She pulls back the covers and climbs into bed next to me. She reaches for the lamp on her nightstand. “Leave the light on.”
She smiles. “I didn’t think you needed light to see.”
My vision isn’t what it used to be before she came into my life but I’m far from needing the dim light of a single lightbulb to see. “I don’t but you do.”
She slides over and runs her hand down my stomach. “And just what is it you want me to see?” I take her hand to bring it to my lips for a kiss and it earns me a look of curiosity from her. “You’re up to something.”
I certainly am. “You were gone for sixteen days and I never stopped thinking of you for a second. Not once. It was a lot of time for me to consider our future and I came to a conclusion. We aren’t a mundane couple but we live in a human world. You and I aren’t bound by the practices of mortals but that doesn’t mean we can’t follow their traditions.” I take her hand and pull her to sit on the side of the bed before I open the drawer of the nightstand.
She’s surprised. This isn’t where she thought I was going when I asked her to leave the light on.
I drop to my knee before I open the ring box. “We’re bound for eternity by something far stronger than human vows but it doesn’t stop me from wanting you as my wife.” I take the ring from the box and hold it up for her. “The bond we share is something the world can’t see but this is an outward symbol of our love. I want every pair of eyes looking at you–both human and vampire–to see this so they’ll know you’re mine forever. I love you, Avery Violet Ferrand. Will you marry me?”
She’s beaming. “I love you Solomon Braham Alexander and I’d be very happy to marry you.” I slide the ring on her finger and it’s a perfect fit. “It’s beautiful–exactly what I would have chosen for myself.”
I rise from my knees and take her face in my hands before I kiss her. Hard. A moment later she pulls away to catch her breath. “When?”
I press my forehead to hers and hope she’s as eager as I am to make this happen as soon as possible. “I don’t want to wait.”
She’s grinning. “Well, I guess it’s the right thing to do since you’ve knocked me up.”
“Very funny.” I couldn’t think of one good reason to wait. I can’t imagine her wanting a big wedding since Jenn is her only remaining relative. And since her sister still remains MIA after the Vincent incident, we’re her only family now. “Would you do it next weekend?”
“I would do it this minute.”
I couldn’t envision us standing in a courthouse before a judge making vows to one another. “How do you feel about doing it here at the compound since this is where we became us?”
“I can’t think of a more perfect place.”
Our wedding was small. Jenn returned just in time to be present so only those we consider family were present as witnesses. It was perfect and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Dr. Knight encouraged us to honeymoon nearby so I rented a house on the beach about thirty miles from the compound. It’s not what I consider an ideal place to spend my wedding night but we aren’t left with much of a choice considering the short notice and limited travel. At least we have the entire place to ourselves.
The house is modern–which I appreciate–but the entire decor is beach and nautical themed. It’s not my cup of tea. Nor is it very romantic. I would have preferred a honeymoon that included us traveling the world for two or three weeks but I happily sacrifice that for the sake of Avery and her pregnancy. Maybe that can be an anniversary trip one day.
We enter the master bedroom and I scan it after flipping on the bedroom light. The bedding is off-white. The walls are beige and the ceramic tile floor is a blend of cream and khaki. The furniture resembles driftwood but it’s the decorative pictures of the beach that complete the bland seaside theme.
“It’s charming.” She attempts to hide the disappointment in her voice.
I laugh aloud, “No, it’s not.” It’s a typical beach house for vacationers. There’s nothing alluring or seductive about it at all. That means I’ll have to work hard to make her forget we’re not in a romantic honeymoon suite halfway around the world.
She walks over to the double french doors and swings them open before stepping onto the balcony overlooking the ocean. Her hair rustles from the breeze blowing off the water. “I love the sound of the waves rushing in. Especially at night.”
The beach is a new surrounding for me. None of my vampire days have been spent in the sand and sun but I walked the beach at Pascagoula one night while checking in on Curry. I was quite fond of the way the sand felt on my bare feet so hopefully that is something we could do while here.
I approach my bride to wrap my arms around her from behind and I place a kiss on the side of her neck. “Then we shall leave these open so you can listen all night if you wish.”
“I’d like that very much.”
She links her fingers through mine and brings my hand up. She kisses the wedding band she placed on my finger only a few hours earlier. “I can’t believe we’re married with two babies on the way in a couple of months. I don’t think our lives could be happening any quicker if someone hit the fast forward button.”
Although I knew it was a possibility, I was still in shock about finding another baby on our second visit with Dr. Knight.
I slide my hands over Avery’s belly. “I hope Jim is able to finish the construction before these two get here.”
She places her hands on top of mine. “He will. He wants that bonus you promised for finishing the job in six weeks.”
Jim’s a good man. He’d work hard to complete the job early even if I hadn’t offered the extra money. “He did a fantastic job on the compound so I don’t expect less from him now.” Unless the weather didn’t hold and that would be no fault of his.
She turns and slides her hands up my arms until they’re resting over my shoulders. “We’ll do what we have to if we don’t have our own quarters when they get here.”
I plant a kiss on her mouth. “My wife, you are amazing.”
She lowers her hands to my hips and pulls me hard against her. “My husband, you haven’t seen amazing but you’re about to.”
Whoa. Someone is feeling a bit frisky. “Bring it.”