first.'
'Oh, sorry!' gasped Maddie, releasing her grip slightly and flushing hotly. For fuck's sake Mads, pull yourself together!
'It's alright,' dismissed John. 'It'll be over before you know it.'
-Tommy-
Tommy stood and watched as the crowed filed in and took their seats around the church, the place filling up quickly. He spotted Alfie walk in with one other Jewish man he had brought with him for protection, and he caught his eye. Alfie nodded to him before going to find his seat and Tommy thanked God he hadn't been pulled into a conversation with him outside. As May walked in, another person he had pointedly avoided outside, he purposefully looked down at the floor to avoid her gaze which he was sure would be sour at best.
It felt like an age before everyone had settled into their seats and an even longer age waiting for Ada and the others to arrive. Eventually the door to the chapel opened again and the bridesmaids walked in before starting up the aisle to stand to one side of the altar. She's here, he thought, on the other side of that door.
As they approached, he caught Ada's eye who gave him a knowing but kind smile, but he kept his own expression neutral. He was too nervous to smile.
The room went quiet once everyone was in place and Tommy found that he had to concentrate on breathing evenly as he was sure the whole room would be able to hear him otherwise.
Then, the silence was broken as the organ sounded the first loud note of the familiar tune and everyone turned to look toward the doorway as it opened as Tommy breath caught in his chest.
-Maddie-
The organ was much louder than Maddie expected it to be as the first note made her jump a little and cause her heart and breathing to take off at a rapid pace. Fuck… this is it.
She watched Jeramiah walk over to the door as it opened and begin his stride into the chapel confidently and she could feel herself begin to shake, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. John must have sensed this as he gave her hand on his arm a squeeze before taking a step forward to lead her toward the door. Thankfully her feet did still work and one foot stepped in front of the other, even if she did feel like she was wearing stilts. They rounded the corner into the doorway, but Maddie found she couldn't bring her gaze up to look down the aisle where Tommy must have been stood. An audible intake of breath around the room signalled that everyone could see her, and they paused for a split second in the doorway before starting to walk down the aisle.
Look up Mads! For the love of God look up!
Maddie berated herself as she looked at the red carpeted aisle in front of her, he lips feeling dry as she willed herself to look up and see the man she loved so much waiting for her.
He loves you Maddie, she told herself, look at him!
With a shaky breath, she finally lifted her eyes up and found who she was looking for watching her at the other end of the aisle and just like that her nerves ebbed away.
Tommy was stood calmly next to the altar looking the most handsome she had ever seen him. His black suit was of course perfect, fitting him like a glove as he stood up straight. She felt her mouth open a little in awe as she gazed at him and was glad that the veil she was wearing was hiding her expression from him as well as the crowd. His blue eyes were intense and fixed on her as they walked closer to the altar and Maddie felt like he was trying to draw her focus to him and blot out everyone else in the room.
A relieved sigh left her as they made it to the altar and she went to stand next to Tommy, John leaving her and giving her a wink before going to stand next to Arthur who was stood next to Tommy. She was so focussed on Tommy, the room seeming empty besides from the two of them as she turned to face him fully. She gazed shakily up at him in anticipation, a beat passing before he reached forward to grasp the veil and lift it over her head.
-Tommy-
Time seemed to move in slow-motion as Tommy waited for his bride to appear in the doorway, his breath still trapped in his chest. When she finally appeared, the air in his lungs seemed evaporate and leave him almost dizzy.
She looked like an angel. The most beautiful angel in God's heaven.
He had never been a religious man, but in that moment, Tommy could have believed that the heavens were indeed real.
Even though her face was still concealed by a veil, she radiated a light that made him almost transfixed as he watched John lead her up the aisle. Her dress hugged her body perfectly and her hair shone in the light from the windows. He couldn't tell if she was looking at him or not as they approached, her veil opaque enough to hide her features from him.
He saw John give him a smirk out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored him and kept his focus on Maddie so everyone else in the room could fall away like autumn leaves from a tree. He kept his eyes on her as they got to the altar, John leaving her before she turned to face her body toward him. She was so radiant, even with her face covered, that he couldn't even imagine what to expect once he lifted her veil. Up until now he had managed to keep his demeanour calm and collected, at least he thought, but whether he could maintain that once he saw her face was another matter entirely.
There was only one thing for it. With a shaky breath, Tommy gently grasped the veil between his fingers before lifting back over Maddie's head.
His heart rammed harshly against his sternum as his gaze landed on Maddie's face. She looked like herself, young and beautiful but with a new ethereal softness to her features. Her cheeks were blushing red which made her freckles stand out starkly against her skin. The curves of her cheeks and lips were soft and her skin looked fresh and glowing. His gaze lingered on her lips as they turned upwards into a shy smile which caused his own lips to start mirroring hers to smile back before he could stop them. He finally met her eyes, the blue orbs staring up at him like deep blue pools framed by her long dark eyelashes. She looked back at him as if she was looking at him for the very first time, full of love but nervousness as well.
Upon seeing his smile, her own widened and the last of both their nerves seemed to disappear as they broke their eyes away to turn and face Jeramiah.
As Jeramiah began the wedding vows, Tommy had to fight to keep himself from turning and looking down at her, already desperate to look at her beautiful face again. Instead, he flicked his gaze around to look at his family, all of which were looking at them with beaming faces, ready to welcome her into the family officially.
'Do you, Thomas Michael Shelby, take Madeline Chapman to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?' recounted Jeramiah, looking over to Tommy as he spoke.
'I do,' uttered Tommy, the words coming out swiftly and confidently.
-Maddie-
Does he think I'm beautiful? Maddie wondered this as she watched Tommy gaze at her face for several seconds before his lips turned up into the most loving smile she had even seen on his face. Her own lips turned up more in response and she wanted nothing more than to giggle like a teenager but managed to keep her composure and dignity. Up close, she admired his angular features in the light of the stained-glass window behind the altar and wondered how the hell she had managed to capture the heart of the most dangerous man in the country. Maybe she would never know and part of her was okay with not knowing.
She met his eyes then and they radiated a new warmth despite still being their usual icy blue. She would get lost in those eyes forever if she could. They held eye contact for a second, the moment feeling like the first time their eyes had met ten months ago, before they let out a breath and finally broke away from each other to face Jeramiah.
Maddie tried her best not to fidget on the spot as she concentrated on Jeramiah's words as he spoke the classical vows that she only ever heard in movies. As he went to address Tommy first, only then did she allow herself to glance up at Tommy again to see that he was looking straight ahead at Jeramiah as he spoke before averting her gaze to look ahead again as Jeramiah uttered the last words of the vow.
'… until death do you part?'
Maddie couldn't help but swallow nervously but of course she needn't have been anxious as she heard the confident reply come swiftly from Tommy's lips.
'I do.'
She felt her skin tingle and flush under her dress at hearing the words and she let herself sigh with relief as quietly as she could before smiling widely. He said it, now it's my turn she thought as Jeramiah turned to her with a smile.
'And do you, Madeline Chapman, take Thomas Michael Shelby to be your lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?'
Maddie inhaled through her nose, pursing her lips together in certainty before opening them again. 'I do.'
Jeramiah smiled again and Maddie looked over to her bridesmaids who all gave her wide smiles before glancing up at Tommy again and was met by his eyes as he too had cast his eyes down to look at her and they shared a short smile between them before looking away again.
'Then by the power vested in me,' spoke Jeramiah. 'I now pronounce you husband and wife.' A chill rippled up Maddie's spine as he spoke the final words, making her legs shaky all over again. 'You may kiss the bride.'
Yes please, thought Maddie. Even though they were stood in front of so many people, this was the part that she was looking forward to the most. As she started to turn, she finally felt the warmth of Tommy's hand on her arm, the sensation giving her goosebumps as she looked up at him. She smiled up at him before realising she didn't know who needed to move first, but obviously he knew what to do. She felt his other hand touch her cheek, making her blush hotly as he cupped her face followed by a short pause before he lowered his face to hers. Their lips met softly and gently, and Maddie inhaled sharply. It felt like they were kissing for the first time, and it took her breath form her chest, quickly making her lightheaded and giddy.
The kiss must have only lasted a couple of seconds, but Maddie found that time had slowed again and all that she could feel was Tommy's lips against hers and the feeling of his warm hand against her cheek. She felt her skin becoming hot under his hand and when he broke away, she felt the absence of his lips immediately like a brisk chill when you open the front door in winter. She opened her eyes and looked up at him longingly, wanting nothing more than to leap on him and connect their lips again. However, she resisted the urge, remembering where she was, and she noticed him smirk back at her as if he could sense what she was thinking.
The outburst of applause around the chapel broke them out of their little trance and Tommy took her arm in his to face her out toward the chapel. Maddie smiled as their guests clapped happily from the pews.
That's it, she thought, I'm now Mrs Madeline Shelby.
-Tommy-
Tommy could hear Maddie's intake of breath before she spoke, making a nervous shiver ripple up his spine.
'I do.'
Of course, he needn't have been nervous, and he felt a warm wave of relief as the words left her lips. He could barely believe it; Maddie was now his wife, and the realisation was making his head spin. He barely registered Jeramiah's following words until he spoke a phrase that brought him back to reality.
'You may kiss the bride.'
Tommy quickly gathered all his faculties as he turned to face Maddie, reaching out to rest his hand on her arm. His skin tingled with the contact, and she smiled sweetly up at him before he noticed the slightly hesitant look in her eyes and knew she wasn't sure what to do. Instinctively, he cupped her cheek with his other hand before lowering his lips toward hers. He caught the scent of her expensive perfume as their lips met and he kissed her softly. He felt his eardrums throb loudly as his blood raced around his body. Her lips felt even softer than he remembered as did the skin of her cheek which he could feel was getting hot under his hand. Tommy didn't want to part with Maddie's lips, but he slowly forced himself away, even he didn't want to come too close to disrespecting God in his own house.
Once parted, Tommy looked down at Maddie and saw that she was flushed down to her collar bone and he quickly noticed her eager and longing look and knew she wanted to kiss him again. He couldn't stop himself from smirking in response as applause rang out around the chapel. They faced the crowd as they applauded, Tommy giving the guests a brief smile.
'Now, please join us in singing The Lord of the Dance,' said Jeramiah behind them as the applause died down.
Tommy turned the two of them around and Jeramiah handed them cards with words for the hymn on it. Tommy took it but held it down in front of him. He had been dragged to enough church services by Pol as a child that he knew the words off by heart, besides he had no intention of singing. Maddie noticed him do this and looked up at him, quirking her eyebrow in question. He looked back at her and lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile as the organ began to play the first notes of the hymn.
As the chapel was filled with the sounds of singing voices, most of which Tommy could tell were out of tune, especially his brothers' which were unfortunately some of the loudest voices in the room, he remained quiet and tried his best to focus on Maddie's voice next to him. He had only ever heard her sing when he had overheard her in the shower and when she sang at Christmas and had noticed that she had a pleasant singing voice. As she sung the hymn, he could hear the nervousness in her voice, but he enjoyed the sound of her soft singing next to him. At one point she looked up at him mid song and tried to give him a disapproving look in jest, but he pretended to ignore her and contained an amused smile. Finally, the hymn came to an end which also signified the end of the ceremony.
The guests were led out of the chapel first followed by Tommy's family as they hung back and he took the opportunity to speak to Maddie for the first time since the 'I do's'.
'You alright, Mrs Shelby?' he asked, putting his finger under her chin to lift her gaze to his. She let out a giggle at how he addressed her and nodded.
'Yeah,' she replied. 'I'm glad I'm finally your wife.'
'Well, that's a relief,' jested Tommy, giving her a smile and making her giggle again. 'I'm glad to be your husband.'
Maddie beamed from ear to ear at hearing his words, and they linked arms so they could make their way out of the chapel. As they walked out of the large front doors, guests that were stood along the path threw confetti over them with cheers and whoops. They walked down the path a short way where Maddie's bridesmaids were waiting eagerly with smiles, and she looked up at him with a smile before he released her, and she hurried over to Ada to hug her tightly. Tommy felt someone slap him firmly on the back and turned to embrace Arthur and John as they congratulated him before Maddie rushed back over to hug them both.
He and Maddie spent the next half hour being swarmed and congratulated by their many guests. Tommy spent most of it wishing he hadn't invited half the people there but nevertheless put on a pleasant smile and refused to let it sour his wedding day as he watched his new wife get pulled away from him repetitively. The photographer struggled to gather everyone for the wedding photographs and Arthur had to round everyone up with a booming voice. The photographs also took a considerable time, particularly the full wedding party photograph, as well as the other various pictures of the bridesmaids and groomsmen before he finally took the last picture of just he and Maddie in front of the chapel. The only picture Tommy really cared about.
Once Maddie had thrown her bouquet, which was caught by Marie much to Isiah's shock, John and Arthur wasted no time in ordering everyone to get ready to make their way to Arrow House so the drinking could begin. Tommy found Maddie again who had been accosted by a group of guests and lead her toward the wedding carriage which was being pulled by Luna. Maddie gave the mare a loving pat as she passed. He held his hand out to help her up onto the carriage and she blushed as she took his hand. He quickly got into the driver's seat and set Luna of at a steady pace as Maddie waved to the guests who would be following behind shortly after.
Tommy steered the carriage to the end of the road and around the corner where they were out of sight before reaching out and pulling Maddie to him with his arm. He heard her laugh and he looked down at her and caught her biting her lip as he squeezed her to him. He wanted nothing more than to take her straight to the bedroom as soon as they got back but knew that their guests would be too close behind and he sighed in disappointment. He wanted to consummate their union officially and as many times as his body would let him in one night.
'What's up?' asked Maddie, hearing him huff.
'I want to take you to bed, right now, but…'
'But we have a wedding reception to attend,' finished Maddie with an amused grin. 'I think it would be a bit rude for us not to attend our own wedding celebration.'
'Fuck em,' muttered Tommy, mostly in jest although he was somewhat considering secreting them both away for the rest of the day.
Maddie laughed earnestly at this. 'I'm not missing this after all the effort it took to plan,' she said. 'But maybe we will find time to be alone later.'
She gave him a cheeky wink before kissing him on the cheek as he steered Luna onto the road leading to Arrow House. Tommy's skin prickled with heat where she had kissed him, and he turned his head to face her before hugging her to him roughly and pressing his lips to hers. He took in the taste of her lips and feeling of her warmth against him in the cold January air and it felt like he was kissing her for the first time. He was gentle at first, but he quickly forced her mouth open and nibbled at her lower lip eagerly.
Maddie breathed a laugh against his lips and squirmed in his grasp before pulling back with a gasp. 'Shouldn't you be driving the carriage?' she asked breathlessly.
'Don't worry, Luna knows the way home.'