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As
I step back onto American soil, I feel trepidation creep through me.

‘You
okay?’ Nate checks for the thousandth time since we boarded the flight almost
eleven hours ago.

I
nod, but grasped his hand tight signalling to him that I needed his strength.

‘It
will be fine,’ he curves me into his side as we continue to pace through to
security, his arm around my shoulders.  ‘There is no reason at all for you
to be nervous, London,’ he reminds me.  ‘The past is just that now,’ he
assures me.  ‘No one from Ollie’s life, or from your past, have any
interest in you now.’ 

We
had discussed my intense paranoia over and over throughout the past six weeks. Nate
had put out feelers to his contacts in Denver, criminals and law enforcers
alike, and had been reassured that no one has any intention of approaching
either me or my kin. 

I
had seen Luke’s dead body for myself, and a fair few number of his suits too,
including Robson, his right hand man. They couldn’t hurt me anymore and those that
survived were locked away under a number of convictions, the majority pleading
guilty to the heinous crimes of their boss. Looking back, I knew that most of
the suits disapproved of how Luke treated me.  I would watch as their jaws
tensed at his disrespect he showed me on a daily basis.  Logically, I
didn’t feel I had anything to fear from his suits, they were just doing what
they were paid to do. 

My
appointments with Dr. Jenkins were going incredibly well, me immediately taking
to her strength and no nonsense attitude. Nate had also attended a session, at
Dr. Jenkins suggestion, which he found exceptionally helpful in coping with my
fears and insecurities.  He had stopped treating me as if I was going to
bolt at any moment, and instead had reverted back to the cocky, sometimes
arrogant, self-assured, sex god that I knew and loved of past.

Nerves
flutter in my gut as we enter The Venetian Hotel, on the strip.  The
extravagance of the décor in the foyer took my breath away.  The gilt
columns and ceiling murals were stunning, the décor in perfect keeping with the
Venetian theme.  We were marrying tomorrow in a ceremony in the courtyard
of the Venetian, which Nate confirms is the prettiest setting of them all. 

When
he had asked if I had wanted to invite my father, I had gasped in horror, my
father funding my rehab had no bearing on him featuring in my life.  He
had made his decision thirty-two years ago to erase me from his life, I lived
with the consequences of his decision.  Now, it was his turn.

The
week before the wedding, Nate had announced that he wanted me to go back to
being me, suggesting I start to dress like a young, beautiful woman and not a
middle aged woman who didn’t own a sensation body, oh and legs to die
for.  I tried to explain that I felt uncomfortable dressing slutty after
what happened, but his eyes went cold and his face tightened before he
vocalised that he fucking well wasn’t going to let the bastard take any more of
us.  He then demanded, yes demanded, I wear a fucking wedding dress that
exposed my long legs so that he could wrap them around his shoulders by the end
of the day.

I
raised an eyebrow in surprise of his outburst and stood their speechless as our
eyes locked in stubbornly, blue against hazel. Frowning, I turned away from him
and exploded, ‘fuck you, Austin.’  I heard his chuckles as I departed the
room, keeping my focus in front of me to prevent him from seeing my grin.

I purchased
a wedding gown that confirmed I would be more than okay with my legs being
wrapped around Nate by the end of the day.  It was a champagne coloured, A-Line,
sweetheart neckline, sleeveless, lace number that was incredibly stunning and
made me feel like a queen.  I had also splashed out on a new pair of
strappy sandals, that criss-crossed up my ankles, elongating my already lengthy
legs.

Nate
had invited his family, Marnie, Ellie and Eli and Kyle, who had flown back to
the US after two weeks in London, to the wedding. My stomach churned at the
thought of facing Marnie and Ellie again, after the recent dramas.  Nate
had declared that Ellie was excited to see me again, and Marnie apparently
always knew that we would somehow defy the odds and end up together.  It
felt strange, awkward even, at the prospect of seeing them all again after so long,
they had become so important to me, in such a short amount of time, but I
hadn’t heard or seen anything of them since the abduction. 

Nate
updated me that they were happy for us, but I found that extremely hard to
grasp after all the commotion I had caused their loved one.  Guilt was a
major part of my recovery, I knew this and tried to find a positive in my mind,
the only one apparent was the fact that I loved their son/brother so much that
I was willing to give up my life for him.  That had to count for
something.

I
hear a screeching and my face immediately splits into a grin. 
Shauna!  I am lifted off of my feet into the embrace of my best
friend.  We hadn’t been able to book the same flight, Shauna’s having
arrived a few hours earlier.  Pushing the pram towards Nate, she briefly
kisses his cheek in greeting before linking her arm in mine babbling about all
the sights she had seen so far.  Her excitement was contagious and I found
myself giggling along with her as she made plans for us for the evening as Nate
followed on pushing a pram. 

Nate
had forbid us from spending the night apart, even on the eve of our
wedding.  I got this, it wasn’t Nate being ultra-controlling, it was Nate
being apprehensive of my well-being.  He knew that when I laid beside him,
I slept. When he was in my company, I was calm. He wanted me relaxed and bright
eyed for the ceremony tomorrow, so insisted we break tradition and spend the
night together.

Shauna
had pouted and expressed that she had Emily-Jane along, and a girly slumber
party was just what the doctor ordered. Nate had said it sounded great, but any
of the girly shit could be done in the morning when we had decided to part to
prepare for the ceremony.

He
had always been possessive, but Nate taking control didn’t make me feel any
kind of anxiety or fear, instead it made me feel warm and fuzzy,
protected.  I knew his concern came from love, rather than control, which
meant I was happy to comply to his demands, well most of the time.  Nate,
I knew, would never take advantage of my love for him and therefore would only
demand something from me if he felt uncomfortable with the alternative.

By
the time we had dumped our belongings in our luxury suite, which had to be said
was out of this world with its sunken living area and L shaped sofa, and
showered off the journey, it was already time to meet everyone for
dinner.  We had agreed to a casual dinner tonight, after everyone arrived
at staggered times throughout the day.

I put
on one of my new dresses, to please Nate.  My wardrobe at home was still
too big on my slighter frame, so I had decided a girl only gets married once,
well hopefully, and added a couple of smaller sizes to my collection.  It
was simple in design, green in colour, reaching mid-thigh where it hugged my new
slim figure.  Some of the weight I had lost had returned, my breasts the
first thing that had reappeared, much to Nate’s delight. 

‘You
nervous?’ Nate’s arms circle me from behind, his mouth touching the exposed
flesh of my nape.  I had pulled my hair up into a messy bun for
tonight. 

‘A
bit,’ I confess, leaning my head to one side to allow his mouth the room to
suck a trail down to my collarbone.  My body immediately tingles, my
nipples pushing against the confines of the lace that holds them.

‘Anything
I can do?’ Nate teases, as his hands move down to touch the skin at my
thighs.  ‘Just to alleviate the stress, you understand,’ he adds,
playfully.

‘Well,
come to think of it,’ I purr.

His
fingers push up the hem of my dress to expose my black lace thong.  My
eyes observe in the full length mirror, I had been appraising myself in, as his
hand slips inside the lace and his fingers stroke a trail down the hot
folds.  I watch as his sapphire gaze darkens and his cheeks flush as he
continues to stroke the wetness.

‘Fuck!’
I groan, as he enters two fingers inside me as his thumb presses down on the
swollen nub of my sex.

‘Does
that feel better, baby?’ He growls low in his throat. 

‘God,
yeah,’ I gasp, pushing against him.  He continues to fuck me with his fingers,
his eyes fixed on mine until I come spectacularly around them, clenching them
into my contracting sex as I whimper his name.

‘Jesus,
Fuck!’ Nate rumbles, his teeth biting down on my ear lobe, ‘that was hot.’ 

I
turn in his arms and wrap mine around him, ‘thank you, baby.  Is there
anything I can do for you?’ I ask innocently.

He
grins, flashing me his dimple, ‘haven’t got time, London.’

‘You
sure?’ I purr, dropping down to my knees.

********

‘Where
have you two been?’ Shauna scolds Nate and I when we roll into the restaurant
later than scheduled.

I
am grasping his hand for dear life, while he lazily strokes across my knuckles
with his thumb. 

‘Aw,
leave them alone!’ Ellie approaches, her rounded abdomen almost pushing Shauna
out of the way. 

My
glance falls to her evident pregnancy, the reason for the spontaneous marriage,
according to Nate.  A smile sits on my face as our eyes meet.  ‘Hey,
El’s,’ I mumble, quietly.

She
grins, her eyes tear and she wraps her arms around me.  ‘Don’t give me all
that, ‘
Hey, El’s
,’ shit!’ She mutters in my ear.  ‘It’s good to see
you, girl,’ she whispers.  ‘I was so worried about you.’

I
squeeze her as much as her stomach allows, ‘thank you,’ I feel the tears roll
silently down my cheek as I struggle to control my emotions.

‘I
missed you, babe,’ Ellie sniffs.  I nod, unable to voice words through the
apple sized lump clogging up my throat.

‘That’s
enough Ellie,’ Nate calls gently, ‘I don’t want her upset, not tonight,’ he
instructs, lightly.

‘Sorry,’
she attempts to pull away, but I pull her back in. 

‘I’m
fine,’ I squeeze her again before releasing her, both of us wiping at the
tears.

I
feel Nate behind me, his hands on my hips protectively.  A blurry Marnie
enters my vision and she too hugs me hard.  ‘Good to see you, honey,’ she
mumbles. 

‘Right,
can we eat?’ Kyle calls. I glance over to see him with a pink covered
Emily-Jane jumping up and down in his lap. What the fuck? 

‘Hey,
Kyle,’ I wave.  He winks at me, before standing and leading us all inside
the steak house.

I
can’t remember the last time I enjoyed an evening so much.  I may not have
any family to speak of, but I know that the people currently surrounding me
have filled that void. 

Ellie
and I fall into the easy banter that we previously enjoyed, Eli and Kyle chat
about law enforcement, Marnie confiscates Emily-Jane from Shauna, and Nate
holds me close, a contented expression fixed to his handsome face.  I observe
as Kyle turns to Shauna, his face soft, she grins at whatever he suggests as
she leans in and whispers in his ear.  I knew they got cosy when he
visited London, but Shauna swore it was a revenge fling to distract her from
the fact her pig of a husband had left her for another woman.  As I look
on, I wonder if something more is building between them, he certainly looks
comfortable around the baby.

‘Will
you visit?’ Marnie asks me as she rocks a sleepy Emily-Jane in her arms.

‘Visit?’
I ask, turning my attention to my new mother-in-law to be.

‘Krystal.
Will you bring my grandbabies to visit?’ Her face appears relaxed, but I sense
the alarm behind her enquiry. 

Will
I ever visit Krystal? 

‘Erm,
I don’t know Marnie,’ I admit, earnestly.  ‘I’d like to think we could, I
know Nate considers it home.’ I update her.

She
nods, a small smile on her face.  ‘I will look forward to that, Sophie.’

I
feel a curling in my gut, Marnie is putting on a brave face, but she is
devastated that Nate is moving to England.  I lean into Nate, and he
immediately turns from his conversation with Kyle, his perceptive gaze taking in
my expression. 

‘You
okay?’ He frowns.

‘Yeah,’
I provide him a small smile, ‘just a bit tired.’

‘You
want to go?’ he offers.  My Nate, he would do anything for me, that much
is obvious.

‘I’m
okay for now, baby,’ I turn my face up eager for him to drop his lips to mine.
He complies, but his eyes assess me closely.

‘Loving
the hair, Sophie,’ Ellie distracts.

‘Thank
you,’ I grin.  ‘I wasn’t sure at first, it’s so much easier to take care
of when it’s shorter.  Although, there are more options when it’s longer.’

‘I
like it,’ Ellie comments.  ‘Do you prefer it, brother?’

‘She
looks beautiful either way,’ Nate responds, diplomatically.

Ellie
rolls her eyes, while I stroke my hand over Nate’s thigh lovingly. 
‘Something tells me you can do no wrong,’ Ellie mutters, good naturedly.