by Cee, DW
“Laney fought her husband using every excuse in the book—from her milk leaking if she stayed away from the twins too long, to the twins needing their mama. But, my son dragged her out of here and told her she needed to get away from the house and get used to being away from the boys a few hours at a time. What will she do when she starts school? How will she be apart during classes if she can’t tear herself away from her sons for a ninety minute dinner?” – Jamie Taylor
I seriously didn’t need to know all that info. Jamie gave me visuals that were going to haunt me for days.
I explained my purpose for being here, and both Scott and Jamie would’ve literally jumped for joy had they not been holding a baby.
“You’ve made a fine choice, Nick. That sister of mine is going to make you wish you’d married her three years ago. She’s strong, she’s independent, and she’s sweet. You won’t find a better woman than my sister. We wish you a lifetime of happiness and joy.” – Scott Taylor
With my job done at the Taylor household, I knew everyone, including all of Donovan’s siblings would get to Hawaii by the end of the week.
Now, the only part of this picture that wasn’t actualized was my soon-to-be bride. Not only did she have no clue about the wedding, she still had not consented to going to Hawaii.
I’d get her there, somehow!
August 25, 2014 BEE: A Dreamy, Fantastical Kinda Love
Hualalai on the Big Island was so damn beautiful, I couldn’t be mad at Nick for forcing me here. The word force was a tad strong considering all I had to do was hop on Roland and Estelle’s plane.
As promised, Nick packed for me, worked out my work schedule with Missy, and practically carried me on the plane. Once we boarded, the entire cul-de-sac plus Scott and Jamie followed. With so many little ones in tow, it wasn’t easy getting them settled.
Emily’s three couldn’t get enough of the babies, and they refused to sit in their car seats so the plane could take off. It was only when Laney moved to the back of the plane with her back to us that Emily was able to coax the three back to their seats. She had explained it was time for the babies to eat.
Babs and Jamie trailed their daughter with a baby in each arm and helped place them, so they could be fed.
“She needs the boys to feed during take-off so their ears won’t get plugged.” Donovan explained to the rest of us who really didn’t care to know. Maybe it was just Nick and me who didn’t want to know.
“Why is everyone whispering to one another? It’s as if everyone is talking around us, rather than including us in their conversations.”
Nick gave me a know-it-all-but-won’t-tell-you-what-I-know grin. “You’re doing the same thing.” He placed a chaste kiss on my lips, and walked to the opposite side of Laney where the men were holding court. Call me paranoid, but I was feeling oddly misplaced and purposely left out of a big secret.
I placed myself right next to my niece to finagle some information.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone in a hush-hush convo in this small plane?”
Considering she was feeding both kids at the same time, I looked nowhere other than Laney’s eyes. This entire scene was still uncomfortable for me.
“I would hardly call this a small plane.” Laney answered with mirth. Being the contrarian that she was, she answered the part of my question that didn’t need an answer.
“That’s not my point. Why is everyone talking around me?—Nick included?”
Laney looked around at the private conversations. “The boys are huddled near the TV, so I’m going to assume they are watching a movie. The moms and dads are probably talking babies. Gram and Grandfather look like they are about to recline their chairs and take a nap. And Max and Jane are acting like newlyweds. What ‘hush-hush’ convo are you speaking of because I can’t find any?”
Put that way, she was right. Everything did appear as she stated, but something didn’t feel right. Was I over thinking things?
“I’m surprised your husband allowed this trip with the newborns.” Embarrassed that I was unnecessarily paranoid, I changed subjects.
Unlike her usual self, she didn’t have a ready answer. “Well…I think Donovan saw the prudence in taking a quick vacation before school started. Who knows when we will get away again?”
“But school starts next week. You don’t think you’re cutting it a little close, being away from home right before the mayhem begins?”
“It’ll all be worth it.” She too had a know-it-all-but-won’t-reveal-what-I-know grin. These damn Reids! They were too smug for their own good.
Whatever anxiety I might have had, erased the moment we entered our resort. “Damn! What the hell kind of fantasy resort is this?” I muttered.
“It’s the kind that makes all your dreams come to life,” Nick answered cryptically. “I have a few surprises for you this vacation.”
“I knew it! You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” My woman’s intuition didn’t fail me.
Nick's signature grin didn’t fail him. It made me want to lock us up in our room and make out with him like a lusty teenager. “Where’s our room? Why don’t you show me surprise number one?” I asked suggestively.
He slapped my ass and said, “We’re all having an early dinner on the beach. Let’s get changed you horny wench and talk about sex on the beach later.”
“The drink or the deed?”
He slapped me again and prodded us toward our room. Nick and I arrived to the swankiest beach villa I’d ever seen. Never in my life could I have even dreamed a room could be this nice.
“Are you sure this is our room?” I hoped it wasn’t a mix-up, because it would be hard to give this up. “Donovan and Laney are probably pissed they have a tiny one-roomer while we got the villa, huh?”
“Gram and Grandfather rented out the west side of this resort, and we all have some form of a beach view.”
“Are all the rooms this nice?”
Nick shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s go, Woman. Your first surprise awaits.”
“What is it?” I continually asked while leaving our room. “What’s the surprise?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Stop badgering.” He tried to sound mean but couldn’t. However, true to his words, he kept mum and let me see the first surprise for myself.
“Bee!!!” A chorus of women yelled my name.
“Oh my gosh! Are those all of Donovan’s sisters and their families?” I asked a nodding Nick and ran over to greet the Taylor family.
“How did you get here? What are you doing here? All of you are here?” I spewed out question after question. “Are you staying here? Are we all vacationing together?”
Becky laughed and answered, “We all flew. We are here on vacay. Yes, we are all here. Yes, we are staying here. And yes, we are all vacationing together.”
My four nieces and I hugged one another, and squealed in delight. Last I saw them was briefly at Jane’s wedding, but we didn’t get to socialize much. With a relaxing beach vacation, we’d all have a chance to relax and catch up.
The resort had set up a dining area on the beach for all of us, and everyone but the youngest of the kids were here. Jamie was busy with her girls’ boys, and Laney and her mother were busy with the twins. With the three-hour lag time between Hawaii and LA, Emily allowed the kids to join us on the beach and participate in dinner.
“Do we have plans here in Hawaii, Gram?” I asked an innocuous question that brought our evening to a halt. Oddly enough, everyone froze and stared in silence. “Did I say something wrong?”
Like an un-paused movie, everyone continued his and her motions of eating, talking, and playing.
“You are all free to do what you like tonight after dinner,” Gram casually answered. “Tomorrow, I will treat all the girls to a spa day and the boys will do…something. Then, we will have a family celebration.”
“What are we celebrating?” As great as this gathering was, i
t was odd that we had all gathered in one place. “The only times we gather are for weddings and since no couple is getting married this week, this reunion is fantastic, but out of place. Is there a birthday or anniversary I’m unaware of?”
I heard some giggling, but assumed someone would give me an answer soon.
“We are here as family and to have a good time. Now stop being such a suspicious one and enjoy Hawaii.” Nick ended this conversation, and I knew I wasn’t getting any answers here. No problem—I’d force the answers from Nick in bed tonight.
Between the Taylors and the Reids, there were so many of us, we looked like a tour group camping on the beach. Amanda, Kelley, Becky, Rachel, Laney, Emily, and Jane were all special in their own right, but the combined group of ladies made me thankful for family. I leaned on and trusted the Taylor women growing up. Once married, I’d have another solid group of women to trust and lean upon through all walks of life. I was one lucky girl.
The four of us who had no kids to return to stayed late into the night talking. Estelle explained that our first appointment began at nine, and for us to be on time. When I arrived at the spa, more Reids had landed in Hawaii. All of Nick’s aunts and female cousins joined in our festivities.
“Hey Bee.” Samantha Reid always had an energetic smile to her face.
“Hi. When did you land? I didn’t realize you were coming.”
“Oh my gosh, Dad had some sailing event yesterday so we all left at like five this morning. Imagine driving up from San Diego to make a five am flight in LA. I think I slept all of three hours last night.”
“I thought you were living in Emily’s old house.”
“I am, but I was home for the week already when we got notice of this trip. Cool vacation, huh?” Sam had a sly smile.
“It has been so far.”
“Estelle says that we’re having a family celebration tonight. Do you know what it is?”
“I might…but then again, Doug and I are the last to know anything. So, maybe I don’t have any idea.” Was that really an answer? “Um, Bee?” Sam asked warily.
Had I done something wrong? She was making me nervous. “Yeah?”
“I just wanted to apologize for the whole Lily and Nick moving in together situation. That was totally my fault. He did not ask her to move in with him. It was all my idea.” Sam sounded as if she were in a confessional booth.
“I don’t blame Nick, and I never thought to blame you. From what I was told, you were helping her out since she was in a bind.” Sam looked relieved. “How is Lily doing? Is she all right?”
“Oh, she’s fine. She’s a trooper, and we’ve become fast friends.”
“Will the three of you continue living at Emily’s?”
“I think so. Lily thought she might transfer back to Jersey, but for now, she’s staying put, and we’re hanging out.”
“I’m glad to know she’s well. I hope there are no hard feelings on her side since we’ll see each other at family get-togethers for years to come.”
“She’s really cool, Bee. Maybe realistic is a better word to describe her. I know she was bummed for a while after she and Nick ended, but she knew his heart wasn’t with her. She understood it, accepted it, and moved on. We’ve both been kind of seeing these guys who live on the same block.”
“That’s wonderful, Sam. You enjoy yourself while you’re young and single.”
With that loose end tied up, I enjoyed my day with all the Reid and Taylor women. It was boisterous and loud in that serene spa. After my last treatment, Estelle informed me that I was to get my hair and makeup done. Should I have been offended that I was the only one told to doll myself up? Since I wasn’t footing the bill, I accepted the gift with a smile.
“You look stunning.” Nick greeted me at the spa with a light kiss.
“I’m over-primped is what I am. What’s with Estelle forcing me to do hair and makeup when no one else had to get it done? What’s she trying to tell me?” I asked in a kidding manner.
Nick quietly walked me to the beach where there was a flurry of activity. “It’s beautiful here, huh?” The soft tone in which he spoke made him sound so un-Nick-like.
“The scenery here is ideal, and it looks like some lucky couple will get married at sunset on the beach.”
“How would you feel if we were that lucky couple?” What? “I love you, Bee Taylor, and I hope you won’t be too upset that I planned our wedding right here, right now, in Hawaii. Will you marry me tonight?” Too shocked to speak, and too afraid to cry and mess up the makeup if this were true, I kept mum. “You are making me nervous…” Nick sang with a smile. “I need an answer…”
“I’m trying not to cry. Gram spent a lot of money on my makeup.”
Watching Nick with his signature grin, here at Hualalai on the Big Island was the biggest treat, yet—almost as freakin’ good as my fiancé planning a surprise wedding.
“You want to at least nod your head yes so I know you’ll marry me tonight?” I did as he asked. “Good.” He kissed me lightly. “Go to our room. Everyone is there to help make all your wedding dreams come true.”
A dream, a fantasy, my reality. Whose life is this???
August 28, 2014 NICK: A Yielded Kinda Love—Our Story
It felt damn good to be standing at the altar waiting for my bride to appear!
Since the wedding was kept from Bee until about an hour ago, she didn’t have time to ask anyone to be in the bridal party. I took the liberty, again, to ask Laney and Donovan to stand in on Bee’s side, and Jake and Emily to stand in on my side. It was unconventional, but fitting. I could think of no other couples who meant more to Bee, as well as to myself, than those four.
No one could argue against Ellie and James joining our wedding party as our flower girl and ring boy. JR couldn’t understand why his siblings were standing with their parents, so he wiggled out of Grandma’s lap and stood with his family.
“Where the hell is she, and why does it take so long for a woman to get ready?” I complained to everyone standing at the altar with me.
I received the obvious response. “You told her one hour ago that she was getting married!” Laney reprimanded. “Her friends are probably making last minute adjustments to the wedding dress. If Donovan had done this to me, I don’t know if I would have liked it.”
“That’s because you’re a control freak, Dear.” Donovan smiled and kissed his wife. “I like standing up here with you. I feel like we’re renewing our vows.”
That apparently was a novel idea to Jake as well. He went on and on about convincing Emily to renew their vows. Since we were all here, he wanted to add on to the celebration. Her firm answer was a “no.” She didn’t want to take away from our special event. I could always count on my sister to think of others, and my brother to think only of his wife.
“Laney, will you go get Bee?” I was damn impatient, though in actuality, we had only been up at the altar for a few minutes.
“Hold your horses, Nicholas. I believe I see your beautiful bride leaving your room.”
As soon as Laney mentioned it, I searched for my bride. As she neared the bridal aisle filled with Hawaiian orchids, she nearly knocked me off me feet. My bride was stunning! I couldn’t believe this beautiful, talented, generous, and caring woman agreed to be my wife. Though this wedding was three years in the making, I was damn glad we arrived. Seeing her on Scott’s arm, ready to walk down the aisle, I believed we would make it to the very end, and have a hell of a good time getting there.
“Try and breathe from time to time so you don’t faint on the bride,” my brother advised.
I watched Bee walk down the aisle to the smiles of everyone standing and silently cheering for us. She returned every good cheer and finally focused on me—her soon-to-be husband. That walk down the aisle took way too long in my opinion. I was antsy to have her on my arm.
“You’re stunning!” I whispered, and decided since all my predecessors kis
sed their brides before the wedding began, I would do the same.
With a shy grin, Bee accepted my kiss before we stood in front of the pastor.
As all Reid ceremonies went, it was a quick, but sweet one. When the pastor pronounced us man and wife, I gave my bride a long kiss before we walked down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Reid.
“Happy?” I asked her.
“Deliriously so,” my bride answered.
“Shall we take a few pictures and join everyone at the reception?”
