When You Close Your Eyes

“Are you sure about this, Grace?” Isabelle posed as moved to step ahead of her little sister, quietly fixing the hairclips which had been slipped into her blonde hair. It had been a hectic morning, with the wedding only a matter of hours away, the house had been a hive of activity for a while, but with everything almost in place, Isabelle wanted to take a second with her little sister, wanting to keep her as calm as she could.

Grace, who was straightening out the material of the white dress she wore, quirked a soft smile at the sound of her sister’s words before she nodded her head softly. “I’m certain, Belle” she mused softly “I’ve wanted to marry Sam for a little while now” she added brightly.

Isabelle nodded. “I know you have” she confirmed softly “But I just had to ask one more time, to make sure” she added, offering her another bright smile.

Grace grinned at her impishly before she pushed herself up to her feet, gently brushing her fingers down the material of the dress she wore. “Well, Belle, what do you think?” she quipped, peeking towards the mirror which stood ahead of her.

Isabelle, who’d moved to adjust the veil which was pinned to the top of her sister’s hair, quirked a small smile before she nodded. “You look perfect, Grace” she enthused softly “Sam’s not going to know what hit him” she added teasingly.

Grace giggled a little before she turned around, wrapping her sister in a soft hug. “Gracias for your help, Belle” she murmured softly “I mean, I know mama did a lot of the work, but you’ve been really great recently and I want to thank you for that. You should know that, when you need it, I will be the best maid of honor for you” she grinned teasingly.

Isabelle’s cheeks flushed a little, something which made Grace shake her head. “It will happen for you” she enthused softly “I mean, Leo’s clearly more than prepared to take his time over it, but I know it will happen for you two” she added gently.

Isabelle offered her another gentle smile before the sound of the door edging open caught her ears, causing her to peek towards Lionel who’d edged inside. “Leo?” she posed.

“Your papa sent me up to check on the two of you” Lionel mused softly “The cars ought to be here any second and I think your mama is keen to get things moving” he added gently.

Grace nodded her head softly before she flicked her attention towards Isabelle once more. “You’re sure that I look alright?” she pressed, her voice slightly nervous.

Isabelle nodded. “You look amazing, little sister” she enthused, a kind expression on her face.

Grace spared her another dubious look before she peeked towards Lionel, something which made him chuckle softly. “You look beautiful, Grace” he mused softly “I am sure that Sam’s going to be suitably blown away” he added kindly.

Grace offered him a gentle smile before she stepped towards him, pressing a brief kiss against his cheek before she moved to whisper in his ear. “Your turn next?” she quipped lowly enough for just him to hear.

Lionel chuckled a little before he nodded. “You never know” he whispered in reply before the sound of Marco’s voice filtered into the room, causing Grace to nod a little.

“I guess I ought to go and get married” she teased before she stepped out of the room.

Isabelle watched her go with a smile before she stepped towards Lionel, taking his hand gently in hers before she led him out of the room, a little amazed by the idea that, by the end of the day, her little sister would have a husband.

~#~
Sipping on her glass of champagne, Isabelle quirked a soft smile, her blue eyes settled on Grace and Samuel who stood a little away from her, grinning as they received the congratulations of another group of relatives. It had been a beautiful ceremony, from the moment that Grace had stepped into the church, Samuel hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her, and Isabelle had to admit that she found it cute, even if she did have the slightest tinge of jealousy, she was more than happy to see how made up both Grace and Samuel looked.

Taking another sip of her drink, she watched her sister and brother-in-law for a couple of seconds before the sound of the chair beside her being pulled out caught her ears, causing her to turn, her blue eyes settling on Lionel who’d moved to settle down in the chair beside her. “You look happy” he quipped, moving to pick up his glass of water.

“I am, for them” Isabelle mused softly “I mean, look at them. I don’t think they’ve stopped grinning yet” she added, sparing another look towards her sister who was giggling as Samuel whispered into her ear.

Lionel followed the line of her stare before he nodded his head. “I don’t think they have either” he agreed softly “But I don’t blame them. They’re newlyweds” he added impishly.

Isabelle offered him a gentle grin before she shifted her body, allowing her to rest her back against his chest comfortably. Lionel watched her movements before he shifted his arms, wrapping them gently around her waist before he ducked his head, pressing a kiss to the light peach colored material of the bridesmaids’ dress she wore. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look today?” he mumbled, kissing the same spot again.

Isabelle’s cheeks warmed a little, something which made him smile before he ducked down, pressing a kiss against the pink skin. “You’re adorable” he mumbled, not wanting to disturb the sense of calm which had settled around them.

Isabelle smiled at the contact before she closed her eyes, quietly enjoying their embrace.

Lionel admired her for a couple of seconds before he leant his head against hers. “I’ve booked us a flight” he noted softly “I’ve found us a villa too, somewhere private and quiet” he added gently.

Isabelle nodded. “I can’t wait” she enthused happily.

Lionel nodded his head in agreement before Marco padded into his eye line, a warm expression on his face. “You two look like you’re enjoying yourselves” he quipped.

Isabelle startled slightly and sat up, something which made her father shake his head. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, Belle” he teased “I just thought you’d want to see your little sister and her husband have their first dance” he added before he padded away, heading towards the dancefloor.

Isabelle shook her head a little before she pushed herself up, moving to stand before she offered her hand out towards Lionel who took it, knotting their fingers together before he led her towards the dancefloor. Smiling, he settled his arms around her waist once more before he flicked his attention towards the floor, watching as Samuel and Grace swayed to the soft music which filled the room. “You want to dance?” he posed quietly, watching as Marco and Francesca padded out onto the floor, joining Grace and Samuel.

Isabelle, who’d been happily watched the two of them, tilted her head. “You do?” she posed.

“We can give it a shot” Lionel replied with a playful shrug.

Isabelle rolled her eyes a little before she nodded her head, something which encouraged Lionel to knot their fingers together before he led her out onto the dancefloor, swaying her happily to the soft music for a couple of seconds before he shook his head, a quirked grin playing at the corner of his mouth. He wanted to take his time, with the way things had been between him and Isabelle, he didn’t want to rush into the next step, but a small part of him couldn’t help but flirt with the idea of asking the question he knew that Isabelle wanted to hear.