56. Marriage Was Made For You And Me

There wasn't much in the way of a ceremony. The justice of the peace read the usual rights to us then slid the certificate across the desk and handed me a pen. I signed the document, then Simon, then Anthony, and finally the two witnesses Simon had brought along, Will and his wife. Once the paperwork was all signed and gone over, the justice of the peace announced that Simon and I were officially legally married. I was no longer Daphne Bridgerton; I was Daphne Basset, Duchess of Hastings. And more than that….

I was Simon's wife.

Anthony and Simon thanked the judge, then thanked Will and his wife. The five of us exited together, when Will took his leave of us. The three remaining of us went to gather the rest of the Bridgerton clan and had brunch at a fancy place downtown. We didn't have much time; our plane left this afternoon. Of course everyone came to the airport with Simon and I. But before we drove off I discreetly pulled my new husband off to the side. The duke glanced down to me in surprise, his eyebrow raising. I looked back up at him sincerely.

"You don't have to come to Amsterdam with me, Simon." "Daphne!" He gasped scandalized but I didn't let him continue, quickly interrupting him with a head shake. "Don't get me wrong. Of course I'd love it if you came; I'd love nothing more than tracing around Amsterdam with you. But I know this is short notice and I'm moving there. Plus I have to go to the university and register, not to mention applying to extend my visa….. It's not going to be a relaxing time is what I'm saying, and I feel bad dragging you into all that after we just got married." I did flinch however, as my husband put his hand firmly- but lovingly- onto my shoulder. His expression was genuine and already told me everything I need to know. "Did you hear what you just said? You're right; we just got married. And there's no way I'm going to stay here and let my new bride go off to some foreign on her own like that." I smiled at this. Simon…. "I'll be alright. I've lived in Europe for nearly two years by myself now." But he shook his head. "It's not a question of you being able to take of yourself. It's a matter of me not ready to leave your side yet. We just got married, Daphne; I have you now…. And my heart isn't satisfied yet.

I need you close, just for a little longer…. Just a bit longer."

Simon! Blushing, I gazed down at our feet with the widest smile across my face. I felt like I was honestly going to start tearing up. I know this obviously isn't the case, but I feel like the first person in the world to love their husband, their partner. I couldn't stop thinking to myself just how lucky I am…. to have found someone as wonderful as him, as Simon Basset- the best husband in the world. I didn't have to wait to learn if he was or not; I already knew…

I already knew.

Goodbyes at the airport were definitely tearful. I gave each of my siblings a very long hug, even Colin. I promised Benedict to come back for his graduation, and said he'd do the same for me. Simon and Anthony also embraced each other, referring to one another as "brother" for the very first time. Finally, after saying goodbye to each of them, it was Anthony's turn. He was admittedly the hardest to say farewell too. I cried and a few tears rolled down his cheek. His thumb gently wiped mine away. And then he looked at me and I looked at him. Him, my oldest brother….. This also wonderful, wonderful man. "Dad would have been so happy today, baby sis," he told me. Hearing him say this only made me weep more. "I love you, big bro." "I love you too. I'll always be here if ever you need anything; nothing's going to change that. Not ever." We threw our arms around each other, with both of our eyes closed for a moment. When my brother's eyes eventually reopened, he was gazing at Simon, who was standing by observing patiently. He smiled at my husband, which he returned in full. "Take care of my sister."

"I will."

Gatwick airport was packed. It's a miracle Simon and I didn't get accidently separated. But soon enough we figured out which flight was ours and where we needed to go. Of course the plane had to be packed. Simon and I had to sit in economy since there wasn't enough time to find two seats together in any other class. No matter though; I usually flew economy when I flew alone. Simon clearly wasn't used to it, though. But luckily enough the seats were only two by two, so we could sit by ourselves. He let me have the window seat, which I originally insisted he took. But he was having none of it, making sure I got the better seat and view out of the two of us. I sat down and Simon stored our carry-ons in the overhead bin. Then he sat down next to me and we flashed each other another affectionate smile.

"Well….." "Well," Simon repeated, still grinning. "This is it. It's so sudden, but we're married now." "Yes, we are," he chuckled softly. "Thanks again for coming to Amsterdam with me. I'll try to make it a nice trip for you." His head shook a little from side to side. "You don't need to worry about that. I'm just happy to be with you. It's going to be just the two of us…. for once." "Heh, yeah. It's a little weird, huh? We've never really….. been alone for very long like this together," I said. "Mmmmm, I like it. Being around you is the easiest thing in the world. I'm really looking forward to this trip actually." "I'm so glad to hear you say that," I let out a sigh of relief. Simon's eyes locked onto me, lowering slightly. It's like hearing me say that made him happy…. which in turn made me happier.

"We are married, Daphne, which means that if you ever need or want anything, you can tell me. I'm here for you; we're here for each other. That's the way it's going to be from now on. You're my world now- my whole world." "Simon," my jaw dropped a tad. "I want to see you fly and will do whatever I can to support you." "Oh, Simon; you already do. There's nothing else you could give me you already don't. I'm just so happy…. being with you like this. And this is our life now….. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together." "Daphne…." Simon sighed.

That's when he got quiet- like real quiet. We stared into the other's eyes for a moment before I cracked a pleasant smile. "What?" It took him a second to reply; verbally at least. His eyes softened in the most tender way possible. "Oh… nothing. I was just thinking." "Thinking about what?" And he smiled- oh, how he smiled. "Daphne, I love you….." I matched his adoring expression. I love you too, Simon; I'll never be able to tell you how much I love you. His lips parted open again a minute later.

"Is there anything you want? Anything I can get you as a wedding present?" My new husband asked me. I shook my head. "I can't think of anything I want…. I already have everything I need." "There must be something you'd like," he said this, making my eyes grow a little. Something I'd like… Well, there is something actually. "You know what I really want, Simon?" "What? If you tell me what it is, I'll buy it for you." This organic smile drew across my lips. Yes, there is something; something I've wanted ever since we were in Edinburgh together….

"I want to hold your hand."

All the duke could do was stare. But staring soon turned into motion. Slowly his hand crept across the armrest over to where mine was laying. His fingers wrapped around mine, our palms pressing into one another. He took my hand and I immediately gave his a squeeze. It was around this time that the plane started to move really fast and take off up from the ground into the air. We left UK soil hand-in-hand like that, and I realized it then. That love was created especially for us. We felt like the first couple in history to get married- marriage was invented for just the two of us. I was convinced that we were the first people ever to experience this sort of happiness. It wasn't possible for anyone else to know, to conceive the kind of joy we had, we gave each other…. And the most beautiful thing about the two of us…..

is that we were never likely to have happened in the first place.