Time Stands Still

Chapter 8

           Two weeks later, it was my birthday and therefore, it was my wedding day. Most brides likely would have felt nervous, but I was calm, mainly because it was going to be a simple ceremony. We asked Matt and Mandy to be our witnesses and they were both more then happy to oblige.

            We got to the city hall and it all went surprisingly quickly. Before I knew it, I was married and we were leaving the building. Brent and I both had rings on now, but other then that nothing had really changed.

            That night, when we went up to bed, Brent sat me down on the edge of the bed. He framed my face in his hands and leaned down to give me a sweet kiss. “I have something for you,” he murmured.

            “More? You already spoiled me enough earlier,” I replied, thinking of all the presents had had given me that morning.

            “This is more of a wedding gift, rather then a birthday gift,” he said, walking over to the end table and getting something out of a drawer. He came back over to me and handed me an envelope.

            I frowned as I looked down at it. “What’s this?”

            “Open it.”

            I did and pulled out several pieces of paper. I was still a little confused as I read the first one, but then understanding dawned. “The Caribbean? We’re going to the Caribbean?” I asked excitedly.

            He chuckled and sat beside me, slipping an arm around my waist. “Yes, we are. Just because we didn’t have a big, traditional wedding, doesn’t mean we can’t have a honeymoon. It’s all open ended, so we can go whenever we want. I thought maybe we could go over your winter break from school, but we can go earlier if you want. The package includes our flight, hotel and meals, plus some activities that I thought you might be interested in.”

            I threw my arms around his neck. “I don’t care when we go. I can’t believe you planned all of this. Thank you.” I placed kisses all over his face before pressing them to his lips. “This means a lot to me.”

            “I know you’ve always wanted to go there, but it wasn’t really possible until you were eighteen. I’ve been planning this for almost six months. I want to make sure it’s perfect for you.”

            “Anywhere I go with you is perfect,” I said, then grinned hugely. “This just makes it even better,” I added, bouncing up and down a little.

            He tightened his arm around me and nuzzled at my neck. “I like seeing you this excited,” he murmured. “I still feel bad that you didn’t get a big splashy wedding.”

            “I didn’t want or need that. I’m just happy to be tied to you in every way possible.”

            He brushed his fingers over the mark on my neck. “You’ve been tied to me since the day I gave you this.”

            “Yeah, but this ties us together legally as well. Now I get to show you off as my sexy husband.”

            He laughed and pulled me onto his lap. “And I get to show you off as my gorgeous wife. Now, I do believe it’s traditional to have wild sex on your wedding night, isn’t it?”

            “You know, I think I did hear that somewhere. And we should probably follow at least one of the traditions, don’t you think?”

            His answer was to stand up and toss me gently onto the bed, before diving on top of me. Neither of us got much sleep that night.