It's been four hours since they arrived. Now, the night is still and serene.
Only the whisper of the chilly November breeze moves through the woods, weaving with the singing of orthopteras.
The children are warm and fast asleep on the bed, while Neva sits on the mattress she's laid out on the floor beside them.
She hums a song, smoothing the bedsheets and plumping the pillows.
She lifts her eyes as Rhett enters, fresh and handsome.
He's changed into casual clothes, a towel carelessly draped around his neck.
"Are we sleeping on the floor tonight?" he asks, closing the door behind him.
"Yup." Neva rises to open the wooden wardrobe.
Rhett leans against the closed door of the wardrobe, arms crossed, eyes locked on her as she pulls a folded quilt out and places it on the bed.
"I think the bed's wide enough for us," he says. They have been sharing it with the children—close, warm, tangled limbs and whispered dreams. But he couldn't be happier to have her all to himself tonight.
Neva spreads the quilt over the mattress. She glances back at him,
and smiles at the quiet confusion and tentative hope etched on his face.
"Yes, the bed may be enough for us." She stands and shuts the other door of the double-doored wardrobe. Her eyes meet his, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "But tonight isn't like any other night."
Her breath catches as he moves closer, pressing her gently against the door.
"Careful with your words, my Angel," he murmurs, locking eyes with her before letting his gaze drop to her lips. "You're feeding my hope."
"Am I?" she whispers, slightly breathless, as she wraps her arms around his neck.
Her belly flutters with frantic, ecstatic butterflies and a hint of anxiousness.
He smiles, mischief dancing in his eyes. "So naughty." Leaning in, he brushes his lips against hers.
"What are you planning for me tonight, my Angel?" he murmurs, pulling her close at the waist, his lips finding hers once more.
"Nothing less than divine," she whispers, his warm breath ghosting over her lips.
He leans back, a perfect grin tugging at his lips. And she melts right there, her knees going weak.
She traces the rough stubble along his jaw, but worry soon pulls a small crease between his brows. "Are you sure you want this? Because if you're doing it just for me—"
"Shh..." She presses a finger to his lips. "I'm not," she says. "I love you. I'm your wife. It's only right we celebrate that."
A shudder runs through him as her sweet, enslaving lips brush against his.
"I'm all yours tonight," she whispers softly.
"Just tonight?" he asks, a wicked grin rising through the tenderness.
She chuckles, her shimmering eyes meeting the twinkle in his. "I'm all yours for eternity."
"Now that's more like it." His restraint shatters as he pulls her into a breath-stealing kiss that burns her core in euphoria.
Her legs wrap around his waist as he presses her against the cool wardrobe, her breath catching as his lips trail warm, moist kisses from her neck to her bare shoulder.
"You're determined to kill me tonight." He kisses her jaw. "Aren't you?"
"Yes," she whispers, breathless. "But after we resurrect, we'll be more alive than ever."
He chuckles, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you. I love you so much I think my heart might explode."
She lays her hand over his chest,
smiling as the frantic rhythm of his heart echoes her own.
"I love you too. So, so much—"
He silences her with a passionate kiss,
a blur of spring colours bursting and misting as they lose themselves in each other—stripped of shame, of pretense, of every veil they have ever worn.
A sacred vow slips from his lips as he lowers her onto the soft pillows. She clings to him, anchoring herself against the storm of him—
the bliss… the eternal heaven that is him.
Her fingers tangle in his damp hair as he presses warm, fevered kisses against her burning skin.
A wildfire kind of love burns as their flesh becomes one—
A calm river runs beneath the flame as their souls are one.
Magic surges through their intertwined fingers—
Miracle bleeds through their interwoven veins.
A covenant seals in the exhales of love—
A garden blooms in the cleaves of hearts.
It's the most beautiful dying—losing yourself in the depths of your beloved.
It's the most beautiful living—finding yourself in the depths of your beloved.