The Darkness We Hide

“Michelle,” Gareth said, pulling her gently by the hand as the door of Alice's room closed behind them. “Come with me.”

“But we have to meet everyone downstairs,” she protested as he led her down the hall to another door.

The room he chose was dark, but thanks to her new senses she could see Gareth quite well as he moved to stand in front of her.

“Marry me,” he said, dropping to his knees. “I don’t have a ring, just my words. I know that, discounting the last eight weeks, I was the happiest I’ve been in my entire life. And I think, I hope, you feel that way too.

“I can’t change what Richard and I did to you, but I can promise nothing like that will ever happen again,” he continued, moving his hands up and placing them over her slightly swollen stomach. “I will devote the rest of my life to you and our child. You will both be the first and last things I think of every day.”

“Marry me,” he breathed, looking up into her green eyes, his own grey ones searching for an answer.

“Yes,” Michelle nodded, eliciting a triumphant shout of joy as Gareth jumped to his feet, lifting her off the ground, and pinning her bodily to the wall as he kissed her deeply.

Unable to stop himself, his hands pulled at the buttons of her blouse wanting to feel her flesh against his own.

Despite knowing that his family was waiting for them just downstairs, Michelle gave herself over to him, wanting this to happen as much as he did.

Lifting the skirt Michelle had chosen to wear, Gareth thanked the gods for such easy access. Sliding off her panties he pulled his pants open and lifted her onto his throbbing member. Biting into his shoulder, Michelle tried to stifle her moans of pleasure as he thrust into her, each time driving deeper and deeper into her core.

While their coupling was no less dynamic than before, they both tried to keep their moans and sounds of pleasure from being heard by the whole house.

Reaching their climax together, Gareth held Michelle tightly to him as he emptied himself into her, relishing the smell of Michelle's own juices as they mingled with his.

“I love you,” he breathed into her neck.

“I love you too,” she replied, her lips kissing their way up his neck moving towards his lips.

As their lips met, there was a tentative knock on the door behind them.

“I hate to interrupt,” his father said, the mirth in his belying that fact, “but we do need to get going.”

“Just a minute,” Gareth said, smiling sheepishly at the woman in his arms.

Straightening out their clothes, Gareth carefully opened the door, seeing that his dad had left the hallway.

Hand in hand they went downstairs, finding his parents and aunt in the kitchen, all of them doing their best to avoid making eye contact.

“We’re getting married,” Gareth announced without preamble.

With those words all pretense of avoidance was lost. Nancy and Louise screamed with joy and embraced both Gareth and Michelle in turn, while Hugo stood beaming happily at the two of them.

“Oh Gareth,” Nancy said, her voice tight with emotion. “I’m so happy for you.

“And you too Michelle,” she added, her face pinkening at the implied slight. “I am so happy for both of you.”

“Thank you,” Michelle replied with a smile, knowing the older woman meant nothing mean-spirited in her omission.

“We don’t have any set plans,” Gareth said, shaking his father’s offered hand. “We just wanted to let you know.”

“As soon as this whole thing with Richard and the council is over,” Louise said, wiping a happy tear from her cheek, “we can sit down and talk plans.

“But right now” she continued, looking at her watch, “unfortunately we need to go.”

Seeing Michelle’s smile evaporate, Louise embraced her once more.

“After this,” the older woman said, holding her close, “I promise nothing but happiness and joy for you and my son. If I have to tear the world apart, I promise you that.”

“Here, here,” echoed Hugo and Nancy in unison.