His Naughty Lessons-Chapter 307: Getting Into the Role

** Harper **

Harper couldn’t believe that Eli actually carried her all the way back to the pavilion. The workout room he had added to his office building last year — as a Christmas present to spoil her with better muscle views — must have really paid off. At the best time possible.

When they returned to the terrace and she reluctantly left his comfortable embrace, the portrait session continued on. Thanks to the peaceful stroll and the small interlude, both of them had completely warmed up at this point, easing enough into their roles to be able to fully enjoy the exploration of their exclusive space. They laughed as they went, picking out impromptu props on the go, and things quickly began to feel so natural that although this was supposed to be a posed session, the photographer rarely needed to ask them to do it intentionally anymore. Even his assistants were impressed with the easy workflow, commenting constantly how photogenic the two of them looked simply being together in the same frame.

Harper liked that. To her, the best photos were the ones that captured the real moments between them, and she was thankful that it turned out exactly the way it should be.

It wasn’t long before she found her favorite photo as well. Out of hundreds of shots over the hour, the most memorable for her was easily the one taken in the back garden, under the old oak tree there at the center of the lawn. She had loved its sprawling thick branches and enormous canopy at first glance, a majestic presence looming over the garden with a touch of timeless magic. A kiss under its dappled shade was almost required, and as they did so, a small gust of wind blew past, lifting her veil and wrapping it around Eli’s shoulders to drape over them both in a sparkling haze.

The photographer was so satisfied with the shot that he couldn’t help but show them the preview immediately on his camera. It was one of the most dreamily romantic photos he had ever taken, he said, and it was no doubt going to be the cover picture of their print album.

Eli, on the other hand, seemed to prefer the one they took later at the French-style cottage behind the pavilion, where he stood at the doorway covered in flowering rose vines and looked up at the window above. There at the opened window, Harper looked back at him, perched across the edge of the sill with her bridal bouquet in hand and her long dress flowing down the faded wall.

That one wasn’t a spontaneous shot — they had to move a table against the window just so that she could sit there safely — but he said he loved how out of this world she looked like that, and his own pose fit his perspective of the day perfectly as well.

The dilemma of which one to use in the end for their album cover was left to the torn photographer. At the end of the session, Harper and Eli returned to their preparation room beyond satisfied, leaving the camera crew to move on with that question to the guest reception that was about to start.

"So, is this finally starting to feel more real to you?" Harper asked when she sat down for a quick break. "You can’t tell me you still aren’t getting used to us being married after all that showy kissing."

"Well ... I suppose I might be getting more accepting of it than the photographer, at least." Eli took his seat next to her, apparently in the mood to give her a mischievous wink now, which was likely a welcome effect of the said "showy kissing". "You probably missed the photographer’s face from your angle when we were doing that flower planter shot, the one where I lifted you onto the rim of the crate."

It took Harper only a second to remember which one he was referring to. While they were out in the garden, there was a half-person tall planter filled with blooming hydrangea that caught their eyes, and Eli had immediately thought of kissing her while she sat at the edge of it. It had felt like a natural pose to them at the time, but thinking back on it ...

Wasn’t that pose suspiciously similar to what they had done a little too much on the kitchen counter back home? Was that why Eli had instinctively stepped a little too close toward her and kissed her a little too lingeringly? And was that why the photographer’s assistant had to eventually remind them to separate a bit more for a better photo composition?

Oops ...

Harper snorted a laugh as she reached an unfortunate epiphany. "Oh well, I guess they are getting a good sneak peek at what a realistic photo should look like for us. Signature pose of Mrs. Sterling, everyday breakfast style."

Eli chuckled at the joke before blinking a couple of times, registering the title she had just used.

They had actually decided long ago that Harper wasn’t going to change her last name after the wedding. It wasn’t a name that Eli felt particularly attached to in the first place, and he claimed that he loved how Harper and McKenzie fit together. But still, Harper liked to think of herself as Mrs. Sterling all the same, and she liked the sound of it.

Not that it was her plan to casually slip it out right before their wedding ceremony ... But hey, it was a perfect reminder of what they were here for today and what was about to become real very, very soon.

He opened his mouth, probably to make a comment on that, when a light knock came on the door.

"Oh, that must be either Chelsea or Tyler coming to fetch us for the ceremony. Aren’t they a little too early?" Harper got up from her chair, wishing she could’ve spent a little more time chatting with her almost-husband before walking down the aisle. Though when she went to the door and pulled it open, the guests standing outside turned out not to be who she expected at all—

"Mom! Dad!"