Chapter 82: Tomorrow, You’ll Be My Husband 1

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Tomorrow, You’ll Be My Husband 1

They began changing out of their formal clothes, unbuttoning their shirts and loosening their cuffs, ready to settle in for the night.

Suddenly, someone knocked politely at the bedroom door.

Elisha paused, his fingers still at his shirt buttons. "Who is it?"

The housemaid answered from outside the door. "Sir, your father would like to see you. He’s waiting for you in the living room."

Henry stopped unbuttoning his shirt and glanced at Elisha, wondering what his father wanted.

Elisha met his gaze briefly before turning toward the door. "Alright. Tell him I’ll be down in a minute."

"Yes, sir," the housemaid replied before walking away down the hallway.

Once the footsteps faded, Henry looked at his fiancé, his expression turning thoughtful. "Why do you think he’s calling for you this late?"

Elisha let out a sigh as he unbuttoned his cuffs. "He probably wants to bring up the separate sleeping arrangements for tomorrow again. You know how Grandpa is. He keeps insisting that sleeping apart before the ceremony brings good luck. It’s just an outdated superstition from an old religious tradition. He even insists that we shouldn’t see each other at all tomorrow until we’re standing at the altar."

Elisha shook his head, his jaw tightening with stubbornness. "I told him yesterday that I can’t do that. What year are we living in that we’re still following things like this? I’m not doing it. We’ll be perfectly fine without following some ancient rule. I’m sure that’s exactly why Dad is waiting downstairs to try to convince me."

Henry walked over and rested a gentle hand on Elisha’s arm. "Why not just listen to him, baby? You know your grandfather takes his religious beliefs seriously. He even named you based on those beliefs. It’s just one night, not even twenty-four hours. Why don’t we just go along with it and make them happy?"

"No," Elisha said firmly, looking straight into Henry’s eyes. "I’m not going downstairs to argue about this with him, and we’re not sleeping separately. We don’t have to live by their rules just because they’re old-fashioned. If they hadn’t insisted on holding the wedding in the grand ballroom at the hotel, I would have preferred to have the entire wedding here at home, where we’re comfortable. There’s more than enough space, and the decorators could have transformed the gardens. They got their way with the wedding date, and they got their way when they insisted on arranging everything for us. But this time, they don’t get to dictate where we sleep."

Henry parted his lips to reason with him again. "Elisha, come on—"

"No, pretty," Elisha interrupted gently but firmly, pressing his thumb against Henry’s lower lip to quiet him. "That’s final. I’m staying right here with you."

Seeing how determined Elisha was, Henry finally gave up the argument. He let out a quiet sigh and nodded. "Alright..."

They left the matter alone for the night and finished changing out of their formal clothes. Together, they went into the bathroom, washed their faces, and took a quick, warm shower to freshen up after the long day. Once they were done, they dried off and changed into matching silk robes."

They returned to the bedroom and climbed into their bed. As soon as they settled beneath the covers, Henry moved closer to Elisha and rested his head against his chest.

Elisha wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer, holding him comfortably against his body. He pressed a kiss to Henry’s forehead, then his nose, before leaning down to kiss his lips gently.

"Goodnight, my love," Elisha whispered, resting his chin on Henry’s head. "I love you so much."

Henry smiled against his chest, running his hand lightly along Elisha’s waist as he grew sleepy. "Goodnight, darling. I love you more."

Elisha held him close as they settled into each other’s arms. Before long, they both drifted off to sleep, leaving the concerns of the evening behind.

The morning sun filtered through the sheer bedroom curtains, filling the room with soft golden light.

Elisha was the first to wake. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling Henry’s warmth beside him. When he looked down and saw his fiancé sleeping peacefully against him, a smile spread across his face.

Tomorrow was their wedding day.

The thought filled him with excitement. Unable to resist, he leaned down and kissed Henry softly on the lips before brushing a few strands of blonde hair away from his forehead. He pressed another kiss to Henry’s temple.

"Good morning, baby," he whispered.

Henry only murmured in his sleep and curled further beneath the duvet.

Elisha carefully slipped out of bed, easing himself away from Henry so he wouldn’t wake him. He pulled the duvet over Henry before heading to the dressing area. They had to move to the hotel that morning, and with their wedding just a day away, he wanted to get their luggage packed before Henry woke up.

He began arranging their belongings in their leather luggage, packing their tailored wedding suits, silk dress shirts, gold cufflinks, shoes, grooming kits, and the outfits they would need for the wedding reception. He checked each item as he packed, making sure they had everything they needed for their stay at the hotel.

He was still packing when he heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, he saw Henry walking toward him, rubbing his sleepy eyes with one hand. His silk robe was loosely tied around his waist.

Elisha set aside the clothes he was holding and went to meet him, wrapping his arms around Henry’s waist and pulling him close.

"Good morning, pretty," he murmured, leaning down to kiss his lips. "Did you sleep well? I hope I didn’t wake you up with all the noise."

Henry rested his cheek against Elisha’s chest, his hands settling on his shoulders. "Good morning, baby. I slept really well. You did wake me up a little, but it’s totally okay."

"I’m sorry, my love," Elisha said, rubbing Henry’s back gently. "I was trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t want to call the staff up here because I wanted you to sleep a little longer while I took care of things myself. But since you’re awake now, I’ll ask them to come up and help with the rest before taking the luggage to the hotel."

Henry nodded against his chest. "Alright, baby. That sounds good."

Elisha reached for his phone on the nightstand and called the house manager. A few minutes later, several members of staff arrived to collect the luggage. They carefully carried the suitcases and garment bags containing their wedding clothes, shoes, accessories, and other personal belongings downstairs before loading everything into the vehicles that would take them to the hotel.

Once the staff had taken everything away, Henry and Elisha got ready to go downstairs. They walked hand in hand to the dining room, where breakfast had already been served. Fresh juice, hot espresso, warm pastries, and a selection of fruit covered the table.

They settled down to eat, chatting between mouthfuls and occasionally teasing each other. With the house quieter than usual, they enjoyed breakfast together before heading upstairs to get dressed for their drive to the hotel.

Back in their bedroom, they changed into comfortable designer knitwear and tailored trousers for the journey. Elisha checked that he had everything he needed before reaching for his watch.

As he fastened it around his wrist, he caught Henry’s reflection in the mirror. He turned toward him, drew him into his arms, and rested his chin on top of his head.

"Next time we sleep in this house," Elisha whispered, holding him close, "you’ll officially be my husband."

Henry lifted his face to look at him, a bright smile spreading across his lips. "Then let’s go, darling. I can’t wait."

Elisha squeezed Henry’s hand...

NOTE: The pre-wedding photoshoot pictures are available in the previous Chapter, so please check them out. ❤️ The remaining pictures will be shared in the group soon.