When We Were

“I do”

Emilia couldn’t stop herself smiling, the sound of her voice saying those words ringing in her ears for a few seconds. It had felt perfect, despite a few stumbles over the odd word here and there, the ceremony seemed to have been exactly as she had envisioned it, and with those two words ringing in her ears, she knew that they were only moments away from being pronounced as husband and wife, a thought which obliterated any lingering trace of Isaac that had remained. He had lingered, as much as she had tried to ignore the familiar feeling of frustration, it had hung around for longer than she would have liked, but it had quickly faded when Lionel had taken her hand into his, squeezing it as his familiar warm grin lit up his face.

“It is, then, my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife” The officiant mused “Congratulations” he added.

Lionel nodded his head, flashing him a quick smile, before he gently cupped Emilia’s jaw, drawing her into a soft kiss which acted as the signal for those around them to get to their feet, the sound of their applause thumping in their ears. Smiling, Emilia lingered in the kiss for a few seconds, not quite willing to let it end so quickly, before Lionel drew back ever so slightly, his forehead gently touched to hers. “My wife” he whispered quietly.

Emilia’s fingertips brushed against his jaw. “My husband” she murmured.

Lionel’s lips curved into a soft smile before he closed the gap between the two of them, stealing another soft kiss before they pulled apart. Offering Emilia’s hand a light squeeze, he gently untangled their fingers, allowing Emilia to be swept into a hug by her parents before he was pulled into one by Jordi. “Congratulations” Jordi quipped, patting Lionel’s shoulder.

“Thank you” Lionel replied.

Jordi grinned at him as he pulled back. “You’re an official Moretti” he quipped “How does it feel?” he prodded impishly.

Lionel spared a look over his shoulder, watching Emilia as she hugged Luca and Maisie, before he breathed out a contented sigh. “It feels pretty damn amazing” he mused.

Jordi chuckled, bumping his shoulder playfully, before he stepped away, allowing the next well-wisher a moment with the grinning groom.

~#~
Holding Lionel’s phone out ahead of her, Emilia flinched, feeling one of the hair grips which held her hair up poke into the back of her head as she tried to tidy it up a little. It hadn’t changed too much, her hair still, for the most part, looked as wonderful as it had when the hairdresser had finished with it, but Emilia was still a little too conscious of the grips slipping, knowing that once the car stopped, the photos would begin.

Tilting phone slightly, she studied her image on the screen before it was gently slipped out of her fingers, causing her to shake her head, smiling sheepishly at Lionel. “Sorry” she mumbled “I just…I could feel a couple of the clips moving. I just wanted to make sure that it still looked alright” she added.

Lionel smiled as he tucked his phone back into his pocket, his head shaking slightly. “You look beautiful” he quipped.

“You always say that” Emilia pointed out.

Lionel smirked, lifting his shoulder in a lazy shrug.

Emilia rolled her eyes, smiling bashfully down at her lap.

Lionel watched her for a few seconds, smiling as he saw her twist her new wedding band around her finger, before he gently shook his head. “You were late” he quipped, breaking the momentary silence which had settled over the two of them.

Emilia exhaled a soft sigh, turning her head to glance up at him. “You really want to talk about that now?” she asked.

“It’s not like this was some dinner date, Em” Lionel replied “You left me standing at that altar for a lot longer than I would have liked. I was genuinely worried that you’d changed your mind or something” he added, his voice softening a little.

He didn’t want to admit it, until he had found himself stood at the altar, with no idea of where Emilia was, he had been completely confident that she would walk through the door, but as the minutes had ticked by, his confidence had wavered slightly. For a brief moment, he had thought that there was a real chance that Emilia had left him at the altar.

Emilia shook her head. “Leo” she murmured softly.

Lionel tried to play it off with a small laugh and an embarrassed smile. “That wasn’t it, was it?” he asked, trying to hide his apprehension with a light, playful tone.

Emilia gently threaded her fingers through his, squeezing his hand gently. “Of course it wasn’t” she murmured “You really thought it could be?” she asked.

Lionel kept his stare on their hand, lifting his shoulders into a shrug. “Jordi didn’t show when he was supposed to” he quipped “No one was answering their phones. I tried Jordi, I tried you…I didn’t get anything. What else was I supposed to think?” he asked.

Emilia lifted her other hand, her fingers tracing along his jaw before she gently pushed them up into his hair, causing him to lift his eyes to hers. “I love you” she murmured “And I am sorry that I scared you, but you have to know that not showing up today…that’s not a thought that ever, ever, crossed my mind. You were always going to end this day with me as your wife, I promise you that” she insisted.

Lionel searched her eyes quietly.

“Isaac was late” Emilia admitted “Even despite his promises that he wouldn’t be, he showed up with Luca late. That’s why we were late” she added.

Lionel shook his head. “You think he did it on purpose?” he asked.

Emilia’s shrug was non-committal. “Everyone else does” she noted “But it doesn’t matter. Luca was there, and that’s what I really cared about. Did you know about the plan to have him walk me up the aisle?” she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of Isaac. It wasn’t what she wanted to dwell on whilst they were on their way to their wedding reception.

Lionel hesitated, briefly contemplating pressing the subject, before he quirked a small smile. “Your papa told me about it a few days ago” he quipped.

“He was so cute” Emilia gushed “His little suit, the kiss on my cheek” she added.

Lionel lifted their hands up, allowing him to press a kiss against the back of hers. “I wouldn’t have let this happen without him” he said softly.

Emilia leant her head against his shoulder. “I know” she cooed.

Lionel leant his head against hers, basking in a comfortable silence for a moment, before he quirked a smirk. “You know, I might have promised that we’d name Jordi in our speeches” he quipped “He wants everyone to know that he’s responsible for this” he added, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand.

Emilia snorted out a laugh. “He wants his name on everything” she quipped “You know he proposed Jordi as a baby name when I was pregnant with both Luca and Maisie?” she added.

Lionel smiled as he turned, kissing her forehead gently. “I do owe him, though” he quipped “Him and Samia. Their seating plan…”

“Luca playing hide and seek” Emilia corrected “He hid under your table and I came over to find him. The seating plan was just a bonus. It gave us the chance to talk, and things just sort of went from there” she added, smiling up at him gently.

Lionel traced his thumb over her cheekbone. “You really didn’t think about not coming?” he asked.

Emilia held his hand to her face, beaming. “It never even crossed my mind” she reiterated “You’ve got me, Messi, for the rest of your days” she added playfully.

Lionel touched his forehead to hers. “Sounds good to me” he cooed quietly.