Page 28 of Happily Ever After
"Well, I don't know about you, but after the horrid last two hours, I need to relax. My muscles are sore, and I'm tense all over. This is no way to get married. I'm going in the spa when we get back," I declare.
"Fabulous idea, Sunshine. I'll join you," Ade says, pulling me close and kissing the top of my head.
"Now that we know how to get this gunk off, we could unwind in the warm mud," Rhia suggests instead, and I think she's actually serious.
Three sets of eyes land on her in disbelief.
"What?" she asks innocently.
"I'm not going near that mud ever again," I reply.
Okay,'ever again'might be an exaggeration. At least not on this trip. I've had enough of that mud to last me for a long, long time.
Chapter Eleven
Ella
As the sun settles lower in the sky, the temperatures drop. I'm glad we're back at the house and currently enjoying the spa bath on the main deck. Nearby is an outdoor firepit, its flames casting a warm, flickering light on our faces.
The guys prepared a scrumptious barbecue, all of us ravenous after this afternoon's exertion.
It still stings that we kind of had the solution to our mud problem the entire time and wasted hours scrubbing when the mud just slid off once the oil was applied. But hey, at least we know for next time, right?
"Now, bestie," Rhia says, throwing her arms around my shoulders. "You realize I can't let you spend your last unmarried night with your fiancé. Tradition demands it.""When have you… or I, for that matter, ever done anything the traditional way?"She taps her fingers against her chin. "Probably never, but this is not negotiable. You and I are going to spend the night together."
"Sounds saucy," I tease. "Are you going to wear pajamas?"
"Nah, where would the fun be in that?"
"Then I have to politely decline. I'm not sleeping with you in the same bed if you're naked. I don't need you rubbing all over me in your sleep, thinking I'm Lex."
"I could never think you're Lex. You're too skinny."
"It hasn't stopped you in the past."
"That was a long time ago."
"It was a jarring experience," I joke.
"Girls," Lex interrupts us. "Please behave."
"Tell that to your girlfriend," I laugh.
"Trouble, you will wear something tonight." He points to his shirt hanging over a chair. "It will remind you of me."
"Aww. You two are so cute."
Ade grins at me and points to his shirt "You can have the shirt off my back too, Sunshine."
I smile back at him and blow him a kiss.
For us, this is nothing new. If I'm not sleeping naked because Ade ravished me all night, I always wear one of his shirts to bed. It's usually the one he wore during the day… if it's not too smelly, of course. It's a fact, I sleep better with his scent on me.
Ade pokes the fire with a long stick. "So, did you know that in ancient Rome, brides wore flame-colored veils to scare off evil spirits?"
I laugh, leaning against him. "Flame-colored veils? That sounds like something out of a fantasy novel."
Rhia chimes in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You should have told us before the trip. Then we could have gotten El an orange or red veil, just in case. It would have gone great with the bonfire theme."
