An Island Christmas Wedding: A Novella

by Susan Coventry

  Jess clung to his shoulders and moaned, “Don’t you dare!”

  Shane smiled as he continued to tantalize her. “I missed you today,” he said.

  “Really? We’re going to talk now?”

  “Tell me you missed me too, and then I’ll shut up.”

  Shane was swirling his finger around in such a way that her head was starting to spin. “I missed you…ooohhh…like…ooohhh…crazy!”

  It didn’t take long for Jess to fall apart in his arms, and she rode out her climax until she went limp. Shane hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist while he hurriedly unzipped his pants. He carried her to the bed and sat down so that she was straddling him. “This way, we won’t mess up your hair,” he said as he slid his erection through her dampness.

  Jess’s eyes went big as she remembered, but Shane thought it was a reaction to his manhood. “I love how you’re looking at me right now,” he said.

  “No, I mean I love what I see, but I was thinking that maybe we should get a condom.”

  “Oh,” Shane said, and he was about to move out from under her, but then she changed her mind.

  “You know what? Never mind. Keep going.” He looked at her quizzically for a moment, but then she took matters into her own hands—literally! Kneeling up, she guided him inside, and then she slowly slid down until he was fully rooted.

  Bracing her hands on his muscular shoulders, Jess moved up and down, increasing her pace as she saw that he was getting near.

  “Jess…my God!”

  It didn’t take long for Shane to reach his climax, but there was no time for afterplay, and they both hurried to clean up.

  As Jess was straightening her clothes, Shane said, “I guess we haven’t been using a condom much lately, have we?”

  Jess froze for a second, but she quickly collected herself. “I guess not.”

  “Are you worried about it?” he asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Should I be?” she countered, peering deep into his eyes.

  Shane shrugged. “I’m not. If it happens, it happens. I’m prepared to handle it.”

  I wish I was, she thought, but she smiled up at him. “Good to know, but we really need to get downstairs now!”

  “Ok, ok,” he said, laughing as they went out the door.

  When they were alone in the elevator, Jess ran her hands down the front of her dress for the umpteenth time. “Are you sure I don’t look like I just had sex?”

  Shane leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. “I promise you that nobody will be able to tell.”

  The minute they stepped off the elevator, Shane’s theory was proved wrong. Hannah and Ty were standing there waiting for them, and Hannah immediately said, “You two just had sex, didn’t you?”

  Jess gaped at Hannah and then turned to see Shane wiggling his eyebrows. She gave him a playful shove. “See,” she said, and she stomped off, leaving the rest of them to follow behind.

  When the four of them stepped outside, they found their families waiting for them, including Ty’s parents and his sister and brother-in-law, who had arrived earlier that day. Greetings were exchanged all around, and then they proceeded down the cement path that wove among beautiful gardens, until they reached the spot where their weddings would take place.

  The scene was something right out of a fairy tale—the white gazebo with the thatched roof overlooking the spectacular blue ocean, its waves lapping rhythmically against the shore. Palm trees framed the gazebo, their fronds swaying gently on the island breeze, and a dark-green, neatly manicured hedge row separated the gazebo from the beach.

  White folding chairs were already in place for the wedding guests, and the minister awaited them underneath the gazebo. Shane squeezed Jess’s damp hand as they approached the minister, and he whispered, “Nervous?”

  Jess shook her head. “Just excited.” And she was. Now that the wedding was finally becoming a reality, her nerves had been replaced with joyful anticipation. By this time tomorrow, she would Mrs. Jessica DeMarco, and she couldn’t wait.

  “Welcome, welcome, everyone,” the minister said as they all gathered around. The minister, Paul, was a gray-haired man with wire-framed glasses and a sweet, round face. Hannah and Jess had asked for recommendations from the hotel wedding planner, and she had suggested him. After speaking to Paul via Facetime, Hannah and Jess had agreed that they wanted him to officiate at their weddings. His kind, gentle manner had immediately put them at ease.

  “Family members, you’re welcome to take a seat while we get the rehearsal under way. Brides, grooms, and attendants get to stand up here with me.”

  As the family got seated, Paul pointed out the spots where the six of them were to stand. Jess and Hannah took center stage with their grooms on either side of them. Beth and Matt were to stand slightly behind the foursome. Once they got into position, Paul began to recite the order of events.

  Jess had been to enough weddings to know the basics, but she found herself hanging on to his every word, like she was an actress trying to memorize her lines. Shane gave her hand another squeeze, and when she glanced his way, he had the most blissful smile on his face, and it instantly calmed her.

  When Paul instructed them to turn around and face the audience, Jess noticed that each of their family members wore similar smiles. A lump immediately formed in her throat as she looked around at all the people who were there for them, all the people she loved and who loved her in return. It was almost more than she could take, and she choked back the tears that threatened to spill over.

  As they practiced walking back down the aisle, she wondered if her emotional state was due to her upcoming nuptials or if it had to do with being pregnant. Hannah was right—Jess wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait to find out.

  After the rehearsal, everyone filed into the hotel restaurant for dinner. The DeMarcos had reserved a private room for the rehearsal dinner and for the wedding celebration the following day. The room was softly lit and intimate, and large windows afforded magnificent views of the hotel grounds and the beach. It was hard to believe that the weather forecast in Michigan was calling for snow when Jess was standing there in a strapless dress and sandals.

  The family got seated at round tables that were decorated for the occasion with crisp, white, linens and large crystal vases full of fresh-cut flowers. Soft music was being piped in, and a string of white lights hung at the windows as a reminder that it was almost Christmas.

  At one point, Jess had wondered how she’d feel about spending Christmas on the island. Having lived in Michigan all her life, she associated Christmas with cold temperatures, snow, and hot chocolate! When the waiter set down a fruity cocktail in front of her, she giggled at the contrast.

  “What are you laughing about?” Shane asked.

  “Just thinking about what it’s like at home right now.”

  Shane nodded. “Do you miss it?”

  “Not really,” she said, looking deep into his eyes. “Wherever you are is home to me.”

  Shane leaned in and kissed her, seemingly forgetting they had an audience.

  “Um…bro…shouldn’t you save that for tomorrow?” Matt said with an amused expression on his face. Beth was sitting next to Matt, but she might as well have been sitting on his lap for how close they were. Nobody could miss the way the two of them kept looking at each other throughout the rehearsal and there at the table. If Jess got a chance to talk to her sister alone, she planned on asking her what the deal was. Was she just flirting with Matt, or was there something more there?

  “He’s stocking up because he won’t be seeing her until tomorrow at the wedding,” Hannah piped in.

  Ty’s arm was slung over Hannah’s shoulder, and he pulled her closer. “Are you really serious about us sleeping separate tonight? It’s kind of old fashioned, don’t you think, especially since…” He looked pointedly down at her belly, and everyone laughed.

  Hannah scowled at him. “It’s a t
radition that I don’t want to break.”

  “Yet you had no problem breaking the tradition about waiting until after your wedding to get pregnant,” Matt teased.

  “Nobody asked you,” Hannah said, sticking out her tongue at him.

  “Siblings. You gotta love ’em,” Ty said.

  Jess ventured a glance at Beth just then and was startled to see that Beth was looking at her too. Beth smiled softly and then returned her attention to Matt. Maybe there is hope for us after all, Jess thought as she sipped her drink. After she set her glass back down, she remembered. I probably shouldn’t be drinking this, just in case. She switched to water after that, but everyone was so busy talking that no one seemed to notice, except Hannah of course, who gave her a knowing look across the table.

  The rest of the dinner passed uneventfully with everyone enjoying the delicious food, the ambiance, and the company. Jess made sure to spend some time visiting with her dad, who was seated at a table with the other parents. She wondered if he felt lonely sitting there amongst couples, but he seemed to be holding his own. The parents were sharing stories about their kids, and Jim didn’t hesitate to share one about Jess.

  “She must have been about five years old, and she decided to give herself a haircut,” he began.

  “Dad, I don’t think they want to hear this.”

  “Oh, yes we do,” Jean said.

  “Anyway, she came out of the bathroom with her bangs cut on a crooked diagonal and big chunks of hair missing from the back of her head.”

  Everyone chuckled while Jess’s face turned pink, but Jim wasn’t done with the story.

  “And then her sister came out holding the pair of scissors. ‘I did it, Dad,’ she said, not wanting Jess to get into trouble. It was the sweetest thing—the little sister taking the blame for her big sister. How could I be mad after that?”

  And then Jess realized that someone was standing behind her, and glancing over her shoulder, she saw that it was Beth. She’d been so engrossed in Jim’s story that she hadn’t noticed that Beth had come over to listen too.

  “They were like two peas in a pod,” Jim said, “always together.”

  Jess’s eyes immediately welled up, and when she glanced around the table, she noticed a few other moist eyes as well. Beth leaned down and whispered, “How embarrassing, huh?” and Jess laughed. Maybe their sisterly bond was still intact after all.

  Chapter 7

  “Well, this is it,” Shane said as he zipped up his duffel bag. “The next time we see each other will be at our wedding.”

  “I’m going to miss you tonight,” Jess said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “Believe me, I’m not looking forward to sharing a room with Ty. He snores like a freight train!”

  Jess giggled. “Well, that makes two of you, then!”

  “What? I don’t snore,” Shane said, turning around to face her.

  “Um, excuse me, but remember that recording I made of you on my phone?”

  “One time! That was one isolated incident after you wore me out with your insatiable sexual appetite!”

  “Well, I’m going to have to curb my sexual appetite until tomorrow night, when we’re officially on our honeymoon.”

  “Can’t wait,” Shane said, pulling her in close.

  Just then, Jess’s phone chirped with an incoming text. Peering down at the bed where her phone was, she read Hannah’s text, which warned: I’ll be down in 5 minutes!

  Shane’s face was buried in her neck, and goosebumps had popped out on her arms. “Shane?”

  “Yeah?” he mumbled against her skin.

  “Hannah’s going to be here any minute.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s always late,” he said, sliding his hands up the back of her legs.

  Jess’s palms were on his chest, and she pushed back slightly. “We’re not doing this now,” she said, her voice lacking any real conviction.

  Shane cupped her bottom and pulled her hips against his. She felt his erection straining against his dress pants, and she longed to touch him, but one of them had to stay strong. Nibbling on her bottom lip, he gazed into her eyes and said, “You know you want to.”

  “Of course I want to. I always want to with you, but I want to wait until tomorrow, when I can have you for more than five minutes.”

  Seeing that she was serious, Shane removed his hands from under her dress and cupped her face. “Ok, then. I guess I’ll just have to settle for a kiss.”

  Jess nodded, her lips already parted in anticipation, and then Hannah’s voice called, “Ok, you two. Time’s up!”

  Shane scowled at the door. “One more minute.”

  “I already gave you five.”

  Jess’s hands were covering her mouth to stifle her laughter as brother and sister battled it out.

  “She’s my bride.”

  “Not until tomorrow!”

  “Grrrr,” Shane growled, and he picked up his duffel bag. Then he turned back to Jess and gave her a quick, firm kiss on the lips. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, handsome. Rest up for tomorrow!”

  “You too,” he said, conveying his intention loud and clear.

  “I’m still waiting…” Hannah called.

  Shane swung the door open, and Hannah practically fell inside, dragging a rolling case behind her. He sneered at her, but she just smiled up at him sweetly.

  “Enjoy your girls’ night because, after tonight, she’s all mine,” he said.

  “Geez. Do you like it when he goes all alpha-male on you, Jess? Jess? Yoo-hoo, anyone home?” Hannah waved her hand in front of Jess’s eyes, which were still locked in on Shane’s. “I guess you do like it,” she grumbled and moved out of their way.

  Shane leaned in and gave Jess one more kiss, and that time, he stole her breath. “Until tomorrow,” he said, and then he shut the door firmly behind him.

  When Jess turned around, Hannah was standing there with a big grin, holding something behind her back. “I brought something for you,” she said.

  “Something borrowed?”

  “No.”

  “Something blue?”

  “More like pink.”

  “I give up.”

  Hannah revealed what she’d been holding, and Jess groaned. “Just in case you want to find out tomorrow before the wedding,” Hannah said, handing her the pregnancy test kit.

  “When did you buy this, and more importantly, who was with you?”

  “Yesterday, before the rehearsal, and nobody. I told Ty I needed a few things at the drugstore, and I went in alone. He didn’t ask any questions.”

  Jess turned the kit over and saw the examples of positive and negative results as indicated by the pink lines, thus Hannah’s reference to something pink. “I don’t know, Hannah.”

  “It’s up to you, but I just thought you might like to have it.”

  “Well, thank you, I guess.”

  “I’ll set it in the bathroom for now, and we’ll talk about something else,” Hannah said, sensing Jess’s distress. When she came out of the bathroom, Jess was sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard. Hannah climbed in next to her and said, “So, did you notice that Matt and Beth went into the bar together after dinner?”

  Jess nodded. “I noticed.”

  “I wonder if they’re still together right now.”

  “It’s really none of our business, Han.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re not curious?”

  “Oh, I’m curious, but it’s out of our hands.”

  “We could call down to Beth’s room and see if she answers.”

  Jess giggled. “I didn’t know we were still in middle school!”

  “Well, it was just an idea.”

  “Even if she answered, what would that prove? Matt could be there or not, and we’d never know.”

  “Hmm.”

  “All I care about is that they show up for the wedding tomorrow—on time and sober!”

  Hannah g
iggled that time. “Matt’s staying through Sunday.”

  “So is Beth.”

  “I wonder what will happen after that.”

  Jess shrugged. “You heard Beth say that she plans to come up to Michigan in the spring.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “I’ll let you know if it actually happens.”

  “Maybe this will be a new beginning for you and your sister,” Hannah said, “and your dad too.”

  “We’ll see. It could all be for show.”

  “I don’t think so. I noticed Beth looking at you several times today in a wistful sort of way. Maybe she regrets the distance between you two.”

  Jess was afraid to hold out too much hope, although she would love to feel like a family again. If it didn’t happen, at least she had the DeMarcos, who had welcomed her into the fold with open arms.

  “Maybe we should try to get some sleep,” Jess said, changing the subject. “I don’t really want to get married tomorrow with bags under my eyes.”

  “You’re right,” Hannah said, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. “Do you want to use the bathroom first, or should I?”

  “You can,” Jess said, and as soon as Hannah had closed the door, Jess pulled out her phone. She wanted to shoot off a quick goodnight text to Shane before they went to bed. She glanced down at the screen and saw that he had beaten her to it. When Hannah came out of the bathroom in her pajamas with her hair pinned atop her head, Jess was doubled over with laughter.

  “You’ve got to see this,” Jess said, and she handed the phone to Hannah.

  Hannah’s eyes grew wide as she watched the video clip of her husband-to-be sprawled out on the bed and snoring loudly. Shane’s text read: I told you!

  “Does he always snore that loud?” Jess asked.

  “I think that might be the loudest I’ve ever heard!” Hannah said, handing her back the phone. “I’m glad I’m not sleeping in there tonight!”

  “Poor Shane. I hope he gets some sleep.” Jess padded into the bathroom to change, taking her phone with her. She was thinking about what to send to Shane, and then the idea struck. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought, No, I shouldn’t. And then she thought, But why not? Shane would get a kick out of it, and it was something she’d never done before.