Sonja's eyes fluttered open to the muted morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. Blinking slowly, she reached across the rumpled sheets, expecting to encounter the solid warmth of Antoine's slumbering form. But the space beside her was conspicuously empty and cool to the touch.
"Antoine?" she murmured groggily, propping herself up on one elbow as lingering tendrils of a deliciously heated dream caressed her senses.
Had it all been some fever-dream conjured from the deepest yearnings of her subconscious? The searing slide of his skin against hers, the ragged timbre of his voice rasping fervent devotions against the thundering pulse at her throat?
A peel of raucous laughter from the living room shattered her reverie. Curious, Sonja threw on a silken robe and padded towards the noise, securing the sash around her waist.
As she rounded the corner, the sight that greeted her was one of utter familial revelry. Arrayed around the plush sofas were none other than Antoine's closest kin - his mother and father beaming with pride, younger brother and sister playfully bickering in that uniquely sibling way.
And there, in the center of the joyful chaos, was Antoine himself. His dimpled grin stretched even wider at the sight of Sonja hovering in the hallway, those brandy eyes crinkling with unmistakable fondness.
"Ah, there's my beautiful wife," he called out easily, the endearment rolling off his tongue with casual intimacy. "I was beginning to worry we'd lost you to the comfort of our pillowy sanctuary."
With a sheepish laugh, Sonja waved at the group as Antoine crossed the room to greet her properly. Looping an arm around her waist, he drew her against his side and brushed an achingly tender kiss to her hairline.
"I woke up to a bit of a surprise this morning," he murmured conspiratorially, flashing her a lopsided smirk. "It seems my dear cousin had the bright idea to fly everyone in as an early wedding present."
Sonja's eyes widened, gaze sweeping over the assembled group once more - all beaming at her with obvious affection, utterly unphased by the rather intimate display between herself and Antoine. Oh god, did they know...?
Before her thoughts could spiral, Antoine's mother was rising from the plush loveseat with a beatific smile. Enveloping Sonja in a tight, perfumed embrace, she pressed her cheek and began murmuring rapidly in French.
"Tu es tellement belle et tu conviens parfaitement à notre famille chaotique..."
With a watery laugh, Antoine hurried to translate. "She's saying you're beautiful and fit perfectly into our own particular brand of delightful chaos."
His father, still seated but regarding Sonja with an equally warm grin, piped up with a jovial "Bellissima, proprio come mia moglie!"
At Antoine's quirked brow, his mother swatted his arm in playful reproach. "Oh hush, you know your father is merely agreeing that I'm just as beautiful," she tutted, rising on her tiptoes to punctuate the teasing with a sound kiss to her husband's smiling lips.
As riotous laughter and more joking jabs in a kaleidoscope of languages filled the room, Sonja couldn't resist beaming at the unbridled affection constantly flowing between every member of Antoine's family. There was no self-consciousness or inhibition, only the simple exuberance of pure, unabashed love spilling over in every interaction.
Seeming to sense her swirling awe, Antoine tightened his embrace around her slender waist and brushed another lingering kiss to her temple.
"You'll get used to the beautiful madness, ma chérie," he murmured against her hairline.
YOU ARE READING
The Marriage Gamble
Romanzi rosa / ChickLitSonja and Antoine, two former lovers turned friends, find themselves navigating complex feelings and unexpected circumstances, all while trying to maintain the boundaries of their relationship.