by Cee, DW
“It was utter failure.” Jane spoke with much dejection and walked onto the plane.
“Take care.” I shook Donovan’s hand, and gave the two plenty of time to say good-bye.
Jane was curled into a ball in her seat when I arrived. “Maybe this is a sign.”
“A sign for what?”
“A sign that I’m bad luck and you shouldn’t marry me.”
This woman could be so damn cute when she wanted to be. “Come here, Gem.” She immediately crawled onto my lap. “I love you, and I care not where we get married. We still have many months to find our perfect location.”
“It’s already October. We don’t have that much time.” Her voice went teary.
“We don’t have to marry on May 31st. That was the first date available after school ended. We can get married any time this summer. Or, we can get married this winter break or even spring break.”
“Donovan and Laney are getting married in the winter.”
“So? There can’t be more than one family wedding in a season.”
“We’ll keep looking,” Jane said with resigned optimism.
Chapter 2 Jane: Planning Be Dreamy
“I think our luck is about to change,” I squealed over the phone to a very busy Max.
“Babe, I need to meet with my advisor in one minute. Can you make it quick?”
“Nope. But, I can tell you that Donovan is back in town, and the four of us are having a meal out. Can you be home by seven?”
“Yep. See you then.”
“Love you…” The call was dead long before the “v” in the word love made a sound.
Since Europe, I called the location manager in Tuscany and reserved our wedding location for our originally intended date. This time, I made sure there were no princes or princesses dethroning our claim to the site. I paid the full deposit required to secure my dream place, and finally, we could move forth with the planning.
“You want to carpool to dinner?”
Why I was surprised to see Donovan in our office, I had no clue. “I was told you were back.” Unlike himself, he showed an abashed grin. I decided to capitalize on his shame. “Tell me you are not wasting AAP funds and flying solo on Gimpy’s massive plane. Don’t think that I don’t know Gimpy’s plane is technically for business.”
“Caught!” Donovan confessed.
“You seriously can’t go longer than two weeks before you skip over a continent to see your bride?”
“Did you like being separated from Max when he went off to Mexico?”
“Well no, but I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Well, Partner, I do have a choice.” Now he was back to his self-assured, cocky grin. “You should thank me for bringing the plane. That only means it must get back to Europe, and my bride will be joining me. Being the nice guy that I am, I thought to offer you and Max a couple of seats in luxury.”
I smiled at my good fortune. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.” My partner’s head was growing, again. “Though, let’s be honest and ask who here in this room is Gimpy’s favorite.” I supposed my head was getting bigger, too.
“Between me selling off his European company, and my sweet bride being her usual irresistible self, your status might change very soon. Let us not rest on our laurels.”
We both cracked up. “I’m glad you’re back. I need your help with a few issues, and with you and Gimpy both away from the office, I’m lost.”
That was how we spent the rest of our afternoon until we absolutely had to leave. There were small fires Donovan extinguished, a plethora of questions he answered, and all murky issues, clarified. It was good having him in the LA office and I was damn glad he was going to be my partner at AAP. There was no better person for the head-honcho position.
We headed to the chosen location when Donovan brought up an interesting matter.
“Do you know of any good real estate lawyers?”
I had to think about that one. “I have a girlfriend who went into real estate law, but as to whether she’s good, I’ve no idea. Why do you ask?”
“Have you looked over AAP financials?”
“I’ve looked, and didn’t think anything was out of place.”
“Rent is too high everywhere. Once I’m done in Europe, I’m going to look into buying small buildings to house all our offices. AAP brings in a large income; there’s no reason to waste an ungodly portion of it on rent. We need to get into the real estate business and I need someone savvy enough to secure the right building for us before anyone catches on.”
“You’re so smart.”
“I know,” he answered before I completed my thought.
“You’re also an egomaniac—you and my brother both.”
“We know.” He grinned, and answered just as quickly.
The ride was quick, and we arrived seconds before the loves of our lives showed up. After we each greeted our respective fiancé(e)s, we sat to a wonderful dinner.
“So tell us your good news,” Laney spoke with the biggest smile on her face. Her hand was attached to Donovan’s throughout the first course of the meal. I could’ve sworn she was right handed, but ambidexterity was another skill to be added to her long list of accomplishments. “Max said you had news to share.”
“Well, not only do we have a location, we now have a dress!!!” I squealed like a high school senior who just found her prom dress.
“Oh my gosh!” Laney was just as excited. “What does it look like?”
I took out my phone so I could show her the pictures. It was only at this point she let go of Donovan’s hand and gave me her sole attention. We showed each other pictures of our wedding dresses to the men’s chagrin. It took us until the next course for our attentions to be diverted back to our men. It was all about the weddings.
Our conversation continued right on into the plane until we landed at Heathrow. We said our good-byes to the happy couple, and went our merry way to our wedding destination.
“It’s so beautiful here.” We were on the Monticello property and I was doing a “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” song and dance around the stunning wedding site.
“Get back here.” Max cuddled me into his tall, thin frame. “They’re going to give our date away if they see what a nut you are.” He chuckled and kissed my neck.
“I wouldn’t place your lips there. You know how much I like your Edward-meets-Bella move.”
“You say the oddest things.” He didn’t stop. He continued to have a second breakfast on my neck.
“Ahem.” We heard. In front of us stood a tiny little man who looked like an Italian elf. He was adorable. “Perdono.” His smirk was infectious.
“Excuse us.”
“No excuses.” His hands were entirely animated. “You are in love, si?”
“Si,” we both answered.
“Amoreeeee.” He dragged on the “e” a little longer than necessary.
“Je t’aime, te amo, I love you—the most beautiful words in the world.” This five-foot-four man was definitely meant to be in the wedding business.
With his hold on my body, Max kissed me a few more times to illustrate the je t’aime, te amo, and I love yous.
“Hello.” I put out my hand. “I’m Jane Reid and this is Max Davis.”
“Ciao, Bella! I am Maximilliano and welcome to Monticello! Your fiancé and I have the same name, no?” He shook my hand with vigor, and then pulled me in for a kiss on both cheeks. He did the same to a surprised Max who’d never received a kiss on his cheeks from a man. “Let me show you the property.”
We started at the small chapel. Maximilliano explained that this building was built back in the thirteenth century and only the church survived the wars, fires, and natural disasters. Parts or all of the structures have been rebuilt, but this church was the original. The church was indescribably magical. After seeing this holy building, I was glad some prince took my original site.
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“Isn’t this the greatest? I can’t believe how long this church has been around. This place is perfect for us,” I babbled on and on.
Max smiled in response while touching the wooden pews and gazing at the wonders of old architecture.
“Andiamo.” Maximilliano was halfway out the church when he told us to keep up with him. Our next stop was the open plaza where our wedding coordinator told us people would have their Prosecco and appetizers until we were ready to serve dinner.
“Where will the dinner take place?”
“Bella, you have a choice between the grand dining hall, or an open tent we can build for you. Let me show you.”
He led us to a dark dining hall that reminded me of the one at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. It had a cool, but foreboding feeling.
“What do you think?” I asked my fiancé.
He, of course, shrugged his shoulders in deference to my opinion.
“You can choose to dine here or…” Maximilliano’s eyes sparkled and I could see the bursting excitement. “Bella! How about you have the wedding in the chapel, the first part of the reception outside in the open tent until the sun goes down. Tuscany sunset.” He curled his hand, brought the tips of his fingers together, and then kissed it—making a grand Italian gesture of pleasure. “Nothing more beautiful than sunset in Toscana, Bella.” He dragged all the syllables to make his point. “Once the sun goes down and the mosquitoes come out, we have dinner inside. You like?”
“I love!” This was going to work out beautifully. “I assume you will cater all the food here?”
“Antipasti, pasta, carne, pesce, dolce—we do everything here. Chef will make your wedding cake, too.”
“Perfect. What about flowers and decorations?”
“Because of the age of this property, we have set vendors who know how to work here with care. We cannot change the vendors. Is this all right, Bella?”
“Fine. Do you have a photographer as well?”
“There is only one man who can capture Monticello Villa. His name is Mario!” The Italian accent was coming on strong, again. “Mario is il migliore! Nobody better.”
“OK!” I agreed with everyone Maximilliano suggested without a meet and greet. “We are done here?”
“Oh, no, Bella. You are here. It’s mangia time!”
My fiancé and I dined by candlelight à deux.
“Isn’t this place perfect?”
Max slapped his neck in response to a bug bite, and said, “Yeah. When not being eaten alive by bugs, it’s gorgeous.”
“Look at that antipasti platter. I think Little Max said he was sending out a mini wedding dinner menu.”
“We’ll both have gained twenty pounds after all the dinner tastings, if we keep eating like this.”
“There will be no more dinner tastings, Maximilliano.” I used my best Italian accent. “This is it. We have found our perfect wedding location.” I wanted to do another “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” song and dance.
“Did you notice how our wedding coordinator prefers to say words with the ‘m’ sound?” What the hell? “Maximilliano, Monticello, Mario, Andiamo, migliore, mangia,” he spoke with each “m” stressed.
“And I thought I was the nut,” I answered sarcastically.
Dinner à deux under the Tuscan stars was magical. I couldn’t have dreamed of a more perfect place.
“Are we set on a location? Can we go back home and not worry about this anymore? I do have to study from time to time, so I can graduate and earn my MD.” His smartass remark earned him an equally smartass answer.
“Yes, we are set, my handsome beau. You can study away while I work hard to provide our dream wedding.”
“Correction, Gem. This is your dream wedding. We can have a small get-together on our patio with sandwiches and punch, for all I care. I only want to marry you.”
That last sentence erased the first cynical remark. “I love you. Nothing is going to stop us from having the most romantic wedding in Tuscany.”
“I love you too, and I hope for my sanity, this is the last of our wedding woes.”
Chapter 3 Max: Planning Be Doomed
Last of my wedding woes, my ass!
Really soon, the Reid and Davis families might see a drive-thru wedding in Vegas if our issues didn’t get resolved. Had I known planning a wedding would be this painful, I would have asked to get married in Tuscany the night I proposed. With fifteen thousand audience members, there had to have been one person who could have married us. Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that on the night of the concert? We would have married under the Tuscan stars, just like we are planning to do next year, with a lot less hassle and a lot less money.
After returning from Tuscany and falling in love with Monticello and Maximilliano, Jane was her usual happy-go-lucky self. School was good, work was good, and sex with my bride-to-be was off the charts good. Playing house with Jane proved to be the best thing for our relationship, as my bride could be unnecessarily insecure. It’s not as though I’d given her any reasons to be nervous about us, but her offhand comments led me to believe she needed extra love here and there.
The giggling, canoodling, and all-around bliss shot straight to hell on Thanksgiving Day. Never in my wildest of imaginations could I have concocted hell on earth, as life imploded on me by the end of dinner.
“Is there a dress code, tonight?” I asked my bride-to-be who was making a cranberry dish.
“No, not this year. Since Aunt Babs has a Christmas wedding, she and Mom switched holidays and Mom doesn’t do costumes.”
“Bummer. I was looking forward to the theme this year.”
Jane stopped what she was doing and asked, “What was the theme, and how’d you know of a theme when I had no idea?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess I listen to your family.” A cranberry would’ve been lodged in my right socket had I not dodged out of the way. “The theme, my beautiful bride was dress like your favorite Thanksgiving dish.”
“What the hell?” Jane started laughing. “You are so lying to me. Aunt Babs does not do food themes. I think you’re bullshitting me.”
I shrugged my shoulders, again. “You have trust issues, Woman,” I said and sucked on the joining part of neck and shoulder that made her body curl. “I could see you dressed up as whip cream so I can lick you all over.”
She giggled, and tried to push me away. “Stop it. I have to finish making the cranberries before we get to my parents’. I want to get there early since Jake and Emily and the kids are back.”
“We’ll see them the rest of our lives.” My hands were under her sweater and I unhooked her bra. “What’s another half hour?”
“That’s the problem.” Her weak attempts at shooing away my hands made me laugh. “Sex never ends in half an hour with you.”
I had the sweater and bra off, my mouth sucking on a nipple and my hand making quick work of the zipper on her jeans. “You complaining?” I asked when I finally came up for air. “Sex or Thanksgiving dinner?”
“But Max,” she complained while pushing my head over to her other breast. “Everyone will know why we were late if I walk in with my usual after-sex glow.”
“Then everyone will be very jealous they didn’t think to do the same.”
We were done talking.
My fiancée was never one to hold back once she started. In fact, it was she who always wanted to be the aggressor and me who was trying to slow her down.
“Hurry!” My impatient sex goddess had shown up. “Will you get my damn pants off?” She was doing her best to shove her pants down her leg as soon as my fingers found their way into the front part of her underwear, purposely unable to dip into her curls. “What the hell, Max…help me take my pants off.”
“What’s the rush, Babe?” I sat her up on the kitchen counter with her jeans still completely on and feasted on her breast, still ‘unable’ to dip my fingers all the w
ay in.
“You’re doing this to piss me off, aren’t you?” Her hand went to grab my crotch, which I wouldn’t allow.
To further her frustration, I stopped sucking on her nipple to respond to her accusation. “Now what would possess me to piss off the woman I love?” I asked matter of factly.
“If you love me, then prove it.” Jane threw down the gauntlet with a smirk.
Lifting her up slightly, I stripped off her pants to her surprise. “I think I’ve been focusing on the wrong part of your body so far, silly me.” I saw her eyes open even wider as my knees hit the kitchen floor. “Shall we have a little fun?”
The complaints vanished with the first swipe of my tongue.
“Shit. Dinner started an hour ago.” The bluster of my fiancée’s complaint had me chuckling. After I had gone down on her, she had insisted that turnabout was fair play and she got on her knees once her orgasmic afterglow subsided. Why we chose to kneel on the hard kitchen floor when we had a soft bed steps away, I had no damn clue.
“If you would stop being so competitive and trying to top my every move, we would’ve only been twenty minutes late.” I broke into full laughter seeing her irritated face.
“Are you complaining about my bedroom skills?”
“No ma’am, especially considering every nasty act was done in the kitchen. I hope that kitchen is cleaner than it looks.”
“Aargh!” She shouted to Jake opening his parents’ door.
“Well, hello to you too, Sis.” He gave her a hug and kiss on her head. “You pissing her off again, Davis, or is she being her usual cantankerous self?”
“Yes,” was my only answer as I pulled in for a hug with my soon-to-be brother.
“AX!!!” There was no mistaking that voice.
“You’re in for it now, Ax,” Jake warned. “She’s been waiting for you all day and you’re an hour late, at that.” Jake had a knowing look.
“AX!” With her arms up, I didn’t have to ask what it was that she wanted.
