AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was such a bland way to propose marriage that for a moment she thought she must have misunderstood.
“I know you would have said ‘yes’ either way but forcing myself to wait proved a powerful motivation. Marry me, Lauren.”
She shook her head, crying freely.
“I wanted to ask you the night you came to me in hospital but I needed you to be sure you could still love me, like this,” he waved to his leg.
She opened her mouth, furious. “You think anything could change how I feel?”
“No,” he smiled ruefully. “I know it wouldn’t. But forcing myself to wait was the best motivation for my recovery. Marry me, but wait until I’m strong enough to stand at the front of the church, in front of all our friends and family, and pledge my love to you.”
She nodded, bliss spreading through her. “As long as it doesn’t take you too long.”
“Give me a couple of months, max.”
She laughed. “Done.”
And with a kiss, they sealed the agreement.
In the end, it took five weeks. And not a moment later, they
were married. Not, as it happened, in a church, but in the citrus grove at Villa Fortune, with family and a handful of friends. Lauren was given away by both of her parents and by Ashley as well. The Montebello children all played a role in the ceremony, and Yaya watched on proudly from a seat that had been placed right near the front.
The wedding was perfect and as they danced at night and the stars twinkled in the night sky, Lauren knew she wasn’t imagining it – they were shining more brightly than usual and she told herself Thom had done that for them.
Two days after their wedding, Raf led Lauren up a set of wide, stone steps that seemed almost to have been carved from the earth, each bowed in the middle from years of foot traffic. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun low in the sky pressing blades of light towards them, a warm glow filling the Tuscan valley causing the leaves on the grape vines to look as though they were catching fire. Lauren paused for a moment, wanting to savour the view a little longer.
“Why won’t you tell me where you’re taking me?”
His grin, crooked and easy, had the power to jolt her heart as though with live-voltage. “It’s a wedding present, I told you.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see. Come on.”
His excitement was contagious. Lauren took the steps two at a time to catch him, threading her hand through his, the gratitude in the simple act of walking up a flight of steps together not lost on Lauren. Only months ago she’d believed she would have to live a life without him.
“Okay, stop.”
His hands came down over her eyes, his body gently guiding her the rest of the way – three short steps then a sharp turn – before pausing.
“Ready?”
Impatience trilled in her veins. “Come onnnn!” But she smiled, because the sun was warm and her heart was full.
His hands dropped away and she blinked, the light over-bright for a second as her eyes adjusted. A huge old castle loomed above them, red and white bricks formed high walls and sweeping archways. Oak trees created a lined drive that led to the entranceway. Windows were carved into the stone but only half of them boasted glass, the rest had been broken over the years. The garden was overrun and on closer inspection, it was clear the roof had lost several hundred of its shiny, red tiles.
“It’s beautiful.” And it was. In disrepair, certainly, but history breathed from the walls, whispered stories of years past, of the lives spent within the ancient grounds, the inhabitants of prior centuries captured in the dappled light and tumbling down stones.
“I’m glad you approve.”
“Approve?”
“You see, Lauren, I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh?”
“Do you remember what you said to me, the day before you left Villa Fortune?”
