Take Me to Your Paradise

Chapter 9: This Is Our Story (3/3)

A/N: Apologies for the delay - I struggled a little with this chapter but here it is. And somehow it still became crazy long, sorry;) This one is mature.

Lyrics: Is That Alright? (Songwriters: Aaron Ratiere / Lukas Nelson / Mark Jr. Nilan / Nick Monson / Paul Blair / Stefani Germanotta)

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Bradley held onto her tightly for a long moment and she felt him tremble a little, soothingly rubbed his back, entangling her fingers into the soft hair curling slightly at his neck. "B? Are you okay?"

"Mhm," he muttered against her shoulder, finally pulled back and shook his head, blue eyes slightly damp. "Sorry. My gorgeous wife just sang this really beautiful song to me and completely stunned me, once again. I really can't quite believe how amazing she is and how much I love her."

"Yeah? That's one lucky girl." Stefani grinned, gently brushing his cheek. "Does she tend to stun you a lot?"

"Every damn day." He took a deep, unsteady breath and she sniffled, pressed herself close again; Bradley smiled, tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear. "I think it's my turn to head up there now, although I won't be able to deliver anything that comes even close to what you just did."

"Shush now." She shook her head, pressed a couple of fingers against his lips, swallowing as he kissed them softly. His eyes were focused tightly on hers, warm and tender; truly, she was sure that whatever he was going to say, she wouldn't be able to keep herself in check as happy tears were a constant threat all the time, had been for the entire day. From the corner of her eye she saw her mother emerging from the house with Francesca on her arms; the little girl looked very sleepy and slightly teary too, whimpering and she turned to give the two a smile, pressed a kiss onto the baby's head and cradled her securely.

"Hi, sweetheart. You didn't sleep very long."

Cynthia smiled, caressed her granddaughter's cheek gently. "I don't think she wants to miss out on any part of her parents' special day; she's too excited to sleep."

Bradley kissed the baby's forehead. "Or maybe you heard mommy singing and woke up to that, hey? Do you want to feed her now, Stef?"

"It seems like she's okay." Stefani tickled the little girl's side, gaining a very adorable baby giggle for her efforts. "Come on, angel, let's go sit down. Daddy has a speech to make."

He grinned, gave her a soft kiss and headed towards the stage; she made her way back to her seat, held Francesca securely, her gaze firmly on her gorgeous husband. The chatter around the table quietened, all eyes turning to Bradley as he grabbed the microphone, gave her a teasing wink.

"Well, I'm not going to sing, and..."

She booed playfully, joined by all of their fellow A Star Is Born cast members, making everyone laugh and Bradley rolled his eyes at Sam and Anthony, shaking his head with a chuckle. "Yeah, I would like to see you two try after her incredible performance. Anyway, I just want to start by thanking everyone so much for coming; I know this wedding was a little... different and quite unorthodox and I really don't know how we managed to keep the whole thing a secret from Stef for months but somehow we did and she still agreed to marry me, so it's all good."

Stefani sent him a soft grin, Francesca cooing on her lap and twisting a colourful rattle in her little hands; Bradley glanced at his watch, cleared his throat, smiling at them. "So, I think it has now been just about exactly five years since I first properly took notice of this incredible woman, the first time I encountered those beautiful green eyes and saw behind her stage exterior and alter ego. And what I found was..."

He frowned, biting his lip, obviously battling to keep himself in check; tears welled up in her eyes in response. "What I found was the most amazing soul, the warmest heart, the strongest, kindest, most compassionate and caring woman I had ever come across or will ever come across again. You take my breath away every day, Stef, not only by your unbelievable beauty but by your inner light and your incredible strength and character; I remember thinking when I first saw you that there was this halo around you, that you were like an angel from another world and that is what I still think and that is exactly what you are. My angel, and my soulmate that I was somehow lucky enough to find."