Clara in the Caribbean (Clara Andrews Series - Book 6)

by Lacey London

  Nodding as she attempts to wipe her eyes, she erupts into giggles as Gina and Eve throw themselves into the scrum. Trying to compose herself, she bats us away and holds a napkin under her eyes. The sea breeze blows her hair as she pads across the balcony and leans over the railing before turning back to face us.

  ‘I just want to say the biggest thank you possible to all of you. I know that this isn’t the most conventional way to do things and I know that none of you would probably even dream of doing things this way.’

  ‘When have you ever done anything the conventional way?’ Gina cackles, causing us all to burst into laughter.

  Putting down her glass, Lianna lets out a giggle and shakes her head. ‘Exactly, but I can’t thank you enough for not judging me, for this or for any of the other Lianna-esque things that I get myself into.’

  Eve and Gina rush over and envelope Li into a huge bear hug. A lump forms in my throat and before I can stop it from happening, tears spill down my cheeks. Not wanting to speak in case I erupt into a blubbering mess, I resort to raising my empty glass to the sky.

  ‘To, Lianna. You smile, I smile. You cry, I cry. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy.’ Gina and Eve scramble around for their glasses and hold them against mine. ‘You’re my best friend and I love you.’ I flash her a wink and swallow the lump in my throat. ‘To Lianna.’

  ‘To Lianna…’

  In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take…

  Chapter 18

  The first thing that hits me when I peel open my eyes is the sun blaring through the huge floor to ceiling windows. The second thing that hits me is the fact that Lianna’s ridiculously knobbly knees are wedged into my back. Stretching my arms out above my head, I let out a lion worthy yawn and lift my head up before letting it crash back down onto the plush pillow. My eyes automatically close again and I allow myself a few moments of delicious snoozing before forcing myself to roll over.

  Lianna looks so incredibly angelic as she sleeps that I almost don’t want to wake her. Curled up into a tiny ball with her long blonde hair sprawled out behind her she could pass for a child. Well, long limbs and belly button piercing aside. I strain my ears and try to work out if the others are awake. Judging by the snoring that it is drifting through the walls, I can safely say that at least one of them is still in the land of nod. I’d put my money on Gina.

  Kicking off the sheets, I twist my hair into something that can only resemble a bird’s nest and pad across the warm tiles. Grabbing my sunglasses from the dressing table, I push open the balcony doors and collapse into a chair. It is still early in the morning, but the sun is already in full bloom. For once, the water is serenely still, as though it knows that something monumental is happening today. It’s certainly a beautiful day for a wedding, that’s for sure.

  I look out at the soft white sand and find myself wondering how many weddings have happened here, how many couples keep this place safe in their heart and how many times the ocean has heard those iconic words, I do.

  Checking my watch, I am suddenly reminded of just how much we have to do and decide to wake the troops. Making my way back inside, I drop down onto the bed besides Lianna and tap her arm gently.

  ‘Li…’ Waiting for her to stir, I give her a minute before resorting to a sharp nudge. ‘Li, time to wake up.’

  Not getting the response that I wanted, I bounce up and down on the bed before shaking her firmly. ‘Lianna!’ I whisper, a little louder than I anticipated.

  Moving her hair out of her face, I let out a laugh when I realise that she has been drooling into her pillow. Only Lianna could sleep like a bloody baby the night before her own wedding. Most women spend the eve of their wedding tossing and turning, having cold sweats about the millions of things that could possibly go wrong.

  I am debating throwing a jug of water on her when she wakes herself up with her own snoring. Letting out a moan, she screws up her nose and tugs the sheets back over her head.

  ‘Lianna!’ I yell, jumping onto the bed and dragging the covers away from her. ‘It’s your wedding day! You have to get up!’

  Kicking her legs around like an angry toddler, she curls up into the foetal position and covers her face with her hair. ‘Just five more minutes…’

  You have got to be kidding me. Throwing open the drapes, I pad across the room and knock on Eve’s bedroom door. Not getting a response, I let myself in and wander over to the bed. Surprised to find it empty, I pad around the room and follow the sound of laughter out onto the balcony.

  ‘You’re finally up then.’ I shield my eyes from the sun and lean on the back of Eve’s chair.

  ‘We have been up for hours, actually.' Gina sticks her tongue out and stretches out her legs.

  ‘Really?’ I ask, creasing my brow into a frown. ‘Well in that case, you had better call down to housekeeping and get them to remove the piglet that I heard snoring before.’

  Eve lets out a giggle as Gina reaches behind her chair and smacks my arm playfully.

  ‘Where’s the bride to be?’ Gina asks, looking down at her wrist for her watch and realising it’s not there.

  ‘The future Mrs Clarke is still in the land of nod.’ Scratching my head, I motion towards the bedroom. ‘Despite my numerous attempts get her up, she begged or rather growled for five more minutes.’

  ‘Well, she can’t have five more minutes!’ Eve shrieks. ‘She’s getting married today!’

  ‘Really? Someone should have mentioned that earlier…’ Rolling her eyes, Gina pushes herself to her feet and pads back inside. ‘I’ll get her up.’

  ‘Let’s all go.’ Eve declares, chasing after Gina and tugging me with her.

  Turning on the television as we pass, I manage to flick to the music channels before Eve pulls me into the bedroom. Blissfully unaware that she is being surrounded, Lianna snores away in her pit like a happy puppy.

  Upbeat reggae music fills the room as Gina gives Lianna a swift dig in the ribs. ‘Come on, Miss Edwards. It’s time to get married…’

  * * *

  ‘You can’t be serious?’ Eve gasps, shaking her head in disbelief as Lianna swings into a burger joint and pulls on the handbrake. ‘You can’t have a bloody cheeseburger for breakfast!’

  ‘I can and I will.’ Unbuckling her seatbelt, she flashes us a smile and winks before diving out of the car. ‘Anyone want anything?’

  ‘It’s your wedding day!’ Eve protests loudly. ‘We should be having smoked salmon, croissants and Champagne! Looking at Gina and I for backup, she motions for Li to get back into the car.

  ‘I don’t want smoked salmon.’ Lifting her vest top to scratch her belly, Li screws up her nose and adjusts her shorts. ‘Last chance, does anyone want anything?’

  ‘I guess I could eat a burger.’ Gina sighs, sliding across the seat and making a grab for her handbag. ‘Clara?’

  Not daring to look Eve in the eye, I shrug my shoulders and push open the car door. Eve’s cheeks turn pink as she realises that she’s outnumbered.

  ‘It’s her day.’ I whisper, jumping onto the pavement. ‘Just let her do it her way.’

  Finally relenting, Eve lets out a sigh and steps out of the car. A cheeseburger with fries isn’t the most traditional wedding breakfast in the world, but it couldn’t be more Lianna if it tried. Traipsing across the car park, I intentionally keep a few steps behind as my mobile vibrates in my back pocket. Handing Eve my purse, I ask her to grab me anything and flip open the handset.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hey.’ Oliver’s familiar voice comes down the line bringing an automatic smile to my face. ‘Where are you guys at?’

  After confirming that we survived the hen night and that we are indeed on our way, I quiz Oliver about how things are holding up at his end. Call me sceptical, but the idea of Oliver, Marc and Owen being solely responsible for getting themselves and four kids wedding ready makes me nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I spot Lianna making her way back to the car with more paper bags tha
n she can carry. Quickly saying our goodbyes, I shove my handset into my pocket and rush over to give her a hand.

  ‘Who was on the phone?’ She asks, passing me a tray of drinks.

  ‘Oliver.’

  ‘Everything’s OK… isn’t it?’ Her smile momentarily freezes as she rests the mountain of the food on the bonnet of the car.

  ‘Yes! Everything’s fine.’ I flash her a reassuring smile and dive in for a handful of fries. ‘You’re the bride. As long as you are OK, everything else will be.’

  ‘Great!’ Her cheeks colour up for a second before she shakes off the embarrassment.

  ‘You are OK, aren’t you?’ I eye up my best friend as the four of us climb back into the car.

  ‘I’m getting married today.’ She flashes me a huge smile as she fires up the engine. ‘Of course I am OK.’

  As we pull out into the road, I dive into my cheeseburger and watch the world whizz by. Of all of the ways I imagined Lianna would get married, this never crossed my mind. I have to admit that her calmness is unnerving me a little. Has there been a bride in history who has a lie in the morning of her wedding and devours cheeseburgers a few hours before the ceremony? I think not. Looking at her now, her hair blowing in her face as she licks relish from her little finger, I don’t think I have ever seen her be more serene and well, happy.

  Palm trees fly past the window as Lianna flicks on the radio and signals left. It’s hard to believe that she’s getting married, today, in a matter of hours. I’ve never known a wedding like it. Momentarily losing myself in my cheeseburger, I take a huge bite and lean over to steal one of Gina’s chips. Batting my hands away, she stuffs the last of her wrap into her mouth as Lianna slams on the brakes. Looking up to see Eve’s familiar gates, I let out a laugh as Eve crawls over Li’s knee to punch in the passcode.

  Straining my neck for a better view, I am surprised to see that everything seems surprisingly calm. There’s no children running around, no stressed out dads losing their cool… it seems a little too good to be true. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I grab the now empty paper bags and slide across the hot leather seat.

  ‘Right, ladies. We have got a lot of work to do to get this one bridal ready.’ Eve marches off ahead and wags her finger at Lianna. ‘No offence.’

  ‘None taken.’ Lianna rolls her eyes and links her arm through mine.

  ‘I’m thinking hair first and then we’ll do your make-up.’ Eve pushes her way inside and drops her bag onto the table with a clatter.

  Following her into the villa, I dump my overnight bag and head off in search of Oliver. Thankfully, it doesn’t take me long to find them. Tracing the lovely sound of children’s laughter, I push open the games room door to find Oliver, Owen, Marc and the kids.

  ‘Oh… You’re all dressed.’ I bend down to pick up Noah and let out a surprised laugh. ‘I am very impressed.’

  ‘What did you expect?’ Marc asks, holding up Melrose to show off her pretty pink dress.

  ‘To be honest, I thought we might come back to chaos.’ Planting a kiss on Oliver’s cheek, I smile at Madison as she twirls around for me. ‘Well done, guys! You all look fantastic!’

  They really do. Madison and Melrose have matching pink ballerina dresses on whilst Noah and MJ look ridiculously cute in their linen trouser suits. Oliver, Owen and Marc are also rocking the laid back Caribbean look in chinos and short sleeved shirts. I have to admit that they all look perfect, well, Madison’s hair aside. Not surprisingly for three men, they have resorted to twisting her hair into a messy knot and throwing one too many sparkly clips into the mix.

  ‘Eve will be very happy.’ Nodding in approval, I step aside as Eve squeezes in behind me.

  ‘Awwh’ Clasping her hands to her heart, she lets out a squeal as MJ jumps into her arms. ‘You all look amazing!’

  ‘Let me see!’ Gina yells, pushing her way to the front. Wolf whistling loudly, she plucks Melrose from Marc.

  ‘Mummy!’ Madison yells, taking a running jump at Gina. ‘Look at my dress.’

  ‘Wow! Very pretty!’ She whistles as Madison dances around before frowning as she takes in her odd hairstyle. ‘Who did your hair Madison?’

  ‘Me!’ She smiles proudly and points to her head.

  ‘That explains it, come with me.’ Handing Melrose back to Marc, she takes Madison and leads her into the living room.

  ‘Where’s Li?’ Oliver asks, straightening out his collar.

  ‘Did someone say my name?’ Popping her head around the door, she breaks into a smile as she takes in everyone’s outfits.

  Owen breaks into a chorus of Here Comes the Bride and it’s not long before we all join in. Covering her face with her hands, she blushes a violent shade of purple and lets out an embarrassed cough.

  ‘Has anyone heard from Vernon? She asks, in a desperate bid to change the subject.

  Oliver nods and squeezes her shoulders. ‘He’s down at The Hangout with his folks. Have you not spoke to him?’

  ‘No, I wanted to keep it traditional.’

  ‘Traditional?’ I let out a laugh and bounce Noah on my hip. ‘Nothing about today is traditional.’

  Sticking her tongue out, she takes Noah from me and blows a raspberry on his stomach.

  ‘Have you guys eaten?’ Owen asks, motioning to the kitchen. ‘We have had omelettes, but I thought you might want something more luxurious with it being your wedding day.’

  Eve, Lianna and I exchange glances before bursting into hysterics.

  ‘What?’ Marc asks, looking at the three of us as though we have lost our minds.

  Trying to compose myself, I shake my head and shove the fast food receipt that is hanging out of Lianna’s pocket out of sight.

  ‘It’s OK. We already ate…’

  * * *

  This cannot be happening. Tugging at the zip, I pull as hard as I possibly can before looking at Eve and shaking my head.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Lianna mumbles, sounding totally not bothered. ‘I will wear something else.’

  ‘You can’t wear something else! This is your wedding dress!’ Eve pushes me out of the way and attempts to fasten the zip that is at least two inches away from fitting. ‘I told you that you should have tried it on!’

  Rubbing my throbbing temples, I try to stop the panic that is building in my stomach. We have been trying to get Lianna into her dress for the best part of an hour and I am now more confident than ever that it just isn’t going to fit.

  ‘Honestly, I’m… I don’t care.’ Wiggling out of the too tight dress, Lianna reaches for a towel and wanders over to the wardrobe.

  With her hair beautifully twisted into a classic chignon at the nape of her neck and her makeup totally flawless, she looks so stunningly beautiful. She could walk down the aisle in that very towel and still take everyone’s breath away.

  Gina bites her nails anxiously and I slap her on the arm. Grubby nails aren’t going to help anyone right now. As Eve frantically attempts to magically make the dress a size larger, I look down at my watch and feel my stomach churn. We’ve got fifteen minutes until we absolutely have to leave. Thankfully the boys left with the kids an hour earlier, so all we have to do is get Lianna to The Hangout on time. This sounded so much easier just sixty minutes ago.

  ‘Li?’ I whisper, tapping her on the shoulder gently.

  Spinning around to face me, she fiddles with her earrings and smiles. ‘Yes?’

  Pursing my lips, I look at Gina for help. ‘What are you looking for?’

  ‘A dress, I guess…’ Screwing up her nose, she flicks through the rails and pulls out a beige pencil dress. ‘What about this?’

  Shaking my head, I start to feel a little sick. What the hell are we going to do? Li is getting married in less than an hour and her dress doesn’t bloody fit! It was those damn burgers I know it! Slowly counting to ten to stop myself from having a panic attack, I look down at my beautiful blue gown. We have to get changed, I decide. There’s no way we can walk down the aisle like prom queens whilst
the bride wears a tight mini dress.

  ‘I’ve got an idea.’ Eve mumbles, holding up the dress. ‘What if we put a slash down the other side and we say that it’s a cut out design? You know, like a high end, risqué, couture…’ She trails off into silence as Lianna shakes her head.

  ‘We’re not cutting it up.’ Li laughs and perches on the end of the bed. ‘Honestly, I’m really not bothered. I told you from the start that I didn’t care what I wore.’

  The most worrying thing of all is that I genuinely believe her. Since she had her first glass of fizz whilst Eve did her hair, all she has talked about is how she can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with Vernon. I completely believe that she would marry him in a bin liner.

  Grabbing a bottle of bubbles from the dressing table, Eve swigs straight from the bottle and exhales loudly.

  ‘OK. We’ve got nine minutes.’ Pulling Gina and I to one side, she puts on her serious face and hands around the fizz. ‘We need to find everything and anything that we have which is white and we need to find it quick…’

  * * *

  ‘You look incredible.’ Holding a tissue to my eyes, I try and fail to stop the tears from falling.

  ‘Do I really?’ A flash of nerves washes across her face as she fiddles with her veil.

  Not wanting to risk opening my mouth in case I turn into a blubbering mess, I resort to a swift nod of the head before pulling her in and squeezing her tight.

  Only Lianna could pull this off. After the most intense ten minutes of my life, we managed to transform Lianna into the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. Anyone else would look ridiculous walking down the aisle in a five-hundred-dollar swimsuit, but somehow, Lianna manages to pull it off perfectly. The striking ice white swimming costume, if you can call it that, is emblazoned with a thousand Swarovski crystals and fits her like a glove. Seriously, it was like it was made for her.