The Vine

by C. A Ellis

  When I reappear everything is clean and tidy and nothing more is said about it. I dress quickly, but just before we leave, Sabrina pops in to pick up the dress. She can’t believe what has happened, as apparently Saskia had sent her on a wild goose chase to get rid of her for a while, and she had just given the police her statement.

  I told the police I would give them my statement tomorrow after I know Luca is okay and I’m in a better frame of mind. As soon as Sabrina leaves, we head off to see Luca. I’m dreading entering the hospital, as all I have are visions of what I saw after Luke had his car accident.

  I’m shaking and full of nerves as I clutch onto Luke’s arm while we make our way to Luca’s room. I swallow hard as Luke opens the door, but my nerves ebbs away as I see Luca sitting up in bed, his wounds all dressed and looking as handsome as ever, although slightly paler and with dark circles under his eyes.

  I let go of Luke’s arm, ignoring him as he rubs it because I’d been clutching onto it so tightly, and I walk over to Luca. I put my arms around him, only pulling away when I hear a sharp intake of breath from him. “I’m sorry; did I hurt you?” I ask apologetically.

  “No, it’s fine; I’m just a bit tender,” Luca responds.

  “Oh, Luca, what a nightmare. Thank goodness you’re okay!” I gush.

  “Don’t worry, Lizzy; I’m just glad I arrived when I did.” I see him shiver at just the thought. “It’s all good now; that lunatic will be locked away and won’t be able to hurt you again. Who the hell was she anyway? And why on earth would she want to hurt you?”

  “It’s a long story; I’ll tell you about it someday, but right now I don’t want to talk about her. I want to hear if you’re okay.”

  “They rushed me here and luckily I didn’t need surgery, just lots of stitches; they dressed my wounds and have put me on so much pain medication I probably won’t even remember this conversation in the morning. I have already asked the doctor to make sure I can still attend your wedding, and he’s said it should be fine as long as I come to get my dressings changed beforehand. Oh, and because I will still be on quite a lot of pain medication, I won’t be able to drive…or drink for that matter.”

  I smile, “That’s great; it wouldn’t be the same without you there.” Luca gives me his dashing smile before saying cheekily, “Being friends with you two really is a liability.” I smile and hear Luke sigh as he stands back from us with his arms folded. Luca and I both look over to him, and then I see him step closer to us, his face not giving anything away.

  Luca speaks before my fiancé does, saying “Are you offended, Lucas, that I have classed you as a friend?”

  I see Luke shake his head, and then he holds out his hand for Luca to shake and Luca accepts it. “I’m proud to call you one of my friends, Luca; I know we’ve had our ups and downs—the main one being you had the hots for my future wife at one time, and I was sick with jealousy because of what a good looking bastard you are,” I see Luca grin at that part before Luke continues, “but the fact is, you have saved our lives.”

  I think confusion crosses both mine and Luca’s faces as Luke goes on to explain, “There’s no doubt that you saved Lizzy’s life from Saskia—she definitely would have tried to kill her, and probably wouldn’t have given up until she succeeded—but Lizzy is my everything, my whole world, and to have her taken from me…well, that thought just doesn’t bear thinking about. So take it from me—you saved my life too.”

  I shiver knowing what Luke means, and as I take his hand, he looks up to me and our eyes lock, saying a thousand words without speaking. When we look back to Luca his eyes are closed, probably due to a mixture of being absolutely worn out and the medication. We tiptoe from the room to let him get his rest.

  A few days later, Katy, George and his family and the Castle clan arrive in Verona. They have all obviously heard about what’s been happening here and are deeply concerned, but Luke and I had told them before their arrival we don’t want to dwell on it. We will not let Saskia ruin this magical time for us. Everyone respects our wishes except for Katy, who is a law unto herself; there is clearly one rule for her, and one rule for everybody else as she bounds up to me, flinging her arms around me and cursing Saskia in every form she can find, telling me in no uncertain terms exactly what she would like to do to her. Let’s just say the air is blue and I’m red with embarrassment.

  We all have lunch together and then go our separate ways until we meet that evening for our meal, which will be an evening of fine food, fine wine and merriment. No one is to mention the S-word, not even Katy. It’s a night where we can all relax and let our hair down, and that’s exactly what it turns out to be. See? Things can sometimes run smoothly in our lives.

  I lay in bed the night before my wedding on my own and I hate every minute of it. Luke has traditionally gone to stay somewhere else and has decided his last night of freedom should be spent with his brothers and his Dad, although I did warn them if they were going to pop out, they definitely shouldn’t be drinking too much the night before the wedding. Luke promises me he definitely isn’t going to be drinking too much, as he wanted to remember every second of the day when I become his wife.

  I was just thinking how sweet Luke could be when Cole interrupted, saying, “Are you kidding? We’re going to go out, get utterly obliterated and party like rock stars, seeing as though we’re going to meet—OW!” Cole never did get to finish his rant as he was elbowed painfully in the ribs by Luke. Fortunately, I never listen too carefully to what Cole has to say. I leave that to Katy; she handles him much better than I do.

  So here I lay, missing that nice, warm body that’s normally wrapped around me and smells so good. I start to think of all the good times we’ve had, and also of how many more we are going to share, starting with our honeymoon, just the two of us for two whole weeks—bliss. Luke hasn’t told me where we’re going; he’s determined to surprise me. So as I drift off, I’m speculating where in all the wonderful places in the world he is taking me, not that I care really, as I’ll be Mrs. Castle, then Mr. Castle can take me anywhere he wants to.

  As long as I’m with him, nothing else matters, and then I’m gone—dreaming of beaches and a half-naked Luke.

  Chapter Thirty-three – Lizzy

  I wake up to someone pounding on my door. My heart thumps as I sit up, and I rub my eyes trying to come to, thinking, What on earth has happened now? I pad over to the door and open it to find an over-excited Katy and Stefano waiting for me in their nightwear.

  “What’s going on guys?” I ask sleepily.

  “We’ve got breakfast,” they sing in unison as they come in wheeling a trolley of food with them. I walk back to my bed, sit down and flop back closing my eyes. I hear Katy’s shrill voice, “How can you still be tired? And how are you not excited? You’ve had a lie-in until 9 am, and it’s your wedding day for crying out loud!”

  My eyes fly open and I bolt upright saying in a shell-shocked manner, “Oh, my God, it’s my wedding day.”

  I hear Stefano’s voice, “Yes, sweet pea, it certainly is.”

  “Has anyone seen Luke this morning?” I ask, panicking and thinking briefly he’s probably done a runner.

  I hear a sigh of boredom from Katy before she says, “Yes, I briefly saw him this morning strolling around like he owned the place with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.”

  I smile then, relaxing as Stefano pokes a croissant under my nose. It’s a good start to the morning, the three of us sitting cross-legged on the bed, eating and laughing. I should be too nervous to eat but I’m ravenous; plus, I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to eat again, so I have my fill.

  “Blimey, Lizzy, I bet you’re glad you didn’t get a slim-fitting dress now after the amount of food you’re putting away over there,” Katy says before the croissant I’ve just thrown hits her directly in the head. We all crack up laughing—well, Katy sort of scowls… until she has to give in to laughing.

  Our time together flies by, and soon it’s time f
or me to have a shower. Katy and Stefano head off to their rooms to get showered and dressed; they’re both wearing couture three-piece suits. Katy’s is beautifully feminine and terribly high-fashion, with pointy collars and cuffs; she’s going to look stunning, yet I obviously don’t have to tell her that as she already knows.

  Once they are dressed, they are coming back here for hair, makeup and to help me get into my dress. Sabrina dropped the dress off last night and is going to be waiting at both venues to adjust my dress for my grand entrances. I didn’t want a fuss, but I’ve got to admit, I’m loving all this.

  I turn on the shower and let the hot water wash over me. Once my wedding shower routine is finished, I step out and wrap a large, soft towel around myself and head to the bedroom. I stop dead in my tracks as I see two beautifully wrapped presents and a card sitting on the bed. Excitement pierces through me as I walk over and pick up the card first; I open the envelope and peal out the cream-coloured card with a golden angel on the front, and I smile knowing instantly who it’s from, but at the same time sort of feeling a bit upset I didn’t get to see him. I know it’s unlucky, but I miss him.

  The card simply reads:

  To my Angel,

  I cannot wait to marry you today and officially make you mine.

  I love you so much,

  Luke X

  I smile at him signing off as Luke, the little privilege that is only mine, before I hold the card to my nose to see if I can smell him. It’s faint but it’s there, so I inhale deeply; I’m addicted to his scent, and I am addicted to him.

  I prop the card on the mantle and open the larger of the two gifts, and as soon as I take the wrapping off I smile. It’s my diamond Christian Louboutin heels Luke brought me that created such fond memories.

  Stefano has bought my wedding shoes, but I may change my mind and wear these; they would go perfectly. The only shame of it would be with my dress being so wide and long, no one would see them. Oh, well, I think, Luke can appreciate them later once the dress is removed.

  I’m still grinning as I open the next gift, and it’s my Tiffany necklace and bracelet my mum and dad bought me. They are dainty and would also go perfectly with my dress. I want to cry but I don’t; this day is going to be the best day of my life, and the only tears I’m going to shed are happy tears.

  I’m standing in my sexy lacy wedding underwear; unable to believe I am actually going to be marrying Luke later on today. I fasten my bracelet and am trying with difficulty to fasten my necklace when two hands take the ends of the necklace out of mine and proceed to fasten it. I make a sound with a large intake of breath at the unexpectedness of the gesture, but then I exhale slowly and evenly when I realise it’s Luke. I don’t even have to look; I just sense him and smell him and instantly feel relaxed. That’s what he does to me when he enters a room—he brings me a sense of calm.

  “It’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before their wedding,” I say softly without turning round.

  “Well, as long as you don’t turn to look at me we should be okay then,” Luke whispers huskily into my ear. Goose bumps break out all over my body, and I lightly shiver at his sexy voice as he continues, “I couldn’t go another minute; I had to see you, Angel.” And with that, I feel his lips press against my neck as he slowly and seductively lays a kiss there.

  ‘Oh’ is my only response as he moves from one part of my neck to another. I roll my head slowly to the side to give him the access he needs as he keeps pressing these amazing, soft kisses everywhere; he briefly stops and I close my eyes, craving every one he gives me. He moves to my shoulders and it’s thrilling how each soft kiss sends intense shivers of desire throughout my entire body.

  He moves so slowly kissing down my spine, and as I look down, all I can see of him are his black Prada shoes and his large, tan hands on my waist. My belly is now pooling with desire and I know it’s not only from his touch; it is also because I can’t turn around.

  “I know you’ve got that naughty look in your eye, Angel,” I hear him whisper, and my God, I want to turn around and kiss his wonderful mouth. I want to graze those delicious full lips and taste that glorious tongue that does such wonderful things to me, but I can’t see him yet, not on this day; I won’t allow us to be susceptible to any more bad luck.

  My chest rises and falls in a hard and fast rhythm the more turned on I become. I think of how forbidden it is for me to see him and the more thoughts I have like that, the more my heart races. Suddenly, I am left bereft and panting as my beautiful man’s lips and hands leave me and I hear the door snap shut. I stand there semi-decent, swallowing hard and waiting for my heart to slow to a natural rhythm, when Katy and Stefano barge back through the door all suited and booted, and armed with hair and beauty products.

  I turn to them both and smile falsely at them, still trying to compose myself. Stef carries on as if nothing is amiss, but I see Katy stop and study my rosy red face.

  “Are you okay?” Katy asks wearily.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” I all but stutter.

  She laughs at me and says, “You just look like you’ve got a bit of F.F.F. going on there with the flushed cheeks.”

  I look at her in complete confusion, wondering what on earth she’s going on about now when she clarifies, “You know, Freshly Fucked Face.” Katy totally cracks up at her attempt at comedy and I just roll my eyes at her, and fortunately, Stef saves me from having to say anything.

  “Come on, Katy, stop larking about, will you? Let’s get some makeup on this beautiful girl’s face.”

  Katy, still chuckling, seats me comfortably and starts applying my makeup. I keep still, only moving when instructed to, but this whole high-maintenance thing doesn’t come easily for me.

  When she has finished, I look in the mirror Katy is holding in front of me. I look at my flawless skin and soft, smoky eyes and I have to admit, she has done a great job. I look fantastic. As soon as Katy is out of his way and off applying her own makeup, Stefano moves in to start on my hair. I don’t have much hair to style with my short, pixie look, but what Stef does with it is a work of art anyway; the man is a genius.

  As a finishing touch, he adds my tiara and it sparkles, along with unfortunately my glistening eyes. I wave the tears away; it’s going to be hard to keep my no-crying pact with myself. Stef does Katy’s hair next and she looks like a goddess; all her blonde curly hair is pinned up on top of her head with the odd curly tendril hanging down. She may be wearing a suit to give me away in, but there is certainly nothing masculine about her; she looks stunning.

  “You’re not meant to outshine the bride, you know,” I say to Katy in a mock-anxious tone.

  “Not possible, not even if I wanted to,” Katy says sweetly to me.

  Just as I am saying ‘aww’ to her compliment, Stef screeches out, “Dress!” They both look at me, and now my excitement hits an all-new level. It’s time for the dress…my dress…my wedding dress. I’m practically shaking in anticipation. It is much easier work getting the dress on with the three of us helping, and as I stand and look in the mirror, I refuse to even thinking about the last time I had this dress on.

  “Thank you, Stef,” I say and I see him raise his eyebrows up in question, “for going against everything I said and getting me the wedding dress of my dreams.”

  I see tears in his eyes as he says, “I loved Ella from the moment I met her, but I love Lizzy even more, and you deserve the best of everything, baby girl; you really do.”

  As I wave more tears away, I look to Katy who is mirroring me, waving at her eyes to stop her tears from falling, all because we don’t want to ruin our makeup.

  “Okay, peeps, it’s time to go. Your carriage awaits, madam,” Stefano says, holding the crook of his arm out to me. I nod, take his arm and we leave the room.

  “You mean our car awaits,” I correct him smiling. I didn’t want a photographer in our room while we got ready, but we booked one to be in the lobby of the hotel so I could be photograph
ed getting into the car, and then they’ll be at Juliet’s house when I arrive.

  In the lobby, everybody’s heads turn to look and admire me. Katy stops to talk to the photographer while Stefano and I head out to the drive. I stop dead in my tracks and my mouth drops open as I distantly hear Stefano say, “I did tell you that your carriage awaits,” and there, parked in the drive, is the most gorgeous horse-drawn carriage I have ever seen. There are two beautiful, white horses, and the most magnificent gold and glass carriage standing before me and it takes my breath away.

  There’s a footman to help us in, and as I enter the carriage, on the cream velvet seat is a note in Luke’s scrawl which simply says, You deserve the fairy-tale. X

  As our carriage makes its way through the streets of Verona, I really do feel like a princess, and I am most definitely on the way to meet my prince charming and I can’t wait.

  When we arrive at Juliet’s house and I step carefully out of the carriage, the nerves kick in. I’m not nervous of marrying Luke, as I want nothing more, but I feel shy about seeing him like this and having all eyes on me. Shy Lizzy is back with a vengeance, and as butterflies take over my belly, my hands with my gorgeous French-tips start to shake.

  I am chewing on my lip while I make a conscious effort to breathe; in through my nose and out through my mouth is my mantra as my chest heaves in and out noticeably with the long, deep breaths I am taking. Sabrina adjusts my dress, Stefano faffs with my hair and Katy does small last-minute touches to my makeup; mainly a reapplication of lip-gloss to the lip I’ve been chewing on. I remain still, trying not to pass out.

  Then I hear the harp change to my entrance music—the traditional bridal march—and holding Katy’s arm, I hear her say, “I’m so happy for you, Lizzy. Are you ready?” I nod, and we make our way forward and through the doorway. I am aware of the presence of people, our guests, but I can’t pick out faces or names because all I can see now is the back of Luke’s head, and that’s where I am focused. I see Smyth and Cole whisper something to him, and at that moment, he turns around. As my eyes meet his, I am instantly calmed; all that’s left is excitement that I am about to marry the man of my dreams, who I would follow to the ends of the earth, and who I will love for eternity. Although I now want to run to him, I manage to keep a slow, steady rhythm on the short walk toward the captor of my heart.