Everlasting Embrace (Embrace Series) (15 page)

Nathanial smiles and places a small kiss on my hand.
“
Sophia, there
is so much I wanted out of life
,
and that all changed the moment you walked into town. You have shown me things I could have never imagined
,
and I thank you for that. Family has always been important to me
,
and you have the most wonderful family a man could ask to join. Together
we have learned
,
a
nd grown
;
and my only regret is that my parents are not her
e
to witness the man I have become because of you. From this day forward
,
every step I make, every breath I take
, and every beat of my heart
i
s all for you. My new brother will miss out on
our
wonderful parents, but he now has you
,
and I know that no one will e
ver love him more. You brought the
kind of love into my life I thought only existed in the mo
vies. I knew true love existed
—
I saw it with my parents
—
but I never expected it to feel this amazing. I know you didn
’
t want this life for me, but
the only life I could ever want
i
s one next to you. Without you
,
I
’
m nothing mo
re than a shell. Y
ou have fulfilled my every need and desire. I
’
m excited to see what the days
a
nd years
a
head will bring us
,
and would not want to share them with anyone but you
. Tonight I marry my
soul mate
;
my other half. Thank you for allowing me to experience such great pleasure and immense love. I promise to
love you until the end of times
,
and beyond. I could not ask for more.
”

We exchange matching
,
white gold bands encrusted with day crystals. We don
’
t n
eed the day crystals in my ring
,
as they are also
in my necklace
,
and one was
also
place
d
at the twelve mark in Nathanial
’
s watch, but we thought it was a nice touch.

“
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you
husbands and wives. Alexander
,
Nathanial
—
you may now kiss your brides.
”

Nathanial takes me in his arms,
dips
me down and plants the most loving and passionate kiss on my lips. With my head resting in the palm of his hand, and his other hand at the small of my back, I wrap my arms around his neck and release my inhibitions. As our lips passionately move together in unison, our tongues move across one another
’
s lips with the softest motion. Our family cheers as I almost forget we have witnesses. With one s
w
ift motion
,
Nathanial stands me back on both feet and our lips begin to part. Just like our first kiss
,
we notice everyone staring at us. I can
’
t help but let out a little chuckle.

Celebrations

Back at the hotel
,
the dining area is set with
a
beautiful spread of food:
sushi, fruit, prime rib, and other dining options for our mortal friends. Florence prepared soup and desserts for us vampires. We enjoy a wonderful meal together
, filled with toasts
,
and the Cristal champagne pouring over. Once
done
,
the
on
-
duty butler clears the table
,
a
nd needs to be
compelled not to remember
the
blood involved in th
e meal.

After the servants leave
, the lights dim
—
a
nd candle
s
magickall
y light
,
surrounding us with the blazing fires of love. Music begins
to play from the stereo system. I recognize this son
g
. O
h
,
what is it
?
—
got it
:
“‘
At
Last
’
by Etta James. T
his is the perfect song for our first dance as husband and wife. Nathanial leads me to the middle of the room
,
and Alexander does the same with Matilda. With my hand in his
,
we begin to move to the soulful sound of a legend.
‘
At last my love has come along
’
;
I couldn
’
t have said it better myself
,
I think a
s
I
rest my head on Nathanial
’
s chest. He holds me tighter
,
and I feel like everything is right with the world.

After the song is over
,
the stereo continues to play on random. A variety of songs from over the years, including good ole
Blue Eyes
himself
, Frank Sinatra
,
are pumped through the speakers for everyone
’
s enjoyment. I really had hoped for a beautiful classical dance at my wedding, but
realize
now this is so much better
,
and it wouldn
’
t fit for such a small wedding. We h
ave a blast dancing
and singing the night away. After a while
,
we start playing a game called Flippy Cup
,
breaking off into teams
—
g
uys against the girls
—
and each pour a small about of our beverage of choice into a cup to drink. We line up around the table
,
girls on one side
,
the boys on the other
,
ready and waiting. At the count of three
,
the first person on each
team shoots back their drink
,
balance
s
t
he cup on the edge of the table
,
a
nd with one finger
flip
s
the cup. Once it lands upside down, the next person
goes. The first team to finish
w
ins. After a few rounds
—
a
nd a few good laughs and cheers
—
we dance some more to the radio. I think everyone is enjoying their evening
.
I know it
’
s
the best night of my existence.


  

  


Elijah hands Alexander and Nathanial each a key. We all look confused as we
’
ve been settled in our rooms for over a week now.
“
Tonight is your wedding night
,
and we thought it would be wonderful
for you
to have a night alone in the honeymoon suite
s
. Luke and Eliza have agreed they will take Nik tonight.
”

“
I can
’
t believe you did this. Our wedd
ing is more than I ever dreamed
,
and it is because of all of you.
”
I hug each member of my family, and Nathanial follows
,
then sweeps me off my feet
,
carrying me to our new suite for the night. He continues rig
ht over the threshold
,
so to speak.

“
Well this is it
,
Beautiful
. W
e are finally husband and wife. I
’
m the luckiest man in the world.
”

“
Well
,
I guess that makes me the luckiest woman.
”

Taking me to the room
a
nd laying me on
the overstuffed king size bed
,
Nathanial s
miles and leans in for a kiss.

“
S
ophia, I am so in love with you
,
and can
’
t wait to begin the rest of eternity with you. Thank you for marrying me.
”

“
Who else would I marry? You
’
re the only one for me.
”

We both stand up in front of the bed
,
and I begin to pull the
bobby pins
from my pinned up hair, allowing the tousled curls to fall around my face and shoulders. Na
thanial takes his suit coat off
and tosses
it to the chair in the corner.
I stand before my husband
,
and he spins me so my back is to him. With a soft kiss to the nape of my neck
,
he slips the straps of my dress off my shoulders. With a slow gentle motion
,
Nathanial pulls the zipp
er of my dress all the way down
,
and the white satin falls to the ground. With a s
w
ift turn
,
I face the love I never t
hought I
’
d know
a
nd one by one
undo the buttons of his crisp
,
white dress shirt. Nathanial
’
s tight
, rippled abs make me melt.
I run the tips of my fingers down his chest
,
resting them on his abs. My palms open
,
rubbing against each ripple and muscle. Nathanial lifts me in his arms
,
placing me with care on
to
the oversized down pillow. Nathanial and I
’
ve been intimate b
efore, but this is even better
;
I feel such a connection t
o him. We are husband and wife
—
nothing is more special. I can only imagine what it would have been like if we had waited until now. With a gentle kiss to my lips, then my cheek
,
and finally
my neck, I feel a slight sting
as Nathanial bites my neck, drawing in
my blood to him. I follow suit
a
nd with a small nip
we both exchange blood. This is the most intimate act two vampires can partake in when in love,
an
absolute bonding of each other. It solidifies our oneness with blood and each other.

“
I love you more than you could ever know
,
”
h
e whispers.

“
Nate, I
’
m only alive when you
’
re with me
,
and I never want to know life without you.
”

In each other
’
s arms
,
the night continues on with complete romance and passion like never before
,
as we make love for the first time as husband and wife
, s
haring our love of one another in every way possible, together forever, the way it should be.


  

  


Waking in the morning
,
everything feels new and different
,
lying
in the arms of a beautiful man
;
o
ne who is now mine to keep
,
as I am his. We take our time
rolling out of bed
and proceed to shower. I can
’
t help but want to
hurry
;
I miss Nik. It
’
s been wonderful to have alone time,
and
it
’
s not like I
’
m
not
with Nik twenty-four hours a day
. It
’
s just
,
h
e means just as much to me
as Nathanial. Nik is the closest I
’
ll ever get to being a mother, and I will not let him down.