*Demi's POV*
It took a mere five hours to hear from Simon after our meeting. He stayed true to our deal and read over my notebook of songs before making a final decision. Although his decision stayed the same, it brought me peace of mind and satisfaction knowing I truly deserved the record contract. I had nothing but my hard work and talent to thank.
Like Simon informed me, a contract was waiting for me at his office the following day. He was in back-to-back meetings, trying to catch up on business because of the family vacation he took. He left the contract with his secretary. She flashes me a welcoming smile, happy to see my spirit change in just twenty-four hours.
I carefully read over the contract twice before signing it and handing it back to her. She hands me a copy with a cheerful 'congratulations' before I make my way out the glass double doors and down the hallway.
The smell of fresh basil and tomatoes greets me as I enter the front door to my house. Smooth 60s music radiates through the speakers and into the rest of the house. It was a peculiar choice for Ellie, one that I've only heard her play once or twice before; when she made homemade Italian sauce. As I enter the kitchen, the song unknown to me begins to die down, and Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley radiates through the speakers.
Ellie notices my presence and immediately beams with joy. A smile forms upon her lips as she wipes her hands on her apron. She approaches me, wrapping her arms delicately around my waist, letting them rest on my hips. She closes the gap between our bodies and places her lips on mine. I can faintly taste tomatoes and Italian seasonings, most likely from taste testing the pasta sauce on the stove.
"What's all this for?" I ask, gazing at the packages of fresh pasta from Duram's Pasta Shop around the corner, fresh garlic bread, and remnants from prepping the pasta sauce on the kitchen island.
"To celebrate your big day today," She says without missing a beat.
As much as I enjoy the close proximity and affection, I remove Ellie's hands from around my waist and walk over to the pot of homemade sauce on the stove. I pick the wooden spoon up off the spoon rest and stir the sauce. I bring the spoon and a generous amount of sauce to my lips, blowing on it a bit before tasting it. A moan escapes my lips as I let the flavor coat the back of my throat.
I dip the spoon back into the pot and take another taste, savoring every last bit of it.
"Okay, that's enough." Ellie projects, taking the spoon from my hand and resting it on the spoon rest. Her hand takes mine, pulling me away from the stove. I stumble over my feet, falling into Ellie. Her arms wrap themselves around my waist again and her body begins to sway to the music. I wrap my hands around her neck, resting my head in the crook of her neck. We sway to the music side to side, neither of us speaking or singing along.
Take my hand
Take my whole life too,
For I can't help,
Falling in love with you
The song becomes quieter and quieter, as the song reaches the end. The song changes to a more upbeat song, one I've never heard before. We stay wrapped in each other's embrace, neither of us wanting the moment to end.
It isn't until the pot of boiling water on the back burner overflows onto the stove, making a sizzling noise that causes us to break apart. Ellie hurries over to the stove, taking the pot off of the burner just in time before any real damage could be done.
She lowers the temperature before returning the pot to the burner. She grabs the container of fresh bucatini pasta and tosses it into the pot of boiling water, stirring it immediately. She removes the pot from the stove once the pasta is ready, draining it before adding it to the sauce. She stirs the pasta in, letting the sauce evenly coat the pasta. She lets it sit while she turns around, cutting the garlic bread into two-inch wide strips and plating them on a decorative oversized plate.
"Would you like to pick a bottle of red while I finish up in here?" She asks, transferring the pasta into a serving bowl that matched the plate the garlic bread was on.
I walk over to our bar, grabbing the last bottle of Cresta d'Oro Vinyard pinot noir. A fruity red that has become my go-to wine for its higher alcohol content and lower sugar content. Still, the taste is divine. I hold the bottle up, awaiting Ellie's opinion. She nods her head in agreement and I unwrap the bottle with joy. A low pop of the cork echos through the kitchen since Ellie turned the music off after accidentally letting the water on the stove overboil.
I pour ourselves each a generous amount of red, placing them on the table next to our placemats with the open bottle in the middle. I place the plate of garlic bread and garden salad in the middle as well. Ellie appears beside me, placing the bowl of pasta next to the salad. The steam is visibly rising from the pasta and the aroma is filling the room.
We take a seat across from each other, putting a little bit of everything onto our plates. In the beginning, dinner is casual and quiet. We rarely exchange words except for when one of us needs the other to pass us something.
"How is it?" Ellie asks before taking a sip of her wine.
"What do you think?" I ask as I motion to the half-empty dish in front of me.
Ellie laughs as she gives me a 'fair enough' nod before twirling pasta with her fork and spoon, taking a generous bite.
***
I stayed true to my promise to Simon for two weeks. During those two weeks, Ellie and I focus on the final details of the wedding and Isabella's arrival. With only four months till we say I do and less than two months until Isabella's paperwork is complete, Ellie and I have been running around crazy, ensuring everything is on the right track.
We childproofed the house, put final decorating touches in Isabella's room, and put together an arts and crafts station we bought from Pottery Barn. Childproofing mainly meant placing breakable items on higher shelves, potentially hazardous items out of arm's length, and secured necessary furniture to the walls.
After all that was complete, we scheduled our final dress fittings for September, completed our order with the florist and photographer, and ordered a custom guest book to display at the front of the entrance.
It wasn't until we decided to begin writing our vows that I broke Simons's promise.
Sitting in my studio, away from Ellie for privacy, I ripped another piece of paper from my notebook, crumbling it into a ball furiously and throwing it across the room. By sheer luck, it bounced off the wall and fell into the trashcan. I laid my head in my hands, leg bouncing with anxiety.
Come on, Demi. You write songs all the time, you can write a thirty-second vow I say to myself. Apparently writing lyrics and writing a speech are two different territories because only one comes with ease for me. How can I possibly fit all my love for Ellie into a thirty-second vow? Even 'I love you' doesn't come close to how much I love Ellie. And yet I have to put that love on display for dozens and dozens of people. I sigh, rubbing my temples with my palms.
"How's it going in here?" Ellie asks, leaning against the doorframe. She takes a sip of what looks like a strawberry banana smoothie.
I go to cover the notebook with my arm but remember there is nothing for her to see. I lean against the chair and sulk. She walks over to me, brushing hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. My head gently rests against her abdomen as she lightly strokes my head.
"I'm having a hard time cramming all my love for you into thirty seconds."
Ellie bends down and plants a tender kiss on my forehead, letting her hand rest under my jaw as she caresses my cheek.
"It's not about compressing all your love for me into a thirty-second speech. It's about highlighting those qualities you love about me now and for the rest of our lives." Ellie explains.
Ellie leans against my desk, eyeing my journal. She grabs it before I can stop her and holds it against her cup.
"I love you. That's all you've written for the last hour, Demi?" I blush embarrassed that I'm having such a hard time expressing my feelings. Ellie places the journal back on the desk. "It seems pretty short if you ask me." She teases. I give her a glare signaling that I'm not in the mood to mess around and the smile on her face disappears.
She clears her throat. "How about you tackle this like you would a song? What would you do first?"
"I'd first pick a title."
"Okay, what do you want to title your 'non-vow song'"?
I chew the inside of my cheek as I think of a title. Words and sayings enter my mind just as quickly as I dismiss them. None of them inspiring enough. After thinking for what seemed like an eternity, a simple word with a whole lot of meaning entered my mind. "Yes."
"Yes?"
"Well, that's what lead us to where we are today. You asked me to marry you and I said-"
"-Yes." Ellie finished. She nods her head, liking the idea. In all capital letters, she writes 'yes' at the top of the page.
"Okay, what would you do next?"
"I'd first write the lyric using the title and let everything else around it flow," I explain.
With a pleased grin, Ellie hands me my notebook and pen. "You're overthinking. You got this." And with that she exits the studio, leaving me alone with my journal and my thoughts.
"Yes."
___________________________
Hi all my lovely readers!
I know this chapter is somewhat short, but what happens next (bachelorette party(s) just doesn't fit into this chapter and I wanted it to have its own chapter.
I'm thinking about letting them have a combined bachelorette party considering they both have the same group of friends. What do you think? I also think this allows for some jealousy and angst.
IF you haven't realized by now, I LOVE finding ways to incorporate Demi's songs into this fanfic and * come up with* what inspired them to write them. This might have been the third or fourth song I've done of theirs and I wish I started doing this from the beginning of the fanfic. But I SO do not want to go back and revise this story again, lol.
Well, I hope you enjoy it! I hope to post again Saturday if I can as this was short.