His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 305: Favorite Part

** Harper **

Harper could feel the flutters intensifying in her stomach as she crossed the terrace, rounding the corner pillars of the pavilion to find Eli already waiting for her at the entrance.

Oh he looked so handsomely sublime.

To keep things fair, she hadn’t gone to his portion of the tailoring appointments either during the wedding preparations, and this was the first time she had seen his new tux. She probably should have expected the visual treat of that slim fit accentuating his tall figure so perfectly, but still ... It was hard for her heart not to stop at such a timeless sight of him, cast into a sharp relief by the golden sunlight that spilled across his flawless profile, lighting up the white rose pinned to his lapel.

Right, the rose. Maybe that was also what made him look so different today. He wasn’t just a handsome man dressed up for a glamorous event like the gala they went to last summer. He was the groom, and this was his wedding. Their wedding.

It was really happening now — the man she had been in love with for as long as she understood the word "love" was standing right here, waiting for her, ready to become her husband in just a couple of hours. Finally, the moment was about to come when she could truly get to call him hers.

Harper slowed down her footsteps, giving herself some time to breathe in and process this incredible realization. That was when she noticed ... that Eli seemed to have frozen in place as soon as he saw her, the look on his face changing from surprise to pride to ... something else that he rarely showed.

And then his hand flew to his mouth, and he ... was tearing up?

"..." He seemed to have tried to say something, though no sound came out. Then he ran his hand down his chin and, clearly his throat, finally said in a slightly trembling voice, "... Harper."

A teardrop was hanging right at the corner of his eye, sparkling against the westering sun.

For a moment, Harper suddenly felt like she might break into tears herself. She had imagined many ways that Eli might react when he finally saw her — shocked to the core with his jaw hitting the ground, or so dazzled that his eyes couldn’t stop admiring her from head to toe, or so thrilled that he’d even pick her up for a big wild spin. But she hadn’t imagined this. And she hadn’t imagined hearing the one word she couldn’t be more used to hearing uttered in such a way that it carried so many emotions, so many meanings, all at once.

She smiled, reaching up to brush her thumb softly over the corner of his eye. "Hi there, the love of my life." With a tone much more lighthearted than what she was really feeling, she stepped closer, answering him with a feathery kiss on the lips.

The sound of camera shutters snapping suddenly reminded her that they weren’t alone. Darn, it was going to take some getting used to, having the photographer and his assistants follow the two of them like this for the rest of the day.

"Oh, wait ... W-Would I smear your lipstick if I—" Eli, apparently starting to realize the same, stuttered a little as he pulled away.

The question made Harper chuckle. "If you kiss me? I’m pretty sure we are supposed to do plenty of that for the photos, so no. This is what good quality lipsticks are made for."

With that, she sealed their lips together once more, ignoring the audience currently witnessing the lovey dovey scene that was totally, simply natural for them. This time, she didn’t let go until the sound of camera shutters died down, a subtle hint that they might have taken just a bit too long.

"Oh how I love First Look pictures." The photographer, casually flipping through his latest shots, gave them a wide smile. "This is my favorite part of the wedding day for a reason, especially when some tears are involved."

Eli, looking increasingly sheepish, wiped at his still glistening lashes.

"Well, I have to admit that I didn’t expect it at all." Harper cupped his cheeks, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling out of such a pure feeling of happiness inside her heart. "But that was ... probably going to be my favorite part of the day as well. Guess I’ve made a good decision not to show you the dress ahead of time."

"It’s not just the dress ..." Eli looked back at her, his gaze so soft and tender that it wrapped around her like a pool of springwater. "You are gorgeous, Harper. I mean, of course you are, always. I just ... I suppose now I finally know what it feels like to be the happiest man alive."

His hands reached out for her as well, though they stopped just before touching her cheeks, as if he was once again concerned about smearing her makeup. After a brief hesitation, he flattened one hand against the back of hers instead, tilting his head to drop a kiss into the center of her palm.

The smile on Harper’s face was stretching so wide that she wondered if she’d look silly in the pictures. But she didn’t care. Slipping her hands up his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. She felt the veil behind her drifting lightly against the wind, brushing over his face like a dreamy reminder of what this moment meant for them.

"Well, that makes two of us. As in, me being the happiest girl, not me knowing what it feels like for you to be the happiest man ..." The somewhat idiotic comment brought a laugh out of him, and Harper liked how perfect it sounded as he hugged her back.

Then she heard another round of shutters snapping fast behind her, capturing this perfect moment and saving it forever.