Beginning, Previous Section, Section VI, Next Section
The next hour passed by in a blur. After recessing up the aisle, Elizabeth was greeted by many people, some of them her friends of hers and some of them Will's. Everyone seemed happy, but all Elizabeth really noticed was the way Will kept his arm firmly around her waist, as if he were afraid she was going to walk away.
"I'm not going anywhere, Will," she teased as they headed back in the church for pictures.
He smiled. "I've got you now, Elizabeth, and I'm not going to let you go."
Before she could question his statement, the photographer began positioning them and snapping pictures. By the time her face hurt from smiling and she was blinded by bright lights, they were finally free to go to the reception. Will took her hand and led her to the front doors of the church. What she saw parked in the lot made her stop.
"A limo?" she asked, one eyebrow up.
Will smiled. "Nothing but the best for my wife." Leaning down, he gave her another short kiss and then grinned wider at her bemused look. Turning his attention to his driver, Will introduced the two.
"Geoffrey, I'd like you to meet Mrs. Darcy."
Elizabeth took an instant liking to the older, heavy set, smiling man. Stretching out her arm for him to shake, she was surprised when he grabbed and pulled her into his massive person. "You're just as cute as a button, ma'am," he replied in a low voice. She grinned. "Please, Geoffrey, I know I'm married, but I don't think I'm quite old enough for 'ma'am' yet."
Smiling his agreement, he slapped Will on the back with such a force it would have felled a normal sized man. Geoffrey then opened the door for them and shut it when they had entered-though it did take quite a bit of time to stuff Elizabeth and her dress through the opening.
Inside, Elizabeth leaned back onto the rich upholstery and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to look at her husband, she saw that Will was staring at her, the meaning of his look hidden behind half-closed eyes.
"Well," she said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence, "I guess we're married now."
Will smiled. "I guess we are." He inched closer to her.
"What do you think you are doing?" Elizabeth asked, worry in her voice as she glanced up to the front seat at Geoffrey.
Will, following her look, laughed when he saw his chauffeur's delighted eyes peering at him in the rearview mirror. "Geoffrey, would you be so kind as to put the partition up?"
"Of course, sir; right away," Geoffrey stated with a chuckle.
Elizabeth dumbly watched the tinted glass go up.
"Elizabeth..." His voice was so close to her ear she jumped in surprise. Unfortunately, she jumped right into his arms.
"Hello, Mrs. Darcy," he said softly, smiling down at her, his arms holding her prisoner on his lap.
"Uh..."Elizabeth paused, staring into his beautiful eyes. When she realized she was gazing like a lovesick puppy, she pulled away from his chest. "What are you doing, Will?" She tried to act affronted to cover up her discomfort. The feral look in his eyes and the way he was smiling was really starting to disconcert her.
"I have something to ask you, Elizabeth." Lifting an eyebrow in response, Elizabeth nodded for him to go on. "Do you still think I'm incapable of steaming up the windows?"
Will didn't give her a chance to speak, but within a few minutes Elizabeth knew the answer.
Will could not remember a happier day in his life. Whoever had stated that money could buy the best happened to be correct on this night. The designer Will had hired to turn their backyard into a reception area had certainly done her job. Elizabeth said that it reminded her of the reception from Father of the Bride, complete with the tent and the lighting. It had been necessary to install a cooling system in the tent to combat the muggy July night air. However, at this point Will wouldn't have cared if they had held the reception in a barn; he was just too happy.
Feeling a little cliché, he grinned to himself and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. She smiled at him before turning her attention back to his cousin. Sighing, Will realized he had better focus his concentration on Richard, as well. As much as he would like to stare at his bride for the remainder of the night, his cousin was about to give his toast-and that gave Will reason to be concerned.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, my cousin has threatened me with death if I tell any embarrassing stories, so you're going to have to see me privately if you want to hear about the oak tree escapade," Richard grinned and winked at his cousin. As their friends and family laughed, Elizabeth called out above the noise, "I think I'm going to have to hear about that one, Richard!"
Will bent close to her ear. "I think we've had enough embarrassing stories cleared up for one night, don't you, Elizabeth?"
Trying to ignore the warm breath tickling her ear, Elizabeth could not stop herself from blushing at the thought of just how Will had relieved her of her misconception. Lucky for her, Richard was in his element and not even the cautionary Darcy glare was going to stop him.
"Seriously, though, I have known Willie my whole life and have loved him like a brother. Most people in this room are not oblivious to what obstacles were put in front him and what kind of man he is to get over them. I suppose I have always been in awe of him-whether on the field, in the office, or of his ability to adjust." Richard stopped for a few moments, glanced at his parents, and chuckled. "I feel like a Hallmark card." When the quiet laughter had subsided, Richard continued on. "Since I'm doing the toast tonight, I guess I'll come clean...I've always felt a little sorry for my cousin."
Will saw out of the corner of his eye Elizabeth's worried look in his direction. Smiling, Will gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Rich might be coming clean to the rest of the room, but he had been telling Will his worry for years.
"You see, Will has a lot to offer the world, a lot to offer a woman, but after his young adulthood, he tended to close himself off from everyone and everything." Rich paused to send a completely genuine smile at Elizabeth. "So this is why when I met Elizabeth I wanted to fall down on my knees and thank God for putting her in my cousin's life. Most people here know her better than I, but I've already figured out that she's sweet, upbeat, and, most importantly, she is not going to take any of Will's crap."
Will and the room burst into laughter, but Elizabeth stared at Richard, unsure if he had just given her a compliment. Giving her a kiss on her temple, Will stated, "You can laugh. It was a good thing."
At his words, Elizabeth tentatively smiled, but shot Richard a look that rivaled her husband's. If the recipient noticed this, he ignored her. "I have no doubt in my mind that Will and Elizabeth are going to have a long and happy marriage. If nothing else, Leah will keep them in line. Congratulations, you two."
The guests applauded as Richard sat down and Jane stood up. Most thought the quiet blonde would be nervous talking in front of large groups, but as her profession attested to, she was not so affected.
"Most people remember Elizabeth as I remember her-the little girl with a lopsided ponytail, a piece of bubble gum stuffed into one side of her cheek, scabby knees, and a baseball glove seemingly permanently sewed to her hand." Again the guests began to chuckle at the image that came to their mind, one that most had seen first hand. "Let me ask you a question: how many of you see that in her today?"
Will noticed Elizabeth's strained face and smiled at the fact that she was keeping back tears. The woman had a definite opposition to crying. Putting his arm around her, he mused about the picture Jane had created. Elizabeth might be cleaned up and dressed nice, but Will still saw that small girl in her-in her attitude and nearly every action. Will smiled; it was one of the reasons he was in love with her.
"I have been privileged to see this girl grow into the beautiful woman sitting at this table first hand. Let me tell you, that was not always such a good thing- especially when her team happened to lose." Jane turned to her sister and smiled. "Elizabeth, like Will, has had some moments in her life I'm sure she'd like to forget. However, she's always been resilient...if a little guarded. My family and I were so thankful when Will came along because now we know we never have to worry about her. We're just hoping some of his sedateness will rub off on her!" Smiling and raising her glass, Jane wished them congratulations. "Oh, and Elizabeth," she finished before she sat down, "it looks like you got your dream wedding after all."
Elizabeth turned red as her family and close friends laughed. Will, who still had his arm around her, squeezed her shoulder, clinked her champagne glass, and took a drink. The rest of the night seemed to pass him in a cheerful blur. Elizabeth was never out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time and every time he looked at her there was no chance of stopping the smile that grew on his face. Will counted down the minutes until he could bare his heart and Elizabeth would know what she had probably already guessed.
"Will," Elizabeth's voice broke through his reflections, "this is absolutely wonderful. Thank you."
With a shy look in her eyes, she kissed him on the cheek and stood up to join her dad on the dance floor. Not taking his eyes off her departing figure, Will was surprised when someone hit his arm. Expecting it to be Richard, he turned to see his little sister smiling at him. When she didn't speak, but simply stared at him with the giddy grin on her face, Will started to squirm.
"Ana, do you want something?"
"You've finally realized it, haven't you?"
Will gaped. "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"
Smiling secretively, Ana stared back innocently. "I'm not sure. What do you think I'm asking?"
Leveling his glare at her, Will was disappointed when Ana burst into laughter. "Oh, Will, I'm so glad you figured it out." Standing up to get closer to the dance floor, she grabbed his hand. "Make sure you tell her soon, okay?"
Smiling and shaking his head in amazement, Will allowed his little sister to drag him behind her. Since when had Ana become so perceptive? They arrived at the floor right as the music began. In all the reception planning, the only decision Elizabeth had really made was the music for, as she called it, the 'Daddy Dance.' She had been completely secretive in her choice of music and Will suspected it was a slow, sentimental song; in fact, he was betting Charles five bucks she would cry. He figured she had to break down sooner or later and this was as good of a time as any.
He should have known better. As the opening notes to Put Me In, Coach blasted through the tent, Will groaned. Limbering over, Charles was all smiles. "I think you owe me some money," he said, his hand out. Rolling his eyes, Will gave him a shove.
Jane shook her head. Hearing the terms of the bet from Charles, she had immediately known Will was going to lose. "I knew she was going to play this song, you know. When she was five, she used to play it to him all the time; he was her t-ball coach then."
Will could not help laughing as he watched the father and daughter. Neither was really dancing; both were sort of swaying, although the music wasn't exactly conducive to slow dancing. They looked like they would be more comfortable playing a game of catch then dancing together-in fact, Will knew that was true. Catching the look in her father's eyes, Will instantly identified with him. The man looked like he was losing his whole world. It had definitely been a good idea to have this dance before theirs.
As soon as the music was over, Will stood by and clapped for a few moments before going to meet the two. Taking note of Thomas' misty eyes, he shook his hand heartily. Reaching for Elizabeth's hand, he whispered for only her father to hear, "I will take care of her, sir."
Smiling sadly, Thomas nodded. "I know you will, son. She'll make sure you do."
Laughing, Will agreed. Glancing down to Elizabeth's confused look, he smiled. "That was wonderful dancing, Elizabeth."
The blaze in her dark eyes flamed up and Will laughed again. If there weren't hundreds of eyes on his bride, he knew she would have stuck her tongue out at him and probably have kicked him as well. The fact that both of them knew this made Will grin.
"Oh, wipe that sarcastic smile off your face," she muttered, barely keeping her own grin suppressed.
"Hey, that was a serious compliment," he countered, as they waited for the music to begin. "Do you think I would risk breaking your focus away from your dancing by making you angry? I want to leave the dance floor with my toes intact."
Lifting up an eyebrow, Elizabeth shook her head. "You are so..." Apparently, words failed her.
Will decided to help. "Handsome? Intelligent? Witty? Incredibly good-looking?"
Expecting her to laugh, he was surprised to see her face turn bright red. "Be quiet," she finally murmured, staring down at her feet. Looking down at the top of her head, Will smiled to himself. There would never be a dull moment being married to Elizabeth. Most likely, he would spend half of his life trying to figure out what was going on in that mind of hers.
"May I have this dance?"
Elizabeth looked up, her challenging grin back in place. "Why of course, sir...that is if you are not too afraid for your feet."
Laughing, Will shook his head and pulled her closer. Breathing in the scent of her hair deeply, it was all Will could do not to squeeze the life out of her. This is how being married to Elizabeth is going to be...The woman I love within arms reach every moment of my life. A contentment filled his being. Looking down, he finally noticed her necklace.
"That's a beautiful necklace, Elizabeth," he told her moments before the music started.
Elizabeth blushed and smiled. "Your sister gave it to me."
"I know she did." Will kept a hidden look on his face.
"Oh." Elizabeth looked up. "Did she tell you?"
"Nope," he stated succinctly, checking his laughter and pulling her as close to him as possible. As his hand touched her back, her cool skin revealed by the cut of her dress, Will felt almost an electric charge. Watching his wife closely, he noticed by her indrawn breath that she was as affected as he himself was.
"Well...how did you know she gave it to me?"
"What?" The touch of her skin and her beautiful eyes proved to be quite a distraction.
"The necklace. How did you know?"
"Oh." Will smiled. "It was my mother's."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. Letting go of his hand to touch the cross at her neck, Elizabeth looked up at him. "Why do I have it then?"
Will was afraid she was going to unhook it and give it back to his sister at that moment, so he quickly grabbed her hand back and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "It's okay, Elizabeth, really. I'm glad Ana had the presence of mind to do it; I completely forgot."
"Forgot what?" Elizabeth asked, exasperation written all over her face. Smothering a smile, Will answered. "You see, it's a Darcy tradition that the women wear this necklace on their wedding day. My mother wore it, my grandmother wore it, my great-grandmother wore it-"
"How many generations back?"
Will smiled. "I'm not exactly sure. Will you settle for lots?"
Elizabeth laughed and relaxed. "I'll have to thank Ana later. It is absolutely beautiful."
"As my grandfather always told me, 'Only beautiful because of the bride.'"
Lifting an eyebrow, she laughed again, "Quite the charmer, hmm?"
Sighing deeply, Elizabeth momentarily lowered her forehead to his chest. He was sure she could hear his heart pounding in his body.
"Tired?"
Elizabeth nodded and then looked up. "You smell good."
Looking into her eyes, Will wanted at that moment to kiss her. Kiss her and declare his love-that was if he could string five words together by then.
"Elizabeth, I-" he started right as she said, "Will, can I-"
Laughing, Elizabeth looked up at him. "You first."
"What kind of person do you think I am? Ladies first, of course."
When she didn't respond right away, Will pulled back so he could see her face. She seemed deep in thought, hesitation written plainly across her face. Her brows were knitted together and she was chewing on her bottom lip-plain indications of her thought process.
"Hey, are you all there?"
Elizabeth smiled slightly before looking up at him. Will felt a strange panic in his heart when he caught sight of the look in her eyes. "I'm not sure I should bring this up now, in fact I know I shouldn't. It's just that I don't think we'll have another moment to ourselves for awhile and I have to get this off my chest..."
At his nod, Elizabeth rushed on, "Will...what happened in the limo-you know, when you-" Elizabeth paused and swallowed slowly, "well, it made me realize that we hadn't talked about...well, hadn't even discussed-"
To Will's amusement, his bride was blushing red to her roots. "Discussed what?"
Elizabeth blushed an even brighter shade of red as she glared him. "You know what I mean," she hissed.
Laughing, Will placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Elizabeth, much as I would like to..." At her glare he stopped and changed the direction of his words. "I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do."
Elizabeth's relief was visible; her face broke into a smile and the tension in her body left immediately. "Oh, I'm so glad. I mean...that's what I thought you were going to say, of course, but then when you were kissing me I thought that-uh, never mind, Will." Obviously his wife was still a little flustered. He was just going to wait until she was done babbling to tell her what he wanted to. "It's just that I've never...I mean, I was waiting until marriage, you know-Well, I know we are married now and everything...but I always thought that when I got married I would be in love with the person..."
Will felt the blood drain from his face; he felt the air literally whoosh out of his body. It was like Elizabeth had punched him in the stomach. He was sure that he was as white as a ghost. Elizabeth kept talking, but he heard nothing else. I always thought I would be in love with the person... How could he be so stupid? Here he was ready to declare his love for his wife when she didn't even return that love. It was true that he had initiated this agreement expecting a loveless marriage, but the thought of one now tore at his heart. Unconsciously, he gripped Elizabeth harder and refrained from shouting his frustration.
"This is Frank, isn't it?" Elizabeth's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Hmm?" He asked, completely mystified at her words.
Elizabeth refrained from laughing. "I asked if this is Frank Sinatra. I figured you'd play him."
"Oh." Will tried to get his bearings. "Yes, this is Frank. The Best Is Yet to Come."
Smiling, Elizabeth nodded her head. "Let's hope."
"Excuse me?"
"Let's hope the best is yet to come."
"Oh. Yes."
Feeling like a complete idiot, Will avoided eye contact and looked over her head. Unfortunately, Richard's face came into view.
"Will, are you okay?"
Glancing down at her, he forced a smile. "Of course I am."
"All right," she responded, sounding like she didn't quite believe him. "So what were you going to tell me?"
"What?"
Elizabeth suppressed a grin as she tilted her head back to look him in the eyes. "You were going to tell me something..."
"Oh. Oh, yeah." Will paused. "You look beautiful tonight, Elizabeth."
If Will had been watching carefully his perceptive eyes would have taken note of the way his wife all but melted at his words, but he was too busy feeling sorry for himself.
Within moments, the music ended and applause filled the silence of the tent. Elizabeth smiled. "No sore toes for you this time, Mr. Darcy."
Smiling slightly, Will down and kissed her quickly. "This time."
Laughing, Elizabeth allowed herself to be dragged off by her bridesmaids. Staring at her retreating back, Will sighed. Walking over to his mother-in-law and taking Leah from her, Will held the baby close to his chest. At least he didn't have to worry about Leah's love for him as the little girl snuggled against his shoulder. Smiling at the sleepy baby, Will made a decision. Fine, Mrs. Darcy. You say you don't love me. Well, you better have a strong constitution.. The way he figured it, he had his whole life to make Elizabeth fall in love with him. She had been right. The best was most certainly yet to come.
It was going on one in the morning. Leah had long been asleep, first in Will's arms and then in the playpen they had set up for her. A little envious of her, Will watched as his wife talked animatedly with a group of her friends. He for one was beat. Staring at the ring on his finger, getting used to the sight of it, he was interrupted by Elizabeth's mother.
"Hello," she said, a large smile on her face. "It was an absolutely lovely wedding-no thanks to my daughter, of course."
"Your daughter had a lot to do with it," he protested, but was met with a look that he had often seen on Elizabeth's face.
"The only thing my daughter brought to this wedding was her beautiful self, Will, so don't try to tell me otherwise." Sue smiled. Grabbing his hand, she gave it a motherly squeeze. "Thank you, Will."
Sitting up straighter in his chair, Will looked quizzically at his mother-in-law. "May I ask what for?"
Sitting down, Sue laughed. "For putting up with all of us-me in particular, I suppose. Goodness knows I'm not the easiest person to get along with, especially in stressful situations. You made us all proud, young man."
A pang shot through Will. If only his mother and father had been there today...They would have been so happy. Will knew they would have loved Elizabeth. In fact she was just the kind of woman his mother had told him he needed to marry. A sudden vision of his mother and father's proud faces flashed before his gaze. Surprised at the sting of tears behind his eyes, he cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Sue." It was all he could force out, but she seemed to understand. Before either could say another word, a man walked up to Will.
"Mr. Darcy, I have a crew on hand that will begin cleaning up within the hour. The caterers are boxing up the extra food to put away and whenever you let me know, I will give the signal to take down the tent."
Yawning, Will shook the man's hand and pointed to his mother-in-law. "Thank you, Mr. Jones. If you wouldn't mind taking orders from this lovely woman here..."
Sue rolled her eyes and hit her new son on the arm before turning her attention to the man. As she gestured around wildly, Will smiled. Sue Bennet was certainly in her element.
"Thank you, Will."
Turning around, he saw the smiling face of Jane. It appeared that the entire Bennet clan was going to be thanking him all night.
"For what, Miss Bennet?"
"You've just made my mother feel included. She thrives on that, you know."
Laughing, Will nodded as he leaned over the playpen to check on the sleeping baby. Leah looked adorable in her lilac baby dress, specially made by her Aunt Kitty. The urge to wake her up was overwhelming, but he knew she needed her sleep.
"We're going to go with Elizabeth and help her with her dress. Would you like to take Leah into the house?" At his nod, Jane smiled. "We should be ready in twenty minutes, depending on how obstinate my sister feels like being."
"Did you pack a bag for her?"
Jane grinned conspiringly. "Enough for three days. You know, you're quite a brave man. Most men wouldn't dream of taking her to the All-Star game for their honeymoon."
Will laughed. "Did I have a choice? We would have ended up sitting on the couch watching it on television anyway, and you know and I both know she wouldn't have liked that. It's not exactly a honeymoon, either." Carefully reaching down to gently pick up Leah, Will laid her on his shoulder. The baby opened her eyes and let out a cry of annoyance until she heard his familiar voice and felt the comfort of his arms. "It conveniently happens to be in Chicago, as well, which is good for me. Not to mention I'm already a little tired of her sulking because she can't be there even though one of the players specifically asked her to throw for the Home Run Derby."
Jane laughed in pity. "I don't blame you. Maybe it is better that you take her. Charles tells me your apartment in Chicago is lovely. I'm sure she will love to see it."
"It will be nice to get back to the city for a little while. Mrs. Reynolds wasn't able to attend the wedding and wants desperately to meet Elizabeth."
Jane looked like she wanted to enquire, but a call from Kitty prevented her. "She'll be ready in twenty minutes."
Smiling, Will watched as his sister-in-law made her way over to where her fellow bridesmaids had congregated. Glancing up, he saw he wasn't the only one watching her. Charles was practically drooling and Will thought he heard the faint sound of wedding bells-again. At least, for the first time in his life, Charles had fallen in love and stayed in love. And for once, the woman wasn't out to use him. Will had had his doubts about Jane at first, but after spending time with her, he realized she was as much in love with his friend as he was with her. Now if only that love would pass down to other members of her family...
Leah stirred and socked his chin with her little fist, breaking Will's reveries. Rubbing her back, he smiled. "That's right, sweetie. You keep that up. A good right hook will keep those boys away."
Catching Elizabeth's eye, Will smiled. She immediately grinned back and made her way carefully over to where he was standing. As Elizabeth leaned up to give Leah a kiss on her cheek, Will sighed determinedly. Just you wait, Elizabeth Darcy. There will come a day when you stand on tiptoe to kiss me first.
"I'm going to go change, Will. I can't stand to be in a dress for a minute longer."
"That's a pity," Will drawled. "You look mighty pretty."
Elizabeth grinned. "Well, thank you, kind sir, but I'm dying to get back into my usual t-shirt and shorts. Are you putting her to bed?" At his nod, Elizabeth gave Leah a final pat and turned. "I'll be back."
Watching her join her sisters and Charlotte, who then dragged her into the house, Will went up the stairs to follow. He was going to call his sister to come with him, but Georgiana appeared to be asleep in one of the chairs. Before he could get into the kitchen, Charles, Rich, Stephen, and Thomas stopped him. Heedless of Leah, Rich threw his arm around his cousin.
"So, where you guys staying tonight, cuz?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows up and down for effect.
"You are disgusting," Will replied, glaring at the offending arm.
"Hey, it comes with the territory," Stephen protested. "You two had a field day when I got married!"
"Yeah, well, it wasn't everyday my older brother got married, Stevie. And since I did it to you, I've got to give our younger cousin the same treatment."
Thomas cleared his throat. "I want to remind you about just who you are referring to, young man."
Both men fell silent and though Charles had not said one word, he looked equally chastised. Richard even had the grace to blush.
"Isn't it about time you got my granddaughter into bed, young man?"
Checking his grin, Will retorted sternly, "Yes, sir."
Carrying her carefully up to the nursery, he made quick work of changing her diaper and putting her into her pajamas, all without stirring her. Placing her in the crib Will kissed her on the cheek. Rising back up to full height, he smiled at the little girl. She was all his now and Wickham was not going to lay a hand on her.
Checking his watch, Will quickly turned on the baby monitor for Jane and her parents, who were baby-sitting and house-sitting. Making his way to his room, Will quickly changed clothes and grabbed his bags. Pausing at the top of the stairs when he realized he had forgotten his briefcase, Will heard Charlotte's voice.
"So you're telling me that you don't think Will is in love with you?"
He easily identified the sardonic snort as his bride's. "Are you kidding me? Of course not. We both went into this marriage with our eyes open. It's simply a marriage of convenience; a marriage for the sake of a child."
"And you actually believe that?"
"Char, why shouldn't I? It's what we both decided. I highly doubt Will would go back on his word."
Hearing the voices coming closer, Will had no time to dwell on Elizabeth's words, but grabbed his bags and ran for the nearest hiding spot-which unfortunately turned out to be the linen closet. Fortunately, it was a rather spacious linen closet. Suddenly finding the situation incredibly humorous, Will held back laughter as he heard Jane call Elizabeth's name. They were obviously in the hallway.
"Elizabeth, would you stop a moment?"
Hearing footsteps, Will counted three pairs; obviously Charlotte, Mary, and Kitty heading down the stairs. When Elizabeth spoke, Will's heart all but jumped up his throat. She must have been directly in front of the door.
"What, Jane?" she asked, her exasperation evident. "If you don't mind, I'd like to say goodbye to Leah and then join my husband."
The sigh Jane made was so loud even Will could hear it. "Elizabeth, do you honestly believe what you said back there? You do not feel anything for Will?"
Silence reigned. When Elizabeth finally spoke, her voice was laced with resignation. "I don't know, Jane. I just don't know anymore. I mean...sometimes Will makes me so happy I want to forget all my baggage and just throw myself at him."
Will could not help the large grin from emerging on his face when he heard her description. However, he waited tentatively to hear the rest of her feelings.
"That's good thing, Lizzy. When I see Charles, that's generally my feeling as well."
The tension in the air mounted as Elizabeth went silent. Although he could not see her, he knew exactly what she was doing. Most likely, she was pacing back and forth, tugging on her ear, in deep thought.
"I can't, Jane! I just can't!" Will jumped at her exclamation. The hurt in her voice ripped his heart in two. But the statement left him in confusion.
"Lizzy, you can!" Jane said, surprisingly as forceful. "It's time; it's time you let it go."
Elizabeth's next words were said so softly, Will had to place his ear on the door to hear.
"It hurts too much to think about falling in-Do you realize that whenever my shield breaks and I start to feel I don't see Will, I see him? " Elizabeth paused. "I just can't do it. Not right now."
"Elizabeth."
There was a definite bite to Jane's voice and Will felt she was being a little mean in this case, with Elizabeth so upset. "Badgering the witness," he muttered and then went silent to listen again.
"We've been through this before. I understand your hesitation, sweetie, I really do. But sooner or later you're going to have to realize that Will is not and never will be him."
Sure she was holding back tears, Will's fists involuntarily clenched as he continued to listen to his wife.
"Jane...I just-I just can't do this right now. I'm sorry."
Sighing again, Jane's next words were mumbled and Will knew she was hugging her younger sister. When he heard her next, his heart froze.
"You run into Leah's room while I get some sheets. We forgot to make the beds up earlier."
Holding his breath as the doorknob turned, Will put on his brightest smile.
"Hello, Jane."
"Where are we staying?" Elizabeth asked, as she reclined on the plush limo seats.
"The Adams-Mark downtown."
"Whoa!" After glancing at Will and seeing no response, Elizabeth shrugged. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to this, huh?"
She was met with silence. In fact, for a good amount of their twenty-minute ride, Will had been the same way-reticent. Smiling, Elizabeth could almost see the wheels turning in his head.
"What did you say?" he finally asked, catching her gazing at him.
"I said I'm going to have to get used to this life of the rich and famous."
Will grunted in response.
"Am I going to have to start dripping myself in diamonds and lounge around the house all day?"
Finally, Will smiled. "Feel free to drip yourself in diamonds all you want, but the day I see you only lounge around the house I'll probably go into cardiac arrest."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, Will laughed. "Elizabeth, can you actually sit still for more than ten minutes at a time?"
Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she gave him her best snooty look. "Of course I can."
Rolling his eyes, Will turned back forward muttering, "Yeah, right."
"What did you just say?"
Putting on his best I-am-completely-innocent look, Will shrugged, succeeding in keeping the smile off his face.
"I can totally sit still for ten minutes! I am insulted, Mr. Darcy."
"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Mrs. Darcy, but I can only speak the truth."
"Oh yeah?" Elizabeth asked, turning forward and schooling her features to a blank look.
Will laughed. "What are you doing?"
When Elizabeth didn't answer, but simply stared straight ahead, Will shut up. After watching her for a few minutes and not even seeing her blink, he laughed.
"Okay, okay...I get it. You can stop it now, Elizabeth."
He was met with silence. Watching his bride, trying to curb the grin itching to appear on his face, Will pondered his situation. It was true he had put her up to this bet, but he didn't actually want Elizabeth to be still for ten minutes. Part of the reason he was in love with her was because of her spontaneity and enthusiasm.
Suddenly remembering words from her father, the grin turned absolutely wicked as Will scooted closer to her.
Elizabeth still remained facing forward, but Will noticed her eyes quickly dart his way and then back again.
Smiling from ear to ear, he sat mere inches from her.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not going to maul you," he teased, enjoying the fact that she still tried to remain absolutely calm and still. "However...if I remember correctly, your dad gave me some words of advice a month or so ago."
The only giveaway his wife made was the quick clenching of her fists. He had her and she knew it. Impressive as it was that she was still going to stick her ground, they both knew she was going down. It was only a matter of when he would strike. Pausing even longer, Will checked the laughter that threatened to come out as Elizabeth clenched her jaw. Still he waited, fingers poised. Only a few more moments...
"Well, are you going to do it or not, Darcy?" Elizabeth finally exclaimed, turning and giving him her best dirty look-which was, of course, quite good.
"Do what?"
The ever present tilting of the eyebrow occurred. "Tickle me, you idiot."
Laughing, Will answered, "If you insist."
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she realized just what she had said, but before she could shout any protest, Will attacked. When Thomas had said Elizabeth was ticklish, he certainly hadn't been exaggerating-in fact, he might have been understating. Will's fingers were still inches away from her skin when she began laughing. When he finally touched her, she was near hysterical.
"Stop, please!"
"Not until you admit that you cannot sit still for ten minutes," he said, pinning her to the seat with one hand and tickling her with the other.
By this time Elizabeth's eyes were watering up and she was laughing so hard she could barely get one word out.
"But...that's not-fair!" she finally managed.
The grin on Will's face did not seem pitying. In fact, it looked quite smug.
"It's not my fault you're ticklish," he said, his dimple out in full force.
It was then that Elizabeth really looked at him. She had never seen him so happy or unreserved before-his hair was tousled, the smile was gigantic, and his eyes were glowing. Her husband was one handsome man; there was no denying that fact. She wasn't blind and she knew a hot guy when she saw one. It was just a mystery that he would have anything to do with a woman like her. When Will stopped tickling and glanced at her questioningly, Elizabeth realized she was staring. Blushing bright red and trying to get out of his grasp, she suddenly realized how close he really was. And then she realized that it was kind of nice. No, much better than nice.
Do not go there, Elizabeth. Will is way out of your league. Remember that talk you had with Jane? Nothing has changed. It might be Will now, but he'll always turn into him...you're never going to get past it. Elizabeth cursed out loud as she realized it was true. Her feelings, confusing as they were to sort through even now, could never progress to more than friendship. It was unfortunate she hadn't come across Will two years ago instead of...
Unexpectedly, the back door to the limo opened. Glancing around in confusion, Elizabeth mentally realized they were parked in front of the hotel. Blushing bright red again at their position, with Will practically on top of her, Elizabeth quickly sat up, her face nearly in Will's chest, not willing to face the intruder.
"Are you ready to go in, sir, or would you like me to park somewhere a little less conspicuous?"
Groaning, Elizabeth buried her head in Will's shoulder. Geoffrey; of course it had to be Geoffrey. She had just met the man!
"No, that's quite all right, Geoffrey. I think my wife and I are ready to head in, aren't we, sweetheart?"
Hearing the amusement in his voice, Elizabeth elbowed him in the gut as she nodded her head. Satisfied when she heard his grunt of pain, she retracted herself from Will's person and sat up. Looking at the classy front of the Adams-Mark, Elizabeth glanced down at her cut off jeans and tank top. Shooting Will a dirty look, she got out of the limousine.
"What was that look for?" he asked, as he got out behind her, shut the door, and guided her into the hotel.
"You told me to dress comfortably!"
Smiling, Will asked, "So?"
"Don't you think I look a little too comfortable? I'll be surprised if they let me in."
As the words were coming out of her mouth, am impeccably dressed man came up with a large smile on his face. His teeth were so white Elizabeth felt almost blinded.
"Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, it is a pleasure to have you. We have your usual suite ready for you, sir. I trust you want to show yourself up?"
Will nodded, reaching out and taking the offered key card. "Thank you, Michael. It's good to see you again."
"Oh no, sir," he countered, seemingly gravely offended, "it is our pleasure. If there is anything-anything-you need, please do not hesitate to call at once." Michael had led them to the elevator, while motioning for the bellhop to take their bags. Elizabeth watched with awe and amusement at the way the young man eagerly nearly tripped over his feet in his hurry to grab them.
"We'll take our own bags, young man," Will told the enthusiastic bellhop, who did not hide his disappointment until Will handed him a bill. Unfortunately, Will had done it so swiftly she hadn't seen how much it was.
The elevator doors opened and Will gently shoved Elizabeth in. Once the doors closed, she let her laughter out.
"What?" Will immediately asked, put on the defense.
Pressing the top floor button, he swiped his card through, allowing them access.
"I thought Michael was going to start kissing your feet if we had been out there any longer."
Instead of smiling at the picture she was presenting, Will practically put his nose up in the air. "I am a well-paying guest, Elizabeth. It is only natural they try and accommodate me; it is simply good business. Not to mention-"
Biting her lip to keep herself from laughing, Elizabeth put her arms around his neck, effectively shutting her husband up. "You are being a snob, Fitzwilliam."
Pausing for a moment to review her words, Will grinned. "I guess I am."
"That's all right," she said, as the elevator arrived on their floor, "I won't hold it against you...this time."
The doors opened, Elizabeth grabbed her bag and walked out. Hearing Will's sigh of frustration behind her, she turned around questioningly.
"You certainly make it hard to be a gentleman," he stated, grabbing the bag from her and leading her to their door.
"Sorry," she stated, looking all around her in awe. "Are we the only people up here?"
"No," Will answered, opening the door and throwing their bags in. "There's one other suite."
Trying to process the fact that they were one of two rooms on an entire hotel floor, Elizabeth was taken by surprise when Will scooped her up in his arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a laugh as Will began to walk into the room.
"I'm carrying you across the threshold." He made it sound like she was an idiot for not understanding.
Laughing, Elizabeth put her hand on his cheek and Will promptly stopped walking. "Doesn't that mean you carry me over the threshold of our home?"
Staring at her in contemplation, Will finally shrugged, unsettling Elizabeth so much she had to grab hold of his neck to brace herself.
"Well, goodness, be careful, then!"
Rolling his eyes, Will easily carried her into the room and deposited her feet on the ground. Elizabeth made a strangling noise and circled around the rooms, her mouth agape. It was absolutely beautiful...and so large!
"It's like Pretty Woman," she whispered in awe.
Will snorted next to her. "How would you know?"
"What do you mean how would I know?"
"I don't believe Pretty Woman has any baseball in it."
Narrowing her eyes at him, she quickly stuck out her tongue, and walked into the bedroom, Will close behind her. Noticing the gigantic king-sized bed that was the focus of the room, Elizabeth immediately stopped, causing Will to run into her. Grabbing her before she fell, Will noticed at once the worry that hid behind her eyes. Setting her bag on the bed, he smiled.
"Don't worry, Elizabeth. We had that talk, remember? This sofa will be quite comfortable."
Taking a look at it, they both knew he was lying. Will's feet would be sticking over the edge and it would barely hold his width and weight. Seeing that she was about to speak, Will cut her off.
"No, I will not take the bed, Elizabeth. So don't even ask."
Immediately frowning, Elizabeth bit her lip. This action caused Will to smile. Sometimes his wife was awfully predictable.
"Will, I-I'm sorry for bringing that topic up while we were dancing." Seeing that Will merely lifted his eyebrows, Elizabeth hurried on. "It's just...I didn't want to leave it until we got here...you know," She ended lamely.
"Right, because by then I wouldn't have been able to contain myself, right?"
Laughing silently at the blush that immediately burned on Elizabeth's face, Will continued. "It's quite all right, Elizabeth. I need a good night's sleep anyway; it's much preferable."
Turning before he could catch sight of the supreme horror on her face, Will walked to the champagne and strawberries that had been graciously left. Opening the bottle deftly, he poured a glass for Elizabeth and himself. Motioning her to him, he had to bite his lip quite painfully to keep from chuckling. Elizabeth looked like she wanted to kill him.
"Well, I suppose if you want to get to sleep, you shouldn't bother with champagne, Will. Shouldn't you head to bed right away?"
Checking his watch, Will smiled when he caught sight of the time. It was now going on two in the morning and their flight was scheduled to leave at one in the
afternoon. That would give him ample time to sleep in the morning.
"Well, I might as well enjoy the champagne, shouldn't I?"
Elizabeth made a non-committal response before she turned on the rather large television. Flipping to ESPN right away, she sat down on the couch, sipping from her glass. Glancing up at him, she lifted an eyebrow and looked at the spot next to her on the couch.
Smiling, Will settled himself next to her, carefully making sure that he was close enough to make her just a little uncomfortable. However, Elizabeth was quite enthralled with Sportscenter and didn't seem to be paying any attention to him.
After a conversation about the American League East's best chance for a pennant winner, Elizabeth began flipping through the hotel guide.
"Wow!" she exclaimed after a few moments, turning to Will in excitement. "This is amazing! Look how much stuff you can order."
Looking down, Will smiled in amusement at the easy way his wife was pleased. "Yes, I know. It has kept me occupied on many boring nights."
Suddenly, Elizabeth looked up at him through narrow eyes. "Michael said this was your usual suite..."
"Well, yes...whenever I had business here, perhaps once or twice a year, I would stay here."
"Hmm..." Elizabeth remarked, looking back at the guide.
"Hmm what?" Will asked, taking a sip of his champagne.
"I just find it interesting that you couldn't stay here when you first came to St Louis a few months ago."
It was stated with indifference, but Will knew what Elizabeth was about. "If you must know, this hotel and just about any other hotel I have stayed at were full. It was a sad thing. Instead of this, I had to stay in your apartment on your couch."
Eyes flaring, Elizabeth smacked him; just the reaction he knew he'd get.
"Yeah, well, looks like you're still going to get the couch."
Will laughed. It was turning out to be fun to make her mad.
"Listen to this...you can get laptops, movies, video games...anything you want."
"Yes, I know. I have to admit I've spent many nights playing Triple Play; got to be quite good at it."
"Ha!" Elizabeth declared. "I could beat you at that game anytime."
"Oh really?"
"Please," she said, laughing a little. "I played the real thing, you know."
Standing up abruptly, Will walked to the phone, picked it up, and spoke for a moment. Coming back to sit down, Elizabeth looked at him quizzically.
"I guess we'll see just how good you are."
Within minutes, a knock sounded on the door. Elizabeth laughed when she saw what the bellhop had brought-the video game and the Playstation, or whatever it was called. She could never remember.
"You're going down, Darcy," she said evilly as she grabbed a controller.
Smiling, Will indulged her remark as he sat down and calmly set up the game. Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth was not quite as cocky.
As she missed another easy fly ball, she yelled in frustration. "This game is horrible! Those idiot players don't do anything I tell them to do!"
"All you have to do is put your guy under the X and he will automatically catch the ball," Will told her, veiling his amusement.
"Well, these guys don't!" Throwing down her controller as Barry Bonds hit another home run off her, Elizabeth crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not playing this anymore."
Will shrugged. "Fine with me. I knew I would win anyway."
Getting up to turn off the game, Will was surprised that when he turned back he caught Elizabeth yawning. "You're tired?"
"Yes. It is past two, you know."
"Oh, I know," he stated, sitting back down, "but you never seem to get tired."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you made it up this long. Don't you usually go to bed at ten?"
"Thirty." He quipped, smiling. Then he turned sober. "I guess it's too late to call and make sure Leah's okay?"
"I would think so. Anyway, she's fine. She's with my parents and Jane."
"I know...it's just..."
Will suddenly looked like a little boy, as he blushed and ran his fingers through his already tousled hair. His concern for Leah was just so...cute.
"Hey," Elizabeth said, scooting closer to him, "I think it's sweet how much you love, Leah. When you danced with her tonight, I think I was actually close to tears."
He was silent for a few moments. "Do you feel bad about leaving her with your parents all the time?"
The smile left her face immediately. "Of course, I do. My mom has to constantly remind me that Leah is her granddaughter and she's not watching her as a favor to me." She smiled. "But no, that doesn't make it any easier. Still, it was the only way."
"Oh, I know. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I know you would do anything for her. Anyway, now that we're married, you won't have to leave her as often."
Looking her in the eyes, Will expected a smiling agreement. Instead, however, he was met with indecision.
"What is it?" He asked, softly, grabbing her hand.
"I..." Elizabeth stopped and then smiled. "I wasn't going to tell you this now, but I will anyway." Taking a deep breath, she went on. "This will be my last season working for The Post."
The words had to sink in before Will could respond. "Leave? But you love working there!"
Elizabeth smiled sadly. "That's true, I do love my job. But I love Leah a lot more. You've given me a chance to stay home and be the mother she really needs."
Will was blown away by her sacrifice. She was seriously considering this? Her job was such an important part of her life! Elizabeth seemed to read his thoughts.
"Yes, I am doing this, Will. I already talked to Sir about it. He was kind of upset, but understood."
When Will stayed silent, Elizabeth went on. "I've also made a few other decisions. I quit my job working for Baseball Weekly-it was really just too time consuming for what it was worth. I also declined every television offer for the rest of the season. I'm not that great of an interviewer anyway." She laughed.
She laughed? How could she laugh about something like this?
"Elizabeth...are you sure about this? I mean, you could still work there. We would work something out."
"Yes, we'd work something out," she countered immediately, "where we made sure one of us was home every weekend and my parents took care of her during the weekdays. Leah's getting older, Will, and she's going to need some stability in her life. Working at The Post is out of the question."
After watching her for a moments and realizing she was completely certain of what she was saying, Will scooted closer and kissed her softly. "You are one amazing woman, Elizabeth Darcy."
Blushing under his intense look, Elizabeth shrugged. "I'm not sure about that...but I do what I can."
Laughing, Will put his arm around her and leaned back into the sofa. Elizabeth had turned on the television and settled on an old horror film, clearly cheesy. It was to his surprise, then, when he felt her get tense over obviously fake swamp monsters and gigantic ten-foot tall spiders. In fact, when the spider came onto the screen, she shrieked and buried her face in his shoulder.
"Arachnophobia?" he asked teasingly.
"The worst. Is it gone?" she muttered against his shirt.
He nodded and she carefully peered at the screen, and then smiled in relief when she saw that it really was.
"If you're so scared of this, why'd you turn it on?"
"It makes me think of when I was younger. We'd all sit around the television with bowls of popcorn and scare ourselves silly."
"You and your sisters?"
She nodded. "And sometimes my mom. But she's even more of a baby than I am."
Will chuckled and then asked abruptly, "Why did you take Leah and not your parents?"
She was obviously taken by surprise and he could almost hear a wall going up around her. Feeling instantly contrite, mostly because she would turn back into that guarded woman she usually was with him, it was on the tip of his tongue to apologize.
"Because I had to. It was my duty to right the wrong."
Her response shocked him; he figured she was not going to answer. However, the tone of her voice had told him not to ask any more questions. Not to mention the stupid spider came onto the screen again and Elizabeth was suddenly pressed against his side, hands covering her face. Smiling, willing to let her answer go for now, Will put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Might as well take advantage of her sudden desire to be touchy-feely and milk it for all it was worth.
It was the sixth time the spider had come and gone when Will noticed Elizabeth wasn't moving from her current position in his arms. Carefully moving her hands, he took note of her closed eyes and even breathing. His wife was asleep.
Knowing he should pick her up and put her in her bed, Will could not force himself to move just yet. The feel of Elizabeth pressed against his side, the smell of her hair, and the sound of her breathing were soothing him. He sighed and then leaned down to kiss her gently on the top of the head. His wedding night wouldn't have been ideal to most men, but Will was happy to take what he could get.
"I love you, Elizabeth," he said, feeling a relief in being able to voice his emotions out loud, "I love you."