by Cee, DW
“I can’t do that!” she suddenly answered with fake horror. “Nick is in the car!”
“Shit. Will you get off the damn phone? I don’t need to hear your sex talk.” I pulled the phone from her ear and told Donovan, “Hey. I don’t need to hear sordid details. Will you guys cut it out?”
Donovan let out his usual arrogant laugh. “Do as I did and give in. She’ll make you insanely happy. Your belly will feel full without eating, every thirst will be quenched without a sip of water, and your whole damn body will be warmed without a fire. That’s what a good woman will do for you!”
“You working for Hallmark, now? You sound like a poet—a bad poet.” I had to give in and laugh with him.
“Let me give you the same advice your brother gave me when I was fighting my attraction to that gorgeous woman sitting next to you. Don’t make her cry! It’ll come back to bite you in the ass and haunt you till you make it right.”
“With advice like that, I can see why it took so long and so much effort to win over your fiancée.”
“But in the end, I did.” Now Donovan got all Mr. Serious Lawyer on me. “Bee is very special to me. Because Grandpa had her late in life, she never had siblings. Though we treated her like a sibling, there was an unspoken distance after Grandpa died and Bee’s mom withdrew from the Taylor family. She’s strong, she’s outspoken, and she’s gifted. Don’t crush her spirit, Nick. If you don’t want a relationship with her, walk away, and do your best not to hurt my aunt too badly. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir!” I answered Donovan in mock-salute. I had to admit, what he said bothered me—a lot.
“Hi Auntie!” Laney hugged and kissed Bee in a most over-the-top manner when we arrived at her loft.
Bee rolled her eyes. “Whenever you’re extra sweet, that can only mean you need my help.” Many minutes later, when she chose to notice me, Bee grunted a greeting.
“Just a few alterations for the wedding. I thought I’d bring it over to you rather than having you trek all the way to my house. Speaking of house, I need to go buy more stuff for our house. Are you free to go to The Design Center with me? I can’t shop there unless I have my interior designer with me.” Bee and I both knew what was coming. “I’ll buy you dinner at your favorite restaurant on the Westside.” She spoke in her sweetest Cinderella voice.
“I guess you don’t need me anymore?” The front door was steps away from me, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back into our “huddle.”
“Nick.” She whined like a ten-year-old, again. “Who will take me home after dinner? I can’t ask Bee to drive me all the way home after a full day of shopping, eating, and drinking.” My nice-guy split-second hesitation spelled my doom. “OK, then! I’ll take that as a yes! Can you two excuse me for a second? I’m going to go upstairs and talk to my man about a few things. It’ll only take a few minutes, or ten.” She ran off and left us to converse.
Bee waited briefly. When she didn’t get whatever it was that she was waiting for, she went straight to her sewing machine to finish what she’d started. She left me in the middle of the room to feel like an idiot.
“You seriously going to make me stand here and twiddle my thumbs?”
The way Bee glared at me, that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Well, since the bedroom is being used by your cousin, who’s probably having phone sex with my nephew, there’s nothing else I can do for you. Isn’t that the only reason you come here?”
Dammit! This is why I don’t want a woman! “Why are you busting my ass? You’ve been like this since the morning we left London. What the hell did I do wrong?”
This comical woman went back to sewing and sewing hard. She revved up the monster-sized sewing machine as if she was driving a souped-up muscle car. If that’s how she wanted to play it, so Bee it! I wouldn’t fall prey to her mind games.
It was a long, silent ride to The Design Center, and an even longer afternoon shopping for curtain fabrics and wood samples for kitchen cabinets. I thought I might slice a finger or two on one of the heavy kitchen appliances in order to escape the inevitable trip to the marble section at this place. Why the fuck did I need to sift through different white Carrara marble samples?
“It pissed me off that you could care less that I went off with Beau. It was as if you wanted to get rid of me. It was petty of me not to speak with you since then. I was acting like a foolish woman, mad at a man who doesn’t consider me anything more than a quickie.”
Finally she spoke! But what she said hit me hard. When had I become such an asshole to this woman...any woman? I had always thought of myself as a nice guy, never stepping on anyone’s toes. Was I taking my desire for freedom too far? Regardless of what I thought about marriage, I liked this woman.
“Would it make you feel any better to know that I waited up for you till you came home, drunk, from your date with Beau?” She held her lips tight doing her damnedest not to show any emotion. “And that I paced our bedroom for a good half-hour wondering if I should force you back to our bed, or if I should just join you in yours?” Those tight lips cracked into the tiniest of smiles. “And as much as I want to strangle that Cinderella cousin of mine with her never-ending happiness, I was never gladder to be her driver and slave today so I could see you.” That did it. Her smile gave me enough of a drunken buzz to lean in and kiss her. I could see Laney’s splitting grin from my peripheral vision, but I didn’t give a damn. I’d brave the “I told you so” lecture for this sweet time with Bee.
December 23, 2013 BEE: Start Spreading the News
Who in their right mind gets married on a Wednesday? Only my pain in the ass nephew and soon-to-be-niece got married, not only on a Wednesday, but also on the biggest holiday known to humankind. Christmas! As much as I bitched about working overtime to get Laney and Donovan’s gift ready, I was thrilled for the couple. They were as perfect a pairing as Jake and Emily and Max and Jane.
Watching Laney smile every time the words Donovan, wedding, or love, came up in a conversation would melt even the most hardened cynic. As crazed as she was, two days before her wedding, I’d never seen her happier.
“I just spoke with Donovan and he says he won’t be home till the morning of the wedding!” This was now stressed-Laney talking. “He’s still negotiating a settlement for the sale of Grandfather’s company. I think I’ll have to talk to Grandfather and ask why this can’t just be done and over with.”
Barbara, Jamie, and I were putting the final touches on Laney’s wedding dress. Or better put, I was doing last minute adjustments because Laney kept losing more weight, and her mother and future mother-in-law were sitting on the couch oohing and aahing.
“He’ll be here soon. There’s no way he’s going to miss his own wedding.”
“But Ma, he hasn’t participated in this wedding at all. I’m so sad that all he’ll do is stand at the altar and say, ‘I do.’ He’s missed out on a bachelor party, my bridal shower, the dress rehearsal...who ever heard of a dress rehearsal without a groom?”
Barbara Reid and Jamie Taylor didn’t know how to ameliorate this “problem.” Laney had no idea how involved Donovan had been all the way from London. The mothers were sick and tired of getting his meddling phone calls. Even I was sick and tired of his meddling phone calls. What the hell did he know about fashion? Well...he did know a damn more than most men, but still…
“Laney. Donovan won’t care about any of the details.” Barbara rolled her eyes. “He just wants to get married to you.”
“I know, Mom. I know he’s working, but it kind of breaks my heart when he doesn’t want to talk about the wedding. He keeps changing the subject when I ask him for his opinion on anything.”
“My son is actually holding back an opinion on something?” Jamie snorted. “That’s a first.”
“You’re looking mighty pretty there, Cousin!” We all stopped dead when we heard a male voice in the house. The four of us had been together all day without a man in sight, so Nick’s whis
tle and compliment made us jump.
“Nick! You scared me! Knock, next time, will ya?” Laney only said what was on all our minds. “What brings you over?” she asked, as she not so casually looked my way. She was now sly-Laney—or perhaps, she was wanna-be sly-Laney.
“Emily says dinner’s ready.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so earlier?” Barbara led all of us in the procession across the street.
Nick and I purposely walked slowly. “I was wondering…?” he asked carefully.
“...yeah…?”
“After all this lunacy is done, I still have a couple of weeks left before school starts…”
“...and…?”
“And last year, my family spent New Year’s in New York...we have a small apartment there...though Jake has a large one overlooking Central Park that we could use...or a hotel is also an option, though it’s damn expensive at this time of the year…” He was rambling like a nervous schoolboy.
“Yes!” I did what he did to me at the design center. I stopped and kissed him in the middle of the cul-de-sac.
With mischief only Nicholas Reid could pull off, he asked, “Yeah? You’ll buy me a couple of plane tickets so I can spend New Year’s Eve in New York with this girl I’ve been seeing?”
“Really? You’re actually admitting that you’re seeing a girl? She’s not just someone you’re screwing?”
“I am and she is.” He grinned. Our bodies were still locked in make out position. “I thought we’d see how many cities we can have sex in, as a novelty. I’ve heard women want to feel special and experience many ‘firsts.’ Sex in London was a first for me, and I believe I’m a New York virgin. However, I may have to think a little harder about that one. And if things progress nicely, my Florence virginity is up for taking, too.”
I died laughing! Was this guy for real? And did he actually tell me we were seeing each other and that we’d still be together when Max and Jane got married? Un-freakin’-believable!
“Well, Nicholas Reid. In full disclosure, I may not be a New York virgin, but my Florence virginity is up for grabs just like yours. But you’ll have to be awfully good for me to want to give it to you.”
“I haven’t heard you complaining about my skills. I’m as good as they come.”
“Yeah? Prove it.” He was about to come in for another kiss when a blaring honking noise scared the shit out of us. We quickly disengaged.
Max and Jane came out of their car with an I-saw-Mommy-kissing-Santa-Claus smirk. Max walked right by us and gave Nick a “good job” kind of pat and Jane gave us two thumbs up. Not that it was a secret to any of the Reids what was going on between us, but we were still embarrassed.
“Let’s talk more later. Emily might send Ellie out to call us in for dinner.”
We didn’t exactly walk in hand-in-hand but the fact we walked in together made a huge statement for Nick.
“NICK!” Ellie rammed her body into him. “Pray?”
“It’s dinner time, Ellie. No more playing. Come sit in your chair,” Emily called her gorgeous daughter.
“Yesh, Mama.” As soon as she made her obliging statement, she casually strolled to Max and asked, “Ax! Pray?”
“Ellie!” Emily warned. “What did Mama say to you?”
“Thowry.” She skulked over to her seat and placed herself next to her brother.
The three children all sat in a row, and they were absolutely breathtaking. Ellie looked like her great grandmother, her father and her aunt. James, I was told, looked more like the Logan side of the family, though he and Ellie looked identical in many ways. And JR, who was old enough to sit in a high chair and eat something that resembled mashed up oatmeal, looked like a beautiful blend of his two siblings. The three of them would have a great time together in a couple of years.
“Ellie, do you like your flower girl dress?” Laney engaged her in a conversation. Why she tried to talk to a twenty-month-old, was beyond me. “I sent your Uncle Donovan a picture of you and he thought you looked very pretty.”
“My Unca!” Ellie let Laney know. Then she pointed her forefinger at Laney and chastised, “My Unca!” just in case we didn’t catch that high decibel the first time.
“Elizabeth...” The warning was getting stronger and the obligatory “thowry” was spoken again.
“She has a thing for Donovan.” Jake found his daughter darling as he went over and lightly bit the forefinger that was still pointing at Laney. Ellie giggled so much, her siblings looked on and Jake was “forced” to bite two more forefingers. Even JR giggled.
“What woman doesn’t have a thing for my future husband?” Laney boasted. “Oh! And there he is!” She rudely picked up her cell phone at the dinner table. “Hello, Hubby. Why are you still up at this hour?”
“Oh brother!” Doug, who was sitting next to Laney, bemoaned. “He’d get here a little sooner if you two would stop talking on the phone and finish selling the company, already!”
“Shut up, Doug!” Laney jabbed an elbow into Doug’s arm, and got up to take her call elsewhere.
“They need to get married, already. The house is turned upside down, Mom’s as crazed as Laney is, and I’m getting too many damn phone calls from my future brother-in-law with a long to-do list. When the hell is he getting over here?”
“He’ll be here soon.” Roland and Estelle walked in to dinner. It was late December, but the weather was nice enough for us to sit outside with the patio heaters on. Jake grilled steaks and I almost expected Ellie and James to hop in the pool when dinner was done. This family was the quintessential Southern California family—laid back and fun.
“Hello, there, Bee.”
“Hey, big brother,” I greeted Scott, who was also joining us for dinner. “Roland, I hear congrats are in order. I butted into Laney and Donovan’s conversation outside and I heard the good news.”
“Yes, but congrats are all for your son. He scored huge on this deal. Laney will be very happy with the surprise coming to her once they’re married.”
“What does that mean, Gimpy?”
“You shall find out after the wedding.” Roland wouldn’t divulge any more information.
“Hey,” Nick whispered. “So, New York…?”
“New York!” I agreed. “When do I need to buy tickets? Unfortunately, the guy I’m sleeping with is a poor med student. I have to be his sugar mama for the time being.”
Nick chuckled. “Merry Christmas,” were the words Nick spoke seconds before my phone dinged with an email notification of a plane ticket to New York.
New York with Nick? Definitely held mega potential!
December 26, 2013 NICK: New(s) York, Baby
What INSANITY!
Laney and Donovan got married in an over-the-top Cinderella meets Christmas wedding. Even for a marriage (non)believer like me, the wedding was beautiful and the bride and groom were deliriously happy. We all had stupid grins on our faces the entire day, no different from the bride and groom.
Aunt Babs pulled out every trick in the magic hat to make her daughter’s day unforgettable. The groom also made sure that the bride would have a wedding rivaling any royal wedding. My cousin looked stunning, the groom was his usual debonair self, and my little niece and nephew looked adorable.
Because we are the Reids, we all met up again this morning for a late breakfast with the entire clan.
“Where did all this food come from? Who cooked at this hour after going to bed at four in the morning?” I asked.
What crazy person prepared such a feast? It was almost as nice as Gram and Grandfather’s wedding breakfast. I hoped it didn’t fall upon Emily.
Aunt Barbara answered, “We thought we’d continue Jake and Emily’s tradition and have the rest of us celebrate the wedding the morning after. The caterers came and fixed us a nice brunch.”
“Are we late?” A gaggle of Taylors walked in. Their entire family was still here, and I felt like we were having another wed
ding reception.
“No Jamie,” Aunt Babs answered. “You’re here just in time.”
“Has anybody heard from the bride and groom? Have they left for their honeymoon yet?” Scott Taylor sat next to Uncle Henry and they both had silly grins on their faces. It was carry-over happiness from yesterday.
Doug and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. “I doubt they even went to bed last night.” I whispered to Doug.
Doug agreed. “The way those two have been all over each other since the moment they got together, I highly doubt we will be seeing them for weeks to come.”
“Hey,” I told Doug “I’m taking Bee to New York after this mayhem is over. Bee tells me that Laney’s friend Ruby will be in New York at around the same time. Any chance you want to come and make it a foursome?”