His Naughty Lessons

** Harper **

They had planned for an extended hour-long session of couple’s portraits right afterward. Which turned out to be a great idea, given how greedily Harper wanted to keep every moment of the present locked behind a camera lens.

The weather was also cooperating perfectly. As they followed the photographer’s instructions and stepped out onto the terrace, the westering sunlight wrapped around them like a golden blanket, making everything look softer and almost storybook-like under the warm glow. The air was cool as well for an early summer afternoon, crisp and refreshing with the gentle breeze brushing against the skin.

"We’ll start with the more casual pictures first," the photographer reminded them. "Just hold each other’s hands and take a stroll wherever you like. Kiss when it feels right. We’ll go from there."

Harper liked that. Reaching for Eli’s hand and lacing their fingers together, she grinned and went straight for the vineyard.

"Before you ask, Eli — no, you don’t need to help me pick up my train or anything. I’ll stay on the central brick path, which is dry enough to keep the dress clean." She looked up at him with a wink. "So no need to worry. I’ve been waiting for this lovely stroll for months now, and I’ve got it all planned out."

"... Um, do I really look that anxious to you?" Eli blinked, clearly not seeing that comment of reassurance coming. He looked back at her with a half surprised, half sheepish expression as he lowered his voice, to a volume that hopefully wasn’t audible to the photographer’s team.

Harper chuckled, squeezing his hand in lieu of a reply.

"... Darn, your brother was right." The groom sighed helplessly. "I suppose I’ve had almost a year to prepare for this day, but still ... Everything just feels so surreal that I barely know what’s happening anymore. Guess it’ll probably take until the end of the day for my head to fully wrap around all this."

"Hey, you know nothing is really changing after today, right?" Harper slowed down a little. "We’ll have some pretty pictures to frame and some new rings to wear. And some new titles to finally start using. But we are still us. That part will never be different."

This time, it was Eli’s turn to stop in his tracks, turning toward her with a look in his eyes so soft and ... so full of love that it stunned her to silence.

Until the sound of camera snaps broke her daze once more.

"Ah, so sorry to interrupt." The photographer gave them a somewhat apologetic smile as they both turned to look at the cameras in surprise. "I know it’s easy to forget that a filming crew is tagging along ... But I’ve got to say, you two make such marvelous photos together. The way you look at each other is pure magic. Keep going, I guarantee you’ll love the album when it’s done."

Hmm, that prospect might just make all the interruptions totally worth it.

The photographer’s words seemed to have given Eli a confidence boost as well, perhaps by reminding him of the "pure magic" between them that even a stranger can see so easily. Harper could feel through the grip of his hand that he was starting to relax, and she grinned once more as they resumed their slow pace, winding deeper into the vine-lined paths.

The sunlight’s play in the lush greenery was fascinating, now that they were fully in the mood to enjoy it. The raging foliage was a vibrant green in the shade, throwing soft dapples on the ground beneath them as the plants rustled in the breeze, yet the sunlit side was gilded a perfect golden sheen, warm and bright as if already in harvest. An occasional rampant vine would extend its loose twirls past the edge of the trellis, and when a gentle wind stirred, its tiny leaves would dance in the air, brushing over their arms as they passed by.

A truly intoxicating spirit of the wine country, Harper thought. Surely a beautiful background to the two of them walking through the verdant lanes, hand in hand. She was glad that they had saved the vineyard tour for later when they visited the venue before, because this was such a serene and romantic moment that deserved to be experienced on a wedding day.

They took their time with the stroll, soaking in the sweet charm and occasionally discovering unexpectedly lovely spots to pose for photos at. Tucked between two tall vines, with Eli holding her from behind and she looking back at him. At the edge of a lane, with their arms making an arch as they held their hands across the trellises. At the center of the vineyard where nothing but rustling leaves surrounded them, where they kissed against the backdrop of towering mountains looming in the distance.

Harper hadn’t even noticed how far they had wandered, until the photographer reminded them to turn around and move on to the next scene. They did, and her eyes widened at the sight of how small the venue had become from where they stood.

"... Wow, we really walked across half of the vineyard in all that time?" Belatedly, the revelation came with another realization ... that her feet were starting to get tired, from all the walking on those uneven bricks that surely weren’t designed for high heels.

Darn. The photos were totally worth the effort, but now, did she have to walk all the way back to the venue across those difficult bricks again?

"I think we should try a new pose on the way back, Harper." Just as she started contemplating the feasibility of taking her shoes off, Eli came up behind her. "Remember one of my favorite poses of all time? We haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet today—"

The next moment, Harper gasped once more as he swept her off of her feet and scooped her into his arms. Her long train fell to the ground beneath her, cascading in misty layers down his elbow.

"Ohh perfect! Perfect!" She heard the photographer laugh behind them, and then the sound of fast camera clicks resumed.