by Cee, DW
“You remember that next time I borrow your Louboutin heels and don’t return them.” Following Laney’s eyes, I saw that this dratted cousin of mine was wearing the heels I’d lent her for her honeymoon.
“Bitch,” I kidded.
Laney shrugged her shoulders like she didn’t give a damn, and turned to the comforts of her husband.
“Congratulations Max.” I fell into his arms as soon as we spotted one another. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Proud enough to give me a wedding night, tonight?”
Damn. That was tempting. “How about in ten nights, I’ll give you an all-night wedding extravaganza?”
Max chuckled. “You’re on, soon-to-be Mrs. Davis.”
I stepped out of the way to give everyone else a chance to congratulate my man.
This day started with what could have been a crippling mess. During the ceremony, I promised myself I wouldn’t let any circumstance get in the way of our happiness. I loved Max. Max loved me. That would be enough to surmount any battles we’d face together.
Chapter 5 Max: The Sweetest Escape
Tuscany.
What more is there to say about this breathtaking place?
This was where we would declare our everlasting love, and our eternal devotion—not that we hadn’t already declared it to one another.
When Jane explained to me all that had happened before graduation, I was damn irritated, but proud of her for not losing her mind. This wedding was going to be the early death of me. We needed to say our “I do’s” and be done already.
Jane and I flew to Italy with Roland and Gram, Jake’s family, Donovan and Laney, both sets of parents and the chief and Aunt Babs. The rest of the family were flying in throughout the week.
Because of the wedding unrest, Jane and I situated ourselves at the Belucci Villa, or currently known as the Bennington Villa. Chloe was our acting wedding coordinator. If not for her, Jane would have gone mad.
“Max. Can you come here?”
“Yes, Dear.” That was my answer to every question.
“What do you think of this consommé? The chef thought since it’s so hot, we shouldn’t have a heavy soup. Do you like it?”
“Yes, Dear.” Jane frowned at my unenthusiastic answer. “I like it.” To prove my point, I slurped until the bowl was empty—and this was after having eaten a full breakfast just minutes ago.
“Maybe we should try the gazpacho. It’s unseasonably hot this week. With our luck, it’ll be hot today, then raining on the day of our wedding. My hair will be either too frizzy from the humidity or limp from the rain.” Chloe and I looked at each other and stayed absolutely silent.
“Whatever you like, Dear.” That answer earned me a timeout in the uncooperative chair. Jane stood up and waltzed into the kitchen, leaving me to hang out with my empty bowl.
Actually, Chloe was still at the table, nearly bursting with laughter. “Are you doing all right?” She was questioning my sanity.
“Do I look all right?”
“You look remarkably unperturbed.” Still, she held back her mirth.
“I think my remarkably unremarkable appearance is what’s perturbing the bride.” That did it. Chloe was holding her stomach now, unable to stop the tears from wetting her cheeks.
When she found her composed English-self again, she complemented my soon-to-be wife. “Jane is lovely. For a bride who’s had to change venues with ten days left on her already-tight calendar, she’s doing splendidly.”
“I know. I’m trying to loosen up the bride and have her smile more. She’s even more beautiful when her lips are turned upright.”
Chloe had a strange and slightly haunted, knowing look. It was strange because we didn’t know each other. It was haunting because she appeared lost, searching for something…or someone.
“You are both blessed to have one another. I know your marriage will be an example for the rest of us.” She spoke with sincerity, but I didn’t like her feeling of hopelessness. She was young, pretty, and kind. It was a matter of time before someone understood her worth.
“Thank you.” I added carefully, “Will Michael and his family be here?”
There was an initial glow when Michael’s name was spoken. “They will all be here by Friday for your dress rehearsal. Mrs. Estelle Ascot sent out a personal invitation to the duke asking him to attend. Where the duke goes, the plane follows—which means, the rest of the family will be here with him.”
“Got it.”
“If you don’t have any other questions, I should go see if Jane needs any more help.”
“Thank you, Chloe.” I hoped she understood how integral she was to our wedding. “Jane would have been lost without you.”
“It’s nothing. I am pleased I could be of help. The duke insisted I be here the entire week to make sure every part of your wedding is perfect. He’s very fond of the Reid family.”
“And we are most grateful. If I may ask a couple more questions?”
“Of course,” she replied swiftly and enthusiastically.
“Are the wedding plans that much in arears because of the change of location?”
“Not at all. We are ready to host your wedding.”
“That’s what I thought. If I took my bride away from here for a night, would you be able to hold down the fort until she gets back?”
“Absolutely.”
“I think the longer Jane stays here, the more opportunities she has to make changes that aren’t necessary. A quick getaway may be the key to both our sanity. Any suggestions?”
“Venice? Since you have the ultimate setting on land, how about the floating city?”
“You are a wealth of information. Thank you. Could you send my bride on an ‘errand’ to the train station as soon as I make all the arrangements?”
“I sure can!”
Fabulous! This was what the doctor, namely me, would order for the nervous bride acting like a chicken with its head chopped off.
“Hey.” Donovan bumped into me as I was headed to our room.
“What brings you here?”
“Jane called Laney, at the crack of dawn, may I add, and asked her to come try the soup. Where the prego wife goes, so goes the husband.”
“Got it. Would the prego wife and protective husband like to join us on a one-night jaunt to Venice? Bridezilla needs to separate from her baby. As it is, she’s having premature labor.”
“That was clever, Doctor.” Donovan grinned. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as I can book us four tickets on the train?” I was already multitasking on the phone.
“Why do that when you have a driver? I think Venice is a couple of hours away from here.”
“Why didn’t you mention you had a car?” I let him know I was irritated.
“I thought I just did.” That smartass mug appeared.
“Let’s leave now.”
“Now? Shit. What’s the hurry? We don’t have any overnight paraphernalia.”
“Max.” Jane called from across the room. “We need to alter the flower arrangement for the tables. There are no blush-colored sweet peas here. Donovan.” She was enlisting him as well. “I’m glad you’re here. You can tell me which color table cloth would look better once we create a new arrangement.”
“We are leaving now.” He understood my pain.
“Where the hell are we going? I have a wedding to plan!” The three of us had to drag my bride away from Bennington Villa. I thought I might need to use restraints and a gag; the complaints were ceaseless.
“Don’t you have ways to make her shut up?” Donovan whispered. He knew Jane would kick his ass if she heard him.
“Not with you and Laney in the car, I don’t.” I returned the shared confidence.
“Um, Gentlemen.” Poor Laney sat in the back of the car with an irate bride. My soon-to-be cousin and I thought she would be the least harmed when we told Jane of my plans. “Where are we h
eaded? It’s approaching lunch time and the twins are getting antsy.”
“You shall be pleasantly surprised, my beautiful wife and mother of our children. Lunch is about twenty minutes away.”
“Max. I need to know when we will be back at the villa. I have so much to do.”
I was about to tell my bride not to worry, but Donovan had my back for once. “Is your dress here?” He asked the first of a series of questions.
“Yeah.”
“Max’s monkey suit, too?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Menu ready?”
“Unless I make more changes…”
“Flowers?”
“Well, there is the issue of…”
“There will always be minor issues, Jane. Flower, cake, orchestra, DJ, tables, chairs, place settings…all of those set?”
“They are.”
“Then relax. Chloe was born to be a wedding coordinator. The more changes you make, deviating from your original plans, the more regrets you’ll have. As your brother says to his she-devil of a daughter, ‘Be like Elsa and let it go.’”
We waited for Jane to crack a smile before the rest of us felt secure enough to laugh with her.
“Is this what he does to you when you get uptight?” my fiancée asked her cousin.
“Nope. All I’m gonna say is actions speak louder than words. The twins were not the result of immaculate conception.”
Who could argue with Laney?
Jane had another mini stress attack after we ferried into St. Mark’s Square. “We’re staying the night?”
Even Laney had complaints. “But we didn’t bring anything to spend the night.”
“Fear not, my fair lady.” Where Donovan led us, the women needed no more guidance. “Shall we sit and wait?” he asked me.
It took the ladies an hour to find everything they did and did not need to buy. They only stopped because Laney claimed the twins wanted to eat pasta and pizza.
By the time we sat to lunch, Jane and Laney were in fine moods.
“I love those shoes you bought. And that negligee is to die for.” Laney sighed loudly. “I can’t wait until I can wear cute clothes again. I don’t know if my skin will ever be the same after the babies are done stretching it to no-man’s-land.”
“Hey. The purse you bought instead of clothes was no consolation prize. That was a winner.”
“I know, right? It’s gorgeous in the orange, isn’t it?”
“What are the plans, here?” Donovan enjoyed watching our women talk as much as I did.
“We need to find a hotel, first. Check in. Then I figure a gondola ride before the opera?”
“Emily’s not going to be happy we left her back in Florence.” Donovan was correct.
“Are you kidding me?” Laney yelled after reading a text. “Donovan!” she exclaimed. “Did you know Nick and Bee are coming to Florence together? They were in New York and now they’re in London.”
“Yeah. Nick told me. I guess I forgot to mention it.”
“How could you forget such good news?”
“I think he’s finally come to the realization that he can’t live without her. Her accident was a blessing in disguise,” my bride added.
“They’re so cute together. I hope they get married soon. Then, we can all be married.” Laney was planning their wedding already.
“If we’re done, shall we go? We’re only here one night. Let’s go make the most of it,” I said.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, Jane didn’t mention the wedding once. We each hired our own gondola ride and rode through the back canals.
“This is so romantic,” Jane whispered and kissed my neck. She nuzzled even closer as the gondolier sang through his repertoire of Italian hits such as O sole Mio, Ava Maria, and all of Andrea Bocelli.
“Not exactly Andrea Bocelli in Lajatico.” I commented to my fiancée’s giggles.
“He’s not bad.” She defended him. “Can you believe we’re going to be man and wife in a few days?”
“In three days, we will not sleep apart, nor will any part of you be off limits.”
“We only slept apart the past week.”
“That was long enough.” My crazy woman decided last week she couldn’t take the temptation, so she decided to sleep in the guest room. Since our office / guest room only had a pull out, it was of course, me, who offered to sleep in a bed that was four inches too short for my stature. “My sole reason for bringing you here was to help you relax, but I see now there are side benefits as well. We will sleep in one bed tonight.”
“No hanky panky, all right? There are only three days left. You’ll get all the sex you want for a lifetime.” At this point, she was begging for my cooperation, more than insisting.
“All right, Jane.” She rewarded me with a kiss. “I love you, my precious Gem. Even three days seem like an eternity right now. I can’t wait to marry you and start our forever.”
My bride’s smile shined brighter than the sun. I’d do my best to make sure she felt this content the rest of her days with me.
Chapter 6 Jane: The Sweetest Gift
Max was right. I’d been too neurotic about the wedding, even when everything was finalized. With Chloe taking charge, my presence wasn’t necessary until I stood at the altar to say, “I do.”
Our quick getaway to Venice accomplished Max’s goal. I approached all aspects of my wedding with a smile and a shrug. The smile was for when things went right or wrong, and the shrug was for the times when all appeared to be going to hell. In two days, I’d marry the man of my dreams and we’d live our fairytale.
Because the set-up outside took longer than originally planned, we held our wedding rehearsal in the villa. As of a few hours ago, the Reids, Davises, and Taylors were all here. The few friends attending the wedding were flying in tomorrow.
“Hello, family.” Uncle Henry walked up to the small stage as the Reid family spokesperson. “It’s an absolute joy to have another wedding in the Reid family. When we welcomed Emily a few years back, we didn’t realize Jake’s wedding would have a domino’s effect. We hope to see at least one more wedding this year.”
Everyone turned to Nick, but it was Doug who yelled, “No pressure, Cuz.”
Our nuptials being the third of my generation, we all knew there’d be plenty of ribbing and joyful complaining.
Uncle Henry continued. “We have a wonderful tradition in our family. It started with my father, Jerry Reid, then continued by myself and then by Jake. My father was the first to marry from his generation, and he presented my mother, Estelle, with an heirloom pearl necklace.” Gram received a round of applause as she showed off the pearls from Grandpa Jerry. “I was the first to marry from my generation and I very generously gifted my bride a blue garter.” A round of boos filled the villa when Aunt Babs lifted high her gift. “Now, Jake, that showoff, presented his wife with not one, but two diamonds in the category of something old and something new.” Jake pulled his wife on stage and showed off both studs in her ears, as well as her stunning six-carat ring. This cocky action brought a round of cheers and jeers depending on the sex and marital status of each person. “My son-in-law took that challenge to new heights and my baby girl received a tiara filled with diamonds from her family, as well as her husband.” Not to be outdone by his best friend, Donovan carried his very pregnant wife up on stage to show off the pink and white diamond tiara.
“Cocky bastard!” Jake called out. Donovan only pointed at my brother and laughed. “Don’t worry, Emily, I’ll have an even bigger tiara made for you.” Jake kidded and kissed his wife.
When the cheers died down, Uncle Henry called on his daughter to start the show.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Jane, her homely cousin named Laney, and a stupid prince named Donovan.” Shit. Where the hell was she going with this story? By the stunned look on her husband’s face, I’d say Donovan had no clue he was to be
a part of this story. “Princess Jane was beloved by everyone. Whereas her grandmother favored her brother, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who the grandfather favored—Princess Jane!”
“What about all those special meals the two of us shared, Homely Cousin Laney?” Gimpy pleaded. “You’re just as special to me.”
“What about the rest of us who don’t live on the cul-de-sac, Grandfather?” Sam questioned without animosity.
“Didn’t I give you all a gift from the Ascot treasure chest? I have no favorites.”
“Uh-huh…we believe that.” We could tell Doug was not a believer.
“People. This is my fairytale. Stop interrupting.”
“Sorry, Homely Laney.” Sam stuck her tongue at our cousin and quieted down.
“No matter what her peasant cousin did to attract Stupid Prince Donovan, his focus stayed with the flash, rather than the substance.”
“Oh-ho!” The men in the group yelled. I should have been offended, but the way Laney was telling this story was so comical, all I could do was laugh.
“Princess.” Now it was Donovan’s turn to plead mercy. “Your story is all incorrect.”
“Silence!” she commanded to the uproar of everyone in the villa. “Who dares to interrupt the raconteur?”
“Ooh…she’s going French on us now. Continue, ma belle raconteur. I sure as hell am enjoying this story.” My fiancé couldn’t get enough of our past stupidity.
Laney held her giggles at bay. “One day, a mighty prince named Maximillian rode into Jane’s sunset on a very cool Harley.”
“Yeah! I love it,” Max yelled.
“His presence signaled a sunrise, a new day, but Princess Jane was too focused on Stupid Prince Donovan.”
“I can’t believe the mother of my children is breaking my heart. Pa, what do I do?” He walked over to his father and pretended to cry on his shoulder.
“You pay penance for your asshole deeds. Take it like a man!”