An Island Christmas Wedding: A Novella

by Susan Coventry

  “Are you sure you’re all right, princess?” her dad asked after he’d hugged her.

  Her eyes welled up at the nickname he’d given her when she was a little girl. “Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him. “I just needed to eat.”

  “I’ll take good care of her, Jim,” Shane said.

  “You do that, son.”

  After her dad walked away, Beth and Matt approached. “How long have you known?” Beth asked while Matt said, “What picture?”

  Shane gave him a brotherly shove and said, “Never mind, bro. You don’t need to know.”

  Jess looked at Beth and said, “I took the test this morning, but I had a feeling before that.”

  “So, I’m going to be an aunt,” Beth said as though she were trying the idea on for size.

  “And I’m going to be an uncle—twice!” Matt said.

  After they walked away, Jean and Tony strolled over. “Never a dull moment in this family!” Tony said, pumping Shane’s hand enthusiastically.

  “I’m so happy for you,” Jean said, her voice breaking as she pulled Jess into a tight hug.

  And then it struck Jess that at some point, she’d have to talk to Tony about her job. She certainly planned to work at the model home as long as she could, but what would happen after the baby came?

  Her thoughts were interrupted when Ty shouted, “Time to eat cake!”

  Everyone gathered around the cake table, the waiters standing by to serve, while the minister, who’d been present throughout, said one final prayer. This time, he prayed not only for the wedding couples but for their unborn babies too, and Shane gave Jess a squeeze as she sniffled.

  Having discussed the cake-cutting tradition ahead of time, the four of them had agreed not to shove cake in each other’s faces but to handle the situation with decorum befitting adults. Apparently, Ty had forgotten the agreement, because when it came time for him to feed Hannah a bite of cake, he swiped it down her nose first, leaving a stream of white buttercream frosting behind.

  Hannah glared at him, but he kindly wiped off the frosting with a napkin before it was her turn to feed him. Everybody seemed to be holding their breath as she brought the forkful toward his mouth, and then she suddenly made a detour and swiped the cake across his smoothly shaved cheek.

  “Hey,” he said, his eyes smiling. Nobody was surprised when Hannah used her finger to remove the frosting and slipped it into her mouth, sucking it clean.

  “Ok. I did not just see that,” Matt said to a round of laughter.

  The rest of the celebration was uneventful, with no more fainting spells or big announcements, and soon, it was time to leave, as another wedding party would be using the room later that evening. Jess and Shane were the last to file out, and Shane leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Now the fun really starts!”

  His words and his warm breath in her ear made her tingle from head to toe even though she was exhausted from the emotional day. Peering up into her husband’s eyes, she smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt and said, “I’m all yours.”

  Chapter 11

  The family and wedding party lingered in the hotel lobby for a few minutes before everyone dispersed. Tony and Jean were heading back to their villa, and Jim claimed that he was going to take a much-needed nap. Ty’s family planned on changing clothes and then going out to explore the island since they’d be leaving the next day. That left the two wedding couples and Beth and Matt, who were staring at each other intently.

  “Up for some sightseeing?” Matt asked, sounding hopeful.

  Beth practically beamed. “Sure. Sounds great.”

  After the two of them walked off, arm in arm, Jess and Shane, and Hannah and Ty rode up in the elevator together. None of them had to question how they would fill the rest of the evening, so they chatted about other things instead, namely Jess’s pregnancy and the infamous picture that Shane had alluded to.

  “So, you sent him a nudey shot, huh?” Ty teased.

  Shane glared at him.

  “What? Hannah sends them to me all the time!”

  Shane looked down at his feet and shook his head while Hannah just laughed.

  “So, last night, when you were in the bathroom forever, that’s what you were doing?” Hannah said.

  Jess shrugged, too tired to be embarrassed any more. “I thought he would get a kick out of it.”

  “Yet you neglected to remove the test kit from the counter first?” Hannah said.

  “I forgot all about it. I was too busy…”

  “Posing,” Ty said, grinning.

  “Hey, stop picturing her naked,” Shane growled.

  “I would never do that, especially when I’ve got my own beauty right here,” Ty said, giving Hannah a squeeze.

  They parted ways on the top floor, with Hannah calling over her shoulder, “See you tomorrow for brunch!”

  Their families were getting together one more time before most of them would depart for home. Hannah had been the one to suggest brunch so nobody would have to rush around in the morning. The thought of having Shane all to herself for the rest of the night and into the next day gave Jess her second wind, and when he picked her up to carry her over the threshold of their room, she giggled like a schoolgirl.

  “Pretty soon, you won’t be able to pick me up so easily,” she said as he carried her inside and kicked the door shut behind them.

  “It’ll be a while yet. The baby’s not even the size of a pea, is he?”

  “He?”

  “Well, of course. A strapping guy like me produces boys.”

  “Ok, Gaston. Put me down. And who says we’re going to find out the sex?”

  “I just assumed. Since Hannah knows she’s having a girl…”

  “Don’t you like to be surprised?”

  Shane’s eyebrows shot up. “I think you’ve surprised me plenty for one day. Hell, probably for the entire year!”

  “Uh, Shane?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are we going to keep talking, or…?” Jess jerked her head back, motioning to the bed.

  Shane slowly slid her down his body until her feet touched the floor. “Are you in a hurry, Mrs. DeMarco?”

  “Maybe,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

  “You’re very tempting as always. However, there’s something else I want to do first.”

  “More talking?” she whined.

  Shane chuckled. “No,” he said, digging his cell phone out of the pocket of his suit jacket.

  “Don’t tell me you want to play Words with Friends?” she said in mock horror.

  He ignored her as he scrolled through his phone until he found what he wanted. A few seconds later, the room was filled with the soulful voice of Michael Bublé. Propping the phone up on the nightstand, he turned back around and held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

  Two years ago, if someone had told her that Shane DeMarco had a romantic side, she would have laughed in their face. But now she knew differently, and she gladly took his hand and let him pull her into his arms. Hannah and Jess had decided to forgo certain elements of a traditional wedding since their group was so small, and dancing had been one of the things left out. Jess had no idea that Shane had even cared about it until now.

  She twined her arms around his neck and pressed her body close, acutely aware of every hard inch of him against her. For a while, they didn’t speak. They simply immersed themselves in the music and in each other as Michael Bublé serenaded them. By the time the song ended, Shane’s hands had drifted down to cup her bottom, and Jess felt damp between her legs.

  Instead of letting her go, he continued to sway with her as the next song began, although he pulled back some and gazed into her eyes. “There. Isn’t this nice?”

  “Um-hum,” she replied, “but I can think of a lot of other nice things I’d like to do.”

  “Such as?”

  This was part of their repertoire—him making her say exactly what she wanted. It had made her uncomfortable at first,
but now she found it titillating.

  “Well, we could start with you undressing me.”

  “Mmm—love to. Turn around.”

  Jess turned her back to him while still staying close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body, his masculine scent infusing her brain and making her feel a bit wobbly. I’m not going to pass out again, she vowed. This is my wedding night, and I will be awake for every second of it!

  Shane slowly unzipped her dress, but instead of letting it fall to the floor, he knelt and, lifting one ankle at a time, helped her step out of it. They’d ruined a few of her clothing items in the past in their hurry to get naked, but he was giving her wedding gown its due respect. While she stood there in her lacy underthings, Shane carefully laid the dress over the loveseat and came back to stand before her.

  “Phenomenal,” he breathed, his eyes glazed over.

  “You’ve seen me like this before.”

  “Yes, but now you’re carrying our baby.” Shane placed his warm palm on her stomach and just stared at it for a moment. “It almost doesn’t seem real.”

  “That’s because there’s nothing showing yet.” Truthfully, it didn’t seem real to her either, and as Hannah had said, it probably wouldn’t until she had her first ultrasound or felt the baby move for the first time.

  The way that Shane was looking at her and treating her so tenderly was very sweet. However,…

  “Shane?”

  “Yeah?” He seemed frozen to the spot.

  “You don’t have to be overly careful, you know? Nothing we do will hurt the baby.”

  He glanced up then. “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. Hannah said…”

  Shane shook his head vehemently. “No. Please don’t put any more images in my head about Hannah and Ty!”

  Jess shook with laughter. “Well, in any case, I’d like you to continue undressing me. Now,” she added just so there would be no mistake about it.

  Shane started with her silky skin-colored bra that dipped low and was accented with delicate lace. She’d paid a small fortune for her undergarments at Hannah’s insistence that what was underneath was just as important as the gown. Based on Shane’s expression, Hannah had been right!

  He ran his index finger along the lace trim, caressing the fleshy part of her breasts as he did so. “These are going to get bigger,” he said as if he’d just been given an extra Christmas gift.

  “Sounds like you’re happy about that,” she teased, smiling at him.

  “I love you no matter what size you are,” he said, and he nestled his head between her breasts to prove it. Her nipples puckered as he placed gentle kisses everywhere but there.

  “Take it off,” she demanded, although her breathing was shallow, and it sounded more like a plea than an order.

  It didn’t matter, because Shane reached around and unhooked her bra, slipping the straps down and tossing it aside. Apparently, undergarments didn’t deserve quite the same treatment as the wedding gown, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she forgot all about it as Shane pulled a nipple deep into his mouth. Threading her fingers in his hair, she massaged his scalp as he suckled at her breasts. For a quick second, she thought about what it would be like to breastfeed, but then she gave herself a mental slap and focused on the pleasure at hand.

  She didn’t have to ask Shane to remove her panties, because he’d already knelt and was sliding them down her legs. Jess gripped his broad shoulders as she stepped out of them, and then Shane tossed them aside with the bra. She thought he might start undressing himself, but instead, he stayed kneeling and pushed gently against the inside of her thighs.

  Her core throbbed as she spread her legs apart, knowing exactly what was coming next—namely her! She was already damp when Shane’s tongue swiped along her center, and she tipped her head back and moaned. He excelled at this, and she was ready to take full advantage of his generosity.

  “Keep holding on to me,” he said in his gravelly sex voice.

  Jess nodded, understanding that he didn’t want her to fall like she had earlier. She clung to his strong shoulders as he lapped at her, swirling and twirling his tongue around in an intricate dance that had her crying out in no time.

  “Ohhh…Shane…” she uttered as her entire body clenched, shooting sparks through every nerve ending until she peaked out and then went limp.

  Shane scooped her up and laid her on the bed, where she watched as he undressed. As many times as she’d seen him naked, she never failed to be turned on by his raw masculinity. His body was built magnificently, and it served him well on the construction site and in the bedroom—and the kitchen, and the living room…

  “What are you thinking?” he asked as he shucked off his dress slacks. He’d already removed his shirt, and now he stood beside the bed in just his boxer briefs.

  “I’m thinking about how much I love you and about how I need you inside me right now.”

  “Mmmm—love that thought.”

  After Shane had peeled off his underwear, he looked around for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. “That’s right. No more condoms!”

  Jess laughed as he crawled over her. “Let’s see. So far, you’re the most excited about me getting bigger boobs and about not having to wear a condom. Where does our baby fit into this?”

  Shane ran the back of his hand along her cheek and peered deep into her eyes. “I’m going to love our child like I love his mommy, with my whole heart and soul. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Jess, and now the same goes for our baby.”

  Tears immediately sprang to her eyes as she smiled up at him. “You’re the best husband, and I just know you’re going to be the best daddy too.”

  Shane glanced down at his watch, which was the only thing he had on. “I haven’t been a husband for very long, but now it’s time to claim my bride!”

  They stopped talking then as Shane guided himself inside her. If he was being more careful than usual, she let it slide. Slipping her arms around his neck, she tilted her face up for a kiss while tipping her hips up at the same time.

  Every time they made love, Jess thought that it couldn’t get any better, but she was always wrong. This time, they came together not just as lovers, but as husband and wife, and oh, wait, as parents too. She smiled softly against his lips as their hips moved in a familiar rhythm. It wasn’t long before Shane emptied himself inside of her, his head tipped back, muscles straining until his arms were shaking from holding himself up. He was always mindful of hurting her, but tonight he’d had another reason to be careful—their baby.

  Jess snuggled up to his side and threaded a leg between his, rubbing his chest as his breathing steadied. “I love you, Mr. DeMarco,” she said.

  “And I love you, Mrs. DeMarco.” And then he placed a hand protectively over her belly and added, “Oh, and you too, Shane Jr.”

  Chapter 12

  The two wedding couples met at the elevator at eleven o’clock the next morning to go downstairs for brunch. As they were descending in the elevator, Jess emitted a loud yawn, which set off a round of yawns among the group, and then they all looked at each other and burst out laughing. They were still laughing when the doors opened on the lobby floor, where their families were eagerly awaiting them.

  Jess took the full blame for why she and Shane were groggy that morning. He’d tried unsuccessfully to get them to go to sleep at a reasonable time, but Jess’s adrenaline had kept her awake for much of the night. Between replaying the wedding and reception and thinking about her pregnancy, she couldn’t sleep, so instead, she kept nudging Shane awake. Not that he had truly minded the extra rounds of lovemaking, but he kept pointing out that it would be best for her and the baby to get some sleep.

  Their family members took one look at them and smiled knowingly as they filed into the hotel restaurant. Jess noticed that her sister had a similar appearance as they did, having gone heavy on the under-eye concealer once again!

  Once they were seated and had bee
n served juice and coffee, Shane said, “So, what did everyone do last night?”

  Ty’s mom answered first. “We went for a hike in the Virgin Islands National Park.”

  “Took a lot of great photos,” Ty’s dad contributed.

  “It’s beautiful there,” Jess said. “Shane and I went there the last time we were on the island.”

  “Hey, I went there too, remember?” Hannah piped up.

  Everyone chuckled.

  “What? I hike!”

  “Once, Hannah. You went hiking once,” Ty teased.

  “Yeah, and she was going to hike in high heels until Jess made her buy hiking shoes,” Shane added.

  Hannah shrugged. “So, I’m not a nature girl. I’m good at other things though—right, honey?” She shot Ty a flirtatious glance.

  There was another round of laughter before Shane turned to Matt, who was sitting on his left, next to Beth. “How about you two? What did you do last night?”

  It was an innocent question, but the expressions on Matt’s and Beth’s faces were priceless. Beth’s cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, and Matt looked down into his coffee cup as if he could dive inside and disappear.

  “We…uh…” Beth began.

  “We ate dinner together,” Matt said as if he’d just saved them.

  “There are a lot of great restaurants on the island. Where’d you go?” Hannah asked.

  Beth and Matt glanced at each other as if trying to decide who should speak. Apparently, Beth decided that it was her turn. “We were kind of tired, so we just ate here at the hotel.”

  Shane grinned at his brother while Jess and Hannah exchanged looks across the table. Knowing Shane, who loved to tease his siblings, the inquisition might have continued, but Jess decided to relieve Beth’s and Matt’s discomfort.

  “So, Dad, how’d you sleep last night?” Jess asked.

  “Great. In fact, I haven’t slept that good in a long time. I left the balcony door open, and the sound of the waves lulled me right to sleep.”