Andante, Andante

Chapter Thirty-One

"Are you insane, Emma?" Regina berates her as they stand in the middle of the barn, their fingers interlocked and Emma's heart running rampant.

"No, I would say a hopeless romantic," she counters with a cheeky grin, stepping in front of her fiancé's bewildered face. "Come on, you said it yourself, this is our place," she urges as her eyes attempt to meet Regina's, which are frantically darting around the spacious barn.

"But Emma..." her words trail off as she shakes her head dumbfounded. "...it smells."

A hearty chuckle escapes Emma's mouth while she shakes her head and takes the only step forward. With her free hand, she curls those thick tresses behind Regina's ear and smiles a mile wide.

"God, I love you," Emma breathes heavily and captures those sexy, plump lips.

Regina doesn't hesitate, she instantly returns the passion and presses further against pale lips. She inhales deeply, like she's trying to consume all of the blonde, forcing a smile to spread across Emma's lips.

"Seriously, Em," her fiancé gasps, struggling to catch her breath. "The beach is romantic and a hell of a lot cleaner than this barn. We agreed we would be wed on the beach at sunset," she argues against Emma's unexpected idea, but Emma just knows in her heart that this is where they should declare their love for one another.

"Regina, the first moment I ever laid eyes on you was in this barn." Emma smiles as all those warm, familiar, tingling feelings swarm through her blood. "The second I knew I was safe, and you weren't going to beat me with a shovel," Regina's beautiful smile grows even wider as her eyes beat with tiny little hearts. "I fell hard for you. You stole all the air from my lungs with your beauty, along with my heart." She stretches forward and pecks those full lips delicately to seal her declaration with a kiss before she continues. "I knew in that moment, that my life was about to change, and that you had everything to do with that realization." She grips her fiancé's hand even tighter and squeezes some love into the embrace. "After we broke up, you found me again in this barn, pregnant and not once did you ever falter on your love for me. You accepted me once again into your heart, but more importantly, you accepted my son. You didn't even bat an eye when it came to loving him or the idea of raising him. That day I fell even more in love with you." She kisses her once more as the tears of love quickly fill those rich eyes. "Then, you proposed in this barn, promising me the love Henry and I deserved, to always be by our side and to never let us go again. So, please explain to me, how the hell, we aren't supposed to marry each other here?"

Regina's deep chuckle resonates between them as she sniffles and cups Emma's cheek. She pulls her into a searing kiss that's impossible for Emma to ever break away from. Luckily, Regina's the one who slowly backs away and rests her forehead against hers.

"Okay."

~~~~~~~~

"Emma?" There's a soft, timid knock against the wooden door to the small addition, that was once hers. She instantly smiles from the sweet voice as a burst of energy floods her limbs. "May I come in, dear?"

"Of course, Cora," she happily complies with her eyes focusing on the door in front of her, waiting for her mother-in-law to be.

Slowly, the door knob turns, and Emma's mind takes her back to the first night her and Regina spent together, both terrified when Cora so rudely barged into the room, with Henry standing right behind her. The older woman's chestnut hair falls into the crack of the door, as her head peeks inside, inspiring Emma to laugh lightly at the shy disposition.

"Oh my," Cora gasps as she quickly straightens her posture and rushes across the threshold, forcefully shutting the door behind her. "Emma, my dear," she breathlessly whispers, her hand resting against her chest. Her big brown eyes, that resemble her daughter's so much, fill with tears immediately. "You are radiant," she chokes out and fights back her tears, provoking Emma's eyes to well up with a warm liquid as well.