by Claire Adams
“Wow,” I said, seeing my mother’s perspective for the first time in a long time. “That can’t have been easy.”
Mom sighed. “I was young and naïve. I thought at the time that it was only temporary, until he got his feet on the ground. I never imagined that my whole married life would consist of playing second fiddle to his empire.”
“I don’t intend for that to be the case for me,” I assured her. “Dad ended up losing you because he didn’t have his priorities in order. But I want to learn from his mistakes. I don’t intend to lose Molly to my career. No empire is that important.”
I could see the pride in her eyes as Mom smiled at me. “I’m glad, son,” she said fondly.
At that moment, Molly walked into the lounge. She looked like she had hurried to get here. I noticed she was a little out of breath as she approached. She was wearing long white pants, a tight white shirt, and a black blazer. She looked like some chic professional out of the pages of French Vogue.
“Mrs. Larson,” Molly said, giving my mother a hug. “It’s so nice to see you after so long.”
“Please, dear,” Mom replied. “You have to start calling me Anita. Mrs. Larson is far too formal for my intended daughter-in-law.”
“Daughter-in-law,” Molly repeated, giving me a smile. “I’m going to have to get used to that.”
I laughed. “You’ve got quite a few new titles to get used to,” I said. “Not least of all is wife.”
Molly laughed and slipped in beside me as I put my arm around her shoulders. She looked radiant, and I just wanted to stare at her for a moment.
“Are you excited for the party tonight, Molly?” Mom asked.
“Very much,” she nodded. “I think Tristan and I are both in need of a good party. But most importantly, we just want to celebrate our engagement with our closest friends and our family.”
“Speaking of family,” Mom said. “Where are your parents? I’d love to say hello.”
“They’re down by the beach at the moment,” Molly told her. “But don’t worry, you’ll see them tonight at the island.”
“Excellent,” she nodded. “And Jason? Where is he?”
“He’s just arrived actually,” Molly replied. “I met him just before I got here. He’s changing in his room at the moment, but I told him to meet us here.”
Molly gave me a glance and a reassuring wink. I had spoken to Jason a few times over the last three months but we had yet to meet. Jason had assured me that as long as I treated his sister well, then he and I would never have a problem. His reaction had made me realize that using him as an excuse had just been a scapegoat for my fear.
“So tell me, Molly,” Mom was saying. “How did Tristan propose to you?”
“We were on his island—”
“Our island,” I corrected her.
She smiled. “Our island,” she said. “It was my twenty-fifth birthday, so he had cooked me this amazing Italian meal. It was the first night in days that we’d gotten to spend together, and I was already pretty happy. I had just put the dishes in the sink when I turned around to find Tristan on one knee.”
“Let’s take a look at that ring,” Mom said, holding out her hand.
Molly offered up her fingers for inspection, and Mom looked at me with obvious admiration. “You picked the ring yourself?”
“I did,” I nodded. “Do you approve?”
The ring comprised of sparkling round diamonds arranged into a perfect ball atop the sphere. “I most definitely approve,” she nodded. “When are you two thinking of having the wedding?”
Molly glanced at me. “We haven’t spoken about dates yet,” she said. “But we discussed a June wedding next year.”
“In Hawaii.”
“Of course,” I nodded. “It doesn’t make sense to get married anywhere else. It’ll have to be a beach wedding, too.”
“A beach wedding,” she repeated. She didn’t sound very happy about the idea, and Molly and I tried to suppress our laughter.
Mom was still peppering Molly with questions when I spied Jason enter the lounge out of the corner of my eye. Giving Molly a kiss on the forehead, I excused myself and walked up to him.
“Hi, brother-in-law,” I said.
Jason laughed. “That’s right, we’re going to be related now,” he said, as he leaned in gave me a short hug.
“Pretty much,” I nodded. “Pretty weird, huh?”
“Weird is one way to describe it,” he nodded. “I can’t quite believe it…you and Molly. I’ve had a few months to wrap my head around the two of you as a couple and it’s still strange to think about.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you myself,” I said, giving the apology that I’d been rehearsing for months now.
Jason smiled. “I’ll forgive you on one condition,” he said.
“Shoot.”
“Don’t you ever hurt my sister,” he said. “Because that is something I will never forgive.”
“I wouldn’t have asked her to marry me if I’d thought there was any chance of that happening,” I assured him. “I made a mistake months ago and it made me realize how much I love her and how I will never do anything to screw up what we have.”
He looked at me carefully and nodded. “You love her?”
“More than you will ever know.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“How long have you had feelings for her?”
“Uh…if I tell you, will you promise not to punch me in the face?”
He cringed. “Since she was fourteen?”
“God, no,” I said quickly. “She was sixteen when I started…seeing her differently. But I promise nothing ever happened between us until she was older.”
“How much older?”
“Eighteen,” I said. “And it was only a kiss.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“Molly never mentioned anything about a kiss to me.”
I smiled. “Why would she?”
“You have a point,” he nodded.
“So…you forgive me?” I asked. “For breaking the bro code and sleeping with your sister.”
He smiled. “Hey, if sleeping with her was all you were doing, then I’d probably be tempted to punch you,” he nodded. “But you’re marrying her—that means something completely different.”
“It does,” I agreed.
“So, your engagement party?”
“Yeah?”
“I hear it’s on some private island?”
“It is,” I smiled.
“How are we getting there?”
“I’ve hired boats to ferry the guests over there,” I said. “We wanted an intimate engagement party, so we’re only talking about twenty-thirty people.”
Jason shook his head at me. “This is so surreal… I’m at your resort to celebrate your engagement to my little sister. I would never have predicted this in a million years.”
“Your parents were thrilled,” I told him smugly.
“Of course, they would be,” he said, rolling his eyes. “They’ve always loved you. But then, you’ve always had a way with parents.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’re here, Jason.”
He clapped me on the back. “I’m glad to be here, bro,” he said. He looked towards Molly, and I turned to glance over at her, too.
“She’s a great girl, my sister,” Jason said fondly. “She’s patient and kind, and she’ll make an amazing wife.”
“I know,” I agreed wholeheartedly.
“She’s too good for you,” he said light-heartedly.
I smiled. “Oh trust me, I am aware of that. I will do my best to be the husband she deserves. And I will do my best to give her the life she deserves.”
“Good,” Jason nodded. “Because if you don’t—”
“You’ll kick my ass,” I smiled. “I know.”
“Good,” he laughed. “Then there’s only one more thing I have left to say to you.”
&nb
sp; “Which is?” I asked, with raised eyebrows.
“Congratulations,” he smiled.
Epilogue
Molly
Five Years Later
On a whim, I grabbed the now empty bowl in front of me and placed it on my stomach. I lay still as I balanced the bowl on the topmost part of my belly. Concentrating hard, I let go carefully and to my utter delight the bowl stayed firmly where I had placed it. I was smiling to myself when a particularly violent kick pushed the bowl off center it fell to the ground.
“Oh, man,” I groaned, as I reached down to try and grab the fallen bowl.
“Whoa,” Tristan said, as she rushed to retrieve it for me. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Hey,” I said, delighted to see him. It was still early evening, and he wasn’t usually done with work till about seven in the night. “What are you doing here? Did you want to change before a meeting or something?”
“Nope,” he said, setting the bowl on the table and sitting down next to me. “I came to check in on my beautiful wife and my feisty son.”
I laughed as Tristan placed his hand on my stomach. “He’s feisty alright,” I nodded. “He just kicked that bowl clean of my belly.”
Tristan laughed. “Were you trying to balance it?”
“I wasn’t trying,” I said, pretending to be affronted. “I was succeeding.”
He shook his head at me in amusement. “Are you hungry?” he asked. “Can I get you something to eat?”
“I just finished a plate of pickles and followed that up with a bowl of ice cream,” I said. “So no… I won’t be hungry for at least another fifteen minutes or so.”
He smiled. “Well then, how about we take a walk together?” he suggested.
“Sounds perfect,” I nodded.
About a year into our marriage, Tristan had renovated the space down the hall from his office and turned it into a three-bedroom luxury apartment for the two of us. We had originally intended to move into the island, but a few weekends spent there had made us realize how impractical that was. Not only did we have to make the drive down to the beach, but we also needed a boat to ferry us across in the mornings and evenings.
It was just easier to make our home in the resort itself. But neither one of us had liked the idea of living out of a hotel room indefinitely. So Tristan had created an apartment space for us that was homey, cozy, and felt very much like our little world within the resort.
Sometimes, I would even forget that if I walked outside my hall I would find myself in a resort rather than an apartment complex. Tristan held my hand and we stepped outside and made our way down to the fountain gardens. They were my favorite place to take a walk, comprised of four separate little fountains, each with their own design, statue, and story.
The plants and flowers that decorated the gardens were vibrant and beautiful, and since my maternity leave had kicked in, I’d been spending a lot of time sitting on the lounge swings, reading books, and chronicling my pregnancy in the journal I had started right after Tristan and I had discovered that I was going to have a baby.
“So, are you getting nervous?” Tristan asked. “Or just excited?”
I smiled. He asked me that question every month. “Both now,” I said. “We’re less than two months away.”
Tristan nodded, and I saw how nervous he was. “It’s going to be an adventure,” I told him, kissing him softly on the cheek.
“I know,” he nodded. “I’m just so thankful I have you. Otherwise, I would have been freaking out.”
I laughed, as we sat down on one of the lounge swings in front of the water fairy fountain. “I miss working,” I admitted.
“It’s only been a month since you stopped,” he reminded me. “Do you miss it already?”
“I do,” I nodded. “It’s so weird not to have something to do all day.”
“I thought you were looking forward to reading, writing, and binge-watching Netflix?”
“I was,” I nodded. “Then it wore off after the first week. I’ve spent the last five years working…it’s hard to get out of that rhythm.”
“Well, things are going to change a lot around here after the little tyke gets here,” Tristan said.
I nodded, in awe of the incredible change our lives were about to go through. “By the way, I asked Mom to come down next week,” I said. “I figured I could use the company, and it’ll be nice to have her around during the latter stages of my confinement.”
“No problem,” he nodded. “The guest room is ready for her whenever she comes.”
“She’s so excited,” I said. “Her first grandchild.”
“He won’t be for long,” Tristan smiled. “The way things are going with Jason and his new girlfriend, we might have more kids in the family soon.”
“They’ve only been together ten months.”
“We were together for seven before we got engaged.”
“Yes, but our love was meant to be,” I said, giving him a smile.
Tristan laughed. “It was,” he nodded, kissing my hand.
“Emma called yesterday,” I told him.
“What’s she up to?”
“She’s taking the world by storm, as we expected,” I smiled. “She’s almost done with her doctorate, which means she’s going to be a licensed therapist soon.”
“Who would have thought,” he said, shaking his head.
We were interrupted suddenly when a tall man in shorts and a bright Hawaiian shirt walked up to us. On his heels was a thin, tall woman in a swimsuit and a chic wrap-around sarong. He was one of Tristan’s investors. I had met him and his wife five years ago at another resort dinner party, and we had become good friends since then. Every year they made it a point of holidaying at the resort for at least three nights.
“Tristan, my boy,” he said, in his booming voice. “What a nice surprise to run into you here.”
“Darren,” Tristan said, standing up to shake his hand. “I was told you had arrived. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you sooner.”
“Think nothing of it,” he replied. “We know you’re busy.”
“Molly, dear,” Joanna said, coming forward to give me a hug. “Look at you; you’re about ready to pop.”
I laughed. “Not quite yet,” I said. “We still have a little time left.”
“I remember when I had Bridget and Brendan,” she said fondly. “I was so stressed out about everything that I never remembered to enjoy myself. Remember to sit back and savor this experience, it goes by so fast.”
“I will,” I promised. “How are the kids?”
“Oh, they’re not kids anymore,” Darren laughed. “Bridget’s in her sophomore year and Brendan is graduating high school next year.”
Joanna reached over and touched my stomach. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, realizing late that I might be one of those women that preferred not to have my stomach stroked.
“I don’t,” I smiled.
“Do you know what you’re having?” she asked.
“It’s a boy,” I said happily.
“Ha!” Darren said, in his booming voice. “Congratulations, a little tyke to take over the business, huh?”
“Wow, that’s a lot of pressure on my unborn son,” I said, as Tristan laughed.
“We’ll see,” he said. “It all depends on what he wants to do.”
“Have you settled on a name?” Johanna asked.
“Not yet,” I said. “We agree on one name and then the next day one of us falls out of love with it and we’re back to square one.”
“We had the same thing with our first one,” Darren nodded. “Picking names is impossible. But don’t worry, the right name will just fall into your lap when the time is right. For us, it was in the hospital after Joanna had delivered. We just looked at her, and she looked like a Bridget.”
“I’m assuming you’re having the baby here, Molly?” Joanna asked.
“Definitely,” I said. “That was never a question.”
; “How lovely, to be born in Hawaii…in a five-star resort, no less,” Joanna said. “This is one lucky child.”
“I’ll have my work cut out for me,” I smiled. “Keeping him humble and grounded.”
“If anyone can do it, you can,” Tristan said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
We spoke to Joanna and Darren for a few minutes longer, promising to have a meal with them before they left Hawaii, and then they made their way down to the beach.
Tristan kissed my nose the moment they were gone. “I should have known we wouldn’t be able to get away with a private stroll around here.”
I shrugged. “Comes with the territory,” I reminded him.
“I was thinking…”
I raised my eyebrows. “Yes?”
“I was thinking of expanding,” he admitted. “What do you think?”
I bit my lip. “Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“That’ll keep you really busy,” I said. “And I’d like you to be more present these days…for our son’s sake.”
“I agree,” he nodded. “Which is why I’m thinking of selling my other hotels.”
I blinked up at him. “Excuse me?”
“I’m running four different hotels and resorts in different parts of the States,” he explained. “It’s too much for me going forward, especially now since we’re starting a family. I don’t want to be flying back and forth and missing their milestones. So I was thinking…why not sell and focus my attention on one resort—this resort.”
“You would really consider that?” I asked in amazement.
“I have been considering it seriously over the last few months,” Tristan replied. “I want to be there for you and our family. And, I can’t do that if my attention is split.”
“Wow…that’s a lot to process,” I said honestly.
“How does it sound to you?” Tristan pressed.
“It sounds like a good idea,” I nodded. “But I don’t want you to regret anything later. Those resorts are what your father built.”
“Exactly, they’re his achievements,” I said. “Not mine. And, while I do have sentimental value attached to each of them, I need to do what’s best for my family and me. Our future is here—in Hawaii.”