Ever since she’d been with him, she’d challenged herself to try new things, and she’d been happy with the results. She’d slept naked, made love outdoors, gone snorkeling and hiking, dyed her hair, and added some sexy pieces to her wardrobe. Why not this too?
Stripping off all her clothes, she pushed them aside and stood in front of the mirror. She pressed the camera icon on her phone and held it in front of her, experimenting with different angles to see what looked the best. There was no reason she had to have her face showing since he’d know who it was. Plus, she was still nervous about the possibility of strangers seeing her private photos, and she didn’t relish her naked body being plastered all over the internet. But then she had to laugh. “It’s not like I’m in high demand!”
“Jess, did you say something?” Hannah called.
“Just talking to myself,” she yelled, “again,” she said more quietly.
It was now or never. If she didn’t hurry, Hannah would quiz her about why she was taking so long. Jess settled for a side-angle shot of herself leaning against the bathroom counter, showing just enough skin to be sexy but not enough to be completely mortified if the photo came into the wrong hands. It kind of reminded her of the time Demi Moore posed naked on the cover of a magazine when she had been pregnant. She’d thought the photo was sexy and demure at the same time.
Jess sent the photo before she could overthink it and then quickly shut off her phone. She smiled to herself, thinking about Shane’s reaction when he opened the photo, and she was glad that Ty was sleeping soundly so there’d be no chance of him catching a peek. She’d just have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out Shane’s reaction because now Hannah was calling her again.
“Jess? You ok in there?”
“I’m coming,” Jess yelled, and she quickly threw on her pajamas, which had been hanging on the back of the door. She flung open the door and didn’t look back at the scene of the crime. If she had, she might have noticed the box that was sitting on the bathroom counter right where Hannah had set it. Jess had been so wrapped up in what she’d been doing that she’d forgotten all about it.
Climbing into bed next to Hannah, she clicked off the light, feeling happy and self-satisfied knowing that she had given Shane quite a treat! If only she could have seen his face, then she’d have realized she’d given him much more than she’d thought!
Chapter 8
“So?” Hannah asked the following morning.
Jess nodded, the test stick with the positive reading still clutched in her hand.
“Congratulations!” Hannah screeched, and she practically bowled Jess over with her enthusiastic hug. “This is so awesome! Now we can go through this together!”
Jess’s enthusiasm wasn’t quite on par with Hannah’s as a million thoughts raced through her mind.
“When are you going to tell Shane?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe after the wedding.”
Hannah clapped like a seal. “Our kids are going to be cousins, and maybe they’ll even be best friends like us. Oh my God, my parents are going to be thrilled!”
Jess held up her hand like a stop sign. “Hannah, when Jean and Beth get here, you can’t say a word, got it? Not one word.”
“I got it, I got it, but aren’t you just dying to tell someone?”
“Not yet. I need some time to wrap my head around it first. Besides, today’s our wedding day, so we need to concentrate on getting ready.”
“You’re right. First things first—breakfast!” Hannah grabbed the room service menu off the table and perused it closely. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know. You choose.”
“Well, we don’t want anything that will cause bloating, so let’s see…”
Jess laughed. “You’re worried about bloating? Have you seen your stomach lately?”
“Laugh all you want, but pretty soon, yours is going to look the same!”
Jess glanced down at her still-flat stomach. She’d been working out at home with an exercise DVD for the past several months in preparation for today. She was never going to be as slim as her sister, but she’d been pleased with the results. She still had curves, but she’d trimmed down her waist and thighs, forgoing her favorite chocolate desserts for granola bars. It looked like all that hard work was about to go down the drain.
Jess listened as Hannah ordered eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit (as if that would negate the rest of the food!). She’d just hung up when her cell phone rang, and Jess knew in two seconds who it was.
“No! You can’t talk to your bride before the wedding. It’s bad luck.”
Jess remembered that she hadn’t turned her phone back on from the night before, and Shane had probably tried to call her. She smiled again, thinking about the picture she’d sent, and she wondered if that was why he was calling.
“She forgot to turn her phone on this morning, but it’s probably a good thing. Now, stop pestering us and go get ready for the wedding.” With that, Hannah hung up her phone and set it aside. “Geez! I don’t know how you handle him sometimes!”
“Did he give you a message for me?”
“No, but he seemed really anxious to talk to you. Like it couldn’t wait until a few hours from now.”
Jess just smiled, and Hannah eyed her suspiciously. Luckily, a knock on the door prevented Hannah from asking any questions.
“That better not be him,” Hannah huffed as she walked toward the door.
“It’s Mom,” came Jean’s voice, and Hannah swung the door open wide to admit her.
“Sorry I’m so early, but I was just too excited to sleep in this morning,” Jean trilled. “I brought your dresses.”
Their wedding dresses had been in Jean’s safekeeping so that Shane and Ty wouldn’t see them before today. They were covered in dark plastic, and now she laid them gently on the bed.
“How are you girls feeling this morning?”
Well, let’s see—pregnant and a little bit in shock, but otherwise, just grand! “Great,” Jess said.
“Hungry!” Hannah said, which caused a round of laughter.
A few minutes later, their breakfast was delivered, and since Hannah had ordered enough food for an army, they invited Jean to join them. Hannah delved in with gusto, but Jess proceeded with caution. The last thing she wanted was to have to throw up on her wedding day!
Jean was watching her closely, and she finally said, “Are you nervous, dear?”
“Just anxious. I’ll probably eat more after the wedding.”
Jean patted her hand lovingly. “I remember feeling like that on my wedding day too. Who could think about food on such a monumental occasion?”
And then they both looked over at Hannah, who practically had her face buried in a plate of pancakes. Suddenly, she glanced up and huffed, “What? I’m pregnant.”
Once they’d finished eating, Jess and Hannah took turns taking a shower. They wrapped their hair in towels and donned the hotel robes while they waited for Beth and a hair stylist from the hotel salon to show up. All four of them were having their hair and makeup done that morning, and Jean had paid extra to have the stylist come up to their room.
The stylist, Marie, and her assistant, Sadie, arrived first, and soon the hotel room was transformed into a salon. Marie was twisting Jess’s hair into a complicated bun at the nape of her neck when Beth finally arrived, and all the women in the room turned to gape at her.
Beth, the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, looked anything but. Her hair resembled a bird’s nest, the dark circles under her eyes contrasted horribly against her pale skin, and her eyes looked bloodshot. Glancing around the room guiltily, she croaked, “Sorry I’m late.”
Hannah, never one to mince words, said, “What the hell happened to you?”
Marie had gone back to fussing with Jess’s hair, but everyone seemed to be waiting for Beth’s response.
“I stayed out a little too late last night, and I overslept. I just threw on
some clothes and rushed down here.”
“I think we’re going to need a little more concealer,” Sadie said deadpan.
“How funny. I passed Matthew in the lobby as I was coming up here this morning. He looked the same way,” Jean said with a smirk.
Beth’s eyes grew wide, and Hannah and Jess exchanged a knowing look. There was the answer to the question of what Beth and Matt had been up to last night.
“No worries. We’ll have you fixed up in no time,” Marie said, relieving the tension in the room.
“There’s some leftover breakfast on the table,” Hannah offered, “if you haven’t eaten yet.”
“Thank you,” Beth replied, looking relieved.
“It’s ok, dear. We’ve all been there,” Jean said as she poured Beth a cup of coffee.
And that was one of the things that Jess loved most about her almost-mother-in-law—she always knew the right things to say.
The rest of the morning went by without incident, well, until it was Hannah’s turn to get into her wedding dress.
Tugging up on the strapless bodice, she scowled. “This fit just fine a week ago.”
Everyone laughed. “Maybe it was that extra pancake you ate this morning,” Jess teased.
Hannah glared at her, sending her a silent message that said, “You just wait!”
Beth finished zipping up the back of Jess’s gown, and standing behind her in the mirror, she said, “You look beautiful, sis.”
Jess stared at her reflection for a moment, mesmerized by the woman staring back at her. Her hair was styled in a bun that was elegant but not fussy, with soft tendrils framing her face. Sadie had played up her eyes without making her look like a clown, but had kept the rest of her makeup subtle, using a rosy blush and lipstick, and her skin positively glowed.
And then there was the dress. Jess and Hannah had shopped for hours until they’d found the perfect dresses for a beach wedding. They were still traditional yet simpler, with minimal embellishments. Jess’s gown had a sweetheart neckline with thin straps that showed off her shoulders. She’d chosen it specifically with Shane in mind. The white chiffon skimmed over her body, nipping in at the waist and flowing out into a gentle A-line. The back of the dress was just as stunning as the front, the material draping down to the middle of her back atop a row of small fabric-covered buttons.
“Thanks, Beth. You look great too.”
“Yeah, after Marie and Sadie brought out the heavy artillery!” It was true that the stylists had spent extra time on Beth, adding a gentle wave to her hair, applying extra concealer, and putting drops in her eyes to combat the redness. Jess had let Beth choose her own dress, and she’d chosen well. The peach color complimented her complexion and her figure, and it was subtle enough not to compete with the brides’ dresses.
“It’s time to go down for pictures,” Jean said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. Jean was the designated timekeeper, and she was taking her job very seriously. There’d already been a slight delay because of Beth, but she was determined to keep to the schedule.
“Do you have the rings?” Jess asked Beth for the third time.
“Yes, they’re right in here,” Beth said, patting her beaded handbag.
“Ok. I guess we’re ready, then.” Jess took one last look in the mirror and smiled. This is it. I’m about to marry the man of my dreams. And then she had another thought as they walked out the door. And he doesn’t even know that I’m carrying his baby.
Chapter 9
One hour later, Jess, Hannah, Jim, and Tony were waiting behind the hotel for their cue to walk down the aisle. Jess felt a flutter in her stomach as the wedding march began playing, and she and Hannah exchanged a look that said, Show time! They’d argued for some time about who would walk down the aisle first, but finally, Jess had convinced Hannah that she should go first since it had been her idea to get married there to begin with. They’d even talked about walking down the aisle together, but Jean had poo-pooed that idea. “I want to see each of my girls have the spotlight,” she’d said, and she’d had such a sweet expression on her face that neither of them had the heart to disappoint her.
Jess watched as Hannah and Tony began the slow walk to the gazebo, but her view of the grooms was partially blocked by the low-hanging branches of a very large tree. When it was Jess’s turn, she looped her arm through her dad’s, inhaled deeply, relaxed her shoulders, and began to walk, reminding herself not to rush. Her heart pounded rapidly, and she felt lightheaded, but she concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, knowing that soon she would join her groom.
“Have I told you how beautiful you look?” Jim asked, speaking out of the side of his mouth.
Jess couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her dad all dressed up, and she’d thought how handsome he looked in his pale gray suit and striped tie. If only her mother were there too, then everything would have been perfect. “Yes, you told me when you first saw me this morning,” she replied through her smile. The photographer was snapping pictures as they walked up the aisle, and she didn’t want to be caught with her mouth hanging open.
“Your mother would have been so proud—of both you girls.”
Jess was already feeling on the verge of tears from the emotions of the day (not to mention her pregnancy), and her dad’s sentimentality was making it worse. If only he would have waited until after the ceremony to tell her these things, when she’d be free to cry all she wanted to.
“I wish she could have been here,” Jess managed to say.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good father to you two,” he continued right before the photographer snapped another photo.
Jess didn’t know how to respond to that. None of them had been very good at keeping the family together after her mom’s death. Luckily, it was a very long walkway up to the gazebo, and they were still out of hearing range. “It’s been hard on all of us, Dad.”
Suddenly, it was as if Jim realized that they were in the middle of a wedding ceremony. “Listen to me rattle on. This is your special day. Let’s just enjoy it, shall we?”
Jess turned to him and smiled big, and of course, the photographer, sensing a touching moment, was right there to capture it. “Yes,” she said, and then, when she looked up, there he was waiting for her, the wonderful man she was about to marry.
Their eyes locked and held, and what she saw there was everything and more than she’d expected. Shane was looking at her with the sweetest, most tender expression combined with his trademark sensuality and possessiveness. He looked like he wanted to scoop her up and steal her away somewhere where he could have her all to himself, and her nerve endings tingled at the thought of it. They’d only been separated for a matter of hours, but it felt like much, much longer.
The other guests were a blur, and she barely took note of Beth and Matt standing nearby, ready to do their duties as witnesses. Once they’d reached the gazebo, Jim gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and handed her off to Shane before retreating to his seat next to the DeMarcos. Jess turned and handed her bouquet of white and red roses to Beth before joining hands with her intended. Peering up at Shane, she noted that he didn’t look nervous at all. There could have been hundreds of guests, and he still would have been cool as a cucumber.
The men had all agreed to wear pale gray suits instead of tuxedos, and the grooms had opted not to wear ties. “It’s a beach wedding,” Shane had declared. “Ties should be optional.” Jess eyed his crisp white shirt where he’d left a couple buttons undone and thought about how handsome he looked, the light gray of his suit jacket a striking contrast against his almost-black hair. She was used to seeing him in ripped jeans, t-shirts, and construction boots, but she’d take him any way she could get him. With his muscled physique, he looked good in everything—and in nothing at all! He gave her hand a squeeze and winked at her as Paul began the ceremony.
For the next thirty minutes, Jess listened intently as the minister read the selected passages fro
m the Bible about love and marriage. Every so often, she’d peek up at Shane and see that he was listening closely too, although he’d often look over and smile at her. It felt like the whole world was smiling at them today, what with the perfect weather, being surrounded by their family, and the promise of a bright future. Honestly, Jess didn’t think there was anything that could bring her down today. But the day was still early…
After they were pronounced husband and wife, Shane was given permission to kiss the bride, and he didn’t hold back. Quite the opposite. He dipped her back and laid one on her that had their guests hooting and hollering in the background. Under normal circumstances, she would have been embarrassed at such an exuberant display of affection, but today, she relished it.
Their families gathered around and exchanged heartfelt congratulations before the photographer corralled them. After he took several group shots, he ordered the four newlyweds down to the beach, where he would take some less formal pictures. Jess’s mouth was starting to hurt from smiling so much, but she was truly enjoying herself.
She and Hannah took off their heels and held up their dresses as they trudged through the sand to get closer to the water. The men took their shoes off too, and they rolled up their pant legs, so they wouldn’t get soaked. They were thrilled when the photographer told them to remove their jackets and roll up the sleeves of their dress shirts too. Shane and Ty were men who made their living working with their hands, and they were much more comfortable in casual clothes.
Jess and Shane had their first moment alone when the photographer announced that he would take pictures of Hannah and Ty first. Once they were out of hearing distance, Shane turned to Jess and said, “You look absolutely breathtaking today.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
“How does it feel to be Mrs. Jessica DeMarco?”
“Spectacular! How does it feel to be officially off the market?”
An Island Christmas Wedding: A Novella Page 5