“I’m guessing it’s time for one more tradition before we ride off into the sunset?”
“One more,” she agrees and kisses me.
I tuck myself back in my pants, and she gets her dress back together. As we clean up our picnic, the voice shouting her name gets closer, and I’m annoyed that my time with her has been interrupted again. I’m eager to start my life with her, and I can’t wait for the guys to meet her. If I can just get through today, I’ll have her all to myself.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
After we’re done eating, the entire family sits around as Aurora’s mother tells us all a story. It’s folklore from the area about a special orange tree and a king that didn’t want to let go of his only daughter.
Her mother looks like a force of nature. Her black hair is tied neatly back in a low bun, and her makeup is done perfectly. The dress she wears is white and tight and hits just below her knees. And those heels she’s wearing probably cost more than everything I carried in my suitcase combined.
She’s still thin, where Aurora’s father is not. Time has clearly not been as nice to her old man as it has her mother. His hair and beard are almost completely grey, and his shirt buttons are straining a bit around his belly. But when he looks up at his wife and smiles, I can see the youthfulness there.
I know Aurora said they fought, but I can still see the love between them. When my parents look at each other, all I see is animosity. I wish I could’ve grown up with parents that loved each other, but I’ve gotten something good out of watching them argue and hate each other.
I now know what not to do. I know what I don’t want out of a relationship. And I know how I don’t want to treat my wife.
Aurora holds my hand and leans her head on my shoulder as she gazes at her mother with love. Her mother looks over to her every once in a while, smiling when she sees how close we are. I can tell her mother cares for her like a mother should. And I wonder what that’s like—to feel so much love from and for a parent.
“She used to tell this story to me as a child,” Aurora whispers to me. “It was my favorite story to hear before bed.”
I can imagine a small Aurora lying in bed, all tucked in, while her mother tells her a bedtime story. I hope to see her do that for our children one day.
“Am I your knight in shining armor?” I tease her.
“I always told her I didn’t think anyone would want me. Even when I was a little girl, I was always very aware that I was different. I didn’t think I would be so lucky.”
“But then I walked in,” I cut her off, smiling as I kiss her temple.
“But then you walked in,” she agrees.
We go back to listening to the rest of the story, and when she finishes, a few people carry in a bowl full of oranges that is so large it takes two people to carry it. They place it in the middle of the table, and then a few more people walk in, carrying a small orange tree in an ornate pot.
“For you,” her mother says, gesturing to me. “As a sign of our good faith that you are the king our Aurora was waiting for. We hope you treat each other with love and respect and grow to love each other as her father and I have.”
“Grazie mille,” I say as I stand up and make my way over to her. I kiss both of her cheeks, and then her father stands to shake my hand and pat my back so hard I think my lungs might fly out of my body.
“Trattala bene, ragazzo mio.” Treat her right, my boy. “And maybe next time you come to visit, you’ll bring us a grandchild or two!” He laughs, a deep belly laugh that’s infectious as it spreads from person to person across the table. He smacks me hard on the back again, and then I walk back over to Aurora’s smiling face.
Once everyone settles, Aurora stands to make a speech as well.
“I wanted to thank you all for coming and for making me feel welcome in this new family.” Her hand gently squeezes my shoulder. “I’m very grateful to have been a vital part of our two families coming together. And it doesn’t hurt that my husband is very easy on the eyes.”
I wink at her, and there are a few laughs around the table.
“The oranges on the table are from our own grove, picked fresh this morning. If everyone would like to grab one, it’s tradition in our family to share the special golden oranges, just like in the story my mother just told.”
“It’s good luck!” her father shouts, grabbing the first orange and tossing it toward my father. He catches it, but I can see the surprised annoyance on his face.
Everyone takes an orange and begins to speak amongst themselves. I pull Aurora onto my lap as we both share an orange. She feeds me a piece, and then I feed her one. I like watching her soft lips close around each piece, and I’m suddenly very aware that I need to focus on literally anything else so that I don’t stand up with a raging boner.
“Do I need to get off your lap, husband?” she asks, her voice filled with mischief as she looks back at me over her shoulder.
“Careful, little tease,” I tell her, kissing her shoulder as she takes another bite. “Or I’ll bend you over the balcony when we get back to our room and fuck you until you can’t stand any longer.”
The person next to me clears their throat, and I realize maybe I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was. Aurora turns bright pink and covers her mouth as she laughs and almost chokes on her orange.
“È una minaccia? O una promessa?” Is that a threat? Or a promise?
“Oh, it’s a promise.” I give her a little bite on her shoulder, and she pulls away giggling. I’ve never been so enchanted with a laugh as I am with hers.
We spend a bit longer with the families, chatting and getting to know each other. But after a while, people begin to filter out. My entire family is leaving today, going back home or traveling somewhere else while they’re on the continent.
Aurora and I are leaving today as well, traveling back to California before I take her on her honeymoon. So we excuse ourselves so that I can pack up and Aurora can grab that last of her stuff she wants to travel with. Everything else is being shipped.
She flops down onto the bed once we get back to the room. They’ve changed the sheets, and she rolls around on the fresh comforter, sighing and closing her eyes.
“As beautiful as you look lying there,” I tell her, shutting the door with my foot and walking over to the bed, “I remember making a promise to fuck you out there on that balcony.”
Her eyes fly open as I lean over her and pull her off the bed, throwing her over my shoulder and giving her ass a quick smack. A cute little moan escapes her lips, and I decide I want to see just how much she likes a little pain with her pleasure.
I open the glass doors and let her down off my shoulder. Quickly turning her around, I place her hands on the concrete railing and tell her to keep them there before lifting her dress over that perfectly round ass.
I spread her cheeks with my thumbs, and she groans, arching her back to give me a better view. I can see from here she’s wet and ready for me. I remind myself to go slow—she’s still only had sex once, and it was less than twelve hours ago. She’s still sore, and I need to make sure I don’t hurt her.
“I want to come inside you one last time, sweet girl,” I tell her, running my hands up her body until the dress falls over her head and hangs on her hands. I scrape my nails down her back lightly, leaving light pink trails down her pale skin.