The Unspoken Vow

Chapter Six

Ivan

The next few days were calm until Nyah's mother came to the house, unannounced, demanding her daughter's ring, then the wedding planning got started.
Today, I took it upon myself to take Nyah out to lunch to discuss the fine print of our marriage and to give her the ring I bought. It wasn't anything elaborate, a simple three stone marquise, diamonds on the band, my father helped me choose it when he told me about the deal. And more than once, I thought of throwing it away and just letting Nyah choose. I didn't want to run the risk of her hating the ring but thought better of it, and decided to give her the choice of keeping this or buying a different one that she might like better.
I wore a casual outfit, slacks and a loose fitting shirt and before knocking on her bedroom door, I took a deep breath.
When she asked me to come in, I was stunned to see her, looking undeniably beautiful in a green blouse that tied at the waist, and white pants that flare out at the bottom, her hair in its natural state, framing her face, an effortless crown.
A goddess, this woman.
"Ready?" I asked, meeting her eyes.
"Yes," she smiled, grabbing a purse in the same shade of green as her shirt.
"Have fun," I hadn't even noticed Eliana plopped down on Nyah's bed, coloring a coloring book, still in last night's pajamas. Nyah and my sister were the same age but there was a sure difference in maturity, clearly.
We said goodbye to her, leaving her to color her heart away and went to the front of the house and into my car. Her scent filled it immediately, the smell of cherries and summer a comfort to my senses.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, as we drove out of the Villa.
"Location is a secret," I told her. "Just lunch, I want to talk about our marriage."
In the corner of my eye, I saw her nod then turn to me.
"Why a secret?"
"I'll tell you when we get there, are you comfortable in your room?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I am, thank you." She answered, fiddling with her purse, unzipping it then zipping it back up. "Oh, I wanted to apologize,"
I frowned. "For what?" I asked.
"For my mother coming to your house uninvited-"
"Our." I said, cutting her off.
"What?"
I look at her, "our house." I said, correcting her. "If you feel uncomfortable with her being there, you're free to tell her to leave. But if her presence is necessary, I don't mind."
She didn't speak for a moment, just looked at me then at the road.
"Thank you," she mumbled.
We drove through a road built into the forest and she watched as we passed silently, her face, full of wonder, reflected in the window. The trees cast a shadow over face but the small peaks of golden light, from time to time, flicked through her features.
"You like forests, Nyah?" I asked, noticing how vibrant her eyes looked, how full of life they were.
"I do, a lot actually," she answered. "Remember when Eliana and I used to go camping?" She laughed softly.
I did remember.
I looked away, hiding my smile. "Eliana would come home crying because she never wanted to leave." I said, recalling all of those summers in their youth.
She looked at me, then smiled. "Yeah, she hated leaving the most."
We neared the lodge, and when I parked the car in the driveway, she gasped, looking at it from her seat.
I opened the door for her and she stared at the lodge in amazement.
"Is this yours?" She asked. Her eyes roaming the property.
"Yes, a gift from my father." I answered. The day he gave me the key to this house was a vivid memory. "He knows how much I liked to keep things private, he gave me this so that I had a place to go when I needed to get away from the chaos." I explained, leading her to the front door.
"That's thoughtful of him,"
We walked in and I watched her reaction to my favourite place. I designed the interior myself, and I was anxious to know what she thought of it.
"It's wonderful, Ivan," she grinned. God, my name uttered in her voice was a blessing and I wanted to hear it over and over, preferably in several different circumstances.
"Thank you," I gave her a small tour, showing her the living room, a large couch in front of the TV and an oak wood coffee table in the middle. Then I took her upstairs, briefly showing her the three bedrooms, two of them of equal size, and the last one being the largest.
"Come on, I had lunch ready beforehand." I said, as she followed me into the dining room, the fragrant feast waiting for us.
"Did you cook all of this?" She asked.
I nodded, "though I rarely ever cook," I said. "I enjoy it, I just don't always have the time,"
She nodded, sitting down.
"Listen, I've already got your ring." I said as I served food onto her plate. Her eyes glittered at my announcement. "I'll give it to you after our talk, is that okay?"
"Of course," she said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to discuss our marriage; where we stand. Anything you want to make sure, rules and all that."
She looked at her plate, thinking, then looked back at me.
"If... if we can't have something romantic," she began, blushing slightly. "I would like to be friends. I don't want us to be strangers, Ivan, you're going to be my husband, I'd like to get to know you."
I nodded, thoughtful of her request. Being friend zoned by my wife wasn't part of the plan. If I was going to be something to her, it wasn't just as a friend. "That's reasonable," I said.
"And you? What do you want?"
You. I wanted to say. I cleared my throat before answering, "children." I said simply, watching her reaction.
She was flustered, her eyes widening a little, her mouth slightly open in shock, I couldn't help but laugh. She hit my arm in a friendly way, realizing I was just joking.
"Don't you dare do that again!" She exclaimed, letting out a nervous laugh.
"Okay, but I don't mind it. Having kids, I mean, only if you want them too, it's your body after all."

~~~

We finished lunch and as our discussion came to an end, I was glad to notice she became more comfortable with me. I felt her begin to warm up to me, earning her trust was something I wanted more than anything and I was glad to be making progress.
"I assume you would like to see your ring," I suggested. We were on the patio now, looking over to the lake behind the lodge. Calm and quiet.
"I would love to," she said, turning her attention to me.
I pulled the black velvet box out of my pocket and handed it to her.
She opened it and said nothing, my heart began to thump restlessly against my chest. "If you don't like it, we could buy something else-"
Before I knew what was happening, her arms were wrapped around my neck, her body pressed against mine and on instinct, my hands rested on her waist.
"Oh, Ivan, I love it!" She exclaimed, laughter in her voice.
I buried my face in her neck, hugging her closer to me, filling my senses with her. The sweet, summery scent of her hair, the feeling of her skin, even her breath against my cheek. I wanted to stay there, in her arms, for the rest of my fucking life.
She pulled back slowly, searching my face in that curious way she did then handed me the box with the ring still in it.
"Do me a favor and put the ring on my finger for me," she asked, giving me her left hand.
I smiled at her then took the ring out of the box, grabbing her hand and sliding the ring on her finger. Before I let her go, I turned her hand palm up and pressed a kiss on her wrist.
When she drew in a sharp breath, I grinned at her. "I'm looking forward to our marriage, Nyah."