Arabella felt the car stop but she wasn't fully aware of it. She was still asleep and after being on a plane for over 9 hours, she was sure that she was just dreaming that her and Hunter were pulling up to their home. Arabella wiggled her nose and she cuddled closer to Hunter's leg, where she had rested her head. She felt something run through her hair and she moaned softly, slowly opening up her eyes. Arabella looked up and saw Hunter smiling down at her. "Are we home?" She asked him lightly.
Hunter ran his fingers through her hair again. "Yes, sweetheart. We're home. Let's wake up, so we can go to bed." He laughed a little and helped her up. He paid the cabbie and then got out, retrieving their bags from the trunk. They walked inside and Hunter set their bags by the door. Arabella was practically asleep at this point. She leaned on him. "Come on, Ellie. We're home."
Arabella lifted her head a little bit and looked around with a tired smile. "I'm glad" She said softly and she yawned. She pulled away from him just a little bit so that she could stretch. "It's only 10 at night.." She added, looking over at the clock on the wall. "I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" Arabella asked Hunter, placing a kiss on his cheek.
Hunter grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. "Mmm...No thanks." He said, humming against her lips a little. "I'll never sleep tonight if I have some." He kissed her again and finally let her go into the kitchen, but he kept close behind her. "Or was that the point?" He asked, walking over to the dog cages and peeking inside at the sleeping animals. He found a seat at the table and looked up at her as she made the tea. "I don't have to be back at work for a couple of days still, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" He asked with a small yawn.
Arabella shrugged as she moved around he kitchen, getting everything she needed and putting the kettle on. "I plan on sleeping as much as I possibly can. I didn't sleep at all the night before our flight home" She said with a small yawn and she turned around, leaning against the counter and looking over at Hunter. "I kept worrying that something was going to go wrong with the plane or we'd miss our flight or we'd lose our luggage or something" She said with a little laugh at herself.
Hunter furrowed his brow a little and walked over, putting his hands on her hips. She put her head on his chest and Hunter kissed her hair. "It seems that you worry about a lot. Why don't you rest that beautiful little head of yours sometimes and relax? I'm sure I could help you relax." He said, leading her over to a chair. He sat her down and then started rubbing her shoulders. "Everything is going to be just fine, sweetheart."
"Oh, Hunter..." Arabella said softly, closing her eyes. She moaned softly as Hunter rubbed out a kink in her shoulders and she smiled a little bit. "Thanks, for saying the right things and putting up with me" she said and she tilted her head back, smiling softly up at him. Arabella reached a hand up and she brushed her fingers down his jaw.
Hunter took her hand in his and kissed it gently before moving his hands up to her neck a little. "Well, that's why I"m here, right?" He laughed a little then bent down, placing a tiny kisses on her neck. "Well, how about this for right thing to say? Your tea's done." He said with a smile.
"Oh!" Arabella said happily and she hopped up, walking over to the counter. She poured the water into a tea cup with some sugar, milk and a tea bag then reached into the cupboard and taking out the Oreos. Arabella took one out of the bag, twisted it open, licked off the cream and passed the cookies over to Hunter. "Perfect" She said with a smile.
Hunter laughed softly and took the cookie, popping it into his mouth. "It really is." He said with a little smile. He sat down again and watched as she disappeared into the sitting room. Hunter followed, noticing Jolie stumble out of her cage and look up at him, slightly surprised at his presence. He barked once and Hunter picked her up, walking into the sitting room and taking a spot on the couch next to Arabella. "Look who's awake." He said, placing the small dog on her lap.
"Jolie!" Arabella said softly, quickly putting down her cup of tea. Holding Jolie steady, she pulled her knees up onto the couch and she held Jolie close to her chest. Jolie looked up at Arabella for a moment, barked softly, licked her cheek then put her head down on her shoulder like a baby. Arabella looked over at Hunter with big eyes and a smile, petting Jolie softly. "Oh...I missed my little girl" She whispered and she kissed the top of Jolie's head. "Is Ajax still sleeping?"
Hunter glanced back at the cages just as Ajax and Piggy emerged, immediately trotting to the sitting room, more than likely where they smelled the tea. "Nope." Hunter said as Ajax jumped onto the couch next to Arabella. Hunter reached down and picked up Piggy, holding him gently, scratching behind his ear. He handed the pig to her and then put an arm around her. "Looks like the whole family is awake."
Arabella smiled up at Hunter and she kissed his cheek lightly. "The most perfect family, ever" she said with a little nod and she gently put Jolie down on the couch by Ajax, where she curled up into a ball, resting her head on Ajax's back. Arabella giggled a little bit and put Piggy down on her lap. "I was thinking that in the summer, we could build a pen for Piggy. He's going to be getting bigger soon enough and he needs like...a spot of his own where he can roll in the mud and do other Pig like things"
Hunter nodded. "Oh, yeah." Hunter said, looking down at Piggy. "I think that would be really good. Gwen mentioned that the summer is busier, so we can work on it if we have time." Hunter thought about it a moment. "Tyler has stopped talking to me altogether. I'm going to ask him about it next time I see him. I've had enough of this." Hunter said, shaking his head slightly.
"I haven't really heard from him either.." Arabella said softly, her voice trailing away and she knitted her eyebrows together. "He used to tell me everything. I would texts and emails and calls from him daily, telling me what was going on in his life but now..nothing. I saw him briefly at our wedding but that was about it" She sighed and she looked over at Hunter. "Something's not right with him"
"I'll talk to him." Hunter said with a nod. "It could be a guy thing." Hunter shrugged a little and turned to Arabella. "Let's not think about it." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips. He pulled her a little bit closer and put his other arm around her. "Mmm...You're a pretty wife." He said against her lips, leaning his head against hers.
"You're a sexy husband" Arabella said, smiling against his lips and she kissed him tightly. She felt something wet against her cheek and she turned to see Jolie. Arabella laughed a little bit and she patted her head before she nudged the dog down a little bit and she rested her own head on Hunter's shoulder. "That was a pretty amazing honeymoon, Mr. Reed" She whispered.
"It's good to be home, Mrs. Reed." Hunter said, putting his head down on hers. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. They sat there for a while and Hunter finally pulled away a little. "So, how does it feel to be married to me? I know for me I just feel so much closer to you, but I'm not sure how you're feeling."
"I feel amazing" Arabella said softly and she smiled a little bit before turning her head to look up at him. She didn't really know how to explain how she was feeling. It was beyond anything that she ever imagined. Arabella took a little breath and ran her fingers down Piggy's back. "I can't imagine not being married to you. I feel like it's what I'm supposed to be doing...building a life and a family with you" She said softly
Hunter laughed a little and ran his hand up and down her side. "Good because I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, pressing his lips to hers again. "Ellie, I can't wait for you to be pregnant and huge and everything. I'm excited for it." He said, putting his hand on her stomach and feeling Piggy leave a little pig kiss on the back of his hand.
"Me too" Arabella sighed and she looked over at Hunter. She never thought that she would say that she wanted to be huge but now, she wanted it badly. "I hope I don't crave anything weird. I've heard stories of women craving some really messed up stuff when they're pregnant" She said and shuddered a little bit. "A lack of morning sickness would be nice too"
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her on the lips, pouring all of the love and all of the affection he could into it. "I'll be here to help you, every single step of the way." He said, looking into her eyes. She bit her lip a little and Hunter kissed her again, turning his body toward hers and pulling her legs onto his lap, Piggy adjusting so he was laying on where her shins.
Arabella smiled at Hunter and she yawned picked up her mug of tea, taking a big sip. "I have a feeling that you're going to be a really protective father, especially if we have girls" She teased with a small laugh. "I can see you making them go back upstairs to change their clothes before they go out on a date because they're showing too much skin or something like that"
Hunter smiled and shook his head a little. "You say that like they're going to go on dates." He said, raising his eyebrow. He took her hands in his and kissed both of them. "I can't wait for all of this, honey bunch." Hunter said, laying back and pulling her on top of him. "I really can't wait." he said, running his hands down her back.
Arabella smiled softly and she closed her eyes, snuggling close to Hunter. She didn't know what the next day would hold but she didn't care. All she knew was that Hunter didn't have to work and they could spend the day together. Maybe they would unpack their bags and order out for their food. They didn't have to do anything and Arabella liked it that way. "I love-" She started to whisper but she yawned and fell into a peaceful sleep before she could finish.
Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head. "I love you, too, sweetheart." He said against her hair. He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his chest, snuggling against him. Hunter put his head down on the armrest and he grabbed the animals placing them on the ground. "Good night, Ellie." He mumbled again before falling asleep.
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Arabella had woken up early, which didn't really surprise her. She had slept on the entire plane ride, the whole drive home and she had fallen asleep earlier than she usually does. Hunter was still asleep and Arabella didn't want to wake him up, so she gently pulled herself out of his arms and she tip toed into the kitchen, where she started to make a pot of coffee. She looked in the fridge and sighed, seeing pretty much nothing to eat. Arabella looked into the cupboard and when all she saw was a bow of Oreos and a few other snack type items, she huffed and got out a pen and piece of paper so that she could write a grocery list.
Hunter felt Arabella pull away and he groaned a little, until he felt weight on his stomach again. He paused for a moment before he felt two tongues and a pig nose against his chin and neck. He opened his eyes and looked up at Ajax, Jolie, and Piggy all sitting on his chest. Hunter groaned a little and grabbed them all except Ajax and stood, walking over into the kitchen. He set them down on the table and then wrapped his arms around Arabella's waist, pulling her against his body. "Good morning, beautiful."
"You're not supposed to be awake, yet" Arabella said with a smile and she leaned back against Hunter, smiling a little bit. "How did you sleep?" She asked him and she turned around in his arms, resting her hands on his neck and smiling up at him. She was happy that they were home and she was making their own coffee. She would even be happy to do their own grocery shopping. Arabella stood up on her toes a little bit and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter put his hands on her waist and held her up a little as he kissed her. "I slept wonderfully. I always sleep wonderfully with you as a blanket." He said, kissing her again. She scoffed a little and Hunter laughed then kissed her again before pulling away a little. "So, why wasn't I supposed to be awake, yet?" He said with a little grin.
"I was going to make some coffee for you and then I was going to go out grocery shopping because we are in desperate need of food and I was going to surprise you by getting done early" Arabella said and she placed her hands on his chest. "And when you're awake like this, I can't surprise you" She laughed a little bit and she placed a quick kiss on his chin. "So that's why you're not supposed to be awake yet"
Hunter laughed a little and pressed his lips to hers. "Well, I hope me waking up didn't make things too bad for you." He said, pulling her a little bit closer. "I'll see if I can make it up to you today." He winked at her and then pulled away a little, stretching his back. "I think I'm going to grab a shower. Then we can go get the groceries. Sound okay?"
"Sounds perfect" Arabella said softly and she kissed Hunter tightly with a small smile on her lips. She watched him as he walked upstairs then yawned, fed the animals and slowly climbed the stairs. Arabella walked into their bedroom, smiling softly when she heard the shower running. Humming quietly, she stepped into her closet and pisked out an outfit for herself. She laid it all out on her bed and peeled off the clothes that she had been wearing the day before and fell asleep in.
Hunter let the water run over his face, waking him up a little bit more. It felt good to be home and he was glad that he would be able to just get back into routine. Hunter finished showering, shut off the water, and then wrapped a towel around his lower half. He walked out and blushed a little when he saw Arabella just as she unhooked her bra . "Oh, goodness, Ellie." Hunter said, hiding his eyes.
Arabella looked up, holding her bra up, with a slightly confused look on her face. "What?" She asked and she looked around the room then down at her outfit on the bed, wondering if there was something wrong with it. Arabella turned her eyes up to Hunter then looked down at herself and she laughed a little bit. "We really need to stop meeting up like this, hey? I mean...it's happened a lot now. I almost wonder if you plan it" She teased.
"I plan it?" Hunter sighed a little and grabbed a pair of boxers, walking back into the bathroom and quickly slipping them on. "I plan it? You knew I was taking a shower." Hunter walked to the dresser and grabbed some clothes out. "You decided to be incredibly sexy right after I get out of the shower. That's all on you."
"Incase you haven't noticed, dude, we share a bedroom" Arabella laughed and she turned her back to him, pulling off her bra from the day before and quickly putting on a new one. She turned around so that she was facing him again and she put her hands on her hips. "And another thing, this is coming from a guy that decided to come out of the bathroom all wet and sexy and in a towel. You started it, mister" she said and she grinned across the room at him, pulling on a pair of jeans.
Hunter slipped into his jeans and then sitting down on the bed. "Well, I assumed that I would be alone here." He said, reaching over and pinching her butt. She squeaked and Hunter winked at her a little before pulling on socks and slipping into his green converse. He grabbed his shirt last and shook out his hair a little bit before slipping it over his head as he stood at the foot of the bed. "You know, how is that I'm ready before you, every time?"
Arabella shrugged. "I probably think about it too much" she said and looked over at him with a small smile as she pulled on her cardigan and smoothed it out over her stomach. Arabella looked down at herself, checking to make sure that she didn't miss anything or forget anything. She looked up at Hunter and smiled a little bit, playing with her ring lightly. "I think I'm ready to go" She told him.
Hunter smiled and walked over to her, putting his arms around her softly. "Well, let's get going then, shall we?" He said with a grin as he kissed her softly on the forehead. He smiled down at her, putting his head on hers. "Well, don't think for too long. You look beautiful no matter what." He held her closer for a moment and the pulled away, taking her hand. "I do mean really beautiful."
Arabella smiled shyly and she pushed a piece of hair behinf her ear. "Well..thanks, Hunter" She said softly and she kissed him lightly. Arabella grabbed her purse and with Hunter, she walked out of the bedroom and out of the house. "I wrote down a bunch of fruits and veggies and things for us to get. I figured that if I start eating healthier foods that don't have all kinds of gross additives and chemicals, I'll have a better chance at getting pregnant, you know?"
Hunter looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Is that how that works? I honestly have no idea if that would help." He said, getting into the driver's seat after opening the door for Arabella. "Yes. Sure. That's how that works. That sounds like a good idea." Hunter laughed a little. "That makes sense." Hunter nodded and pulled out of the driveway, heading for the grocery store.
Arabella sighed and she looked out the window for a few moments then turned to look at Hunter. "I just...I want to do everything I can to make sure that we can get pregnany" She said with a little nod and she reached over, placing a hand on his thigh. Arabella smiled a little smile at him before looking out the window again.
Hunter nodded softly. "Maybe..." Hunter sighed a little. "Maybe we should get tested or something? I mean, it wouldn't hurt would it? We can just go to the Doctor and he can say we're both fine and then he'll give us some tips or something." Hunter put a hand on hers. "It can't hurt to check." Hunter said quietly, more to himself than to her. "I'm sure it's fine."
Arabella nodded and she slid over in the seat so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder. "I was kind of thinking the same thing, actually" She said and she looked up at him with big eyes. She brushed her thumb down his jaw and she smiled a little bit before closing her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine" She breathed, as if she was reassuring herself.
Hunter pulled into the grocery store parking lot and got out, trying to get his mind off what they had just talked about. He was walking toward the store when he quickly turned around and ran to her door, opening it. "Alright. What's the first thing to get at the store?" He asked, smiling down at her, her hand tightly in his. "I hope we can do this quick. Being back home sounds nice."
Arabella passed him the list and she yawned a little bit. "We need more milk and cheese and things like that. I got rid of a bunch of stuff in our fridge before we left because I didn't want to come home to chunky milk" she said with a little nod.
--------------------------
Arabella was chewing on her lip nervously, her stomach was tight and her heart was racing. The doctor's office felt very cold and empty but maybe that was just because she was so nervous. Her fingers brushed over the rough skin of Hunter's hand, which she held tightly in her lap with both of her hands. They had gone to the see the doctor right after finishing the shopping and they were anxiously waiting the results. Arabella turned her eyes away from the window and she looked down at Hunter's hand in her lap, trying to calm herself down a little bit. It would be okay. It had to be okay.
Hunter could barely breath. His entire body seemed to be shivering and the only thing that was keeping him sane was Arabella holding his hand in her lap. Hunter took a deep breath just as the Doctor walked back into the room. He found his place behind his desk and set a folder down on. He took a breath before speaking. "I have the results here." He said with a nod. "Mrs. Reed, you're in perfect health and fully able of having kids. Mr. Reed..." The way the doctor said his name made him cringe. His heart shot up into his throat and he couldn't breathe. "Sir, there are options for people with your condition." Hunter couldn't be there anymore. He couldn't be in this office. He needed to be somewhere else.
"Thanks for letting us know, doctor. Goodbye." He said, standing up slowly, his voice emotionless. It felt like something broke inside him and he just didn't know how to feel. He didn't want to look at Arabella's face. He couldn't look at her and see how much he let her down. They weren't going to have the family that they both wanted and it was all his fault. He couldn't stand the idea of being with her only to not have what the both wanted. Hunter got to the parking lot and got into the car. He didn't start it. He just sat there. Staring out the windshield.
Arabella pulled her feet up onto the seat, holding her knees close to her chest. She was staring down at her lap, trying to make sense of what the doctor had just told them. Her eyes were red and sore from holding back tears and her heart was tight. Everything that she had been dreaming about, everything she wanted was just thrown out the window. She could feel Hunter sitting beside her and she didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to say to him? Arabella wanted to comfort him and make him feel better but how could she do that when she desperately needed to be comforted herself? Arabella took a small breath and her eyebrows knitted together. "It's not fair..." She breathed, shaking her head. "It's not fair and it doesn't make any sense"
Hunter simply started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. He drove away from the hospital and towards his house. He could hear Arabella talking and whimpering slightly and he wanted to tell her that everything was okay and that everything was going to be alright and they were going to figure it out, but he couldn't bring himself to speak let alone look at her. He wished that he could just go back to this morning when they were blissfully ignorant as to why they weren't getting pregnant. Now, it was all gone. Their dream of having a family and growing old together with their family slipped through their fingers in a matter of seconds. Hunter took a shallow breath and tried to focus on driving enough to stop when the light turned red. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled breathlessly, hoping he could only hear it.
Arabella looked over at Hunter with a heartbroken look on her face. She just couldn't get her mind wrapped around the fact that they weren't going to have kids. Arabella took a little breath and she reached over to touch Hunter's hand but when her skin touched his, she felt him flinch and she took her hand away again. "Hunter...it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong" She said softly, deciding in that moment that she needed to be strong for him. No matter how badly she needed to breakdown and sob, she needed to be strong and she needed to be there for him.
Hunter blinked slowly. He was tempted to look over at her, but if he did then he knew that he might just become even more depressed. He just drove. Things that Hunter enjoyed before were now reminding him of everything that was wrong with him. Hunter took another shallow breath as he turned onto their street. He saw the houses and he knew that there would be kids in them all, but never in his. Returning home made it feel all too real and now he just wanted to sleep. For a long time. And hopefully, he wouldn't wake up to the nightmare that became a reality.
When Hunter parked the car at their home, Arabella sighed softly. She looked out of the window, pulling herself together for a moment before she turned towards Hunter. He was still staring out the window, looking broken and hollow. Seeing him like that broke Arabella's heart but she didn't know what she was supposed to do. "Why don't you go inside and lay down for a little bit." She said softly, starting to reach over to take his hand but she remembered the way he had flinched the last time and she took her hand back.
Hunter, without a word, got out of the car and walked into the house, not bothering to open Arabella's car door or letting her go in first. He held his keys in his left hand and shuffled into the living room where he sat down on one end of the couch, keys still in hand, his eyes unmoving from a spot on the wall. He wasn't sure why he was behaving this way, but it felt like his entire motivation was swept out from under him. He felt a head on his leg and he glanced down to see Ajax put his chin down on Hunter's thigh, letting out a little whimper, almost as if he could sense Hunter's despair.
Arabella watched Hunter as he walked to the living room and she closed her eyes, biting her lip. She wanted to go into that living room and curl up on his lap and kiss him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but she got the feeling that he needed to be alone. Besides, her hands were starting to shake from the effort of holding back her tears. Arabella bent down and she picked up Jolie and Piggy then turned towards the stairs, going up to her bedroom. Gingerly, she placed the animals on the bed and then turned towards her closet. Tears started to slide down her cheeks and she stepped into her closet, going through her things and pulling out all kinds of clothes, cleaning it out. Arabella was desperate for something to distract her.
Hunter sighed a little, but didn't move. He didn't want to move. He felt bad for ignoring Arabella like this, but he he knew that it couldn't be anywhere as bad as how he disappointed her. Hunter looked down at his hands a moment and then put them back at his sides on the couch. Maybe if he ignored her then it would be easier to find someone better. Someone who she could raise a family with. Not Hunter.
Chapter 148 - Arabella and Hunter
Arabella yawned and she put her head against the glass in the back of the car, wondering when they were finally going to get there. It was exciting to be in Greece but they had been traveling for so long at that point and she really just wanted to relax with Hunter for the first time in what felt like forever. Her hand was across the seat and in Hunter's lap and she was brushing her fingers against his knuckles when suddenly she gasped and sat up straight, the resort coming into view. "Oh, Hunter..." She breathed, pressing her forehead against the window for a better view of the beautiful land in front of her.
Hunter smiled over at Arabella and sighed happily. "We're almost there, sweetheart. Don't climb out the window just yet." The cab stopped in front of their villa and Hunter leaned up to look at the meter. His hand grabbed the coinpurse full of drachmas he made sure to bring and started to count them out when the driver looked at him like he was crazy. "Oh...No Drachma?" Hunter said, raising an eyebrow. The cabbie rolled his eyes and Hunter paid him in cash. He got out and grabbed their bags from the back. "Alright. Lesson one: Learn what Greeks use for currency"
Arabella laughed as she stepped out of the cab and she stretched a little bit as she looked around at everything. It was a beautiful villa. Total luxury. It honestly looked like something out of a magazine and it totally blew Arabella away. She took a deeo breath then turned towards Hunter, tugging on the hem of her shirt. "Do you want me to help you with the bags, Mr. Reed?"
Hunter shook his head and smiled at her. "No, Mrs. Reed. I've got them." He said with a smile as he walked toward the villa. "I will need you to open the doors though. I don't have three arms, sadly." Arabella hurried forward and opened the door and walked in, letting the door close behind Hunter. He dropped the bags and then looked up at their house. "Oh my goodness, Ellie..." He said quietly. "This is beautiful."
Arabella looked around in a stunned silence. She wasn't expecting something as amazing as this. She thought that it would be just a simple little room but no, it was a wonderful and magical villa. Arabella looked at Hunter before rushign towards the living space and looking around. She walked towards the backdoor and she opened it, stepping out onto their back deck. "Hunter!! Hunter, come here!! We have our own pool!" She called back into the house and she looked out to the view, amazed by the sea and the temple that they could see in the distance.
Hunter smiled and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. She leaned back into him and looked up. Hunter looked down and kissed her lightly on the lips in an upside down liplock. "So, beautiful." Hunter started, running his hands up and down her stomach. "We have all of Greece at our fingertips. What's first?"
"The bedroom?" Arabella said, wiggling her eyebrows. She giggled at the way he blushed and the look on his face and she turned around in his arms so that he was facing him. "Why don't we start with some food because I am really hungry" She giggled and she kissed him lightly. "Then maybe we could go for a swim in our private pool? Or we could go for a hike?"
Hunter smiled a little nervously. "We have plenty of time for the bedroom, my love." Hunter said, walking over to a phone on the wall. He picked it up and then pressed for the operator. It was in Greek which, thankfully, wasn't a problem for Hunter. "Yeah, are there any places that deliver food or is there a food service system here?" He asked, looking over at Arabella and waving her over. When she was close, he pulled her in for a kiss and then pulled away, leaving the phone in her hands. "I'm going to unpack." He said with a wink before leaving to find the bedroom.
Arabella took the phone and she watched Hunter walk away. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the phone just as she was connected with a Greek delivery place and she froze for a moment when she heard them speaking Greek. Arabella's Greek was never very good, just because she never bothered to really learn. It was the funniest thing, though. She could understand what the man on the phone was saying, sort of, but she couldn't really get the right words out easily. She really had to think hard about what she needed to say. After a little while, she was able to order a dinner for two meal with lots of different kinds of Greek food and she put down the phone, huffing softly.
Hunter found the bedroom and brought the bags in, but once he really looked at it, he forgot about getting unpacked. It had a large King size bed with a canopy and a lot of pillows that practically begged to be jumped into. Hunter looked on the dresser and found a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne next to a tray of chocolate strawberries. Hunter grabbed the champagne along with two glasses and then tray of chocolate strawberries. "Sweetheart, check out what they left in our room to welcome us." He said, grabbing a strawberry and offering it to Arabella.
Arabella looked down at the strawberry and she grinned, taking a bite out of it and chewing happily. "Mmm..perfect" She sighed and she slipped an arm around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. "What kind of champagne?" she asked and she looked at the bottle. "Oh...this is awesome stuff" She said softly before turning her gaze back to him. "The food should be here soon" Arabella placed a gentle kiss against his jaw then picked up a strawberry and offered it to him.
Hunter smiled and took a bite then immediately kissed Arabella on the lips. "What a great way to start our stay here." He said with a grin as he popped the cork off the champagne and poured two glasses. He was about to take a drink, but he stopped himself. "So what do we toast to?" He asked, glancing over at Arabella.
Arabella thought about it for a moment, wiggling her nose a little bit as she thought. "To my wonderful husband" She said finally, holding up her glass and grinning. "he is an amazing man who could throw together the most perfect wedding, a very sexy man who is really difficult to resist, an incredible man who I love very much"
Hunter blushed a little and put an arm around her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "And to a fantastic wife." He said, putting his forehead on hers. "She is beautiful and wonderful and adorable and kind and sexy and smart and brave and positively could not be more perfect for me." He kissed the tip of her nose real quick and smiled at her. "I love her very much. More than she will ever know."
"Well, she sounds fantastic" Arabella said with a little giggle, but her cheeks were bright red as she clinked her glass againt Hunter's and she took a sip. She smiled up at him then pulled herself closer to him, kissing him tightly. "You are much too kind to me, babe. One of these days, it's all going to go to my head and I'll have the biggest ego in the world and it will all be your fault" She teased him, grinning.
"Oh, it can get bigger?" Hunter laughed a little and when she tried to hit him he caught her arm and kissed her again, leaning against the counter. "Ellie, I am so glad that we are here." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers and then brushed his lips against hers and then to her cheek and her ear. "I can't wait until tonight. And tomorrow night and the rest of the week. And the next one." He said, nibbling lightly on her ear lobe. "And the next one. And the next one. And the-" Hunter laughed when Arabella stopped him by grabbing his face and kissing her tightly on the lips.
Arabella put her glass down and she hopped up onto the counter. She hooked her legs around him and she pulled him as closer to her as possible and she kissed him tightly, smiling a little bit againt his lip. "I haven't even seen the bedroom, yet" She breathed and she brushed her lips along his jaw. Arabella pulled away a little bit so that she could look at him and she grazed her fingers along his cheeks.
"Well, maybe..." Hunter said, running his hands down her sides and putting one under her butt. "This place is pretty big." He said, pulling away as she put her arms around his neck. He picked her up and kissed her on the neck. "You could get lost. I should probably show you the way." He left the room and walked down the hall to the bedroom where he pushed open the door and set her down on the bed, her legs still wrapped around him and her arms still on his neck, pulling his down to her, kissing him on the lips.
Arabella pulled away from him a little bit and she smiled up at him, with peaceful eyes. Being with Hunter and holding him that close to her felt natural, it was comfortable. Arabella was pretty thrilled by the fact that she got to do this with Hunter for the rest of her life. "You're handsome" She told him in a matter-of-fact voice and she placed a kiss on his nose.
Hunter laughed a little and laid down on the bed, his head on her stomach. She gently played with his hair and Hunter turned his head to look at her. "You're pretty." He said, putting his hand on her stomach next to her head. "You're more than pretty. You're beautiful. Amazingly beautiful." He smiled and tickled her skin a little where her shirt lifted up to reveal her stomach.
Arabella blushed and goosebumps raised on her skin where he tickled her. She looked down at him and she let out a little sigh. "You know, whenever you say stuff like that to me, I get all flustered and I don't know what to say" She said with a small giggle and she brushed her fingers to his temples and she bit her bottom lip.
Hunter smiled a little and rolled until his face was next to hers, putting an arm around her. He was lying on his stomach and he turned his head, placing a small kiss on her lips. "You should get used to it, my darling because this is going to be a long, long, and very satisfying marriage." He said, kissing her again then burying his face into her hair and placing his lips on the spot behind her ear.
-----------------------
Arabella looked out the window of the rental car as Hunter drove down the road, towards the beach. She looked over at him and with a small smile, she placed her hand on Hunter's thigh. "Thanks for bringing me here, Hunter" she said softly. In response, he smiled and he pulled the car off the highway, into the parking lot and he parked the car. Arabella leaned over and she kissed him lightly then started to grab her stuff, making sure she had her camera and all of that. When she looked up, Hunter had the car door open for her and she grinned, sliding out of the car. She took a deep breath and looked out into the sea, reaching for Hunter's hand. "Aphrodite's rock" She breathed.
Hunter kissed her cheek and then put his head on her shoulder. "Well, I saw the picture of it in your room at the beach house and I knew you wanted to go." He said with a smile as he placed a small kiss to her neck. Hunter adjusted his trunks a little and looked over at Arabella a moment. He slid an arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder, sliding her arms around his waist. "I love you." He said quietly, placing a kiss on her head.
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella breathed, looking out at the sea and the rock that meant so much to Arabela. To most people visiting Greece, it was just a myth and something fun to see. To Arabella, it was so much more. It was her mother's birthplace and a part of her history. Arabella had always wanted to go and the fact that Hunter knew that without even asking her, made Arabella's heart flutter. She turned her eyes up to him and she smiled a little bit. "I'm really happy that I'm here with you" She told him. "I always thought that if I ever got to come here, I would be alone"
Hunter smiled a little and put his arms around her. "From now on, you will never be alone, sweetheart. I promise." He said, giving her a small kiss on her cheek. They walked closer and closer, the road quickly turning into sand. "It's so beautiful here. Just like the namesake. Even though she's not as beautiful as her daughter." He said, leaning into her a little.
"Oh gods, don't say that...she'll kill you" Arabella giggled and she turned towards him kissing him tightly. She was blushing a little bit but she just tried to ignore it. "But thank you. For...being here and telling me that I'm beautiful. I couldn't even begin to explain how much it means to me" She said softly and she kissed him lightly again before she turned back towards the sea and she took a deep breath.
Hunter smiled and ran his hand up her back and to the hem of her shirt where the tie for her bikini popped out a little. He tugged on it a little and Arabella gasped, quickly reaching back and swatting his hand away. "Come on." Hunter said, putting his arms around her from behind as they reached wet sand. "Let's go swimming." They waddled toward the water and Hunter laughed a little, placing a kiss against her ear. "You're pretty."
"You're handsome" Arabella said with a little giggle and she turned around in his arms. She looked up at him with a big grin and kissed him tightly. Arabella winked at him as she pulled away and she tugged her shirt off, slipped out of her bottoms and in a pink bikini, ran into the water, laughing her head off.
Hunter pulled off his shirt and chased after her, laughing the whole time. He managed to catch up to her and he wrapped his arms around her, spinning with momentum and then falling back into the water, submerging for a moment, but emerging when the splash died down. Arabella was on top of him and Hunter was okay with that. He kissed her gently on the cheek then started poking her in the sides, tickling her until she screamed.
Arabella squealed and she wiggled around, trying to get away from his fingers. She laughed until her sides hurt and she wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck, holding herself closer to him. "Hunter! This is so not fair!" She giggled and she hid her face in his shoulder. He slowly stopped tickling her, but she kept her arms around him like a vice grip, her breathing a bit laboured from laughing so hard.
Hunter held her close to him, putting his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and Hunter placed small loving kisses against her shoulder, tasting the saltwater and a hint of strawberries. "Ellie, you are a beautiful wife and I still can't believe that I'm married to you." He said, brushing his lips against her skin and running his hands along her sides. Just then another wave came in and washed over them, causing Hunter to stand up, helping her to her feet, then moving a little bit further up away from the wash. "Much better." Hunter said as he wrapped his arms around her, placing small kisses all over her face.
Arabella giggled and she closed her eyes, leaning into him and his kisses. "Being married seems so grown up" She said with a little laugh and she looked up at him with loving eyes. "But I like it. And I like being married to you" She said and she placed a little kiss on his chin. She was a little cold from the water, but she just held herself closer to Hunter. Arabella didn't really want that moment to end. It felt so innocent and special.
Hunter sighed a little and turned to look out at the water, keeping an arm tightly around her. "Arabella Reed." He said with a satisfied nod. "I could give you the world. I could give you the universe, but really I just want you to have my heart. It's not the world, but it's just as good. It only beats for you." Arabella glanced at him for a moment. "Apollo told me that once. Lyrics for some song." He said with a little wave as he laced their fingers together.
"Oh, what else did Apollo tell you?" Arabella asked him with a little smile. She rested her head on his shoulder and she bit her lip, just wanting to be near him and hear him tell her stories. Arabella loved to listen to him talk, it was one of her favorite things in the world. It made her feel peacful and happy. "I'm sure that Apollo was just full of relationship advise" She giggled.
Hunter laughed a little and carefully sat down in the sand, putting his arm around her and feeling her lean against him. "Well, Apollo was mad at us because Kyle puked on his summer home. That's a long story. When I first actually got to sit down and talk with him, he was nice, but he was kind of a douche." Hunter said with a laugh, glancing up at the sun. "I know that he can play any instrument perfectly or sing perfectly or whatever, but it seemed like he was making a big show of it. The muses were all over him."
Arabella laughed softly and she nodded a little bit. "Yeah, well, from what we've seen of his sons, that doesn't really shock me" She said with a giggle and she ran her fingers down his arms. "You're going to have to tell me that story about Kyle one of these days. I need more material to tease him with" She said and looked up at Hunter with mischievious eyes.
Hunter grinned and pressed his lips to her cheek. "What day do we leave?" He said with a laugh before leaning into her a little and kissing her cheek. "Actually, what time are our reservations tonight? I have a little surprise for you tonight." He winked at her and she blushed a little and bit her lip. "It's nothing bad. Just something I did before we left. You'll see tonight."
Arabella huffed and she placed her hand on his arm. "Our reservation is at 5" She told him and she looked up at him with big eyes. Her stomach was twisted in the anticipation for what the surprise was and she could hardly wait. "You didn't spend a crazy amount of money on me, did you? This honeymoon was more than enough" She said with a little nod and she kissed his chin lightly.
Hunter grinned and pulled her so that she was sitting in his lap. He put his arms around her, lacing his fingers together on her side, and kissed her shoulder and her arm and then rested his chin on her shoulder. "I didn't spend a crazy amount of money on you. Not that it's much of a concern with the million dollars I won and the money your constantly getting from your company." Hunter laughed a little and placed a couple of kisses behind her ear, He unlaced his fingers then ran his fingers from her side to her stomach. "Your stomach so flat. Do I have that? I can't tell."
Arabella blushed deeply and she smiled softly. "You're making me blush, again" She said lightly and she looked up at him with happy eyes. They were leaving to go back to New York in a couple of days and as much as she would miss Greece, she wanted to be home. Arabella took a little breath and she looked down at his hand on her stomach. "With any luck, which we don't seem to have.." Arabella said, her voice trailing off for a moment. "It won't be flat for much longer" She sighed. Getting pregnant seemed to be really difficult for them and Arabella had no idea why.
Hunter sighed a little and turned her head, placing a small kiss on her lips. "Having more sex? Oh no! I just couldn't stand that!" Hunter laughed and laced his fingers on her side. "Ellie, it'll happen. Maybe the gods are stopping us because they want our kid to be conceived in America." Hunter chuckled and placed his chin on her shoulder. "Things will be okay, sweetheart. I promise."
Arabella closed her eyes and she nodded softly, melting into him. She really wanted to start a family with Hunter. She was ready and she knew that Hunter was ready. There was no doubt in her mind that Hunter would be an incredible father. It just didn't make sense to her. They were both young and healthy and had never done anything in their past that would prevent them from being able to get pregnant. But here they were, not pregnant and trying really hard. She looked up at him, wanting to believe that what he was saying was true. "Okay. I believe you" She said softly.
Hunter nodded and let her lean into him. She closed her eyes and seemed to drift into a sort of sleep. She was awake, but she wasn't really awake. Hunter carefully picked her up and she snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his neck. He placed a kiss on her cheek and walked over before dropping her in the water. Immediately he started laughing as she stood up angrily, her hair in a curtain in front of her face. Hunter quickly stepped, trapping her arms against his chest, and looked down at her. She squirmed a little and Hunter swept the hair back behind her ears and then kissed her tightly on the lips. "You know what, though? At least we have each other. No matter what happens, we'll have each other."
"Always and forever" Arabella whispered and she looked up at him with big eyes. A small smile spread across her lips and she held herself closer to him, shivering a little bit from the water. Arabella placed a gentle kiss on his collarbone then looked up at him. "We should probably go. I need to get a shower before we go out tonight. I do not want to smell like sea water" She said with a little giggle and she ran a hand through her wet hair.
Hunter smiled and took her hand, leading her back to the car, making sure to grab their clothes on the way. "I don't know, babe." He said, grinning a little. "Ever since that night on the beach, I've found the smell of seawater a little..." He debated his choice of words a moment. "Arousing." He said, taking her arm and kissing her cheek. "I understand if you want to get rid of it though."
Arabella laughed and she smacked his chest lightly. "Geeze, Hunter..if you asked me 5 years ago if you would be telling me that you find something arousing, I wouldn't believe you" She teased and she leaned into him a little bit, placing a kiss on his jaw. "You might enjoy it, but other people might enjoy it and they might think I'm crazy"
Hunter laughed and shrugged, nudging her a little. "Well, things have changed since 5 years ago. I left camp. I was homeless. I fell head-over-heels in love with a beautiful girl. I got a job." He glanced over and saw when she blushed. They finally reached the car and Hunter spread out a towel on the seats, then let Arabella get in before getting in himself. "Back to the villa, right? We can take the scenic route." He started the car and felt Arabella scoot over next to him, leaning and cuddling up with him.
"The scenic route sounds amazing" Arabella said and she took a deep breath, placing her hands on his leg. She smiled a little bit and she looked up at him. "Yeah, things have really changed a lot, but..I'm really happy that things changed" She told him and she started placing little, gentle kisses against every inch of his skin she could reach.
Hunter turned onto the road that goes around a lot of the area. They just drove. They looked around the water and the mountains and the sites of famous fights and monsters and the history made Hunter feel special. He did what they did and he was a mortal. It was about 4 o clock when they got back to the villa. He helped her out and they walked in. "That was nice." He said, putting a hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the bedroom. "Well, you can have the first shower. I'll wait."
Arabella turned and she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him a little bit. She brushed her lips along his jaw, towards his ear. "You can join me, you know" She teased with a soft giggle as she ran her fingers down his chest. Arabella could feel his face heating up and she placed a teasing kiss by his ear. She pulled away from him and winked then grabbed a towel, walking towards the bathroom, wiggling her hips a little bit.
Hunter watched her walk into the bathroom and he took a deep breath. He was blushing and he could only imagine what was going on in there, but he tried to control himself. It was a moment later when he realized that the operative word was tried. He burst into the bathroom and stripped off his trunks, but didn't immediately get into the shower. Arabella was standing in the shower with the door open and the water off. He laughed and got in, putting his hands on her butt and kissing her tightly on the lips. "If you were waiting for me, you could have said that." He said, pulling her closer and squeezing her butt.
"I knew that you were going to be here, anyway" Arabella giggled and she pulled him closer, kissing him tightly. She felt his hands run up and down her sides and she smiled against his lips, closing the door to the shower. Arabella backed up a little bit, so that she was against the wall and she placed her hands on his cheeks, holding him close to her and kissing him tightly.
Hunter felt her lips against his and he smiled, pressing her against the wall. "You do remember why we're in here, right?" He said, pulling away and turning on the water. The water ran over their bodies and he closed his eyes a moment, just feeling her body close to his. He kissed her for a moment on the lips then pulled away. He kissed her again and he pushed her back against the wall again, holding her there with his hands on her hips.
--------------------
Arabella tugged on the hem of her dress and she stood up, slipping into her high heels. She grabbed her purse and as she walked out of the bedroom, she saw Hunter waiting by the door. When he saw her, he smiled and took a step towards her. Arabella grinned and she slipped her arms around his neck, kissing him for a moment. "You look very handsome, husband of mine" She said with a grin.
Hunter grinned and gently placed his hands on her hips. "You look very beautiful, wife of mine. Very beautiful." He kissed her lips and then turned, offering her his arm. "We'll be cutting it close, but if we leave now, we'll be there right on time. That said...Shall we?" He asked, bowing a little, a smile on his face.
"Such a gentleman" Arabella giggled and she opened up the door, stepping outside. It was colder outside than it had been earlier that day and Arabella folded her arms across her chest tightly while she waited for Hunter to step outside and close the door. As soon as he backed outside, she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. "Hi" She giggled, holding him tightly.
Hunter grabbed her arms and put them around his neck before bending over and lifting her off the ground. He hurried toward the car, Arabella wiggling on his back and swinging her legs. He let her into the car and then got in himself, quickly backing out and taking off for the restaurant. They arrived at the restaurant that was the part of the resort. He parked and helped her out of the car and led her inside. "Table for two saved for Hunter Reed."
Arabella looked around the restaurant with a small look of awe on her face. It was really amazing inside and when the host led them towards their table, Hunter almost had to drag Arabella along with him because she was so stunned by how beautiful the place was. She looked over at Hunter when she felt him drop her hand and she smiled a little when she saw that he had pulled her chair out for her. Arabella sat down and looked out the window, which had a perfect view of the sea and the Temple of Poseidon. She smiled a little bit then looked across the table at Hunter, who just sat down. "This is really amazing, Hunter"
Hunter grinned and reached across the table and took her hand, holding it and running his thumb across the back. "Only the best for my wife." He said, giving her a wink. The waitress came by and Hunter ordered the drinks and ordered for himself in Greek and then saw the way Arabella's face twisted. "You know, I can translate it you'd like." Hunter said with a little laugh.
Arabella huffed and she nodded, looking down her menu. She pointed out what she wanted to Hunter and as he translated it for her, she gazed out the window, chewing on her lip. The waitress walked away and Arabella slowly turned her eyes back to Hunter with a little smile. "Thanks for the help" She said with a little laugh and she took a sip from the glass of water. "I should really practice my Greek"
Hunter laughed a little and sighed. "I'm sure it's like riding a bike. All you need is some practice. Maybe we'll teach our kids and that brings me to my next point." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He passed it over to Arabella and as she opened it, Hunter cleared his throat and took a sip of water. "It's the paperwork for a bank account, started with 10000 dollars." She looked up in slight confusion. "It's a college fund for our first kid. We can add to it when we need to and it will accrue interest and by the time we need it, we'll have plenty of money."
Arabella looked down at the papers in her hands, unsure of what to say. "Oh, Hunter..." She breathed, running her fingers over the text on the page. She looked up at Hunter and she bit her lip, trying not to get too emotional. They weren;t pregnant, yet, but this piece of paper in her hands was a way of saying that her and Hunter were going to have a kid. Not only that, but their kid was being set up for a pretty amazing life and would have more than enough money for an education. Arabella reached across the table and she took Hunter's hand. "This is amazing, babe" She said in a soft voice, still trying really hard not to get too emotional.
Hunter smiled and nodded a little. He was about to speak when they're food came out and their waitress placed their plates in front of them. The next several moments were filled with them eating and the soft sound of them making happy noises to each other with how good the food was. "Ellie, I promise you that we'll use this money. I promise."
Arabella looked over at him and she smiled softly. She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him. Arabella took a deep breath and looked down at her food, trying to pull her thoughts together. She nodded a little and looked up at him with gentle eyes. "I know. I know we'll use it" She said and she smiled at him then took a sip of her tea. "I'll be telling this to our kids one day. I'll be telling them how amazing you are and how much you love them"
Hunter snorted a little. "Like they'll ever be able to get past how perfect you are." He said with a little laugh when he saw the look on her face. Hunter continued eating and he closed his eyes a moment, enjoying the food. "I never did ask...What did you do on your bachelorette party?" He asked, clearing his throat a little. "Other than drink so much you passed out." He teased with a little wink.
Arabella groaned and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember as much as she could about that awful night. She let out a huff and she started playing with her napkin. "Well...Danny had gotten us that big party limo and I think that we mostly just drove around the city. I think we might have stopped at a Victoria's Secret. I know that we stopped at a few clubs and bars. I really hope that I didn't get up on stage and sing Before He Cheats in a karaoke bar but I'm pretty sure that I did" She said and she sighed then looked up at him, blushing deeply. "What did you do for your party?"
Hunter laughed a little. "I'm sure you were great. You have a lovely singing voice." Hunter said, finishing his food. "Well, we went out to Atlantic City which was not close. We had a few drinks. We got in fake trouble. I had a stripper start to give me a lapdance when some monster took her top and ran off, so I got it back and then we had a few more drinks and went home." Hunter calmly drank water, looking up at Arabella's face. "Then you got home and I took off your dress, gave you my shirt, and put you to bed."
Arabella looked at him, totally stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but the only sound that came out was a little squeak. Arabella cleared her throat and she took a sip of her tea before leaning across the table a little bit, towards Hunter. "A monster took a strippers top and you got it back?" She breathed, unable to really process her thoughts. It seemed like such an odd situation. "Seriously?"
Hunter laughed a little and nodded. "Putting it all out like that, I totally understand why you wouldn't believe me, but yes. That did happen." Hunter chuckled a little. "It was these weird monkey things. Apparently the top cost a lot of money, so I ran and got it back. It was the least I could do. I told her to have a good night after that and then we went back to the bar and then left in the limo.."
Arabella sat back in her chair, wondering how she should respond. She took a little breath, her eyebrows knitted together. On one hand, she wasn't happy that he didn't tell her about seeing monsters sooner. On the other hand, she wanted to laugh. It seemed like it was a joke or something. "Well, uhm...was the stripper hot?" She asked Hunter, laughing a little bit and looking up at him through her eyelashes.
Hunter shrugged a little and took a sip of water. "Well, no one is hot compared to you. They're just degrees of lesser attractiveness." Hunter winked at her and then finished his water and looked up at her empty plate. "You ready to go? I can get the check." He said with a smile. She nodded and Hunter called the waitress who left the check on their table. He quickly paid and in a few moments they were back in the car on their way back to the villa.
Arabella yawned softly and she leaned her head back on the seat, closing her eyes. She liked being in the car with Hunter and she trusted him. Arabella knew that he was a good driver and he made her feel safe. However, the drive wasn't very long and before Arabella knew it, Hunter was parking outside if their villa. Arabella yawned again and she stretched out and when she opened her eyes, Hunter had his door open and he was reaching into the car for her. She smiled and she slipped her arms around his middle, walking with him back inside. "Thanks for supper, stud muffin"
Hunter grinned and placed a kiss on her temple. "Thanks for the company, honey bunch." He put his arms around her and they kind of walked together, awkwardly into the villa and Hunter sighed a little as he pulled his jacket off, hanging it near the door. He looked over at Arabella and saw that she was on the balcony. He walked behind her and put his arms around her waist. "Drachma for your thoughts?"
Arabella laughed softly and she gently leaned back into Hunter, keeping her eyes on the view of the sea in front of her. "I was just thinking about home. It's amazing here and it's beautiful and perfect but I miss our home. I miss our dogs and our routine, you know? It'll be really nice to be in our own bed and doing our own thing" She said lightly and she tilted her head back so that she could look at him upside down and smile.
Hunter bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You know, if we miss our dogs this much every time we go somewhere, just imagine what'll happen once we have kids. You'll miss them from a different room." She giggled a little and reached around giving his leg a pinch. "Don't worry about it, Ellie. We'll be home before you know it."
Hunter smiled over at Arabella and sighed happily. "We're almost there, sweetheart. Don't climb out the window just yet." The cab stopped in front of their villa and Hunter leaned up to look at the meter. His hand grabbed the coinpurse full of drachmas he made sure to bring and started to count them out when the driver looked at him like he was crazy. "Oh...No Drachma?" Hunter said, raising an eyebrow. The cabbie rolled his eyes and Hunter paid him in cash. He got out and grabbed their bags from the back. "Alright. Lesson one: Learn what Greeks use for currency"
Arabella laughed as she stepped out of the cab and she stretched a little bit as she looked around at everything. It was a beautiful villa. Total luxury. It honestly looked like something out of a magazine and it totally blew Arabella away. She took a deeo breath then turned towards Hunter, tugging on the hem of her shirt. "Do you want me to help you with the bags, Mr. Reed?"
Hunter shook his head and smiled at her. "No, Mrs. Reed. I've got them." He said with a smile as he walked toward the villa. "I will need you to open the doors though. I don't have three arms, sadly." Arabella hurried forward and opened the door and walked in, letting the door close behind Hunter. He dropped the bags and then looked up at their house. "Oh my goodness, Ellie..." He said quietly. "This is beautiful."
Arabella looked around in a stunned silence. She wasn't expecting something as amazing as this. She thought that it would be just a simple little room but no, it was a wonderful and magical villa. Arabella looked at Hunter before rushign towards the living space and looking around. She walked towards the backdoor and she opened it, stepping out onto their back deck. "Hunter!! Hunter, come here!! We have our own pool!" She called back into the house and she looked out to the view, amazed by the sea and the temple that they could see in the distance.
Hunter smiled and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle. She leaned back into him and looked up. Hunter looked down and kissed her lightly on the lips in an upside down liplock. "So, beautiful." Hunter started, running his hands up and down her stomach. "We have all of Greece at our fingertips. What's first?"
"The bedroom?" Arabella said, wiggling her eyebrows. She giggled at the way he blushed and the look on his face and she turned around in his arms so that he was facing him. "Why don't we start with some food because I am really hungry" She giggled and she kissed him lightly. "Then maybe we could go for a swim in our private pool? Or we could go for a hike?"
Hunter smiled a little nervously. "We have plenty of time for the bedroom, my love." Hunter said, walking over to a phone on the wall. He picked it up and then pressed for the operator. It was in Greek which, thankfully, wasn't a problem for Hunter. "Yeah, are there any places that deliver food or is there a food service system here?" He asked, looking over at Arabella and waving her over. When she was close, he pulled her in for a kiss and then pulled away, leaving the phone in her hands. "I'm going to unpack." He said with a wink before leaving to find the bedroom.
Arabella took the phone and she watched Hunter walk away. She cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the phone just as she was connected with a Greek delivery place and she froze for a moment when she heard them speaking Greek. Arabella's Greek was never very good, just because she never bothered to really learn. It was the funniest thing, though. She could understand what the man on the phone was saying, sort of, but she couldn't really get the right words out easily. She really had to think hard about what she needed to say. After a little while, she was able to order a dinner for two meal with lots of different kinds of Greek food and she put down the phone, huffing softly.
Hunter found the bedroom and brought the bags in, but once he really looked at it, he forgot about getting unpacked. It had a large King size bed with a canopy and a lot of pillows that practically begged to be jumped into. Hunter looked on the dresser and found a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne next to a tray of chocolate strawberries. Hunter grabbed the champagne along with two glasses and then tray of chocolate strawberries. "Sweetheart, check out what they left in our room to welcome us." He said, grabbing a strawberry and offering it to Arabella.
Arabella looked down at the strawberry and she grinned, taking a bite out of it and chewing happily. "Mmm..perfect" She sighed and she slipped an arm around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. "What kind of champagne?" she asked and she looked at the bottle. "Oh...this is awesome stuff" She said softly before turning her gaze back to him. "The food should be here soon" Arabella placed a gentle kiss against his jaw then picked up a strawberry and offered it to him.
Hunter smiled and took a bite then immediately kissed Arabella on the lips. "What a great way to start our stay here." He said with a grin as he popped the cork off the champagne and poured two glasses. He was about to take a drink, but he stopped himself. "So what do we toast to?" He asked, glancing over at Arabella.
Arabella thought about it for a moment, wiggling her nose a little bit as she thought. "To my wonderful husband" She said finally, holding up her glass and grinning. "he is an amazing man who could throw together the most perfect wedding, a very sexy man who is really difficult to resist, an incredible man who I love very much"
Hunter blushed a little and put an arm around her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "And to a fantastic wife." He said, putting his forehead on hers. "She is beautiful and wonderful and adorable and kind and sexy and smart and brave and positively could not be more perfect for me." He kissed the tip of her nose real quick and smiled at her. "I love her very much. More than she will ever know."
"Well, she sounds fantastic" Arabella said with a little giggle, but her cheeks were bright red as she clinked her glass againt Hunter's and she took a sip. She smiled up at him then pulled herself closer to him, kissing him tightly. "You are much too kind to me, babe. One of these days, it's all going to go to my head and I'll have the biggest ego in the world and it will all be your fault" She teased him, grinning.
"Oh, it can get bigger?" Hunter laughed a little and when she tried to hit him he caught her arm and kissed her again, leaning against the counter. "Ellie, I am so glad that we are here." He said with a smile as he pressed his lips to hers and then brushed his lips against hers and then to her cheek and her ear. "I can't wait until tonight. And tomorrow night and the rest of the week. And the next one." He said, nibbling lightly on her ear lobe. "And the next one. And the next one. And the-" Hunter laughed when Arabella stopped him by grabbing his face and kissing her tightly on the lips.
Arabella put her glass down and she hopped up onto the counter. She hooked her legs around him and she pulled him as closer to her as possible and she kissed him tightly, smiling a little bit againt his lip. "I haven't even seen the bedroom, yet" She breathed and she brushed her lips along his jaw. Arabella pulled away a little bit so that she could look at him and she grazed her fingers along his cheeks.
"Well, maybe..." Hunter said, running his hands down her sides and putting one under her butt. "This place is pretty big." He said, pulling away as she put her arms around his neck. He picked her up and kissed her on the neck. "You could get lost. I should probably show you the way." He left the room and walked down the hall to the bedroom where he pushed open the door and set her down on the bed, her legs still wrapped around him and her arms still on his neck, pulling his down to her, kissing him on the lips.
Arabella pulled away from him a little bit and she smiled up at him, with peaceful eyes. Being with Hunter and holding him that close to her felt natural, it was comfortable. Arabella was pretty thrilled by the fact that she got to do this with Hunter for the rest of her life. "You're handsome" She told him in a matter-of-fact voice and she placed a kiss on his nose.
Hunter laughed a little and laid down on the bed, his head on her stomach. She gently played with his hair and Hunter turned his head to look at her. "You're pretty." He said, putting his hand on her stomach next to her head. "You're more than pretty. You're beautiful. Amazingly beautiful." He smiled and tickled her skin a little where her shirt lifted up to reveal her stomach.
Arabella blushed and goosebumps raised on her skin where he tickled her. She looked down at him and she let out a little sigh. "You know, whenever you say stuff like that to me, I get all flustered and I don't know what to say" She said with a small giggle and she brushed her fingers to his temples and she bit her bottom lip.
Hunter smiled a little and rolled until his face was next to hers, putting an arm around her. He was lying on his stomach and he turned his head, placing a small kiss on her lips. "You should get used to it, my darling because this is going to be a long, long, and very satisfying marriage." He said, kissing her again then burying his face into her hair and placing his lips on the spot behind her ear.
-----------------------
Arabella looked out the window of the rental car as Hunter drove down the road, towards the beach. She looked over at him and with a small smile, she placed her hand on Hunter's thigh. "Thanks for bringing me here, Hunter" she said softly. In response, he smiled and he pulled the car off the highway, into the parking lot and he parked the car. Arabella leaned over and she kissed him lightly then started to grab her stuff, making sure she had her camera and all of that. When she looked up, Hunter had the car door open for her and she grinned, sliding out of the car. She took a deep breath and looked out into the sea, reaching for Hunter's hand. "Aphrodite's rock" She breathed.
Hunter kissed her cheek and then put his head on her shoulder. "Well, I saw the picture of it in your room at the beach house and I knew you wanted to go." He said with a smile as he placed a small kiss to her neck. Hunter adjusted his trunks a little and looked over at Arabella a moment. He slid an arm around her and she put her head on his shoulder, sliding her arms around his waist. "I love you." He said quietly, placing a kiss on her head.
"I love you too, Hunter" Arabella breathed, looking out at the sea and the rock that meant so much to Arabela. To most people visiting Greece, it was just a myth and something fun to see. To Arabella, it was so much more. It was her mother's birthplace and a part of her history. Arabella had always wanted to go and the fact that Hunter knew that without even asking her, made Arabella's heart flutter. She turned her eyes up to him and she smiled a little bit. "I'm really happy that I'm here with you" She told him. "I always thought that if I ever got to come here, I would be alone"
Hunter smiled a little and put his arms around her. "From now on, you will never be alone, sweetheart. I promise." He said, giving her a small kiss on her cheek. They walked closer and closer, the road quickly turning into sand. "It's so beautiful here. Just like the namesake. Even though she's not as beautiful as her daughter." He said, leaning into her a little.
"Oh gods, don't say that...she'll kill you" Arabella giggled and she turned towards him kissing him tightly. She was blushing a little bit but she just tried to ignore it. "But thank you. For...being here and telling me that I'm beautiful. I couldn't even begin to explain how much it means to me" She said softly and she kissed him lightly again before she turned back towards the sea and she took a deep breath.
Hunter smiled and ran his hand up her back and to the hem of her shirt where the tie for her bikini popped out a little. He tugged on it a little and Arabella gasped, quickly reaching back and swatting his hand away. "Come on." Hunter said, putting his arms around her from behind as they reached wet sand. "Let's go swimming." They waddled toward the water and Hunter laughed a little, placing a kiss against her ear. "You're pretty."
"You're handsome" Arabella said with a little giggle and she turned around in his arms. She looked up at him with a big grin and kissed him tightly. Arabella winked at him as she pulled away and she tugged her shirt off, slipped out of her bottoms and in a pink bikini, ran into the water, laughing her head off.
Hunter pulled off his shirt and chased after her, laughing the whole time. He managed to catch up to her and he wrapped his arms around her, spinning with momentum and then falling back into the water, submerging for a moment, but emerging when the splash died down. Arabella was on top of him and Hunter was okay with that. He kissed her gently on the cheek then started poking her in the sides, tickling her until she screamed.
Arabella squealed and she wiggled around, trying to get away from his fingers. She laughed until her sides hurt and she wrapped her arms around Hunter's neck, holding herself closer to him. "Hunter! This is so not fair!" She giggled and she hid her face in his shoulder. He slowly stopped tickling her, but she kept her arms around him like a vice grip, her breathing a bit laboured from laughing so hard.
Hunter held her close to him, putting his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck and Hunter placed small loving kisses against her shoulder, tasting the saltwater and a hint of strawberries. "Ellie, you are a beautiful wife and I still can't believe that I'm married to you." He said, brushing his lips against her skin and running his hands along her sides. Just then another wave came in and washed over them, causing Hunter to stand up, helping her to her feet, then moving a little bit further up away from the wash. "Much better." Hunter said as he wrapped his arms around her, placing small kisses all over her face.
Arabella giggled and she closed her eyes, leaning into him and his kisses. "Being married seems so grown up" She said with a little laugh and she looked up at him with loving eyes. "But I like it. And I like being married to you" She said and she placed a little kiss on his chin. She was a little cold from the water, but she just held herself closer to Hunter. Arabella didn't really want that moment to end. It felt so innocent and special.
Hunter sighed a little and turned to look out at the water, keeping an arm tightly around her. "Arabella Reed." He said with a satisfied nod. "I could give you the world. I could give you the universe, but really I just want you to have my heart. It's not the world, but it's just as good. It only beats for you." Arabella glanced at him for a moment. "Apollo told me that once. Lyrics for some song." He said with a little wave as he laced their fingers together.
"Oh, what else did Apollo tell you?" Arabella asked him with a little smile. She rested her head on his shoulder and she bit her lip, just wanting to be near him and hear him tell her stories. Arabella loved to listen to him talk, it was one of her favorite things in the world. It made her feel peacful and happy. "I'm sure that Apollo was just full of relationship advise" She giggled.
Hunter laughed a little and carefully sat down in the sand, putting his arm around her and feeling her lean against him. "Well, Apollo was mad at us because Kyle puked on his summer home. That's a long story. When I first actually got to sit down and talk with him, he was nice, but he was kind of a douche." Hunter said with a laugh, glancing up at the sun. "I know that he can play any instrument perfectly or sing perfectly or whatever, but it seemed like he was making a big show of it. The muses were all over him."
Arabella laughed softly and she nodded a little bit. "Yeah, well, from what we've seen of his sons, that doesn't really shock me" She said with a giggle and she ran her fingers down his arms. "You're going to have to tell me that story about Kyle one of these days. I need more material to tease him with" She said and looked up at Hunter with mischievious eyes.
Hunter grinned and pressed his lips to her cheek. "What day do we leave?" He said with a laugh before leaning into her a little and kissing her cheek. "Actually, what time are our reservations tonight? I have a little surprise for you tonight." He winked at her and she blushed a little and bit her lip. "It's nothing bad. Just something I did before we left. You'll see tonight."
Arabella huffed and she placed her hand on his arm. "Our reservation is at 5" She told him and she looked up at him with big eyes. Her stomach was twisted in the anticipation for what the surprise was and she could hardly wait. "You didn't spend a crazy amount of money on me, did you? This honeymoon was more than enough" She said with a little nod and she kissed his chin lightly.
Hunter grinned and pulled her so that she was sitting in his lap. He put his arms around her, lacing his fingers together on her side, and kissed her shoulder and her arm and then rested his chin on her shoulder. "I didn't spend a crazy amount of money on you. Not that it's much of a concern with the million dollars I won and the money your constantly getting from your company." Hunter laughed a little and placed a couple of kisses behind her ear, He unlaced his fingers then ran his fingers from her side to her stomach. "Your stomach so flat. Do I have that? I can't tell."
Arabella blushed deeply and she smiled softly. "You're making me blush, again" She said lightly and she looked up at him with happy eyes. They were leaving to go back to New York in a couple of days and as much as she would miss Greece, she wanted to be home. Arabella took a little breath and she looked down at his hand on her stomach. "With any luck, which we don't seem to have.." Arabella said, her voice trailing off for a moment. "It won't be flat for much longer" She sighed. Getting pregnant seemed to be really difficult for them and Arabella had no idea why.
Hunter sighed a little and turned her head, placing a small kiss on her lips. "Having more sex? Oh no! I just couldn't stand that!" Hunter laughed and laced his fingers on her side. "Ellie, it'll happen. Maybe the gods are stopping us because they want our kid to be conceived in America." Hunter chuckled and placed his chin on her shoulder. "Things will be okay, sweetheart. I promise."
Arabella closed her eyes and she nodded softly, melting into him. She really wanted to start a family with Hunter. She was ready and she knew that Hunter was ready. There was no doubt in her mind that Hunter would be an incredible father. It just didn't make sense to her. They were both young and healthy and had never done anything in their past that would prevent them from being able to get pregnant. But here they were, not pregnant and trying really hard. She looked up at him, wanting to believe that what he was saying was true. "Okay. I believe you" She said softly.
Hunter nodded and let her lean into him. She closed her eyes and seemed to drift into a sort of sleep. She was awake, but she wasn't really awake. Hunter carefully picked her up and she snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his neck. He placed a kiss on her cheek and walked over before dropping her in the water. Immediately he started laughing as she stood up angrily, her hair in a curtain in front of her face. Hunter quickly stepped, trapping her arms against his chest, and looked down at her. She squirmed a little and Hunter swept the hair back behind her ears and then kissed her tightly on the lips. "You know what, though? At least we have each other. No matter what happens, we'll have each other."
"Always and forever" Arabella whispered and she looked up at him with big eyes. A small smile spread across her lips and she held herself closer to him, shivering a little bit from the water. Arabella placed a gentle kiss on his collarbone then looked up at him. "We should probably go. I need to get a shower before we go out tonight. I do not want to smell like sea water" She said with a little giggle and she ran a hand through her wet hair.
Hunter smiled and took her hand, leading her back to the car, making sure to grab their clothes on the way. "I don't know, babe." He said, grinning a little. "Ever since that night on the beach, I've found the smell of seawater a little..." He debated his choice of words a moment. "Arousing." He said, taking her arm and kissing her cheek. "I understand if you want to get rid of it though."
Arabella laughed and she smacked his chest lightly. "Geeze, Hunter..if you asked me 5 years ago if you would be telling me that you find something arousing, I wouldn't believe you" She teased and she leaned into him a little bit, placing a kiss on his jaw. "You might enjoy it, but other people might enjoy it and they might think I'm crazy"
Hunter laughed and shrugged, nudging her a little. "Well, things have changed since 5 years ago. I left camp. I was homeless. I fell head-over-heels in love with a beautiful girl. I got a job." He glanced over and saw when she blushed. They finally reached the car and Hunter spread out a towel on the seats, then let Arabella get in before getting in himself. "Back to the villa, right? We can take the scenic route." He started the car and felt Arabella scoot over next to him, leaning and cuddling up with him.
"The scenic route sounds amazing" Arabella said and she took a deep breath, placing her hands on his leg. She smiled a little bit and she looked up at him. "Yeah, things have really changed a lot, but..I'm really happy that things changed" She told him and she started placing little, gentle kisses against every inch of his skin she could reach.
Hunter turned onto the road that goes around a lot of the area. They just drove. They looked around the water and the mountains and the sites of famous fights and monsters and the history made Hunter feel special. He did what they did and he was a mortal. It was about 4 o clock when they got back to the villa. He helped her out and they walked in. "That was nice." He said, putting a hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the bedroom. "Well, you can have the first shower. I'll wait."
Arabella turned and she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him a little bit. She brushed her lips along his jaw, towards his ear. "You can join me, you know" She teased with a soft giggle as she ran her fingers down his chest. Arabella could feel his face heating up and she placed a teasing kiss by his ear. She pulled away from him and winked then grabbed a towel, walking towards the bathroom, wiggling her hips a little bit.
Hunter watched her walk into the bathroom and he took a deep breath. He was blushing and he could only imagine what was going on in there, but he tried to control himself. It was a moment later when he realized that the operative word was tried. He burst into the bathroom and stripped off his trunks, but didn't immediately get into the shower. Arabella was standing in the shower with the door open and the water off. He laughed and got in, putting his hands on her butt and kissing her tightly on the lips. "If you were waiting for me, you could have said that." He said, pulling her closer and squeezing her butt.
"I knew that you were going to be here, anyway" Arabella giggled and she pulled him closer, kissing him tightly. She felt his hands run up and down her sides and she smiled against his lips, closing the door to the shower. Arabella backed up a little bit, so that she was against the wall and she placed her hands on his cheeks, holding him close to her and kissing him tightly.
Hunter felt her lips against his and he smiled, pressing her against the wall. "You do remember why we're in here, right?" He said, pulling away and turning on the water. The water ran over their bodies and he closed his eyes a moment, just feeling her body close to his. He kissed her for a moment on the lips then pulled away. He kissed her again and he pushed her back against the wall again, holding her there with his hands on her hips.
--------------------
Arabella tugged on the hem of her dress and she stood up, slipping into her high heels. She grabbed her purse and as she walked out of the bedroom, she saw Hunter waiting by the door. When he saw her, he smiled and took a step towards her. Arabella grinned and she slipped her arms around his neck, kissing him for a moment. "You look very handsome, husband of mine" She said with a grin.
Hunter grinned and gently placed his hands on her hips. "You look very beautiful, wife of mine. Very beautiful." He kissed her lips and then turned, offering her his arm. "We'll be cutting it close, but if we leave now, we'll be there right on time. That said...Shall we?" He asked, bowing a little, a smile on his face.
"Such a gentleman" Arabella giggled and she opened up the door, stepping outside. It was colder outside than it had been earlier that day and Arabella folded her arms across her chest tightly while she waited for Hunter to step outside and close the door. As soon as he backed outside, she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his back. "Hi" She giggled, holding him tightly.
Hunter grabbed her arms and put them around his neck before bending over and lifting her off the ground. He hurried toward the car, Arabella wiggling on his back and swinging her legs. He let her into the car and then got in himself, quickly backing out and taking off for the restaurant. They arrived at the restaurant that was the part of the resort. He parked and helped her out of the car and led her inside. "Table for two saved for Hunter Reed."
Arabella looked around the restaurant with a small look of awe on her face. It was really amazing inside and when the host led them towards their table, Hunter almost had to drag Arabella along with him because she was so stunned by how beautiful the place was. She looked over at Hunter when she felt him drop her hand and she smiled a little when she saw that he had pulled her chair out for her. Arabella sat down and looked out the window, which had a perfect view of the sea and the Temple of Poseidon. She smiled a little bit then looked across the table at Hunter, who just sat down. "This is really amazing, Hunter"
Hunter grinned and reached across the table and took her hand, holding it and running his thumb across the back. "Only the best for my wife." He said, giving her a wink. The waitress came by and Hunter ordered the drinks and ordered for himself in Greek and then saw the way Arabella's face twisted. "You know, I can translate it you'd like." Hunter said with a little laugh.
Arabella huffed and she nodded, looking down her menu. She pointed out what she wanted to Hunter and as he translated it for her, she gazed out the window, chewing on her lip. The waitress walked away and Arabella slowly turned her eyes back to Hunter with a little smile. "Thanks for the help" She said with a little laugh and she took a sip from the glass of water. "I should really practice my Greek"
Hunter laughed a little and sighed. "I'm sure it's like riding a bike. All you need is some practice. Maybe we'll teach our kids and that brings me to my next point." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He passed it over to Arabella and as she opened it, Hunter cleared his throat and took a sip of water. "It's the paperwork for a bank account, started with 10000 dollars." She looked up in slight confusion. "It's a college fund for our first kid. We can add to it when we need to and it will accrue interest and by the time we need it, we'll have plenty of money."
Arabella looked down at the papers in her hands, unsure of what to say. "Oh, Hunter..." She breathed, running her fingers over the text on the page. She looked up at Hunter and she bit her lip, trying not to get too emotional. They weren;t pregnant, yet, but this piece of paper in her hands was a way of saying that her and Hunter were going to have a kid. Not only that, but their kid was being set up for a pretty amazing life and would have more than enough money for an education. Arabella reached across the table and she took Hunter's hand. "This is amazing, babe" She said in a soft voice, still trying really hard not to get too emotional.
Hunter smiled and nodded a little. He was about to speak when they're food came out and their waitress placed their plates in front of them. The next several moments were filled with them eating and the soft sound of them making happy noises to each other with how good the food was. "Ellie, I promise you that we'll use this money. I promise."
Arabella looked over at him and she smiled softly. She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him. Arabella took a deep breath and looked down at her food, trying to pull her thoughts together. She nodded a little and looked up at him with gentle eyes. "I know. I know we'll use it" She said and she smiled at him then took a sip of her tea. "I'll be telling this to our kids one day. I'll be telling them how amazing you are and how much you love them"
Hunter snorted a little. "Like they'll ever be able to get past how perfect you are." He said with a little laugh when he saw the look on her face. Hunter continued eating and he closed his eyes a moment, enjoying the food. "I never did ask...What did you do on your bachelorette party?" He asked, clearing his throat a little. "Other than drink so much you passed out." He teased with a little wink.
Arabella groaned and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember as much as she could about that awful night. She let out a huff and she started playing with her napkin. "Well...Danny had gotten us that big party limo and I think that we mostly just drove around the city. I think we might have stopped at a Victoria's Secret. I know that we stopped at a few clubs and bars. I really hope that I didn't get up on stage and sing Before He Cheats in a karaoke bar but I'm pretty sure that I did" She said and she sighed then looked up at him, blushing deeply. "What did you do for your party?"
Hunter laughed a little. "I'm sure you were great. You have a lovely singing voice." Hunter said, finishing his food. "Well, we went out to Atlantic City which was not close. We had a few drinks. We got in fake trouble. I had a stripper start to give me a lapdance when some monster took her top and ran off, so I got it back and then we had a few more drinks and went home." Hunter calmly drank water, looking up at Arabella's face. "Then you got home and I took off your dress, gave you my shirt, and put you to bed."
Arabella looked at him, totally stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but the only sound that came out was a little squeak. Arabella cleared her throat and she took a sip of her tea before leaning across the table a little bit, towards Hunter. "A monster took a strippers top and you got it back?" She breathed, unable to really process her thoughts. It seemed like such an odd situation. "Seriously?"
Hunter laughed a little and nodded. "Putting it all out like that, I totally understand why you wouldn't believe me, but yes. That did happen." Hunter chuckled a little. "It was these weird monkey things. Apparently the top cost a lot of money, so I ran and got it back. It was the least I could do. I told her to have a good night after that and then we went back to the bar and then left in the limo.."
Arabella sat back in her chair, wondering how she should respond. She took a little breath, her eyebrows knitted together. On one hand, she wasn't happy that he didn't tell her about seeing monsters sooner. On the other hand, she wanted to laugh. It seemed like it was a joke or something. "Well, uhm...was the stripper hot?" She asked Hunter, laughing a little bit and looking up at him through her eyelashes.
Hunter shrugged a little and took a sip of water. "Well, no one is hot compared to you. They're just degrees of lesser attractiveness." Hunter winked at her and then finished his water and looked up at her empty plate. "You ready to go? I can get the check." He said with a smile. She nodded and Hunter called the waitress who left the check on their table. He quickly paid and in a few moments they were back in the car on their way back to the villa.
Arabella yawned softly and she leaned her head back on the seat, closing her eyes. She liked being in the car with Hunter and she trusted him. Arabella knew that he was a good driver and he made her feel safe. However, the drive wasn't very long and before Arabella knew it, Hunter was parking outside if their villa. Arabella yawned again and she stretched out and when she opened her eyes, Hunter had his door open and he was reaching into the car for her. She smiled and she slipped her arms around his middle, walking with him back inside. "Thanks for supper, stud muffin"
Hunter grinned and placed a kiss on her temple. "Thanks for the company, honey bunch." He put his arms around her and they kind of walked together, awkwardly into the villa and Hunter sighed a little as he pulled his jacket off, hanging it near the door. He looked over at Arabella and saw that she was on the balcony. He walked behind her and put his arms around her waist. "Drachma for your thoughts?"
Arabella laughed softly and she gently leaned back into Hunter, keeping her eyes on the view of the sea in front of her. "I was just thinking about home. It's amazing here and it's beautiful and perfect but I miss our home. I miss our dogs and our routine, you know? It'll be really nice to be in our own bed and doing our own thing" She said lightly and she tilted her head back so that she could look at him upside down and smile.
Hunter bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "You know, if we miss our dogs this much every time we go somewhere, just imagine what'll happen once we have kids. You'll miss them from a different room." She giggled a little and reached around giving his leg a pinch. "Don't worry about it, Ellie. We'll be home before you know it."
Chapter 147 - Arabella and Hunter
"Guys..please..let me see" Arabella groaned. Her heart was racing and for the past two hours, all of her siblings were getting her ready to go but they had hidden all of the mirrors. Which, by the way, was a major task in the Aphrodite cabin. Arabella's heard was spinning and she could hardly contain her nerves. She was going to be getting married. She was going to marry Hunter and she wanted it to be perfect but she so nervous, she was shaking. What if she said or did something wrong? What if this was all just a big joke?
"You look so amazing, sweetie" Daniel said, looking at her with a big grin. Arabella looked over at him and she pouted a little bit.
"I can't believe this is happening" Arabella breathed and she gasped a little bit when someone behind her started pulling at the ribbon, fitting her dress to fit her perfectly. "Danny, what if I mess up my vows? What if I trip on my dress? You and I both know that that is a very likely situation"
Hunter sat not so patiently in the Hermes Cabin. It was more patient than when he walked in at least. As soon as the countdown started, Hunter started shaking. His mind went from thought to thought, his mouth blurting out incoherent streams of words. After the first hour he finally sat down and his mind slowed down a little. "You guys are finished with the-"
"YES." They replied in unison. "You've asked us this like 12 times. I had no idea how anal you would become in this situation. Will, you want to trade? You can be his best man."
"No, come on. I'm sorry." Hunter said, about to run his fingers through his hair, but stopped when he remembered Geoff threatening him with a comb. "I just really want this to be perfect for her and if even one thing is out of whack then it can snowball and...Yeah. Sorry."
"Dude, you made it here. I almost didn't." Kyle said with a nod. "That night when we went out to the bar. It was a couple days before the wedding. I remember you said to me--"
"Is he ready?" Hunter looked over and saw Marina's head poking through the door.
"You are not going to trip and fall, Arabella" Daniel said and he reached over, fussing with her hair. "Okay..I think you're done" He said and he looked over at a few of their sisters, who giggled and took the cover off of the mirrors that we behind Arabella.
"Oh, dear.." Arabella breathed and she closed her eyes as Daniel put his hands on her arms and he spun her around. Slowly, she opened her eyes and she saw her reflection in the mirror. She let out a squeak and she covered her mouth with her hands, tears starting to form already. Her dress fit her perfectly, hugging her curves but in a classy sort of way. She didn't have much makeup on at all and her hair was down in loose, beachy waves. It was hitting her. She was getting married. She was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. Arabella looked down at the engagment ring on her finger and she smiled softly.
"You were born ready, right, Hunter?" Kyle said with a smile as he patted Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter took a deep breath and swallowed, putting his gameface on.
"You've got the ring?" Kyle nodded. "And the water is ready?" Will nodded. "And the dining hall is ready?" Marina nodded. "And Chiron is ready?"
"He's already waiting there." Marina said as she walked up to Hunter. She adjusted and straightened his suit, unbuttoning the top button of the shirt and spreading it out a little. "And the groom is ready?" She asked, looking up at him with a little smile. Hunter took a deep breath and then nodded. "Let's go then. I'll tell Danny." Hunter followed Will and Kyle out the door and Hunter knew that it wouldn't be long until he would be married. Not long at all.
There was a small knock on the door and Daniel ran to get it. Arabella wasn't really paying attention though. She was looking at herself in the mirror, in total awe. After a few moments, Daniel rushed back to them, bouncing up and down. "It's time!" He said and Arabella looked up at him with a stunned look on her face. The nerves came rushing back and she starte smoothing out her dress, looking around.
"Now?" Arabella gasped. The past two and half hours had gone by so fast and Arabella wasn't totally convinved that she wasn't dreaming. She just wished that she could see Hunter before all of this. He always calmed her down. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, picturing Hunter's face and her nerves faded a little bit. After a moment, she opened her eyes and she nodded. "Now." She breathed. Daniel grinned and he hooked his arm with her, walking outside of the cabin with her. As soon as they stepped outside, Arabella saw her father and her heart skipped a beat. "Daddy" She said softly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"You look beautiful" Matthew said and he pulled away to look at her. Tears started welling up in Arabella's eyes again when she saw the look on his face. She cleared her throat and looked over his shoulder. Daniel had started walking and she could see that he was heading down to the beach where a crowd of people were sitting. Arabella looked back at Matthew and she slipped her arm in his, letting him walk her through the cabins and down towards the beach.
"I can't believe this is happening" Arabella breathed as they got closer to the beach. She could now see that there was a new sandbar in the ocean and Chiron was standing there with Marina, Penny, Will, Kyle and Danny. Arabella finally turned her eyes to the man in the dark blue suit and her heart fluttered. Hunter was waiting for her and he looked so perfect.
"You should be happy that I didn't get any of the naked baby pictures for your reception" Matthew said under his breath, a small smirk on his face. "Well, I didn't get too many"
"Daddy!" Arabella gasped, looking up at him with wide and amused eyes.
"I'm just saying, this could be my first and last chance to get those pictures out to the public. Most parents would have shown them to the boy on the first date" Matthew teased, looking like he was trying really hard not to laugh.
"You are so mean to me" Arabella huffed.
"And I'm also really proud of you" Matthew said, looking over at her as they got to the start of the aisle. Arabella smiled softly and she looked down at Hunter, locking eyes with him and feeling her heart race. This was really happening. Arabella couldn't be happier.
Hunter was waiting nervously. For the first few minutes, he had been able to make small talk with Kyle or Will or Marina, but after that he was just too anxious. He kept staring toward the cabins and as soon as he saw the golden blonde hair and the shining white smile of the love of his life, everything slowed down. Everyone's talking, the sound of people shuffling in their chairs to look at her. It was all gone. All that he heard was his own heartbeat as it picked up the pace and the sound of the waves as they lapped at his feet. A small orchestra started playing when Arabella started down the aisle, her father at her side. Apollo kids, a couple of satyrs and a nymph that decided to show up were all playing Here Comes the Bride. Hunter couldn't believe it. He wasn't nervous anymore. His hands stopped shaking. It's like everything became clear. Hunter stepped toward her and shook her father's hand a moment before taking her and leading her to her spot at the front.
"You look beautiful." Hunter said quietly as they finally stopped. She blushed a little and bit her lips, trying not to cry.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Chiron began. "We're gathered here today to join these two, Hunter Reed and Arabella Marie Foster, in sacred matrimony. We shall be performing a traditional Greek ceremony. Hunter, take her left hand in your right hand and face each other. Your other hand goes on top of each others." Hunter followed suit and soon he had her hand in his and he was so glad for it. "Ω, Ήρα. Η μητέρα των θεών. Η μητέρα του γάμου. Ευλόγησε αυτά τα δύο, εφόσον αυτές επιδιώκουν θείο δώρο σας και να προχωρήσουν μαζί στην ένωση του άνδρα και της γυναίκας." He said in almost a singing voice. Hunter looked from him to Arabella who twisted her face a little, trying to translate what he said. Hunter bit the inside of his lip to stop from laughing. "Δώστε τους την υγεία. Δώστε τους την ευημερία. Προστατέψτε τους και να τους καθοδηγήσει.Με αυτά τα δαχτυλίδια κάνουν δεσμό τους." He paused and everyone looked around. He stopped for a long time. "Do you have the rings?" He asked finally.
"Oh! Yes!" Arabella squeaked and she turned to Daniel. He rolled his eyes at her, trying not to laugh and he passed her the wedding ring. Arabella looked down at it in her hand before looking up at Hunter with big eyes. Eveyone was silent, holding their breath and waiting for Arabella to start her vows but she was trying really hard not to burst into tears. "Oh gods, I'm going to cry. I promised myself that I wasn't going to cry" She said to Hunter, laughing a little bit at herself as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, wishing that she had remembered what she wrote down for her vows, when Hunter reached over and brushed her tears away with his thumb. Arabella smiled up at him and she took a deep breath. "I've loved you from the moment I first saw you, Hunter Reed. You were so much cooler than I was when I saw you walking out of the Hermes cabin. But I was crazy about you. And when I first spoke to you, I was hooked. Things have not been easy for us. I mean, seriously, our life could be a friggin soap on TV" She said and she laughed a little bit. Arabella paused to try and get a bit more control over her tears again. Hunter reached over and he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear but Arabella put her hand on his, holding it close to her, like he was cradling her head. "You've saved my life so many times, stud muffin. I would be so lost without you. I promise that I am going to love you for the rest of my life, no matter what else the world throws our way. You're my best friend, my hero and the love of my life. I adore you, Hunter. And I am going to adore you for the rest of all time" she said, her voice breaking off and tears falling down her cheeks easily. Arabella took his hand and with shaking hands, she slipped the wedding ring onto his finger, taking small breaths.
Hunter took a small breath and looked down at the ring on his finger. He didn't even want to do his vows. It just seemed so perfect. He took a deep breath and took the ring from Kyle, turning it in his fingers then taking Arabella's hand in his again. "Ellie..." He started, but it's like the words got stuck in the back of his throat and he just looked at her. She was still crying and her hair had fallen a little out of place again and Hunter didn't think he could build up the composure to say his vows. He took a deep breath and turned the ring again. "Ellie, I've known you for so long. I think about how long it has been since we first met and I just can't think about how my life would be different if we had never met. Your hair was down to your waist, but you kept it in a braid down your back. You wore a little Barbie wristwatch on your right hand, but the battery had died long before that. That day that you first said hi to me you were wearing a camp t-shirt and a pair of jeans that were rolled up and had butterflies on it. Ellie, I've seen so much and done so much and there are gaps from when I fell out of trees probably, but the only thing that I remember all of is you. The little movement your nose makes when you're eating. The way you smell your coffee every time before taking a sip. The way your lips part a little in your sleep every time you inhale. The way your smile makes me smile. The way that your kisses make me feel like so much more than I am. The way that you hold onto my hand like you could float away at any moment. The way that every time you open your eyes in the morning, you make me fall even deeper in love with you then I was before. Ellie, I remember every kiss, every touch, every hug and every smile and nothing will ever make me forget it. Even when we're old and gray and our kids have kids and we can't even remember what we had for breakfast that morning. I will remember the way you hug me every time I get home. I will remember the way you kiss me every time I'm nervous. I will remember the way you smile every time you wake up. I will remember the way I lose my breath every time I see you. I love you, Ellie and I couldn't ask for anyone more beautiful or perfect than you are and that's never going to change." He finished and looked at her with a small smile as he slipped the ring on her finger.
Arabella looked down at the ring on her finger before turning her eyes to look up at Hunter. She felt so warm and so complete and so happy. She could hear Daniel crying beside her and she bit her lip, smiling up at Hunter. Arabella tore her eyes away from Hunter and she looked up at Chiron who had an odd look on his face. He looked like he was actually getting rather emtional and trying to hold it all in. Arabella had never seen him like that. The only time they spent together, really, was when he had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. Chiron paused for a moment and he took a deep breath before he went on.
"It is my privilege and by the power given to me by the gods and the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride" Chiron finished and as soon as his words ended, Hunter has his arms around her and he was kissing her tightly. Arabella was crying but she felt like she could fly and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him with all the love and all the passion that she possibly could.
Hunter leaned back, unintentionally picking her up and keeping his arms around her. "I love you, Arabella Reed." Hunter whispered as he finally pulled away. Applause erupted from the shore and from the people around them and as much as he wanted to run and scream and shout, he kept his arms around Arabella, his new wife. He put his forehead against hers and smiled "I love you so much."
"I love you too" Arabella breathed and she leaned into him, smiling up at him. Arabella Reed. She was officially a married woman. Hunter was her husband. Arabella giggled and she slipped her arms around his middle, kissing him lightly again. Her friends and her family were cheering around them and all Arabella cared about was Hunter. But then she felt Daniel's hand on her shoulder and she remembered that they were supposed to walk back down the aisle, so she took Hunter's hand and together, as a pair, they walked back down the sand bar that Will had created for them and they walked back onto the shore.
As soon as Hunter walked onto the shore, he turned and pulled Arabella into his arms, kissing her tightly on the lips. He heard a camera click and broke away to see Danny taking another picture. He had a smile on his face and his eyes were red and puffy.
"You guys are just so cute!" He said, taking another picture. "Come on, guys! It's wedding picture time!" Hunter rolled his eyes, but Arabella dragged him over to the beach and grabbed his arm, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. Hunter laughed and put his arms around her.
"Wait. Hold on." Penny said as she snapped her fingers. Vines sprouted out of the ground and wrapped together and flowers poked out, creating a beautiful arch. "Congrats, you guys."
Arabella looked around at the flowers and she smiled softly over to Penny for a minute but she couldn't keep her eyes away from her husband for very long. She turned her eyes back to Hunter and she wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up at him with big eyes. "I can't believe that you did all of this" she breathed, totally stunned. People were walking around, talking and a few were watching as Daniel took another picture of Hunter and Arabella. She leaned up to him and she placed a kiss against his jaw. "I have the best husband ever"
Hunter smiled down at her and let out a sigh of relief. "I just wanted it to be perfect, sweetheart." Hunter leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was worried you were going to be mad that I lied to you. Those pictures were fake. You didn't do any of that stuff. I had Danny take them." Hunter studied the ground a little bit then put his hands on her hips. "I'm sorry I lied to you, baby." He said with a sigh.
"Alright. Now the whole wedding party! Will. Kyle. Get your buns over here." Danny said with a little laugh, handing his camera over to one of his siblings. He hurried over and took his place next to Arabella while Kyle stood next to Hunter.
"Well....I am a little mad at you" Araabella muttered to Hunter as everyone stood around them to take a picture. "But, angry sex is hot, so.." She said with a little shrug and she laughed at the look on Hunter's face as the picture was taken. Arabella looked up at him and grinned before she turned towards Danny and she linked her arm through his, smiling at the camera for another picture.
"This is amazing, Danny" Arabella said softly with a little smile. "I better get to help plan your wedding soon" She added, winking at him.
"Oh, hush" Daniel laughed and he pulled away, running over to get the camera. "We need a few of Hunter and Will and Kyle" He said and Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek before she picked up the hem of her dress and hurried over to Daniel's side.
Hunter finally shook himself and then looked over at Kyle and Will as they detached from the group. Hunter stood between them and they posed together for several pictures. When they finished Hunter walked back over to Arabella and was about to put his arms around her when Danny pushed him away.
"Not so fast. Now it's the girls' turn. Well, the girls' and my turn." Danny said, going to pose with Arabella, Marina, and Penny.
Arabella winked at Hunter as she walked over to stand in the middle of the girls and Daniel. She smiled at the camera with a smile that would never fade. Arabella turned her eyes away from the camera, just a little bit to look behind it at Hunter. Her eyes locked with his and she got butterflies, like she did everytime she saw him and kissed him and hugged him. As soon as the pictures were finished for them, Arabella walked towards Hunter and she stood in front of him, smiling up at him. "Hi, husband" She said softly.
Hunter sighed a little and kissed her on the forehead. "Hi, wife. I missed you." Hunter said, putting his hands on her hips. "Well, the reception is waiting, my dear. Shall we?" He said, offering her his arm. She took it and kissed his cheek and they started toward the mess hall. "I really am sorry for lying to you. I do mean that." Hunter said as they entered into the mess hall, followed by the rest of the wedding party.
"Are you kidding? After you did all of this...I could never be mad at you" Arabella said softly and she looked up at him. "I was so scared that I had really messed up when I saw those pictures" She told him and she bit her bottom lip. Arabella looked around the mess hall as they walked in and she gasped, holding onto Hunter's arm tighter. "Oh, Hunter! It's perfect!" She squeaked, looking around at all of the amazing and beautiful decorations.
Hunter smiled and hugged Arabella a little. "It really is perfect." He said, turning to Marina. "Thank you, Marina." She smiled and stepped forward, giving the two of them a hug.
"Well, it was the least I could do. Now don't expect a gift." She said with a wink. Hunter looked at her for a moment and then looked up when Kyle walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her, putting his hand on her pregnant belly.
"Our baby wouldn't have a name without you, man." Kyle said with a laugh.
Arabella put her hand over her heart and she smiled over at Kyle and Marina. They had the life that she so desperately wanted and was on her way to getting. Hunter and her were married. It felt so grown up to think that she was married but at the same time, it felt so right. Arabella knew that Hunter was the one for her and now it was just a matter of the baby and her life would be pretty perfect. "You're going to be such an amazing mom, Marina" She said softly, trying not to look too jealous.
Hunter looked over and put his arm around Arabella's waist. "Ellie, give it time. We'll get there." Hunter said with a little laugh when he saw how she was looking at Marina and Kyle. "Come on, wife." Hunter said as they found their seat at the front of the hall. He pulled out Arabella's chair and let her sit before he sat down next to her, almost reflexively taking her hand. He looked over at her and smiled. "I love you."
"Well, I was kind of hoping you did. I mean, if you didn't then this whole wedding would be pointless" Arabella teased and she giggled. She leaned into him and she kissed him lightly. "I love you" She told him and she ran her thumb over his knuckles. Arabella smiled up at him then turned to look out at eveyone taking their spots and sitting down, getting ready for the speeches and the food. Arabella squeezed Hunter's hand and looked up at him. "I'm really happy that we're back at camp"
Hunter pressed his lips to her cheek and smiled happily, putting his head on her shoulder a moment then lifting it up and kissing her shoulder. "Did I tell you how beautiful you are?" He said, scooting a little bit closer on the bench. He put his hand on her leg then looked up when Kyle stood up and clinked a knife against his glass.
"It's my honor to welcome you to the reception of the Reed-Foster wedding. Before we get started I'd like to congratulate the happy couple." He said with a smile. There was applause and Kyle started to sit down, but Hunter stopped him.
"It's speech time, Kyle. It's part of the deal." Hunter said, grabbing his arm and standing him back up. "Get started, flowerchild."
--------------
Arabella brushed her hands off on her napkin and she took a very small sip of her sparkling apple cider. "That was a really good supper" She said to Hunter and she looked around the room. It looked like everyone else was pretty well done their food and a few people were getting the dance floor ready to go. Arabella looked at it with a confused look on her face then gasped and turned to look at Hunter. "We need to dance. I can't dance. I'm gonna fall on my face" She said, getting a little nervous about dancing in front of a bunch of people.
Hunter laughed a little and turned to look at her. "Ellie, you need to stop worrying about that. You're a lovely dancer and a beautiful wife." He stood and then stood her up. "Let's dance, sweetheart." He said with a smile, offering her his arm.
Arabella gingerly took his arm and when the DJ announced that it was time for their first dance, she nervously followed Hunter onto the dance floor. Arabella took a deep breath, looking down at her feet but she felt Hunter's fingers under her chin, lifting her head up. Her eyes locked with his and her worries melted away. It didn't matter if she looked like an idiot, Hunter was going to take care of her. The song started playing and Arabella bit her bottom lip, moving closer to Hunter. It was a perfect moment and she felt like she was they were the only people in the room.
Hunter swayed gently, holding her close and he brought his hand up, placing his thumb on her chin, and pulling her lip out of her mouth. "Look at me." He said with a smile as he stared into her eyes. She started to bite her lip again as she focused, but Hunter kissed her on the lips, putting his arms around her. She put her head down on his shoulder and leaned into him. "You're a beautiful dancer, Ellie." Hunter said with a smile as he saw Kyle and Marina join them and Will and Penny start dancing on the dancefloor near them.
"Thanks, babe" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes. She took a small breath, trying to make sure that she remembered every moment, every feeling, every sound and every smell. This was her wedding and she wanted to remember every single little detail until the day that she died. "I'm still so amazed that you managed to pull all of this off and trick me the way you did" She said and she looked up at him with a grin.
Hunter laughed a little and he kissed her on the forehead. "I wanted this to be perfect for you, Ellie. It needed to be perfect or you would always have been disappointed." Hunter placed his forehead against hers. "I'm really glad you fell for it, though." Hunter said with a little smile as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Arabella's father smiling at him.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" He said with a small laugh.
Arabella grinned up at her father and she glanced at Hunter before she took a step closer to her father and he took her hand. She moved to the music with him in silence for a moment. It was nice to be with her dad like that. It felt like it had been a really long time since she spent a good amount of time with him. "I'm really glad that you could come, Daddy" She said softly, looking up at him.
"Yeah, so am I. It's pretty great that they could get me and your brother in here" Matthew said with a little chuckle and Arabella nodded in agreement. When she first found out that she was going to be getting married at Camp Half Blood, she was upset because she assumed that her family, mortals, wouldn't be able to get there. "This is normally the part where the parent gives advice to their child about being married but..." Matthew said with a little shrug. "You are truly your mother's daughter, Arabella. You don't need any advice from me"
"Awh..Daddy.." Arabella said softly, biting her bottom lip. "You're going to make me cry again"
"Well, don't do that" Matthew laughed and he looked down at her with happy and proud eyes. "I love you, baby girl" He told her softly and Arabella threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and holding back tears.
Hunter watched Arabella and her dad a moment before hearing a laugh from nearby and Hunter saw Kyle dipping Marina, but he was having a little trouble bringing her back up. Hunter hurried over and helped her up and Marina couldn't stop laughing. "Do you mind if I cut in?" Hunter said with a little chuckle.
"Oh, Hunter. I'm flattered, but who's Marina going to dance with?" Hunter shook his head at Kyle and then laughed a little. "Oh, you meant--"
"Not at all." Marina said with a smile, pushing Kyle a little and then stepping up to Hunter. "Congratulations, Hunter." She said with a little smile. Hunter pulled her into a hug real quick before taking a dancing stance.
"Thanks, Marina. I'm really happy." Hunter said with a nod. "I didn't think that I would ever get married, but now I can't imagine anything else, now. I'm really happy with Arabella. I couldn't be happier."
"I love you too" Arabella said softly and she pulled away from him a little bit to look up at him.
"I'm really glad that you've found Hunter. After all of those jerks that you brought home, I was a little nervous when you brought Hunter home. But he's a good man and I'm trusting that he'll be good to you" Matthew said to her, locking eyes with her. Arabella looked up at him and she nodded a little.
"Hunter's the best." She said with a smile.
The song ended and Hunter pulled away from Marina and sighed happily. "You're a wonderful dancer, Mrs. Julius." He said, bowing a little. Kyle walked up and took Marina's hand.
"I'd like my wife back, Hunter. It looks like yours wants you back, too." Hunter looked back just as Arabella wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Hunter laughed a little and turned around.
"I missed you, Mrs. Reed." Hunter said with a little laugh as he kissed her nose.
"I missed you too, Mr. Foster" Arabella teased and she leaned up, kissing him lightly. "How are you doing, stud muffin?" She asked, leaning into him a little. The party was amazing and everyone looked like they were having a blast but she was just happy to be with Hunter. After the previous day, it was wonderful to be in his arms.
"I have never been better." Hunter said with a grin as he put his arms around her and leaned down kissing her tightly on the lips. "I'm really happy that you're my wife, Ellie. I couldn't have imagined anyone so perfect." He said, kissing her on the lips again as he pulled away. "It only gets better from here, right?"
-----------------
She was peaceful and she was warm, wearing a pair of shorts that she borrowed from one of her sisters and the shirt that she had been wearing when she got to camp that morning, Hunter's shirt. His jacket was slung around her shoulders and she had her head on Hunter's chest, his arms wrapped around her and keeping her warm. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was looking into the bonfire they had made on the beach and listening to Will and Penny debate about which city was better, Halifax or Chicago.
"Hunter, can you pass me the bag of machmallows or did you finish them off?" Penny asked, looking over to Hunter with a little teasing grin on her face.
"I had like...4." Hunter said with a smile. "Your boyfriend over there had about 50." Hunter said, balling the bag up and throwing it at Will who batted it away.
"I was hungry. What do you want?" He said with a laugh. Penny elbowed him in the side.
"You're always hungry, kelpboy." She said with a wink. Hunter smiled softly and looked over when Arabella started to stir a little bit. "Is the blushing bride alive in there?" Penny said with a giggle. Hunter laughed and brushed some hair out of Arabella's face.
"You doing okay, sweetheart?" Hunter said quietly, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Arabella scrunched up her nose a little bit and she leaned into Hunter when she felt his lips on her forehead. She yawned a little bit before she slowly opened her eyes. In all honesty, she didn't really think that she would wake up and still be at the fire. But she also didn't think that she would actually fall asleep on Hunter's lap in front of a bonfire. Arabella looked up at Hunter with slightly hazy eyes. "How long was I asleep?"
"About 30 minutes. Who falls asleep on their wedding night before...their wedding night" Daniel said with a laugh and Arabella looked over to him to see him wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Oh...shut it, Danny" Arabella said, laughing a little bit and rolling her eyes at him. She looked around the ground a little bit then looked up at Hunter. "Did you seriously eat all of the marshmallows?" She asked and Penny burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.
Hunter couldn't help, but laugh a little and he looked over at Will who laughed extra loud as he shoved another marshmallow in his mouth. "It was Will!" Hunter said in an exasperated voice. "I had like 4 or 5 total. Just enough to keep me awake." Hunter looked back down at Arabella. He shook her a little. "Accuse me of eating all the marshmallows, will you?!" He said in mock offense. "Well, this means war!" He said before dramatically pulling away and pushing Arabella down to her back. He quickly straddled her legs and then poked her in the sides again and again so she was writhing around trying to break free, but she couldn't so she just kept wiggling around while Hunter poked her sides.
Arabella laughed and she tried to roll out from under him. "Hunter! I can't breathe!" She gasped between her laughs and she smacked his leg lightly. She covered her face with her hands and she giggled, take short breaths. When Hunter stopped tickling her, sitting back a little and laughing, she reached up and smacked his chest. "Gods, you are so mean to me!" She huffed and she stretched out a little, still laying down on her back and grinning up at Hunter, who was still straddling her legs.
Hunter grinned and watched as she stretched out. He poked her in the side one more time and then rolled off, keeping their legs in a tangle, putting his arm around her. She snuggled into his side and Hunter looked up into the sky, watching the stars. Hunter looked around and noticed Will and Penny doing the same and soon after Marina and Kyle did the same as well.
"This is unfair." Danny complained. "Why don't I have a guy to cuddle up with?"
"We invited Tom. What happened?" Hunter asked, sitting up a little to look over at Danny.
"Oh, Tom had some family crisis. Some uncle that he never really knew died, I believe and so he couldn't be here when we let the mortals into the camp, so he couldn't make it." He said, looking out into the water a moment. He looked back at the cuddling couples and sighed. "I'd really just settle for anyone right now. You guys look cute."
"Awh, Danny...don't be jealous" Arabella said with a little giggle and she smiled over to him. "I can share Hunter with you" She said and she burst out into giggles when she saw the look on Hunter's face.
"Oh, I'm sure that Hunter would love that" Penny said with a laugh and she rolled her eyes. She looked down at her hand in Will's and she tangled her fingers up with his, brushing her thumb against his knuckles. Penny smiled a little bit then looked up, into the fire. "It's funny how fast thing can change, eh? It feels like just yesterday, Hunter was a hunter and was walking in on me and Will.....talking" Penny said and cleared her throat "And now we're at his wedding" She said, looking up at Hunter and Arabella with a big grin.
"Come on, Danny." Hunter said, scooting over a little and patting the ground next to him. "You can at least look up at the stars with us." He said with a small smile. He looked over at Penny. "Talking. Yeah, right." Hunter said with a scoff. "Well, I was looking for Will back before our second quest." Hunter said in a storyteller voice as Danny laid down on the ground next to him. "I walk into the Demeter Cabin and Will is laying on top of Penny and shoving his tongue in her mouth."
Arabella looked over, with an amused look on her face. "Penny! You never told me this!" She said with a giggled and she grinned over at Penny, who was a deep pink and biting her bottom lip, trying not to smile. Arabella liked sitting with Hunter and sitting with their friends. It was fun and it was easy. The fact that it was her wedding night, made it even more special. She looked up at Hunter and smiled softly and the look on his face. After everything that he had been through in his life, she just wanted him to be happy and to be able to sit with the people he loves and have a good night. She was going to make sure that he was happy.
"I don't blame you, Penny. He's a babe" Daniel teased, giving Will a playful wink.
"Now that Hunter's married you're already moving on, huh, Danny?" Will said with a laugh. "Save me, Penny." He said, hiding behind her. Hunter laughed and looked up when Marina and Kyle stood up.
"We should probably get going. I gotta get the missus home." Kyle said, putting his arms around her putting his hands on her stomach as he kissed her cheek. She slapped his arm.
"Oh, stop. You're making me feel old." She said with a little giggle. "Congratulations, you guys. Have fun on your honeymoon." Hunter jumped up quickly and hugged them both.
"Thank you so much for coming, you guys." He said quietly. "Seriously. Thanks." They pulled away and said goodbye again before leaving. Hunter took his spot next to Arabella, but before they could cuddle up again, Danny put his arms around him and put his head on his shoulder.
"Arabella, I am so jealous!"
"Danny...you have a serious boyfriend" Arabella laughed and she patted his arm. "You'll get to see him in no time and then you can cuddle with him all you want" She said and she looked over at Hunter with happy eyes, holding back her giggles. "So, Hunter..are we going home tonight or our we staying here at camp?" She asked him.
Hunter pushed Danny away and stood up. "Well, I highly doubt that Camp has a newlywed suite." Hunter said with a chuckle. He helped Arabella up and put his hands on her hips. She leaned into him and lifted her head up, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips. Hunter kissed her back and put his forehead on hers. "It's up to you though."
Arabella looked up into his eyes and she took a deep breath, slipping her arms around his middle. She looked up at him, thinking about what they could do and debating it in her head. On one hand, it would be nice to spend a bit of time at camp but on the other hand, going home with Hunter and seeing their dogs before flying off to Greece would be amazing. Arabella brushed her lips against his softly then smiled up at him. "Let's go home, stud muffin" She breathed.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips to hers again. "Thanks for coming, guys." Hunter said, taking a little breath. "Really. Thank you so much." Hunter said, pulling away to hug Will and Penny and Danny. He walked over to the fire and grabbed the bag of his clothes and the dress bag with Arabella's dress in it. "I'll be back. I'm going to put this in the car." He said before running off.
Arabella watched Hunter run off before she turned towards her friends and she hugged Daniel tightly. "Thanks for everything tonight" She said softly and she kissed his cheek before going over to hug Penny tightly. "It was really good to see you again"
"It was really good to see you too, Arabella. We should all get together again sometime or something" Penny said with a little smile and she pulled out of the hug to look at Arabella. "Stay in touch"
"You too. Don't be a stranger" Arabella giggled and she turned toward Will, giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Hunter walked back and he looked around a moment. "Alright. You ready to go, sweetie?" He said with a smile as he put his arm around her waist. "Again, thanks for coming, guys. Keep in touch, but not for like two weeks." Hunter said with a grin as he grabbed Arabella's hand and turned around, finally leaving camp.
Arabella looked down at her hand in Hunter's and she leaned into him, smiling softly. When they got up to the car, Hunter held the door open for her and she looked up at him for a moment before she kissed him tightly and she slid into the car. Hunter got into the driver's seat beside her and she moved over, slipping her arms around his and placing her chin on his shoulder.
"Ellie, I'm really glad you're here." He said, putting an arm around her. She leaned into him and placed a kiss on his neck. "I guess, since we're married now you're really going to have to put up with me." He laughed and kissed her on the forehead. It felt good to know that when he got home, he wouldn't be living with a friend or a girlfriend or a sex buddy or a roommate. He would be living with his wife.
"Oh man, that's going to be a lot to deal with" Arabella said with sarcasm and she rolled her eyes. She leaned into him and she closed her eyes for a moment. "You know, if I have to put up with you that means that you have to put up with me" She giggled and she placed a gentle kiss on her husband's shoulder and she placed a hand on his thigh lightly.
Hunter laughed a little and put his hand on hers, his cheeks a little rosy. He tried to show that now they were married he wasn't going to be awkward all the time, but he still was. He probably always would be. "I think I can manage." He said before kissing her lightly on the lips. He pulled onto their street and sighed happily as he saw their house come into view. He parked in their driveway and he shut off the car, quickly getting out and opening her door. She turned and then Hunter picked her up and started walking toward the house, intending to walk through the threshold with his blushing bride in his arms.
Arabella squeaked a little bit and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, smiling and resting her chin on his shoulder. "You are the most incredible, handsome, sexy, brilliant, strong husband in the whole wide world." She said softly and shelooked up at him with big, happy eyes. "I think you're pretty much the best" Arabella concluded with a tiny nod and she looked towards the door as they got closer to the house.
Hunter grinned and kissed her on the cheek as he finally reached the door. Arabella used a free hand to open it and he stepped inside, immediately greeted by the dogs and Piggy. Hunter grinned down at them a moment and then looked up at his wife. "Welcome home, Mrs. Reed." He said, kissing her on the lips and starting toward the stairs to the bedroom.
Arabella reached behind her as they walked in and she pushed the door closed. She leaned into his kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding herself closer to him. It was their wedding night and even though it was horribly late, she couldn't be happier. Arabella kissed him once more before brushing her lips along his jaw. "When do we leave for Greece?"
"We need to be at the airport," Hunter paused so he could navigate his lips to hers again. He kissed her tightly on the lips as he backed into their bedroom. "in time for our flight at 9." Hunter set her down on the bed, but she didn't move her arms away from him, dragging him down on top of her. "What time is it now?" He said, placing tiny kisses along her jawline.
Arabella tilted her head back and to the side a little bit so that she could look at the time. "Oh my gods.." Arabella laughed and she looked back at Hunter with a devious little smile. "It's almost 5 in the morning" She said and she kissed him lightly. "That was some party.."
Hunter froze and then looked at his watch. "Oh my gods..." He muttered, putting his head down, burying his face into her neck, kissing her skin gently. "Ellie, we're not even packed. We don't have time to be laying here and making out." Hunter let out a groan and stood up off of her. "What are we going to do with the dogs?" He asked, turning to the closet and pulling out the luggage.
Arabella walked over to Hunter and she slipped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek lightly. "Babe...deep breaths" She said and she traced a circle on the back of his neck with her finger. "I talked to Daniel the other day and he said that we can leave the dogs here and he'll come by everyday to see them. I gave him a key" She told him and she pulled away. "And it's a good thing that I'm really anal about things like this because I packed my stuff two days ago. I've also been on about a million business trips and can pack luggage really fast"
Hunter narrowed his eyes a moment at her. He finally sighed and put his hands on her arms, running his fingers up and down. "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked today? Well, yesterday, actually." Arabella blushed and Hunter kissed her nose. He pulled away a little. "Wait, does that mean you packed my clothes, too?" He asked and he grabbed his bag to find it fully packed. "Oh my goodness...How perfect are you?" He said, looking her in the eyes and pulling himself closer.
"Mmm...I'm pretty darn perfect" Arabella said with a giggle and she backed towards the bed, pulling Hunter with her. She sat down and laid back, pulling Hunter down ontop of her and she kissed him in a teasing way. "I missed kissing you the day after our parties" She said in a whisper.
Hunter sighed and rolled off to the side. He took her hand and kissed it before lacing his fingers with hers. "I can't tell you how hard it was to see you like that. I actually slept next to you that night." He said quietly. "You didn't wake up, but I just held you. I couldn't not hold you." He cleared his throat and looked at their hands linked together. "I'm really sorry."
Arabella looked at him with wide eyes and she smacked his chest. "You slept with me?!" She squeaked out of shock but seeing the look on Hunter's face, she slid next to him and she placed a kiss against his chin. "Don't be sorry. It was so worth it in the end. I mean..I had planned this big wedding and I didn't even want it..but this was perfect" She whispered and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "It was the most perfect wedding with the most perfect man"
Hunter smiled and blushed a little before pulling her on top of him and putting his arms around her. "I said next to. Not with. Next to." Hunter said before kissing her tightly on the lips. "And besides. With the way you reacted in your sleep, you didn't seem to mind at all." He laughed and ran his fingers down her back over her butt to her legs. He squeezed her legs a moment and then slid his hands up to her butt, giving it a little squeeze as he kissed her again.
Arabella looked at him with a slightly stunned expression before she kissed him again. "Well..what did I do?" She asked, really hoping that he wasn't going to say something rather embarrassing. Arabella looked up at him with happy eyes, though. She was glad that she was in his arms and she was going to be heading off for a couple weeks with Hunter. It would be nice and relaxing and fun.
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her nose, gently rubbing her butt. "Well, I laid down and was watching you sleep then you turned over and you started mumbling something about martinis and then you tried to shove your hand down my pants and then-" Hunter stopped when he saw the look on her face. "I'm kidding. You just put an arm around me and we snuggled. It was nice."
"You are so terrible to me" Arabella said softly and she moved as close to him as possible, closing her eyes. They stayed like that for a while, not talking or anything, just being together. Arabella loved feeling his arms around her and she didn't really want it to end. "I am going to sleep so much on the plane" She whispered, laughing softly before she yawned.
Hunter smiled and nodded a little before kissing her head. She looked up and then leaned up, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I am too. Unless, I'm too busy freaking out about being in an airplane." Hunter laughed a little and then wrapped his arms a little tighter when she yawned again, causing him to yawn. She put her head down on his chest and Hunter put his head back on the pillow. "Do you want to sleep or should we just stay up until we have to leave?" He asked, gently running his fingers through her hair. He looked down at her when she didn't answer him and he smiled a little when he saw that she was already fast asleep.
"You look so amazing, sweetie" Daniel said, looking at her with a big grin. Arabella looked over at him and she pouted a little bit.
"I can't believe this is happening" Arabella breathed and she gasped a little bit when someone behind her started pulling at the ribbon, fitting her dress to fit her perfectly. "Danny, what if I mess up my vows? What if I trip on my dress? You and I both know that that is a very likely situation"
Hunter sat not so patiently in the Hermes Cabin. It was more patient than when he walked in at least. As soon as the countdown started, Hunter started shaking. His mind went from thought to thought, his mouth blurting out incoherent streams of words. After the first hour he finally sat down and his mind slowed down a little. "You guys are finished with the-"
"YES." They replied in unison. "You've asked us this like 12 times. I had no idea how anal you would become in this situation. Will, you want to trade? You can be his best man."
"No, come on. I'm sorry." Hunter said, about to run his fingers through his hair, but stopped when he remembered Geoff threatening him with a comb. "I just really want this to be perfect for her and if even one thing is out of whack then it can snowball and...Yeah. Sorry."
"Dude, you made it here. I almost didn't." Kyle said with a nod. "That night when we went out to the bar. It was a couple days before the wedding. I remember you said to me--"
"Is he ready?" Hunter looked over and saw Marina's head poking through the door.
"You are not going to trip and fall, Arabella" Daniel said and he reached over, fussing with her hair. "Okay..I think you're done" He said and he looked over at a few of their sisters, who giggled and took the cover off of the mirrors that we behind Arabella.
"Oh, dear.." Arabella breathed and she closed her eyes as Daniel put his hands on her arms and he spun her around. Slowly, she opened her eyes and she saw her reflection in the mirror. She let out a squeak and she covered her mouth with her hands, tears starting to form already. Her dress fit her perfectly, hugging her curves but in a classy sort of way. She didn't have much makeup on at all and her hair was down in loose, beachy waves. It was hitting her. She was getting married. She was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. Arabella looked down at the engagment ring on her finger and she smiled softly.
"You were born ready, right, Hunter?" Kyle said with a smile as he patted Hunter on the shoulder. Hunter took a deep breath and swallowed, putting his gameface on.
"You've got the ring?" Kyle nodded. "And the water is ready?" Will nodded. "And the dining hall is ready?" Marina nodded. "And Chiron is ready?"
"He's already waiting there." Marina said as she walked up to Hunter. She adjusted and straightened his suit, unbuttoning the top button of the shirt and spreading it out a little. "And the groom is ready?" She asked, looking up at him with a little smile. Hunter took a deep breath and then nodded. "Let's go then. I'll tell Danny." Hunter followed Will and Kyle out the door and Hunter knew that it wouldn't be long until he would be married. Not long at all.
There was a small knock on the door and Daniel ran to get it. Arabella wasn't really paying attention though. She was looking at herself in the mirror, in total awe. After a few moments, Daniel rushed back to them, bouncing up and down. "It's time!" He said and Arabella looked up at him with a stunned look on her face. The nerves came rushing back and she starte smoothing out her dress, looking around.
"Now?" Arabella gasped. The past two and half hours had gone by so fast and Arabella wasn't totally convinved that she wasn't dreaming. She just wished that she could see Hunter before all of this. He always calmed her down. Arabella closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, picturing Hunter's face and her nerves faded a little bit. After a moment, she opened her eyes and she nodded. "Now." She breathed. Daniel grinned and he hooked his arm with her, walking outside of the cabin with her. As soon as they stepped outside, Arabella saw her father and her heart skipped a beat. "Daddy" She said softly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"You look beautiful" Matthew said and he pulled away to look at her. Tears started welling up in Arabella's eyes again when she saw the look on his face. She cleared her throat and looked over his shoulder. Daniel had started walking and she could see that he was heading down to the beach where a crowd of people were sitting. Arabella looked back at Matthew and she slipped her arm in his, letting him walk her through the cabins and down towards the beach.
"I can't believe this is happening" Arabella breathed as they got closer to the beach. She could now see that there was a new sandbar in the ocean and Chiron was standing there with Marina, Penny, Will, Kyle and Danny. Arabella finally turned her eyes to the man in the dark blue suit and her heart fluttered. Hunter was waiting for her and he looked so perfect.
"You should be happy that I didn't get any of the naked baby pictures for your reception" Matthew said under his breath, a small smirk on his face. "Well, I didn't get too many"
"Daddy!" Arabella gasped, looking up at him with wide and amused eyes.
"I'm just saying, this could be my first and last chance to get those pictures out to the public. Most parents would have shown them to the boy on the first date" Matthew teased, looking like he was trying really hard not to laugh.
"You are so mean to me" Arabella huffed.
"And I'm also really proud of you" Matthew said, looking over at her as they got to the start of the aisle. Arabella smiled softly and she looked down at Hunter, locking eyes with him and feeling her heart race. This was really happening. Arabella couldn't be happier.
Hunter was waiting nervously. For the first few minutes, he had been able to make small talk with Kyle or Will or Marina, but after that he was just too anxious. He kept staring toward the cabins and as soon as he saw the golden blonde hair and the shining white smile of the love of his life, everything slowed down. Everyone's talking, the sound of people shuffling in their chairs to look at her. It was all gone. All that he heard was his own heartbeat as it picked up the pace and the sound of the waves as they lapped at his feet. A small orchestra started playing when Arabella started down the aisle, her father at her side. Apollo kids, a couple of satyrs and a nymph that decided to show up were all playing Here Comes the Bride. Hunter couldn't believe it. He wasn't nervous anymore. His hands stopped shaking. It's like everything became clear. Hunter stepped toward her and shook her father's hand a moment before taking her and leading her to her spot at the front.
"You look beautiful." Hunter said quietly as they finally stopped. She blushed a little and bit her lips, trying not to cry.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Chiron began. "We're gathered here today to join these two, Hunter Reed and Arabella Marie Foster, in sacred matrimony. We shall be performing a traditional Greek ceremony. Hunter, take her left hand in your right hand and face each other. Your other hand goes on top of each others." Hunter followed suit and soon he had her hand in his and he was so glad for it. "Ω, Ήρα. Η μητέρα των θεών. Η μητέρα του γάμου. Ευλόγησε αυτά τα δύο, εφόσον αυτές επιδιώκουν θείο δώρο σας και να προχωρήσουν μαζί στην ένωση του άνδρα και της γυναίκας." He said in almost a singing voice. Hunter looked from him to Arabella who twisted her face a little, trying to translate what he said. Hunter bit the inside of his lip to stop from laughing. "Δώστε τους την υγεία. Δώστε τους την ευημερία. Προστατέψτε τους και να τους καθοδηγήσει.Με αυτά τα δαχτυλίδια κάνουν δεσμό τους." He paused and everyone looked around. He stopped for a long time. "Do you have the rings?" He asked finally.
"Oh! Yes!" Arabella squeaked and she turned to Daniel. He rolled his eyes at her, trying not to laugh and he passed her the wedding ring. Arabella looked down at it in her hand before looking up at Hunter with big eyes. Eveyone was silent, holding their breath and waiting for Arabella to start her vows but she was trying really hard not to burst into tears. "Oh gods, I'm going to cry. I promised myself that I wasn't going to cry" She said to Hunter, laughing a little bit at herself as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, wishing that she had remembered what she wrote down for her vows, when Hunter reached over and brushed her tears away with his thumb. Arabella smiled up at him and she took a deep breath. "I've loved you from the moment I first saw you, Hunter Reed. You were so much cooler than I was when I saw you walking out of the Hermes cabin. But I was crazy about you. And when I first spoke to you, I was hooked. Things have not been easy for us. I mean, seriously, our life could be a friggin soap on TV" She said and she laughed a little bit. Arabella paused to try and get a bit more control over her tears again. Hunter reached over and he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear but Arabella put her hand on his, holding it close to her, like he was cradling her head. "You've saved my life so many times, stud muffin. I would be so lost without you. I promise that I am going to love you for the rest of my life, no matter what else the world throws our way. You're my best friend, my hero and the love of my life. I adore you, Hunter. And I am going to adore you for the rest of all time" she said, her voice breaking off and tears falling down her cheeks easily. Arabella took his hand and with shaking hands, she slipped the wedding ring onto his finger, taking small breaths.
Hunter took a small breath and looked down at the ring on his finger. He didn't even want to do his vows. It just seemed so perfect. He took a deep breath and took the ring from Kyle, turning it in his fingers then taking Arabella's hand in his again. "Ellie..." He started, but it's like the words got stuck in the back of his throat and he just looked at her. She was still crying and her hair had fallen a little out of place again and Hunter didn't think he could build up the composure to say his vows. He took a deep breath and turned the ring again. "Ellie, I've known you for so long. I think about how long it has been since we first met and I just can't think about how my life would be different if we had never met. Your hair was down to your waist, but you kept it in a braid down your back. You wore a little Barbie wristwatch on your right hand, but the battery had died long before that. That day that you first said hi to me you were wearing a camp t-shirt and a pair of jeans that were rolled up and had butterflies on it. Ellie, I've seen so much and done so much and there are gaps from when I fell out of trees probably, but the only thing that I remember all of is you. The little movement your nose makes when you're eating. The way you smell your coffee every time before taking a sip. The way your lips part a little in your sleep every time you inhale. The way your smile makes me smile. The way that your kisses make me feel like so much more than I am. The way that you hold onto my hand like you could float away at any moment. The way that every time you open your eyes in the morning, you make me fall even deeper in love with you then I was before. Ellie, I remember every kiss, every touch, every hug and every smile and nothing will ever make me forget it. Even when we're old and gray and our kids have kids and we can't even remember what we had for breakfast that morning. I will remember the way you hug me every time I get home. I will remember the way you kiss me every time I'm nervous. I will remember the way you smile every time you wake up. I will remember the way I lose my breath every time I see you. I love you, Ellie and I couldn't ask for anyone more beautiful or perfect than you are and that's never going to change." He finished and looked at her with a small smile as he slipped the ring on her finger.
Arabella looked down at the ring on her finger before turning her eyes to look up at Hunter. She felt so warm and so complete and so happy. She could hear Daniel crying beside her and she bit her lip, smiling up at Hunter. Arabella tore her eyes away from Hunter and she looked up at Chiron who had an odd look on his face. He looked like he was actually getting rather emtional and trying to hold it all in. Arabella had never seen him like that. The only time they spent together, really, was when he had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. Chiron paused for a moment and he took a deep breath before he went on.
"It is my privilege and by the power given to me by the gods and the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride" Chiron finished and as soon as his words ended, Hunter has his arms around her and he was kissing her tightly. Arabella was crying but she felt like she could fly and she leaned into Hunter, kissing him with all the love and all the passion that she possibly could.
Hunter leaned back, unintentionally picking her up and keeping his arms around her. "I love you, Arabella Reed." Hunter whispered as he finally pulled away. Applause erupted from the shore and from the people around them and as much as he wanted to run and scream and shout, he kept his arms around Arabella, his new wife. He put his forehead against hers and smiled "I love you so much."
"I love you too" Arabella breathed and she leaned into him, smiling up at him. Arabella Reed. She was officially a married woman. Hunter was her husband. Arabella giggled and she slipped her arms around his middle, kissing him lightly again. Her friends and her family were cheering around them and all Arabella cared about was Hunter. But then she felt Daniel's hand on her shoulder and she remembered that they were supposed to walk back down the aisle, so she took Hunter's hand and together, as a pair, they walked back down the sand bar that Will had created for them and they walked back onto the shore.
As soon as Hunter walked onto the shore, he turned and pulled Arabella into his arms, kissing her tightly on the lips. He heard a camera click and broke away to see Danny taking another picture. He had a smile on his face and his eyes were red and puffy.
"You guys are just so cute!" He said, taking another picture. "Come on, guys! It's wedding picture time!" Hunter rolled his eyes, but Arabella dragged him over to the beach and grabbed his arm, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. Hunter laughed and put his arms around her.
"Wait. Hold on." Penny said as she snapped her fingers. Vines sprouted out of the ground and wrapped together and flowers poked out, creating a beautiful arch. "Congrats, you guys."
Arabella looked around at the flowers and she smiled softly over to Penny for a minute but she couldn't keep her eyes away from her husband for very long. She turned her eyes back to Hunter and she wrapped her arms around his middle, looking up at him with big eyes. "I can't believe that you did all of this" she breathed, totally stunned. People were walking around, talking and a few were watching as Daniel took another picture of Hunter and Arabella. She leaned up to him and she placed a kiss against his jaw. "I have the best husband ever"
Hunter smiled down at her and let out a sigh of relief. "I just wanted it to be perfect, sweetheart." Hunter leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was worried you were going to be mad that I lied to you. Those pictures were fake. You didn't do any of that stuff. I had Danny take them." Hunter studied the ground a little bit then put his hands on her hips. "I'm sorry I lied to you, baby." He said with a sigh.
"Alright. Now the whole wedding party! Will. Kyle. Get your buns over here." Danny said with a little laugh, handing his camera over to one of his siblings. He hurried over and took his place next to Arabella while Kyle stood next to Hunter.
"Well....I am a little mad at you" Araabella muttered to Hunter as everyone stood around them to take a picture. "But, angry sex is hot, so.." She said with a little shrug and she laughed at the look on Hunter's face as the picture was taken. Arabella looked up at him and grinned before she turned towards Danny and she linked her arm through his, smiling at the camera for another picture.
"This is amazing, Danny" Arabella said softly with a little smile. "I better get to help plan your wedding soon" She added, winking at him.
"Oh, hush" Daniel laughed and he pulled away, running over to get the camera. "We need a few of Hunter and Will and Kyle" He said and Arabella kissed Hunter's cheek before she picked up the hem of her dress and hurried over to Daniel's side.
Hunter finally shook himself and then looked over at Kyle and Will as they detached from the group. Hunter stood between them and they posed together for several pictures. When they finished Hunter walked back over to Arabella and was about to put his arms around her when Danny pushed him away.
"Not so fast. Now it's the girls' turn. Well, the girls' and my turn." Danny said, going to pose with Arabella, Marina, and Penny.
Arabella winked at Hunter as she walked over to stand in the middle of the girls and Daniel. She smiled at the camera with a smile that would never fade. Arabella turned her eyes away from the camera, just a little bit to look behind it at Hunter. Her eyes locked with his and she got butterflies, like she did everytime she saw him and kissed him and hugged him. As soon as the pictures were finished for them, Arabella walked towards Hunter and she stood in front of him, smiling up at him. "Hi, husband" She said softly.
Hunter sighed a little and kissed her on the forehead. "Hi, wife. I missed you." Hunter said, putting his hands on her hips. "Well, the reception is waiting, my dear. Shall we?" He said, offering her his arm. She took it and kissed his cheek and they started toward the mess hall. "I really am sorry for lying to you. I do mean that." Hunter said as they entered into the mess hall, followed by the rest of the wedding party.
"Are you kidding? After you did all of this...I could never be mad at you" Arabella said softly and she looked up at him. "I was so scared that I had really messed up when I saw those pictures" She told him and she bit her bottom lip. Arabella looked around the mess hall as they walked in and she gasped, holding onto Hunter's arm tighter. "Oh, Hunter! It's perfect!" She squeaked, looking around at all of the amazing and beautiful decorations.
Hunter smiled and hugged Arabella a little. "It really is perfect." He said, turning to Marina. "Thank you, Marina." She smiled and stepped forward, giving the two of them a hug.
"Well, it was the least I could do. Now don't expect a gift." She said with a wink. Hunter looked at her for a moment and then looked up when Kyle walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her, putting his hand on her pregnant belly.
"Our baby wouldn't have a name without you, man." Kyle said with a laugh.
Arabella put her hand over her heart and she smiled over at Kyle and Marina. They had the life that she so desperately wanted and was on her way to getting. Hunter and her were married. It felt so grown up to think that she was married but at the same time, it felt so right. Arabella knew that Hunter was the one for her and now it was just a matter of the baby and her life would be pretty perfect. "You're going to be such an amazing mom, Marina" She said softly, trying not to look too jealous.
Hunter looked over and put his arm around Arabella's waist. "Ellie, give it time. We'll get there." Hunter said with a little laugh when he saw how she was looking at Marina and Kyle. "Come on, wife." Hunter said as they found their seat at the front of the hall. He pulled out Arabella's chair and let her sit before he sat down next to her, almost reflexively taking her hand. He looked over at her and smiled. "I love you."
"Well, I was kind of hoping you did. I mean, if you didn't then this whole wedding would be pointless" Arabella teased and she giggled. She leaned into him and she kissed him lightly. "I love you" She told him and she ran her thumb over his knuckles. Arabella smiled up at him then turned to look out at eveyone taking their spots and sitting down, getting ready for the speeches and the food. Arabella squeezed Hunter's hand and looked up at him. "I'm really happy that we're back at camp"
Hunter pressed his lips to her cheek and smiled happily, putting his head on her shoulder a moment then lifting it up and kissing her shoulder. "Did I tell you how beautiful you are?" He said, scooting a little bit closer on the bench. He put his hand on her leg then looked up when Kyle stood up and clinked a knife against his glass.
"It's my honor to welcome you to the reception of the Reed-Foster wedding. Before we get started I'd like to congratulate the happy couple." He said with a smile. There was applause and Kyle started to sit down, but Hunter stopped him.
"It's speech time, Kyle. It's part of the deal." Hunter said, grabbing his arm and standing him back up. "Get started, flowerchild."
--------------
Arabella brushed her hands off on her napkin and she took a very small sip of her sparkling apple cider. "That was a really good supper" She said to Hunter and she looked around the room. It looked like everyone else was pretty well done their food and a few people were getting the dance floor ready to go. Arabella looked at it with a confused look on her face then gasped and turned to look at Hunter. "We need to dance. I can't dance. I'm gonna fall on my face" She said, getting a little nervous about dancing in front of a bunch of people.
Hunter laughed a little and turned to look at her. "Ellie, you need to stop worrying about that. You're a lovely dancer and a beautiful wife." He stood and then stood her up. "Let's dance, sweetheart." He said with a smile, offering her his arm.
Arabella gingerly took his arm and when the DJ announced that it was time for their first dance, she nervously followed Hunter onto the dance floor. Arabella took a deep breath, looking down at her feet but she felt Hunter's fingers under her chin, lifting her head up. Her eyes locked with his and her worries melted away. It didn't matter if she looked like an idiot, Hunter was going to take care of her. The song started playing and Arabella bit her bottom lip, moving closer to Hunter. It was a perfect moment and she felt like she was they were the only people in the room.
Hunter swayed gently, holding her close and he brought his hand up, placing his thumb on her chin, and pulling her lip out of her mouth. "Look at me." He said with a smile as he stared into her eyes. She started to bite her lip again as she focused, but Hunter kissed her on the lips, putting his arms around her. She put her head down on his shoulder and leaned into him. "You're a beautiful dancer, Ellie." Hunter said with a smile as he saw Kyle and Marina join them and Will and Penny start dancing on the dancefloor near them.
"Thanks, babe" Arabella said softly and she closed her eyes. She took a small breath, trying to make sure that she remembered every moment, every feeling, every sound and every smell. This was her wedding and she wanted to remember every single little detail until the day that she died. "I'm still so amazed that you managed to pull all of this off and trick me the way you did" She said and she looked up at him with a grin.
Hunter laughed a little and he kissed her on the forehead. "I wanted this to be perfect for you, Ellie. It needed to be perfect or you would always have been disappointed." Hunter placed his forehead against hers. "I'm really glad you fell for it, though." Hunter said with a little smile as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Arabella's father smiling at him.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" He said with a small laugh.
Arabella grinned up at her father and she glanced at Hunter before she took a step closer to her father and he took her hand. She moved to the music with him in silence for a moment. It was nice to be with her dad like that. It felt like it had been a really long time since she spent a good amount of time with him. "I'm really glad that you could come, Daddy" She said softly, looking up at him.
"Yeah, so am I. It's pretty great that they could get me and your brother in here" Matthew said with a little chuckle and Arabella nodded in agreement. When she first found out that she was going to be getting married at Camp Half Blood, she was upset because she assumed that her family, mortals, wouldn't be able to get there. "This is normally the part where the parent gives advice to their child about being married but..." Matthew said with a little shrug. "You are truly your mother's daughter, Arabella. You don't need any advice from me"
"Awh..Daddy.." Arabella said softly, biting her bottom lip. "You're going to make me cry again"
"Well, don't do that" Matthew laughed and he looked down at her with happy and proud eyes. "I love you, baby girl" He told her softly and Arabella threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and holding back tears.
Hunter watched Arabella and her dad a moment before hearing a laugh from nearby and Hunter saw Kyle dipping Marina, but he was having a little trouble bringing her back up. Hunter hurried over and helped her up and Marina couldn't stop laughing. "Do you mind if I cut in?" Hunter said with a little chuckle.
"Oh, Hunter. I'm flattered, but who's Marina going to dance with?" Hunter shook his head at Kyle and then laughed a little. "Oh, you meant--"
"Not at all." Marina said with a smile, pushing Kyle a little and then stepping up to Hunter. "Congratulations, Hunter." She said with a little smile. Hunter pulled her into a hug real quick before taking a dancing stance.
"Thanks, Marina. I'm really happy." Hunter said with a nod. "I didn't think that I would ever get married, but now I can't imagine anything else, now. I'm really happy with Arabella. I couldn't be happier."
"I love you too" Arabella said softly and she pulled away from him a little bit to look up at him.
"I'm really glad that you've found Hunter. After all of those jerks that you brought home, I was a little nervous when you brought Hunter home. But he's a good man and I'm trusting that he'll be good to you" Matthew said to her, locking eyes with her. Arabella looked up at him and she nodded a little.
"Hunter's the best." She said with a smile.
The song ended and Hunter pulled away from Marina and sighed happily. "You're a wonderful dancer, Mrs. Julius." He said, bowing a little. Kyle walked up and took Marina's hand.
"I'd like my wife back, Hunter. It looks like yours wants you back, too." Hunter looked back just as Arabella wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Hunter laughed a little and turned around.
"I missed you, Mrs. Reed." Hunter said with a little laugh as he kissed her nose.
"I missed you too, Mr. Foster" Arabella teased and she leaned up, kissing him lightly. "How are you doing, stud muffin?" She asked, leaning into him a little. The party was amazing and everyone looked like they were having a blast but she was just happy to be with Hunter. After the previous day, it was wonderful to be in his arms.
"I have never been better." Hunter said with a grin as he put his arms around her and leaned down kissing her tightly on the lips. "I'm really happy that you're my wife, Ellie. I couldn't have imagined anyone so perfect." He said, kissing her on the lips again as he pulled away. "It only gets better from here, right?"
-----------------
She was peaceful and she was warm, wearing a pair of shorts that she borrowed from one of her sisters and the shirt that she had been wearing when she got to camp that morning, Hunter's shirt. His jacket was slung around her shoulders and she had her head on Hunter's chest, his arms wrapped around her and keeping her warm. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was looking into the bonfire they had made on the beach and listening to Will and Penny debate about which city was better, Halifax or Chicago.
"Hunter, can you pass me the bag of machmallows or did you finish them off?" Penny asked, looking over to Hunter with a little teasing grin on her face.
"I had like...4." Hunter said with a smile. "Your boyfriend over there had about 50." Hunter said, balling the bag up and throwing it at Will who batted it away.
"I was hungry. What do you want?" He said with a laugh. Penny elbowed him in the side.
"You're always hungry, kelpboy." She said with a wink. Hunter smiled softly and looked over when Arabella started to stir a little bit. "Is the blushing bride alive in there?" Penny said with a giggle. Hunter laughed and brushed some hair out of Arabella's face.
"You doing okay, sweetheart?" Hunter said quietly, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Arabella scrunched up her nose a little bit and she leaned into Hunter when she felt his lips on her forehead. She yawned a little bit before she slowly opened her eyes. In all honesty, she didn't really think that she would wake up and still be at the fire. But she also didn't think that she would actually fall asleep on Hunter's lap in front of a bonfire. Arabella looked up at Hunter with slightly hazy eyes. "How long was I asleep?"
"About 30 minutes. Who falls asleep on their wedding night before...their wedding night" Daniel said with a laugh and Arabella looked over to him to see him wiggling his eyebrows at her.
"Oh...shut it, Danny" Arabella said, laughing a little bit and rolling her eyes at him. She looked around the ground a little bit then looked up at Hunter. "Did you seriously eat all of the marshmallows?" She asked and Penny burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.
Hunter couldn't help, but laugh a little and he looked over at Will who laughed extra loud as he shoved another marshmallow in his mouth. "It was Will!" Hunter said in an exasperated voice. "I had like 4 or 5 total. Just enough to keep me awake." Hunter looked back down at Arabella. He shook her a little. "Accuse me of eating all the marshmallows, will you?!" He said in mock offense. "Well, this means war!" He said before dramatically pulling away and pushing Arabella down to her back. He quickly straddled her legs and then poked her in the sides again and again so she was writhing around trying to break free, but she couldn't so she just kept wiggling around while Hunter poked her sides.
Arabella laughed and she tried to roll out from under him. "Hunter! I can't breathe!" She gasped between her laughs and she smacked his leg lightly. She covered her face with her hands and she giggled, take short breaths. When Hunter stopped tickling her, sitting back a little and laughing, she reached up and smacked his chest. "Gods, you are so mean to me!" She huffed and she stretched out a little, still laying down on her back and grinning up at Hunter, who was still straddling her legs.
Hunter grinned and watched as she stretched out. He poked her in the side one more time and then rolled off, keeping their legs in a tangle, putting his arm around her. She snuggled into his side and Hunter looked up into the sky, watching the stars. Hunter looked around and noticed Will and Penny doing the same and soon after Marina and Kyle did the same as well.
"This is unfair." Danny complained. "Why don't I have a guy to cuddle up with?"
"We invited Tom. What happened?" Hunter asked, sitting up a little to look over at Danny.
"Oh, Tom had some family crisis. Some uncle that he never really knew died, I believe and so he couldn't be here when we let the mortals into the camp, so he couldn't make it." He said, looking out into the water a moment. He looked back at the cuddling couples and sighed. "I'd really just settle for anyone right now. You guys look cute."
"Awh, Danny...don't be jealous" Arabella said with a little giggle and she smiled over to him. "I can share Hunter with you" She said and she burst out into giggles when she saw the look on Hunter's face.
"Oh, I'm sure that Hunter would love that" Penny said with a laugh and she rolled her eyes. She looked down at her hand in Will's and she tangled her fingers up with his, brushing her thumb against his knuckles. Penny smiled a little bit then looked up, into the fire. "It's funny how fast thing can change, eh? It feels like just yesterday, Hunter was a hunter and was walking in on me and Will.....talking" Penny said and cleared her throat "And now we're at his wedding" She said, looking up at Hunter and Arabella with a big grin.
"Come on, Danny." Hunter said, scooting over a little and patting the ground next to him. "You can at least look up at the stars with us." He said with a small smile. He looked over at Penny. "Talking. Yeah, right." Hunter said with a scoff. "Well, I was looking for Will back before our second quest." Hunter said in a storyteller voice as Danny laid down on the ground next to him. "I walk into the Demeter Cabin and Will is laying on top of Penny and shoving his tongue in her mouth."
Arabella looked over, with an amused look on her face. "Penny! You never told me this!" She said with a giggled and she grinned over at Penny, who was a deep pink and biting her bottom lip, trying not to smile. Arabella liked sitting with Hunter and sitting with their friends. It was fun and it was easy. The fact that it was her wedding night, made it even more special. She looked up at Hunter and smiled softly and the look on his face. After everything that he had been through in his life, she just wanted him to be happy and to be able to sit with the people he loves and have a good night. She was going to make sure that he was happy.
"I don't blame you, Penny. He's a babe" Daniel teased, giving Will a playful wink.
"Now that Hunter's married you're already moving on, huh, Danny?" Will said with a laugh. "Save me, Penny." He said, hiding behind her. Hunter laughed and looked up when Marina and Kyle stood up.
"We should probably get going. I gotta get the missus home." Kyle said, putting his arms around her putting his hands on her stomach as he kissed her cheek. She slapped his arm.
"Oh, stop. You're making me feel old." She said with a little giggle. "Congratulations, you guys. Have fun on your honeymoon." Hunter jumped up quickly and hugged them both.
"Thank you so much for coming, you guys." He said quietly. "Seriously. Thanks." They pulled away and said goodbye again before leaving. Hunter took his spot next to Arabella, but before they could cuddle up again, Danny put his arms around him and put his head on his shoulder.
"Arabella, I am so jealous!"
"Danny...you have a serious boyfriend" Arabella laughed and she patted his arm. "You'll get to see him in no time and then you can cuddle with him all you want" She said and she looked over at Hunter with happy eyes, holding back her giggles. "So, Hunter..are we going home tonight or our we staying here at camp?" She asked him.
Hunter pushed Danny away and stood up. "Well, I highly doubt that Camp has a newlywed suite." Hunter said with a chuckle. He helped Arabella up and put his hands on her hips. She leaned into him and lifted her head up, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips. Hunter kissed her back and put his forehead on hers. "It's up to you though."
Arabella looked up into his eyes and she took a deep breath, slipping her arms around his middle. She looked up at him, thinking about what they could do and debating it in her head. On one hand, it would be nice to spend a bit of time at camp but on the other hand, going home with Hunter and seeing their dogs before flying off to Greece would be amazing. Arabella brushed her lips against his softly then smiled up at him. "Let's go home, stud muffin" She breathed.
Hunter smiled and pressed his lips to hers again. "Thanks for coming, guys." Hunter said, taking a little breath. "Really. Thank you so much." Hunter said, pulling away to hug Will and Penny and Danny. He walked over to the fire and grabbed the bag of his clothes and the dress bag with Arabella's dress in it. "I'll be back. I'm going to put this in the car." He said before running off.
Arabella watched Hunter run off before she turned towards her friends and she hugged Daniel tightly. "Thanks for everything tonight" She said softly and she kissed his cheek before going over to hug Penny tightly. "It was really good to see you again"
"It was really good to see you too, Arabella. We should all get together again sometime or something" Penny said with a little smile and she pulled out of the hug to look at Arabella. "Stay in touch"
"You too. Don't be a stranger" Arabella giggled and she turned toward Will, giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Hunter walked back and he looked around a moment. "Alright. You ready to go, sweetie?" He said with a smile as he put his arm around her waist. "Again, thanks for coming, guys. Keep in touch, but not for like two weeks." Hunter said with a grin as he grabbed Arabella's hand and turned around, finally leaving camp.
Arabella looked down at her hand in Hunter's and she leaned into him, smiling softly. When they got up to the car, Hunter held the door open for her and she looked up at him for a moment before she kissed him tightly and she slid into the car. Hunter got into the driver's seat beside her and she moved over, slipping her arms around his and placing her chin on his shoulder.
"Ellie, I'm really glad you're here." He said, putting an arm around her. She leaned into him and placed a kiss on his neck. "I guess, since we're married now you're really going to have to put up with me." He laughed and kissed her on the forehead. It felt good to know that when he got home, he wouldn't be living with a friend or a girlfriend or a sex buddy or a roommate. He would be living with his wife.
"Oh man, that's going to be a lot to deal with" Arabella said with sarcasm and she rolled her eyes. She leaned into him and she closed her eyes for a moment. "You know, if I have to put up with you that means that you have to put up with me" She giggled and she placed a gentle kiss on her husband's shoulder and she placed a hand on his thigh lightly.
Hunter laughed a little and put his hand on hers, his cheeks a little rosy. He tried to show that now they were married he wasn't going to be awkward all the time, but he still was. He probably always would be. "I think I can manage." He said before kissing her lightly on the lips. He pulled onto their street and sighed happily as he saw their house come into view. He parked in their driveway and he shut off the car, quickly getting out and opening her door. She turned and then Hunter picked her up and started walking toward the house, intending to walk through the threshold with his blushing bride in his arms.
Arabella squeaked a little bit and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, smiling and resting her chin on his shoulder. "You are the most incredible, handsome, sexy, brilliant, strong husband in the whole wide world." She said softly and shelooked up at him with big, happy eyes. "I think you're pretty much the best" Arabella concluded with a tiny nod and she looked towards the door as they got closer to the house.
Hunter grinned and kissed her on the cheek as he finally reached the door. Arabella used a free hand to open it and he stepped inside, immediately greeted by the dogs and Piggy. Hunter grinned down at them a moment and then looked up at his wife. "Welcome home, Mrs. Reed." He said, kissing her on the lips and starting toward the stairs to the bedroom.
Arabella reached behind her as they walked in and she pushed the door closed. She leaned into his kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding herself closer to him. It was their wedding night and even though it was horribly late, she couldn't be happier. Arabella kissed him once more before brushing her lips along his jaw. "When do we leave for Greece?"
"We need to be at the airport," Hunter paused so he could navigate his lips to hers again. He kissed her tightly on the lips as he backed into their bedroom. "in time for our flight at 9." Hunter set her down on the bed, but she didn't move her arms away from him, dragging him down on top of her. "What time is it now?" He said, placing tiny kisses along her jawline.
Arabella tilted her head back and to the side a little bit so that she could look at the time. "Oh my gods.." Arabella laughed and she looked back at Hunter with a devious little smile. "It's almost 5 in the morning" She said and she kissed him lightly. "That was some party.."
Hunter froze and then looked at his watch. "Oh my gods..." He muttered, putting his head down, burying his face into her neck, kissing her skin gently. "Ellie, we're not even packed. We don't have time to be laying here and making out." Hunter let out a groan and stood up off of her. "What are we going to do with the dogs?" He asked, turning to the closet and pulling out the luggage.
Arabella walked over to Hunter and she slipped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek lightly. "Babe...deep breaths" She said and she traced a circle on the back of his neck with her finger. "I talked to Daniel the other day and he said that we can leave the dogs here and he'll come by everyday to see them. I gave him a key" She told him and she pulled away. "And it's a good thing that I'm really anal about things like this because I packed my stuff two days ago. I've also been on about a million business trips and can pack luggage really fast"
Hunter narrowed his eyes a moment at her. He finally sighed and put his hands on her arms, running his fingers up and down. "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked today? Well, yesterday, actually." Arabella blushed and Hunter kissed her nose. He pulled away a little. "Wait, does that mean you packed my clothes, too?" He asked and he grabbed his bag to find it fully packed. "Oh my goodness...How perfect are you?" He said, looking her in the eyes and pulling himself closer.
"Mmm...I'm pretty darn perfect" Arabella said with a giggle and she backed towards the bed, pulling Hunter with her. She sat down and laid back, pulling Hunter down ontop of her and she kissed him in a teasing way. "I missed kissing you the day after our parties" She said in a whisper.
Hunter sighed and rolled off to the side. He took her hand and kissed it before lacing his fingers with hers. "I can't tell you how hard it was to see you like that. I actually slept next to you that night." He said quietly. "You didn't wake up, but I just held you. I couldn't not hold you." He cleared his throat and looked at their hands linked together. "I'm really sorry."
Arabella looked at him with wide eyes and she smacked his chest. "You slept with me?!" She squeaked out of shock but seeing the look on Hunter's face, she slid next to him and she placed a kiss against his chin. "Don't be sorry. It was so worth it in the end. I mean..I had planned this big wedding and I didn't even want it..but this was perfect" She whispered and she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "It was the most perfect wedding with the most perfect man"
Hunter smiled and blushed a little before pulling her on top of him and putting his arms around her. "I said next to. Not with. Next to." Hunter said before kissing her tightly on the lips. "And besides. With the way you reacted in your sleep, you didn't seem to mind at all." He laughed and ran his fingers down her back over her butt to her legs. He squeezed her legs a moment and then slid his hands up to her butt, giving it a little squeeze as he kissed her again.
Arabella looked at him with a slightly stunned expression before she kissed him again. "Well..what did I do?" She asked, really hoping that he wasn't going to say something rather embarrassing. Arabella looked up at him with happy eyes, though. She was glad that she was in his arms and she was going to be heading off for a couple weeks with Hunter. It would be nice and relaxing and fun.
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her nose, gently rubbing her butt. "Well, I laid down and was watching you sleep then you turned over and you started mumbling something about martinis and then you tried to shove your hand down my pants and then-" Hunter stopped when he saw the look on her face. "I'm kidding. You just put an arm around me and we snuggled. It was nice."
"You are so terrible to me" Arabella said softly and she moved as close to him as possible, closing her eyes. They stayed like that for a while, not talking or anything, just being together. Arabella loved feeling his arms around her and she didn't really want it to end. "I am going to sleep so much on the plane" She whispered, laughing softly before she yawned.
Hunter smiled and nodded a little before kissing her head. She looked up and then leaned up, kissing him lightly on the lips. "I am too. Unless, I'm too busy freaking out about being in an airplane." Hunter laughed a little and then wrapped his arms a little tighter when she yawned again, causing him to yawn. She put her head down on his chest and Hunter put his head back on the pillow. "Do you want to sleep or should we just stay up until we have to leave?" He asked, gently running his fingers through her hair. He looked down at her when she didn't answer him and he smiled a little when he saw that she was already fast asleep.
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