Chapter 84: No Touching Until Tomorrow

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: No Touching Until Tomorrow

Henry reached into his pocket and pulled it out. The moment he saw the name flashing across the screen, his fingers paused over it.

It was Elisha’s mother.

Henry stared at the incoming call, his lips pressed together. Ignoring it didn’t feel right. Elisha’s mother was about to become his mother-in-law, and he didn’t want to offend her by refusing to answer. After taking a steadying breath, he swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Mom," he greeted softly.

"Hello, son. Did you get my message earlier?" she asked.

"I did, Mom. I read it just as we were arriving at the hotel." Henry shifted on the velvet couch, glancing out through the floor-to-ceiling windows before continuing. "And I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Good. Then you understand why this is important." She sighed. "Elisha’s grandfather has been insisting on it for the past week. I know it’s an old tradition, Henry, but it means a lot to our family. He believes spending the night apart will bring blessings to your marriage before you both stand at the altar."

Henry listened without interrupting, thinking carefully about how to explain his feelings without disrespecting her.

"I understand where you and Grandpa are coming from, Mom," he said. "I respect your traditions, and I would never want to dismiss your beliefs. But I can’t sleep in a separate room tonight. Elisha has made it very clear that he wants us to stay together. If I go behind his back and agree to this, it’ll only cause an argument between us on the eve of our wedding."

He paused, rubbing his thumb along the edge of his phone.

"I love Elisha, Mom. I want tomorrow to be a happy day for both of us, and I don’t want to do anything that might hurt him or break his trust."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Henry waited, wondering how she would respond.

Finally, she let out a soft sigh, her voice gentler when she spoke again.

"I can see how much his happiness matters to you, Henry. You’re thinking about his feelings even when it means disagreeing with me."

"I just want us to start our marriage with trust, Mom," Henry replied, a small smile touching his lips.

"Alright, Henry. I understand." Her tone softened further. "You’re a good partner to him, and I won’t ask you to go against my son. But promise me one thing, at least."

"Anything, Mom."

"Please take some time to pray together tonight. Kneel beside the bed and ask for blessings over your marriage." She paused before adding with a small, affectionate chuckle, "And try to keep things wholesome until tomorrow. No getting carried away before you stand at the altar. Can you do that for me?"

Henry let out a soft laugh, relief washing over him. "I promise, Mom. We’ll pray together tonight, and I’ll make sure we behave ourselves."

"Thank you, Henry. Get some rest, son. We’ll see you both at the ceremony tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Mom. Thank you."

The call ended, and Henry slowly lowered the phone from his ear before setting it on the cushion beside him. He let out a quiet breath, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders. At least he had managed to respect Elisha’s wishes without upsetting his mother.

"Pretty?"

Henry heard Elisha’s deep voice from behind him and turned his head.

Elisha was emerging from the short hallway connecting the bathroom to the suite’s living area, drying his hands with a small towel. His dark eyes settled on Henry as he approached, curiosity evident in his expression.

"Who was that on the phone?" he asked, stopping behind the sofa and leaning down to rest his chin gently on Henry’s head.

It was your mom," Henry answered softly, turning his head slightly to look up at him.

The moment he heard that, Elisha tossed the small towel onto the counter, walked around the sofa, and sat beside Henry. His expression grew serious.

"We are not sleeping apart," he stated firmly. "I don’t care what she said, pretty—"

Henry smiled and placed a hand on Elisha’s knee to calm him. "We’re not sleeping apart, darling. I already told her that."

Elisha’s expression eased slightly. He turned to look at Henry, searching his face for confirmation.

"You did? What did she say?"

"She was actually very understanding," Henry explained. "I told her how much you wanted us to stay together and that I didn’t want to do anything that would cause an argument or upset you before tomorrow. She accepted it, although she did make one request."

Elisha raised an eyebrow. "A request? What did she ask?"

"She wants us to kneel and pray together tonight, asking for blessings over our marriage." Henry paused, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "And she specifically warned us to keep our hands to ourselves. No touching or getting carried away before we stand at the altar tomorrow."

Elisha let out a quiet laugh, the tension in his expression easing.

"Don’t mind her, baby. She’s worrying too much."

"I do mind, actually," Henry replied, giving his knee a gentle squeeze. "We’re already going against her wishes by sharing a room tonight. The least we can do is respect her request to pray together and behave ourselves. It’s only one night, Elisha."

Elisha looked at him for a moment, taking in the sincerity in his eyes. He didn’t care much about the tradition himself, but he knew Henry wanted to respect his mother’s wishes. The last thing he wanted was for Henry to feel caught between him and his family on the eve of their wedding.

"Alright, pretty," he agreed, leaning over to kiss Henry’s cheek. "We’ll do it your way."

Henry smiled, glad they had settled the matter without an argument. Then he remembered the issue that had come up during their drive to the hotel.

"By the way, darling, have you sent Sarah the hotel address yet?"

Elisha nodded. "I did, but she messaged me just before I came out of the bathroom. Apparently, my signature wasn’t needed after all. She reviewed the documents again and confirmed that every page had already been properly signed and sealed before I left the office."

Henry frowned. "So Vance deliberately lied about the missing signatures, expecting you to return to the office to sort them out yourself?"

"Exactly." Elisha’s expression hardened. "Vance refused to let Sarah bring the documents to the hotel, insisting he wanted to deliver them himself. When she refused to give him the hotel address, he finally handed them over. She checked the documents and realized nothing was wrong, so she understood what he was trying to do. She called to explain everything, and she’s no longer coming to the hotel."

Henry shook his head, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Vance really needs to stop. He knows we’re getting married tomorrow, yet he’s still trying to get your attention. What does he even expect to gain from all this?"

"Nothing. He won’t get anything from me." Elisha took Henry’s hand and laced their fingers together. "And once I return to work after our honeymoon, I’m firing him. I’ve tolerated his unprofessional behavior for far too long."

"I completely agree," Henry said. "He refuses to respect boundaries and keeps trying to get into your bed. He has to go. No more second chances."

"Enough about him." Elisha rubbed his thumb over the back of Henry’s hand, his expression softening. "We shouldn’t waste our time talking about Vance today. What do you want to do now?"

Henry leaned back against the sofa cushions with a smile. "Nothing much. Our families have taken care of almost everything, so all we have to do is show up tomorrow and enjoy our wedding."

A mischievous smile spread across Elisha’s face. "Right. Our wedding is tomorrow." He tilted his head, giving Henry a playful look. "Which means no touching today, correct?"

Henry nodded, trying to hide his amusement. "Exactly, darling. Strictly off-limits."

"Alright, if you say so." Elisha chuckled. "So, what would you like to eat or drink?"

Henry thought for a moment before smiling. "Maybe a little drink, just to relax and enjoy the rest of the day."

Elisha’s smile softened. "I couldn’t agree more."

Elisha rose from the sofa and walked over to the bar counter in the suite. He picked out a bottle of chilled vintage wine and two crystal glasses before returning to the living area. He placed them on the coffee table and settled onto the sofa beside Henry.

After uncorking the bottle, Elisha poured a glass for each of them and handed one to Henry.

"Cheers to a peaceful afternoon," he said, raising his glass. "To leaving single life behind and to the lifetime we have ahead of us."

Henry murmured . "Cheers, darling."

They clinked their glasses and took a sip of wine. Then they turned to look at each other, exchanging warm smiles before falling into easy conversation. They talked about all sorts of things, letting one topic lead to another without worrying about time.

After a while, Elisha set his glass aside and slid down from the sofa to sit on the carpet. Henry laughed softly at his move, then placed his own glass on the coffee table and joined him on the floor.