by Abby Brooks
It takes everything I have to stay awake until we board the flight. Eating only makes my eyes heavier. The moment my butt touches the seat, I’m fast asleep. The welcome aboard greeting from the captain – I sleep through it. Food and beverage service – I sleep through it. Noisy damn baby whose parent must be wearing earplugs—I sleep through it. The only thing strong enough to wake me up is the jolt of the wheels touching down in Salt Lake City.
By the time we disembark the plane and my feet touch the terminal floor, I’m bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to be on vacation in Hawaii. And then, Gabe reminds me of the second leg of our flight. The one that’s seven hours long. UGH. We are sharing a still-warm-to-the-touch cinnamon and sugar soft pretzel from one of the restaurants in the airport when he leans in close. “Do you remember? This is sort of how we planned to get married. I mean…with a twist.”
Do I remember? Of course, I remember. But I’m shocked that he remembers.
I smile as I chew on a piece of pretzel. “Of course. Where do you think I got the idea from? I know we’re running away to elope, But I was determined to do whatever I could to try for our dream wedding.”
Gabe nods, seemingly pleased to know I had not forgotten either.
The flight to Honolulu is uneventful, except for the fact that I’m completely awake and ready to land before the plane even takes off. I haven’t been on a real vacation in so long. Add to that, the fact that this is Ha-freakin-waii and that I’m getting married—yeah I’m pretty much on pins and needles the entire time. We land about four PM local time and by the time we retrieve our bags and catch a taxi, I don’t know which is screaming louder, my need to eat or to sleep. I rest my head on Gabe’s shoulder as the car turns into the hotel lot. “I’m famished, how about you?”
Gabe nods as he hands the driver his fare. “I could eat. Want to be lazy and order room service?”
“Hmmm.” It sounds easy, but sometimes room service takes forever, and we didn’t fly all this way to sit in a hotel room. “Mind if we check out the hotel restaurant?”
“Not at all.” Gabe’s eyes light up when he realizes the restaurant is a steakhouse and mine light up after we enter and I get a look at the million-dollar ocean view spanning the dining area.
When our food arrives, it looks every bit as magnificent as it tastes. Gabe’s porterhouse steak is at least two inches thick. I choose the filet mignon, and I’m afraid I’ll live to regret it, because I doubt I’ll ever eat beef this tender again in my life. I place my hand on Gabe’s to get his attention, but eventually have to clear my throat and cough to get him to stop cutting at his steak long enough to notice the sun setting over the water. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for this.”
Gabe does his best to swallow the bite in his mouth, almost choking himself in the process. “Are you kidding? You don’t need to thank me. Hell, I feel like I should be apologizing to you non-stop while we’re here.”
His statement catches me off-guard. I rub his hand. “What on Earth for?”
“For being almost two decades late getting you here.”
I sit back in my seat. “No way. You don't have anything to apologize for. That's all me. I almost let my fear break us. I thank God every day that didn't happen.”
We finish our meal, and we both agree we’re too tired for dessert. However, decadent it may be, we’re dead on our feet and ready for bed. Besides, we have to be up early tomorrow. I phone the front desk to request a wake-up call at four thirty while Gabe showers. We sleep soundly, cuddled up together in the center of the king-sized bed, but with lights out by seven, even with a full night’s sleep, we’re up and moving by three AM.
To make it work, we had to schedule a dream vacation into five days (including travel), but considering we only came up with the idea a month ago, and Christmas is eight days away, sacrifices had to be made. Sacrifice—ha. The weather forecast for the next few days is around eighty degrees with a nice breeze and no chance of rain. Some sacrifice.
No one back home knows where we are, or why, only that Gabe and I are taking a week for ourselves before the baby comes. After seeing how busy Chet and Christy are, like all the time, Gabe thought eloping seemed like the best way to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a big wedding with the man of my dreams. Daddy walking me down the aisle, and all that. But after the drama with Leo at Chet and Christy’s wedding—well let’s just say that experience left its mark on Gabe. Besides, this way he and I get to have the honeymoon we always dreamed of, without any distractions.
Gabe tosses one of our suitcases onto the bed. “I thought I had everything we needed for today packed in here.” He frantically pulls everything out and dumps it onto the bed. “I can’t find your dress. What the hell?”
“Hey.” I try to get his attention, but he doesn’t look up from the suitcase. I clear my throat and try again. “Hey. Are you looking for that?” I point to the closet where my dress is hanging.
Gabe sighs in relief. “When did you do that? We’ve been together the entire time.”
I laugh. “You did take a shower, you know. I pulled it out to hang overnight—you know, give any wrinkles time to relax back out of the fabric.”
“You didn’t happen to do the same with my slacks and shirt did you?”
I nod. “Of course, I did.”
Gabe pushes the items he just yanked from the suitcase out of his way and lays back on the bed. “Okay then, we don’t have to be there until six thirty. What do we do for the next three hours?”
“I can think of one thing.” I smile. “But we’re going to need to clear the bed.”
Gabe grins. “One last time as single people?” He sits up and throws everything back into the suitcase and tosses it onto the floor.
When I receive my cue, I step down onto the sandy beach and begin my walk towards Gabe and the reverend. The sun is still obscured behind the rocks of the coast, but its early rays reflect off the clouds illuminating everything on the beach with a golden hue. Gabe’s eyes are locked on me as I walk to him. When I take my place across from him, it takes everything I have not to cry. The service is simple and ten minutes later I look Gabe in the eyes and say, “I do.” The reverend smiles and pronounces, “You may now kiss the bride. ” And with that, Gabe places his hands on my cheeks, pulls my face to his, and kisses me.
“Oh my God. We did it. We’re married,” I whisper as we pose for pictures.
Gabe squeezes my hand and whispers back, “Bout time.” He smiles.
We spend the rest of the morning laying around being beach bums, drinking up the sunshine and enjoying the view. After an early lunch and a nap, we head back out to the beach to kayak in the ocean. The views are so surreal, I have to keep reminding myself this is not a dream. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, and I know that, as much as I love the scenery and the pampering, none of that has anything to do with the way I feel. I owe one hundred percent of that to the man I’m with. My best friend and partner. My husband.
Over the course of the next two and a half days, Gabe and I try to fit in as much sightseeing as we can stand. We take a snorkeling cruise where we get to watch dolphins and turtles. We parasail. We take a helicopter tour of a volcano. And, on our last evening, we attend a luau. By the time we arrive at the airport to fly home, both of us are completely exhausted. But I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
After we’ve boarded the plane and settled into our seats, Gabe leans over. “So, when should we expect the photos and video?”
“I don’t know exactly. The photographer said she’d send us a link to view them in a couple of weeks. Why?”
He frowns. “You know we’re going to catch ten different kinds of hell for this. The longer we have to wait to share the video, the worse it’s going to be.”
He’s right. I have purposefully blocked myself from thinking about Colorado as much as possible, because I know we risk being excommunicated by our families when we get home.
“Well…” I wrap my fingers t
hrough this. “If anyone in my family has something to say, they best keep it to themselves.”
Gabe smiles and twists our hands to see the wedding band on my finger. “Spoken like a true Wilde.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gabe
“It’s time to push again,” Dr. Lee says.
“Okay, come on beautiful, you can do it.” I stand at the head of the bed next to Meredith. Reluctantly, she lifts back up onto her elbows as she begins her breathing technique again. Looking up at me, tears fill her eyes.
“I don’t think I can do it anymore. I’m so tired.”
She must be exhausted. The woman’s been in labor for almost seven hours and she has been a real trooper through it all. “Doll, I know. And you have done such an amazing job. We’re almost there, the doctor says it won’t be long now.” I pull a strand of hair out of her eyes and wrap it behind her ear.
As I stand beside her, in awe of the pain and sacrifice she is going through for our family, my eyes glimpse the wedding band on her finger and I’m caught by how far away that seems now. She’s my wife, and it feels like she has been forever. It’s hard to believe that not even two months ago we came home and broke the news about eloping to our family (twice). Mom took it better than Janet, but neither woman seemed thrilled to learn there was no wedding to plan. Thankfully, Meredith had already thought through the situation and immediately invited both women into the delivery room.
Lucky me.
So, instead of having my undivided attention focused on Meredith’s every need, I’ve spent most of the day actively trying to avoid awkward eye contact with either mother-in-law.
A nurse snaps at me. “Dad, I need you to come down here and hold a leg for mom. Now. The baby’s coming.”
Holy shit. The baby is coming?
Dr. Lee looks up. “Okay, let’s give one more, really big push. Come on Mom, it’s like you’re pushing her down her first slide.” He chuckles to himself and I roll my eyes as I look back at Mer, humbled. Knowing she’s in agony and there is nothing I can do to ease her burden kills me. And—at the same time—I see a strength in her that overwhelms me with pride.
The doctor is right. We must have been close to the end, because after only a couple minutes of pushing, we hear our daughter cry for the first time. Before I’ve had a chance to make sense of it all, a nurse asks if I want to cut the umbilical cord. Remember how I hate the sight of blood? Well, if I had known to expect the offer, I probably would have passed out at the sight of the scissors, but in this moment, all hopped up with pride and relief and joy, I take those scissors and do the job. Oh God, I can never think about this again.
When I finish, the nurse holding our beautiful baby girl turns to take her away. “Hey, where are you taking her?” I ask.
Dr. Lee removes his gloves and pulls his mask down. “Don’t worry. She’s just cleaning her up and getting her measurements. She’ll be delivered safely into mom’s arms in a second.” He chuckles to himself. “Delivered. I didn’t even mean to do that.”
Janet wipes at the tears in her eyes as she comes over to me. “Good job, Daddy,” she says as she embraces me. She places a hand on her daughter’s leg. “And you. Oh sweetheart, you did great. Really, great. I can’t believe my baby has a baby.”
As promised by the doctor, a few moments later the nurse delivers a bundle of blankets wearing a pink hat into Meredith’s arms. “She’s seven pounds, six ounces. And nineteen inches long.”
“Is that good?”
The nurse smiles. “Very good.”
Mom and Janet flock to either side of the bed to get a peek. Mom looks back at me and motions to a spot beside her. “Why don’t you come say hello to your baby girl?”
A baby girl? Every unsavory thought I’ve ever had about a woman races in front of me. Boys! She’s going to have to deal with boys. Oh my God. I mean, I knew it, but the realization that they could be as terrible as I have been never really hit me until now. In a weird sort of way, I feel like I understand Jim Still for the first time.
Janet steps back from the bed. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’m going to share the news with everyone in the waiting room. Do you feel like having company for a few minutes?”
Mom speaks up. “We won’t let anyone linger too long. We promise.”
Prepared to say no, I look to Meredith. After everything she’s been through, she deserves some rest. To my surprise, she looks down at our baby and smiles. “Of course.”
“Really? Are you sure, Doll?”
“Absolutely. Everyone’s been waiting months to meet this girl.”
Mom and Janet scurry out of the room and I lean over the bed and kiss Meredith on her forehead. “Are you sure you’re sure?”
She smiles again. “Look how beautiful she is, Daddy. Our little Gabrielle.”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?”
“That was always supposed to be the name if we had a girl. Don’t you remember?”
I sit on the edge of the bed. “How many times over the last few months have we talked about names? And how many names have I suggested? Why didn’t you mention it before now?”
“Because I was afraid you’d try to talk me out of it.” Meredith winks. “But I love it. And I love the idea of her growing up to be strong and independent, like her Daddy. So? What do you think?”
Strong and independent? Those are traits she’s going to need if she’s going to stand up for herself. I rub my chin. “We can call her Gabby?”
Christy pokes her head through the door, “Knock, knock. Okay if we come in?”
I nod. “Sure. Come on in and meet your niece.”
Christy squirts some hand sanitizer from the dispenser mounted on the wall into her hand and hustles over to Meredith’s side as Chet strolls in behind her. He stops beside me and extends his hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I say as we shake. “Where’s Logan?”
“Mom’s out there watching him.”
Christy’s voice practically jumps into the stratosphere. “Oh my goodness. Happy birthday little girl. Happy birthday to you.”
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now. “What day is it? ” I whisper to Chet.
“The eighteenth.”
“Thanks. February eighteenth. There’s a date that’ll be forever etched into my head.”
Chet smiles. “If she’d come a few days earlier, it would’ve put a whole new spin on Valentine’s day.”
I sigh. “Nah, today is perfect. She shouldn’t have to share her special day with anyone else.”
After a few minutes, there’s another knock at the door. Meredith’s brother Mark and his wife stand outside. Chet calls to his wife. “Come on Doc, time to let someone else have a turn.”
Christy frowns and hands the baby back to Meredith. “Alright, we better go. Your mothers asked us to keep it to only a couple people at a time, so you aren’t overwhelmed.”
Mark and Jenn echo Chet and Christy in their well wishes and conversation. They ask about the delivery, and go on and on about how beautiful the baby is. Like clockwork, a few minutes later Janet knocks on the door with Jim and James in tow behind her. “They got here as fast as they could. Mind if they have a turn?”
Mark nods, acknowledging his mother as he and Jenn say their goodbyes. On his way out, Mark places a hand on his father’s shoulder and smiles. Jim wipes his nose with his handkerchief, and does his best to hide wiping the tears in his eyes. “Your mother tells us this little one really put up a fight,” Jim says as he and James sterilize their hands.
“She was amazing. She did everything right. Just like we practiced,” I say.
Meredith turns the baby, allowing Jim to see his granddaughter. A smile spreads across his face and he snorts as he tries to contain his emotions. He looks back at me. “Now you are responsible for two of the most important women in my life.”
Oh God, really? We’re going to do this now?
Jim gulps. “But I know you’re up
for the job. And I’ll be here to help you.” He looks back to Meredith and the baby. “All of you. Whenever you need it. However I’m able.”
Now I’m the one trying to control my emotions. I can honestly say, I did not see that coming. “Thanks, Jim. That means a lot.”
Jim looks back at me and his smile falls. “Call me Dad.”
I don’t know how to react to that. Shocked, I look to Meredith. She seems as surprised by the comment as I am, but nods her head towards her father, urging me to say something.
“Wow. Thanks. Dad.”
Jim smiles, pleased to hear the word. He steps forward and throws his arms around my body, hugging me, just like the day I asked him to marry his daughter. It’s every bit as awkward, and I still have no clue how I’m supposed to respond, so I wrap my arm around him and pat his back.
“Alright Dad, these two could probably use some rest. Don’t you think?” James taps his father on the shoulder, breaking our uncomfortable embrace. He nods at me, and I give him a thousand thank-yous with my eyes.
The next few days pass in a whirlwind. Gabby stays in the room with us as much as possible, so Mer and I can get used to feeding and changing diapers. But two days later, we’re strapping her into her brand-new pumpkin seat, and heading home.
A family.
Epilogue
Hank
Gabe really lucked out finding Meredith again after all that time. Yeah, it was a complete surprise to everyone. When they broke up before he left for college, the whole family knew Gabe would never find another woman who loved him as much as she did. But, that boy’s always been lucky. Football, girls, you name it.
If he had asked me what I thought his chances were with her…after all that time? I’d have told him his odds were—well, I don’t know, but it would have been a ridiculously big number, and I would have thrown some serious cash on that bet too (which, thankfully I didn’t, because it’s cash I would’ve lost). I didn’t think anyone, even Gabe, could pull off a long shot like that.