Twin Deception(11)

Waiting for their wedding was one of the most difficult things Sadi had ever done in her life. She marvelled at what a change her life had undergone. She had had so many doubts about marrying Luke but they had vanished. He was like a new man. In the months leading up to their private wedding ceremony, Luke was much more tender. He was more interested in Sadi’s dreams, her thoughts, and her feelings. He continued to take more and more time off work; time that they spent together falling in love all over again.

For months after Connor’s funeral, Sadi and Luke hadn’t made love. Finally, one evening Luke had lured Sadi into a bath filled with rose petals.

Two glasses of wine had been set out on the bathroom counter. It was one of the most romantic things Luke had ever done for her. Sadi had been confused about Luke’s lack of desire for her, even when the intimacy they shared seemed to increase. There was always hand holding, stolen kisses, gentle hugs. Luke held her close to him at night but he had never made a move to touch her.

Sadi had chalked it up to grief. She understood that it would take some time for everything to return to normal for Luke. He had lost his brother after all. And rebuilding the business, literally rebuilding their office and getting everything back on track was taking a toll on Luke. He was trying to work less, Sadi could tell, but was often bombarded with demanding hours, late night phone calls, and stressful meetings.

She could tell Luke really missed the guidance of his brother in all aspects of his life. Connor had been a huge part of the business, not just Luke’s brother.

When they had finally made love, it was cataclysmic. It was even better than Sadi had remembered, even at their best. Luke was creative and bold in a way he hadn’t been before. He had worshiped Sadi’s body as if it were their first time. His desire for her only seemed to increase after that. It was if he couldn’t get enough of her.

Sadi had begged Luke again to reach out to his parents, to let them know about Connor and about their wedding, but he had told her they likely already knew. It was their choice to remain distant.

Sadi hadn’t said another word about it. She felt it wasn’t her place and she could tell how wounded Luke really was by their actions, though he put up a tough exterior. She remembered his mother and father hadn’t answered their first wedding invitation; not that she was sure she had sent it to the correct address.

Sadi looked out the window of the car Luke had rented for their time in Scotland. She glanced over at him. She wouldn’t have been brave enough to drive on the twisting, turning roads. Then there was the small matter of her complete ineptitude when it came to driving a standard.

Luke had surprised Sadi by throwing himself into the details of their honeymoon planning. He had never had an interest in Europe before but he seemed to now. He had planned an amazing trip in Spain, Italy, and France, saving Scotland for last, as he knew it was one place Sadi had always wanted to see. They had set aside two weeks for the first half of the honeymoon and saved the last week for Scotland. Luke had been very mysterious about what he had planned for her.

Luke had also taken care of the details for their wedding ceremony. He had rented a nice spot in a private park, where it was just him and Sadi, expressing their love for each other in front of a JP.

Sadi would have never imagined her wedding turning out like it did, but she was glad it had. She could still remember the ways her hands shook as she said her vows, the way Luke gripped them and steadied her. He had kissed her, his eyes slightly misty, like it was going to be the last time, leaving her completely breathless. Her dress had been simple: just a knee length white dress. They had forfeited a fortune in lost deposits for booked venues, DJs, caterers, and a fancy dress that was left sitting at the dress shop. Luke had just shrugged when Sadi had brought it up and told her not to worry about it. The wasted money was less important to him than the wedding he truly wanted to have.

Luke finally stopped the car in front of a massive looming stone structure.

“A castle?” Sadi cried, clapping her hand over her mouth, embarrassed by her high pitched outburst.

“That’s right,” Luke smiled back. “I thought that if we were coming, we should do it right.”

Sadi laughed and quickly got out of the car. She was half way to the huge wooden door before she turned around, remembering Luke and their bags. He grinned at her as he hauled the heavy luggage out of the tiny car’s trunk and up the cobblestone walkway.

Luke checked them in and Sadi held her breath while she listened to the kind, elderly woman at the front desk talk to them. Sadi had always thought accents were beautiful, but this completely outdid anything she had ever heard before.