Ella slowly stirred in the morning, wrapped up in a comfortable warmth. She automatically tried to move, but couldn't. "Leon..." She finally remembered he was there, and still holding onto her. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
Damn, since when do I sleep that long?
"Time to get up," she groaned. She knew full well that her mother would be up and about already as well.
"Five more minutes," he mumbled and cuddled up closer to her.
His hair tickled her neck, and she laughed. "Leon!"
His breathing had gone soft since he fell asleep again.
He makes it so tempting to go back to sleep. He makes a lot of things tempting for that matter... Mind out of the gutter, Ella...
Not wanting to disturb him, she closed her eyes again and accidentally fell asleep.
---
Knock, knock.
"I know you probably need sleep if you're still sleeping now, but it's almost lunchtime," Ella's mother said through the bedroom door. "And your breakfast has gone cold already..."
Leon kissed Ella on the cheek and crawled out of bed to answer the door. "I'm sorry about that. I don't even remember the last time I slept in this late." He chuckled.
"It's okay, it's just..."
"I'm sorry we weren't up early enough to eat your food fresh, but rest assured, none of it will go to waste. And thank you for making us breakfast when you're supposed to be relaxing." He kissed the back of her hand.
"I-it wasn't a big deal, and it's a thank you for all the fun we got to have yesterday."
"There's still more fun to be had today, right?"
"Well... Actually, I mostly came here to check up on you and see how she was doing. Now that I've done that, I think I should be heading back home. I've already packed my bags." She glanced over at them, waiting at the door.
"Really? I was hoping you'd at least stay until tonight. Let me take you to any restaurant you want or... anywhere really. You two don't see each other enough for people who love each other; at least stick around a few more hours."
"Ella was right. You're quite convincing; it's hard to say no to you."
"I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked.
Knock, knock, knock.
Leon looked over at the door. Aside from Zeke, no one came directly to his suite without calling first. He answered the door, and his eyes widened.
"I wanted to see Ella's mom!" Alice cheered as Kyra and Charlie came up right behind her.
"I'm sorry about us showing up like this, but we were worried we'd miss our chance." Kyra gave him a wry smile.
"Can we order food? I'm starving today," Charlie asked, rubbing her belly.
"Um... sure..." Leon stepped aside to let them in.
Alice squealed and ran up to Ella's mom for a hug, instantly chatting her up.
"What in the world?" Ella came out of the bedroom. "Girls? What are you doing here?" She saw Alice latched onto her mom and laughed. "Oh, I see how it is."
"It's been so long; can you blame us?" Alice asked.
"Aren't you a lively bunch?" a woman's voice came from the doorway. They turned to see someone most of them didn't know.
"Mother? What are you doing here?" Leon jumped back, having been standing at the open door. He didn't even notice her approach until she said something. She always seemed to sneak up on people.
"I've been working tirelessly on your wedding, and couldn't help but think your wife-to-be might want to have a say in at least something in regards to the wedding. I mean, most women dream of it, so it'd be harsh of me to not give her options to choose from."
"Meaning you want to only ask between things you've already approved."
"Of course; I have the best fashion sense and decorating sense of anyone I know. Why would I leave it to someone else?"
Leon rubbed his forehead. "I thought I said you could choose whatever..."
"It's not you I'm worried about having no say in the wedding; it's Ella I'm worried about. I was hoping I could pull her away today to make some choices." She looked around her son, craning her neck until she spotted Ella. "There you are!"
Ella froze, staring at Leon's mother with wide eyes.
"I hope you don't mind, but I plan on stealing you for today."
"I-I'm sorry, but..." Ella looked over at her mom. "I have company today."
"It's okay, sweetie; we've had plenty of fun on this mini-vacation. You can go and work on your wedding." With Alice still attached to her, Ella's mom moved over to pat her on the head.
Leon's mother turned to her. "I'm Molly Hunt, Leon's mother." She extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you. We'll be family soon." She smiled.
She shook her hand. "Lucy Luise, it's nice to meet you too."
"Umm..."
"Don't worry; we'll hang out with your mom until she heads back." Charlie gave her a heavy pat on the back. "Go make your wedding pretty."
Ella looked to Leon, who shrugged, leaving it up to her to decide.
I have a feeling this isn't optional anyway... "O-okay."
"Great, let's go—"
"Wait, I want to eat breakfast first."
"Breakfast?" She glanced at the time with a raised eyebrow and then smirked. "I see... You can eat and get ready to go out while I talk to my son in private."
"What?" Leon went still. His mother wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the suite.
"They're not close, are they?" Alice asked. "They're so awkward together..."
"Not everyone is as lucky as I am." Ella hugged her mom and sat down to eat pancakes for breakfast.
"Oh, got some extras?" Charlie wandered over to the stack sitting on the counter.
"I always make too much," Ella's mother said.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Charlie made herself at home. She grabbed her own plate, stacking a bunch of pancakes on it, and sat down at the table to eat. "Oh my gosh, these are good!"
Somehow, hers always end up better than mine even though it's the same recipe.
With no time to slack, Ella polished her plate off and got changed and ready to go with Leon's mother as her stomach did flips.
Maybe I shouldn't have eaten anything.
"I'll probably be home by the time you come back." Her mother pulled her in for a hug.
"Don't worry about anything." Kyra patted her back assuringly.
"Right..." Ella gulped. I'm going to be alone with his mother, aren't I? She shivered.
"I know that look..." Kyra sighed. "Try not to be so nervous; she's just human."
"She's overbearing and wants things her way."
"Well, since you don't care about the little details, then follow her lead and everything will be alright."
"Right..."
The front door opened, and Leon approached her right away, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned in. "Call me if she pushes you too much, or you want to come home. I'll rush to get you right away," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.
That only made me more nervous! "O-okay..."
"Come along dear, and try not to look like you're afraid I'll eat you." Molly smirked and turned around.
"I don't think that..." Ella trailed off as she followed behind her.
"She's going to be okay, right?" Alice asked Leon.
"Yeah... I hope so..." He scratched the back of his head. "So, what do you ladies want to do today?"
---
Ella sat beside Mrs. Hunt in the limo, stiff as a board as she avoided looking at her.
"I really never knew he preferred older women, but at least you'll be more mature, and you'll be a cute daughter-in-law," Molly said, amused by Ella's nervousness.
"Thank you." Does everyone have to point out I'm older than him? Geez...
Molly pulled out a tablet from her purse. "How about we start with some options? Location?" She showed Ella five different places. "I hold a preference for this one, as it has the largest area to host people, but any of them will do." She had already booked her preferred venue, just in case.
"They all look beautiful, so it's okay if we go with the one you want."
"I heard from Leon you don't want to invite many people."
"Only close friends and family."
"Since you're marrying a catch like my son, shouldn't you want to invite all your friends?"
Ella gulped. "N-not really. I'm not close with too many people, and I only want to invite those I'm close to. Besides, I'm not one who wants to parade around showing someone off like they're some special item I won or something."
"A bit more outspoken than I expected, but I like it. That said, you're now going to be in the business world, and we have many people to invite to keep our connections to them strong. You don't mind, do you?"
Yes... "Leon can invite who he wants and vice versa."
"So, you two have talked about it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Leon tells me you've already picked out a dress?"
"Yes; I picked it out yesterday."
"Did you take a picture so I can see it? I want to make sure his clothes work with yours."
"I'll do that when I get back..." she trailed off, seeing the look of annoyance on her face. "I'll get Leon on that right away." She pulled out her phone to text him.
"You act right away when I need something. Good."
Not sure that's good for me...
"Next..."
Ella slowly stirred in the morning, wrapped up in a comfortable warmth. She automatically tried to move, but couldn't. "Leon..." She finally remembered he was there, and still holding onto her. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
Damn, since when do I sleep that long?
"Time to get up," she groaned. She knew full well that her mother would be up and about already as well.
"Five more minutes," he mumbled and cuddled up closer to her.
His hair tickled her neck, and she laughed. "Leon!"
His breathing had gone soft since he fell asleep again.
He makes it so tempting to go back to sleep. He makes a lot of things tempting for that matter... Mind out of the gutter, Ella...
Not wanting to disturb him, she closed her eyes again and accidentally fell asleep.
---
Knock, knock.
"I know you probably need sleep if you're still sleeping now, but it's almost lunchtime," Ella's mother said through the bedroom door. "And your breakfast has gone cold already..."
Leon kissed Ella on the cheek and crawled out of bed to answer the door. "I'm sorry about that. I don't even remember the last time I slept in this late." He chuckled.
"It's okay, it's just..."
"I'm sorry we weren't up early enough to eat your food fresh, but rest assured, none of it will go to waste. And thank you for making us breakfast when you're supposed to be relaxing." He kissed the back of her hand.
"I-it wasn't a big deal, and it's a thank you for all the fun we got to have yesterday."
"There's still more fun to be had today, right?"
"Well... Actually, I mostly came here to check up on you and see how she was doing. Now that I've done that, I think I should be heading back home. I've already packed my bags." She glanced over at them, waiting at the door.
"Really? I was hoping you'd at least stay until tonight. Let me take you to any restaurant you want or... anywhere really. You two don't see each other enough for people who love each other; at least stick around a few more hours."
"Ella was right. You're quite convincing; it's hard to say no to you."
"I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked.
Knock, knock, knock.
Leon looked over at the door. Aside from Zeke, no one came directly to his suite without calling first. He answered the door, and his eyes widened.
"I wanted to see Ella's mom!" Alice cheered as Kyra and Charlie came up right behind her.
"I'm sorry about us showing up like this, but we were worried we'd miss our chance." Kyra gave him a wry smile.
"Can we order food? I'm starving today," Charlie asked, rubbing her belly.
"Um... sure..." Leon stepped aside to let them in.
Alice squealed and ran up to Ella's mom for a hug, instantly chatting her up.
"What in the world?" Ella came out of the bedroom. "Girls? What are you doing here?" She saw Alice latched onto her mom and laughed. "Oh, I see how it is."
"It's been so long; can you blame us?" Alice asked.
"Aren't you a lively bunch?" a woman's voice came from the doorway. They turned to see someone most of them didn't know.
"Mother? What are you doing here?" Leon jumped back, having been standing at the open door. He didn't even notice her approach until she said something. She always seemed to sneak up on people.
"I've been working tirelessly on your wedding, and couldn't help but think your wife-to-be might want to have a say in at least something in regards to the wedding. I mean, most women dream of it, so it'd be harsh of me to not give her options to choose from."
"Meaning you want to only ask between things you've already approved."
"Of course; I have the best fashion sense and decorating sense of anyone I know. Why would I leave it to someone else?"
Leon rubbed his forehead. "I thought I said you could choose whatever..."
"It's not you I'm worried about having no say in the wedding; it's Ella I'm worried about. I was hoping I could pull her away today to make some choices." She looked around her son, craning her neck until she spotted Ella. "There you are!"
Ella froze, staring at Leon's mother with wide eyes.
"I hope you don't mind, but I plan on stealing you for today."
"I-I'm sorry, but..." Ella looked over at her mom. "I have company today."
"It's okay, sweetie; we've had plenty of fun on this mini-vacation. You can go and work on your wedding." With Alice still attached to her, Ella's mom moved over to pat her on the head.
Leon's mother turned to her. "I'm Molly Hunt, Leon's mother." She extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you. We'll be family soon." She smiled.
She shook her hand. "Lucy Luise, it's nice to meet you too."
"Umm..."
"Don't worry; we'll hang out with your mom until she heads back." Charlie gave her a heavy pat on the back. "Go make your wedding pretty."
Ella looked to Leon, who shrugged, leaving it up to her to decide.
I have a feeling this isn't optional anyway... "O-okay."
"Great, let's go—"
"Wait, I want to eat breakfast first."
"Breakfast?" She glanced at the time with a raised eyebrow and then smirked. "I see... You can eat and get ready to go out while I talk to my son in private."
"What?" Leon went still. His mother wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him out of the suite.
"They're not close, are they?" Alice asked. "They're so awkward together..."
"Not everyone is as lucky as I am." Ella hugged her mom and sat down to eat pancakes for breakfast.
"Oh, got some extras?" Charlie wandered over to the stack sitting on the counter.
"I always make too much," Ella's mother said.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Charlie made herself at home. She grabbed her own plate, stacking a bunch of pancakes on it, and sat down at the table to eat. "Oh my gosh, these are good!"
Somehow, hers always end up better than mine even though it's the same recipe.
With no time to slack, Ella polished her plate off and got changed and ready to go with Leon's mother as her stomach did flips.
Maybe I shouldn't have eaten anything.
"I'll probably be home by the time you come back." Her mother pulled her in for a hug.
"Don't worry about anything." Kyra patted her back assuringly.
"Right..." Ella gulped. I'm going to be alone with his mother, aren't I? She shivered.
"I know that look..." Kyra sighed. "Try not to be so nervous; she's just human."
"She's overbearing and wants things her way."
"Well, since you don't care about the little details, then follow her lead and everything will be alright."
"Right..."
The front door opened, and Leon approached her right away, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned in. "Call me if she pushes you too much, or you want to come home. I'll rush to get you right away," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.
That only made me more nervous! "O-okay..."
"Come along dear, and try not to look like you're afraid I'll eat you." Molly smirked and turned around.
"I don't think that..." Ella trailed off as she followed behind her.
"She's going to be okay, right?" Alice asked Leon.
"Yeah... I hope so..." He scratched the back of his head. "So, what do you ladies want to do today?"
---
Ella sat beside Mrs. Hunt in the limo, stiff as a board as she avoided looking at her.
"I really never knew he preferred older women, but at least you'll be more mature, and you'll be a cute daughter-in-law," Molly said, amused by Ella's nervousness.
"Thank you." Does everyone have to point out I'm older than him? Geez...
Molly pulled out a tablet from her purse. "How about we start with some options? Location?" She showed Ella five different places. "I hold a preference for this one, as it has the largest area to host people, but any of them will do." She had already booked her preferred venue, just in case.
"They all look beautiful, so it's okay if we go with the one you want."
"I heard from Leon you don't want to invite many people."
"Only close friends and family."
"Since you're marrying a catch like my son, shouldn't you want to invite all your friends?"
Ella gulped. "N-not really. I'm not close with too many people, and I only want to invite those I'm close to. Besides, I'm not one who wants to parade around showing someone off like they're some special item I won or something."
"A bit more outspoken than I expected, but I like it. That said, you're now going to be in the business world, and we have many people to invite to keep our connections to them strong. You don't mind, do you?"
Yes... "Leon can invite who he wants and vice versa."
"So, you two have talked about it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Leon tells me you've already picked out a dress?"
"Yes; I picked it out yesterday."
"Did you take a picture so I can see it? I want to make sure his clothes work with yours."
"I'll do that when I get back..." she trailed off, seeing the look of annoyance on her face. "I'll get Leon on that right away." She pulled out her phone to text him.
"You act right away when I need something. Good."
Not sure that's good for me...
"Next..."
