His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 304: Reveries

** Eli **

Despite Tyler’s helpful attempts, however, it was still difficult to wait patiently, and Eli found himself arriving at the photoshoot location half an hour before the arranged time.

Needless to say that neither the bride nor the photographer was there yet. So he stood in the shadow of an arched colonnade, resuming the anxious waiting that had now become the synonym of the day.

Eli had never thought of himself as a restless person. Or easily stressed, like the way he was at the moment. But today was different ... Because how could he possibly stay calm, when the day finally came that he got to marry the love of his life, the woman of his dreams?

He had spent every single day since their engagement looking forward to this moment, and now that the moment was finally here ...

Taking a slightly unsteady deep breath, he looked up, letting his eyes land on the scenery in front of him to ground his mind.

The view was beautiful as the time started getting into golden hour. Warm light fell through the clouds, shrouding the vast mountain valley that spread before the outdoor pavilion, dusting a sheen of lively highlight on the raging green filling the vineyard. Rows and rows of lush vines stretched on across the rolling hills, before disappearing into the mountains beyond that framed this landscape like it was its own paradise.

It was a flawless vista, the type one would see on a postcard of the wine country that perfectly combined natural glory and cultural elegance. The type that would fit Harper as a matching background to her own breathtaking beauty.

Eli felt a smile curving his lips as he envisioned Harper standing beside him, overlooking this gorgeous panorama. The mere thought of it made the uneasiness in him quickly begin to fade.

Harper had fallen in love with this place the first time she saw it. During the past year, they had traveled frequently to the west coast, touring the area and checking out potential venues at the same time. Like she had promised, they had made plenty of new and lovely memories on those trips, from laughable experiences with too much sunshine to tender ones over romantic beach sunsets ... the most precious one among which, of course, was the first time that he took her to his hometown.

It had felt a bit odd, showing her the place where he once lived with his parents, yet at the same time, he was surprised by how nice it was to walk through the old neighborhood from his childhood with her, hand in hand. The warmth and serenity of her quiet company was like a fresh spring breeze, filling that empty space of his old home with the promise of a vibrant season of new life. And when she surprised him with a challenge to a beach ball game, right on the golden sands that he once told her about in Hawaii, he knew that he would never be able to think about this city again without smiling at the sweet time they had shared there. Together.

That was when he suggested that they look for a wedding venue right in the vicinity of the city. Which had surprised Harper quite a bit, though completely pleasantly. Then the rest was history.

Eli looked once more to the end of the horizon, still smiling as he revisited the scenes of their wedding preparations coming right afterward. Trying out catering and cakes, shopping for photographers and music bands, picking a color palette and a florist ... He would’ve never imagined so much work to be required for an event that lasted only a few hours, but at the same time, he found that he enjoyed every single task. Testing out new things with Harper and getting to understand each other on a deeper level — even if it meant occasional arguments over trivial matters — felt like a real beginning of a lifetime with her, and he treasured it no matter how much effort it took.

The only part of this long process that he didn’t fully enjoy though, was the fact that he didn’t get to join his girl on her wedding dress tailoring or hair and makeup trials.

Harper had decided to keep it the traditional way when it came to the wedding look, insisting that she wanted to surprise him when it was the right time. Eli, feeling torn between wanting that surprise and wanting to be part of her preparations as well, had failed to convince her otherwise with valid reasoning. So he ended up waiting in almost torture for months ... until now, when the moment of revelation was finally, finally here.

What would her dress look like? Knowing Harper’s preferences, it would probably be an A-line, though perhaps she might surprise him with a mermaid or even a ball gown. She probably wasn’t the type to go for anything dramatic like a cathedral train — although he would absolutely like to see her in it — so maybe a standard chapel length. But that was as far as he would guess. Would she choose a vintage style with laces to play out the country vibes? Or something more romantic and dreamy like sparkles? Or a lovely long veil that would flow and dance in the wind?

And what would she decide on for her lovely hair?

Either way, Eli knew that she’d be gorgeous in anything she chose. Because she simply was, without the need of any extravagant trappings to dress her up.

"Oh hey, you’re already here." A voice drawing near him startled Eli out of his reveries. Pulling his gaze back, he turned around, finding that the photographer had just arrived.

"We are in luck, the lighting can’t be better today with the occasional clouds. Ready to get started? I’ll do a couple of your photos alone before the bride gets h— Ah, she’s already here."

Swiveling to his side, Eli looked in the direction that the photographer was nodding at, and a figure bathed in dazzling sunlight stepped into his view.