Forever Yours: Mini Sequel

After the Wedding

After the Wedding

Our month in Europe was a dream.

We ambled through the streets of Genoa, lounged seaside in Nice, sipped wine and ate chocolate in tucked away cafes of Paris' sweetest boulevards. London was a glitzy three nights of black-tie dinners and concerts in the opera house. The city was awash with rain, but after the first day of lounging around, watching cable on the 'telly', staying indoors because it was too wet outdoors, Ryan suddenly got this look in his eye and before I had the time to ask him what he was thinking, he grabbed me by the hand and pulled me from the room, down the stairs, through the lobby, and out into the pouring rain.

"Wha-what are we doing?" I gasped, laughing, as my face and hair quickly became soaked, dripping down my top and jeans. Ryan looked down at me, rain streaming down his face, and grinned. "Run."

"What?"

"Run."

"What for?"

"If I catch you, I'm going to tickle you. Just a warning."

"Wha-" He'd taken several steps away from me, but his hands were raised, poised for capture. I stared at him. He had to be joking. I shot a quick look around the street, noted the few passerbys walking with umbrellas. "Are you crazy?" 

My laughter died off as I realized that not only was he one-hundred percent serious, but he was about two seconds away from lunging at me. Emitting a short, little squeal, I whirled away and made for a mad dash down the street, dodging the pedestrians and telephone poles alike, half-blind from the rain still falling all around us.

He chased me for two blocks and by the time he finally caught me, I was gasping for breath, hysterical with laughter, and dripping wet from head to toe.  His arm went around my waist and he clapped a hand over my mouth before I could scream, laughing into my ear.

"Slowpoke," he teased, before twisting me around and kissing me.

"But it took you a good five minutes to catch me, you could hardly keep up-"

"I let you," he said confidently, cutting me off with another kiss. I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around him, realizing he was only wearing a tee shirt- which was now dripping wet- and he was shivering.

"You're shivering, Flash," I informed him. The rain was less of a pour now, and more like a sprinkle.

"So are you."

"We should do that again sometime."

He tickled my side and I yelped. "Yeah, we should," he grinned, and then covered my mouth with his hand when I tried to protest. 

"Jerk."

"And for that..." he grabbed me, pulling me up off the ground and tossing me over his shoulder. I shrieked. "For that, you will pay, my bonny little wife."

I gave up protesting after a minute of his confidently striding along, ignoring my embarrassed pleas for him to put me back on my feet. Finally, I propped my elbow on his back and settled my chin on my hand. "People are going to think you're kidnapping me," I said conversationally, catching the suspicious look of an older woman huddling beneath an umbrella.

"Well, then, you'd better not do anything stupid, like call for help-"

"Help!"  I shrieked playfully and his hand, wrapped around my legs, tightened in a warning gesture and I shrieked again, but this time in earnest.

"Don't tickle me!"

"Then don't get me arrested," he said and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

After we reached the hotel and the concierge had smiled us through the front doors, Ryan placed me on my feet and I smiled up at him, aware that my hair was drying in curly tangles and my makeup was smudged beneath my eyes and my clothes were plastered to my body from the rain, but not caring. Ryan smiled.

"I'm glad you married me," he said, tilting his head at me. 

I smiled, reaching up to kiss him. "I'm glad too."

~ * ~

We came home like world-weary travelers, tanned, hair sun-bleached, with suitcases full of souvenirs and a camera filled with hundreds of pictures. All the walking and sight-seeing had leaned us both out a little bit more and Cara gave a little envious squeal when I showed her the tanned, toned planes of my semi-developed abdomen.

"So... no honeymoon baby?" Cara asked lightly.

I let her see my glittering, confident smile, my sparkling eyes, and she immediately looked taken aback.

"Gosh, what happened to you? No blush? No squeal?" she demanded incredulously. I tossed my head, a small, tell-tale laugh escaping my lips.

"I am a married woman now. I don't squeal," I said in mock superiority, turning my nose up, and Cara shrieked, swatting my arm.

"What happened to you? You're all tan and confident and just - different!"

I giggled, dropping the front. "Oh, Cara, we had the best time... there were so many incredible places! And the people – all the different cultures... I've never seen anything like it, and being with Ryan was just a dream – nothing like what I was expecting, and then –"

"And that's what's made you so smiley and self-assured?" Cara asked skeptically and only then did I blush.

"Well..."

"Ah, there it is," she laughed, bumping my hip with hers. I laughed, too, and she pulled me across the room to where Ryan and my parents were talking. They'd thrown us a welcome home party and all my siblings were there and Diane and Lacey, who was sitting on Ryan's lap, and even Sasha and Darren. Lauren had come as well and as soon as she caught sight of me, she whisked across the room, little Freddie on her hip, her look expectant.

"Are you pregnant?" She demanded instantly and Cara cackled.

"No! Why does everyone keep asking me that?" I exclaimed. Lauren shrugged.

"People always make such hoopla about having a honeymoon baby... I didn't think so, by the way - you've never looked more toned," she added, giving me an admiring look-over. "But seriously, when are you guys gonna get pregnant? I want little Freddie to have a playmate!" She jostled the baby on her hip and he chirruped with laughter.

"Oh my gosh! I haven't been married five minutes, give me a break!" I laughed and Lauren only flashed me her glittery smile and told me not to be surprised if it happened at any moment.

It didn't, though. It wasn't another year before the fateful day that I stood in front of the calendar, ticking off days, and came to the startling conclusion that I was quite possibly and most likely definitely pregnant.