I noticed that Philip stared after Alex with a bit of a frown.
“How was your trip, Philip?” I smiled.
“It was fine, the jet flew smoothly.” He looked back at me and flashed a brief smile.
“The jet?”
“Yes, we took my jet.” He glanced over my stomach. “You didn’t fly, did you?”
“No, we drove.” I laughed. “No babies born on a plane for me.”
“Good thing, these last few weeks can be delicate. Are you getting enough rest? Enough to eat?”
“You seem to know an awful lot about pregnancy.” I raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you had kids.”
“I don’t, but I have sisters—four to be exact—and they’ve each had two babies. So I’ve been well educated.” He grinned as he shook his head. “Family get-togethers are quite loud.”
“I imagine so. Thanks for the advice.”
“Sure.” His eyes sparkled as he studied me. “I’m looking forward to getting to know Alex’s friends a bit more. She’s always so busy with the cafe that we haven’t had a chance to get together with all of you. She speaks so highly of everyone, and I know she treasures the fact that all of you like to meet at the cafe once a week.”
“Alex is great. She’s always got great advice for me and she’s been there for all of us no matter what’s been going on in our lives. She’s very special to us.” I met his eyes with a steady gaze.
“Don’t worry, she’s in good hands with me.” He winked at me, then turned and walked off.
I had to admit that I did worry a little. He had his own jet? Alex had been pretty tight-lipped about him, which seemed strange as well, but I’d been so busy with baby stuff and the wedding coming up that I hadn’t thought much about it. I made a mental note to ask more questions.
Chapter 13
“Okay, we’ve got someone to take over the catering.” Alex grinned as I joined them in a small alcove off the lobby.
“Wonderful. It was nice of Philip to offer to help.” I sat down beside her.
“Yes, it was.” She glanced over at Noella. “I can go meet with the new caterers to make sure that everything is smooth.”
“Perfect, because I really want to be here when the boys are trying on clothes. Brady can get finicky about everything and Tyler hasn’t quite figured out the difference between inside out and right side out.”
“Mind if I tag along?” I met her eyes. “I’d love to see what Callie came up with.”
“That would be great.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Alright, ladies, let’s keep this wedding train going. I can’t wait until the bachelorette party tonight.”
“Me either.” I grinned. “One last chance to party.” I patted my rounded stomach.
“We’re going to have a blast.” Alex waved to us as she walked away.
I caught sight of her joining Philip near the door. He held it open for her, then leaned close and whispered in her ear. Whatever he said made her laugh out loud and the two left the hotel.
“What do you think of Philip, Noella?” I glanced at her as we headed toward the elevators.
“Alex told me he’s very wealthy. It took her some time to adjust to that and she still doesn’t like that he’s always trying to use his money to impress her. But underneath, he’s a pretty great guy, apparently. They met when he attempted to buy the cafe from her and she refused.”
“Classic Alex.” I laughed. “I can just imagine it now. ‘I’ll give you one million dollars for your cafe.’ And Alex’s reaction would be ‘Nope, not for sale, not ever.’” The elevator lurched upward.
“Pretty much.” Noella nodded. “As headstrong as she is, though, I can see that he’s breaking down some of her barriers. I’m not one hundred percent sold, but she seems to be pretty happy with him.”
“Yes, she does.” I bit into my bottom lip for a moment, then met her eyes as we stepped out of the elevator. “It was really sweet of Wes to get the boys ready for their fittings.”
“Yes, it was. Sometimes I think I’m being too difficult about his relationship with them. I just never thought they’d all bond so fast. I thought it would be harder than this. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“It’s going so smoothly that it makes me nervous.”
“Wes is a good guy and he seems to have great instincts with kids; maybe he’s just a natural—” My words cut off as Tyler streaked down the hallway toward us in his underwear.
“Mommy! Mommy! Brady kicked me!”
“I did not!” Brady shouted from inside the hotel room, loud enough for the entire floor to hear.
Noella grabbed Tyler and turned him back toward the hotel room as we both rushed for the door.
Inside, Brady was huddled in a corner, while Wes stood bewildered in the middle of the room with Tyler’s pants in one hand and one of Brady’s water guns in another.
“I’m sorry, Noella.” His cheeks flushed. “Brady soaked Tyler, so then he had to change and somewhere in there Brady got mad and Ty says he kicked him.”
“I did not!” Brady shouted again. “I was just playing!”
“Unbelievable.” Noella sighed. “You know we are here for a special day and you two can’t get along long enough to get to a fitting? Brady, I told you not to bring any water guns.”
“You never want me to have any fun.” He frowned and crossed his arms.
“Tyler, get dressed.” Noella snatched his pants from Wes’s hands.
“I’ll help him.” I took the pants from her, steered Tyler into the small room in their suite, and cringed as I heard Noella begin to lecture Brady. “What happened, bud?” I helped Tyler into his pants.
“Brady was mad because I told Wes about the water gun. And now he hates me.”
“No, he doesn’t hate you. He’s your brother, he will always love you.”
Tyler looked up at me with big eyes. “I’m pretty sure he really does hate me.”
“Let me tell you a secret, sweetie. When your mom and I were little, we would fight too—all the time—and now we’re best friends, right?”
“Right.” He sighed.
“Don’t worry, things will get better.” I ruffled his hair. “Let’s go get your suit on.”
As I stepped back into the living room with him, I found that Brady was gone and Wes and Noella were in a heated conversation.
“I just think you’re being too hard on him. He just wanted to have some fun, and being holed up in a hotel room isn’t exactly fun.”
“Wes, I love you, but you don’t have a clue about any of this. I will handle Brady.”
“I love you too, Noella, and I get it—you’re their mom, what you say goes. But it would be nice if you listened to what I had to say once in a while.” He turned and walked out of the hotel room.
“Tyler, go grab a snack from the kitchen.” I shooed him toward the small kitchenette, then walked over to Noella. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” She wiped at her eyes. “Maybe he’s right, maybe I am being too hard on him. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Sure you do. You’re just tired and overwhelmed with all this. But Noella, you’re a fantastic mother and you love Brady so much. You know exactly what to do, trust me.”
“Thanks, Hanna.” She hugged me. “I hope I can be as supportive to you as you always have been to me.”
“You already are. I’ll take Ty over to Callie’s room; you and Brady come when you’re ready.”
“Thanks. It may take a little while to get him out of the bathroom.”
As I left the room I felt a tightness in my chest. My precious little girl was going to have these struggles too.
Would I be able to handle them?
Chapter 14
I arrived at Callie’s room to discover two little girls in fancy fluffy flower girl dresses. They spun in circles to make their skirts fan out.
“Wow, don’t you two look beautiful!” I smiled as Dawn clappe
d her hands for their dance. “The dresses fit perfectly and tie in with the colors of Blu’s wedding. Callie, you’re a lifesaver.”
“I’m happy to help.” She smiled at Tyler. “Are you ready to see your suit?”
“Yes, please.”
“Where’s Brady?” Dawn glanced past me toward the door.
“They’re on their way. They had some things to work out first.” I raised an eyebrow to Dawn, who nodded.
We were all aware of Brady’s antics lately, and though Noella was the strongest woman I knew, I also could see how the pressure of this phase in Brady’s life was wearing on her. I made a mental note to make sure that she had my support at all times.
“Okay, let’s get you going first, then Tyler. Hanna, do you want to help him with it?”
“Sure.” I took the suit and led Tyler to the bathroom.
“I can do it, Aunt Hanna.” He smiled.
“Alright, give it your best shot.” I handed him the suit and he closed the door.
When the door to the hotel room opened, Noella and Brady stepped in with smiles on their faces. It was a relief to see.
“Wow, those are pretty dresses.” Brady smiled at the girls.
“Thank you.” Lily gave him a small bow.
“That was very nice of you, Brady.” Dawn smiled at him.
“Where’s my suit?” He glanced around.
“Right now Tyler is trying on his, but Callie has one for you too.” I winked at Noella.
“Right here.” Callie held up the suit. “What do you think?”
“It’s a little too fancy.” He scrunched up his nose. “But it is a wedding.”
“It is.” Callie grinned. “And you’re going to look so handsome.”
“Thanks.”
I thought I detected a blush in his cheeks and had to hide a smile.
While Brady looked over the suit, Noella joined me outside the bathroom.
“I think we worked things out. Wes was right, I was being too hard on him. When I relaxed and spoke to him we came to an understanding. This is a lot for him to deal with too and I was overlooking that.”
“I’m glad you two figured it out, I knew you would.” I hugged her.
“Mom! Is that you? Mom! I need help!” Tyler whined. “My arm is stuck!”
“I’m coming in.” Noella laughed as she stepped inside. “Tyler, why is your foot in the sleeve of your suit jacket?”
“I thought it was the pants.”
Dawn, Callie, and I broke into laughter as the door was pulled shut.
“Oh, Hanna, I’ve been meaning to ask you, have you thought about any names yet for the baby?” Callie asked as she and Dawn helped the girls out of their dresses.
“Not really.” I sat down on the edge of the sofa and frowned. “We’ve batted a few back and forth but none has really struck me as right.”
“It’s tough. Do you have a certain style you like? Modern? Classic? Unique?”
“I’m not sure. I know I don’t want it to be so common that every other little girl will be named it. Lily and Abby are such beautiful names and have lovely meanings behind them, but obviously I can’t use them.” I laughed. “So I’m kind of stuck. But luckily we have time to think about it. Jake asked me to enjoy the weekend and the wedding and when we get back home we’ll focus on baby stuff.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea.” Dawn nodded. “He’s right. It’s so easy to get caught up and miss out on all the fun we have planned this weekend. I’m looking forward to the party tonight. I think it was really sweet of AJ to invite all the guys to join his bachelor party.”
“Yes, I think so too. Jake is looking forward to a fun night, that’s for sure. He’s always so busy with work it’s good for him to cut loose a little.” I looked over at Callie. “Do you have someone special in your life, Callie?”
“Not right now.” She shrugged. “I’ve had a few offers but none that I felt were genuine.”
“What do you mean by that?” Dawn shooed the girls into the other room to play with some toys she’d brought along.
“I’m only interested in one thing—romance. Most guys don’t want to make the effort any more. And if a guy isn’t romantic, I’m not interested.” She blushed as she looked between us. “The truth is, I started modeling as a way to boost my confidence. I was always pretty confident, but when I got to high school I started to get teased because of my weight. So I decided to prove them all wrong. I was proud and confident and wasn’t afraid to show it. That led me into modeling and things took off quickly. I’ve dated plenty, but nothing serious. The right guy just hasn’t caught my eye.”
“I’m sure he will soon enough.” I smiled at her.
“Maybe.” She smiled in return. “But if he doesn’t, I’m okay with that too. My life is pretty good right now and I want to enjoy every moment. I’m not going to let flying solo interfere with that. In fact, I’d probably be a little apprehensive about romance interfering with my career at this point. How can I not be happy?”
“Good point.” I grinned. “You do seem to lead an amazing life—and that penthouse of yours—well, it’s fantastic.”
She laughed. “I’ve got it just the way I want it, too—who knows, I may never want to share.”
“Good for you.”
I was impressed as I could recall spending quite a bit of time wishing for a relationship while I was single. It wasn’t that long ago that I believed no man would ever love me and that I would never have the opportunity to be a mother. Now I was about to have my daughter with the love of my life.
“Okay, here are the handsome boys!” Noella grinned as she led her sons out into the main room.
“Wow!” I clapped my hands as I looked at my nephews. “You two are going to steal the show.”
“Aunt Hanna.” Brady rolled his eyes.
“I look good!” Tyler bent his arms and pretended to flex his muscles.
“Yes, you do.” Callie laughed. “You both do. I’m glad the suits fit.”
“Thanks so much, Callie.” Noella smiled at her.
“No problem, I’m just glad to be part of all this.”
As she offered an excited smile, I couldn’t help but wonder if she really did enjoy being a part of our little circle.
Even though her face was splashed across magazine covers, that didn’t mean that she had a good group of girlfriends of her own. I was lucky to be a part of my little group of friends—my tribe as I liked to call it—and I sensed that Callie was quickly becoming part of our tribe as well. I hoped that she knew how welcomed she was.
Chapter 15
Later that day, after everything had been settled with the caterer, we all got together with Blu to go over our plans for the party that night.
“Oh, no.” She sighed as she looked at her phone. “The banquet room I booked us just cancelled due to a double booking.”
“That’s alright.” I shrugged. “We can always just hang out on the beach.”
“No, we can’t, because it’s going to rain tonight. I was just thinking how lucky it was that the rain is coming in tonight instead of tomorrow during the wedding.” She frowned.
“Don’t be upset, Blu, we’ll figure something out.” Samantha pulled out her phone. “I’m sure there’s some kind of fun we can get into if we try.”
“There always is.” Max grinned. “And don’t worry, ladies, I’m on Abby duty tonight. In fact, Garrett, if you’re okay with it, she’d love for Lily to join her.”
“That sounds great to me. I was planning on staying in with her. Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.” He smiled. “Abby loves having someone to play with. It’ll make her night.”
“Great—thanks, Max.”
“No problem.” He glanced over at Samantha. “She deserves a little fun.”
“Thanks, Max.” Samantha grinned as she hugged him.
“I still can’t believe this. I’m sure we can find some place, but that’s not the point. Why is everything
going so wrong?” Blu frowned. “I had things planned so perfectly. It feels like the universe is against this wedding.”
“Hey, don’t think that.” AJ slipped his arm around her waist. “I know it’s frustrating, but really it’s no big deal. We can have the party at the bar, can’t we?”
“But that’s where you’re having your bachelor party.”
“We’ll just combine it into one big party. Why not? We’ll have more fun if we’re together anyway.”
“No, we can’t do that.” She groaned.
“Why, were you planning on having strippers?” AJ raised an eyebrow as he grinned.
“No, of course not. But I wanted it to be just us girls—our tribe.” She looked between all of us. “Wouldn’t that be great?”
“Yes, it would, but we can still have that another time. If it makes things easier, why not just go for it?” I studied the tension in her expression. The last thing I wanted was for her to be so worried before her wedding.
AJ said, “Okay, I get that. We can always find two different places to go; I just thought it might be fun for us to share a good time. Remember we don’t have to do everything according to tradition.”
“Actually, you’re both right. I’m sorry. All this chaos is making me feel a little overwhelmed.” She kissed AJ’s cheek. “I think combining the parties is a great idea.”
“Me too.” I smiled. “It’ll be a lot of fun. Plus, I can’t wait to see all the changes you made at the bar.”
“Just a few touches.” Blu grinned.
“Don’t believe her.” AJ rolled his eyes. “She’s turned that place into a classy joint. It even has a dance floor.” He winked. “Can’t wait to get you out there on it.” He pulled her close and looked into her eyes. “And by the way, the universe has no say in any of this. I’m marrying you tomorrow, Blu. Nothing’s going to stop me.”
“That’s my guy, taking on the universe for me.” She grinned, then kissed him.
AJ was quite eager to return the kiss.
“Uh, guys.” I gestured for all of us to give them some alone time. Whether we did or not, I didn’t think that kiss was going to end anytime soon.
Then Comes Marriage Page 5
