𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 | 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐊 [Collins]

Chapter 18 - A promising life

(revised)

We arrived at my parents' house one hour late, and everyone was waiting for us in the dining room.

"I'm so sorry mum, we lost track of time," I lied as I greeted my mother with a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course, you did," my sister Jane whispered to me as I walked past her to take my seat next to Freya. The way she winked at me made me laugh for she perfectly knew what the real reason was. There was no point denying it, she had been there before me.

I was listening to my mother and Freya talking when Mary, who was seating opposite me, gently kicked me in the legs to have my attention. I looked at her with a questioning look, wondering what she was up too. "So?" she silently asked, pointing at her ring finger, waiting for me to spit it out, but I simply smiled and shrugged, thinking that would be enough of an answer. She visibly got it seeing how she jumped on her chair with excitement before leaning over the table to reach for Freya's hand.

"Show us the ring!" she exclaimed, interrupting their conversation and causing my mother and other sister to squeal with joy. Freya blushed and looked at me with surprise as I sighed because of my sister's absence of delicacy.

"I was supposed to announce it properly!" I reprimanded her.

"Sorry, I couldn't wait! That's exciting!" she replied.

"All right..." I forgave her. "Everyone, as you probably already guessed, Freya and I are getting married," I announced, taking Freya's hand in mine and smiling at her. She looked adorable with her rosy cheeks and her shy eyes, and I could not believe she was to become my wife.

"Congratulations you two!" my father said as he got up and laid a kind hand on Freya's shoulder and ruffled my hair as if I was ten years old. "Let me go to the cellar to see if I can open a bottle to celebrate!" he added with much enthusiasm.

"I've been waiting for that my whole life," my mother said, with tears in her eyes. "Seeing you both so happy fills me with joy."

"Thank you mum," I expressed sincerely for both of us.

Freya was showing her ring to my sisters when my father came back with a dusty bottle of wine.

"This is not the best but it's all I have, I hope you don't mind," he apologised in advance.

"French red wine, and you're telling me it's not the best you have?" I asked my father as I read the label on the bottle. "Are you kidding me? It's more than good!"

"Well, I think you deserve it," he simply replied. "I'm keeping a better bottle for the big day."

"Speaking of that, when is the big day?" my mother asked, eager to know more.

"We don't know yet," I answered, looking at Freya to guess what was on her mind.

"As soon as possible. We discussed it a bit and we just can't wait to be married," she admitted.

"I don't feel like going back to Merston without being able to call myself your husband," I declared.

"But will we be able to do that before the end of his leave?" she asked my parents.

"Of course, darling, of course!" my mother reassured her. "We can take care of everything!"

"We don't need much anyway, do we?" she looked at me to be sure we were on the same page. "I just need a wedding dress..."

"You can go buy one with Jane and Mary," I suggested.

"The thing is... I don't have enough coupons."