After Renee did a bit of shopping, she returned to the suite to find Liza already in her swimsuit. It was a brown one piece with a deep V-neck and a very low back with the sides cut out. Needless to say, with her slender frame and limbs, she looked flawless.
“Boy, Liza, I tell you what – every man here is going to have his eyes pop right out of their sockets when they see you in that. Does Joe know you’re wearing that?”
Liza laughed and said, “Why thank you, and no. Joe does not know I brought this swimsuit with me. I usually only wear it when he is around, but I’m a big girl. I can handle this suit. Besides, I can only spend about an hour and a half by the pool. We have our spa appointment and after that I get my hair cut.”
“I’m going to go get changed and I’ll be right out,” Renee said.
Within a few minutes, Renee was back in the living room wearing a black one piece black suit with in which the top part tied in the front. The center part alternated with fabric and then a cutout to show her stomach. The suit was secured by tying the three portions on the left side. She had a black hooded cover-up to complete the look. The swimsuit fit her perfectly right now, but she knew that in a very short time, she would not be able to wear it.
“Well, now,” Liza said. “I promised Elliott that I would keep an eye on you, but you’re not making it easy for me wearing that little number. Are you even aware of how fantastic you look in that?”
Renee said, “It looks okay. I just figured I’d go ahead and wear it now, because soon I won’t be able to pull it past my thighs.”
Liza shook her head and said, “You’ll have that tight little body back in no time after you have the baby.”
When they arrived at the pool area, Liza quickly found a good spot. They had worn their swimsuit cover-ups to walk through the hotel. Liza was first to take her cover-up off. As she did so, the man sitting in the lounger next to hers stood up and introduced himself. He told her how beautiful she looked and offered to buy her a drink. She thanked him and gracefully declined his offer. He was disappointed, but somehow he knew better than to press the matter.
Jonathan had just finished a meeting in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms. He was exiting the room and was headed to the bank of elevators to go to his room. He looked out toward the pool and saw Renee and her friend. Renee had just taken off her cover-up and was laughing and shaking her head “no” at a young man who was ogling her. Jonathan, realizing that he was standing there staring, quickly composed himself and hurried to his room. He was feeling quite tired after having stayed up most of the night to prepare for his exhaustive meeting, but now he had renewed vigor and felt that perhaps relaxing by the pool with its stunning view would be a much better option. He changed out of his slacks and shirt, put on a pair of swim trunks and headed down to the pool.
When he arrived at the pool area, he immediately saw Renee and Liza. Liza and Renee were talking and laughing with the young man who had taken on a definite interest in Renee. He walked up just in time to hear Renee say, “You’re awfully sweet to say that, but I have children your age. Besides, that young woman sitting on the other side has been giving me the evil eye. I think she wants you to talk to her.”
The young man, who had introduced himself as Paul, said, “No way you have kids as old as me. I’m 22-years old, ya know? Your kids must be babies. You’re not old enough to have kids my age.”
Renee laughed and said, “It’s true, my twins are your age. I really can’t have dinner with you tonight, but thanks for asking.”
Paul looked disappointed and said, “Well, age ain’t nothing but a number. If you change your mind, call me. I’m in room 2034.”
Liza, who was very amused at their conversation said to Renee, “Don’t forget to call your husband to let him know that we’re going to the spa.”
Paul stood up and said to Jonathan, “Man, fine women are always taken.” With that, he was gone.
Jonathan sat on the lounger that had been vacated by Paul. Liza eyed him knowingly. He asked both ladies if he could get them something to drink.
“No, thank you, Liza said. Besides, we’ve got to head over to the spa in a bit.”
Renee said, “Thank you, but I still have my juice from after yoga.”
Jonathan said, “I’m so sorry for almost mowing you down earlier. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Liza said, “What? Renee, you didn’t tell me you were almost mowed down. You really sure you’re okay?”
Renee reassured both of them that she was fine.
Liza saw Jonathan’s eyes raking over Renee’s body and she didn’t like it. Something about him was off. He heard Liza earlier when she told Renee that she needed to call her husband, yet he still had the nerve to sit there and openly undress Renee with his eyes.
Jonathan, sensing Liza’s irritation with him, shifted in his seat and said, “I was in such a hurry after my meeting this morning that I almost ran over your beautiful friend. I hope you both will forgive me. Perhaps I could take the two of you to dinner this evening?” He really wanted to take Renee to dinner alone, but he could see that Liza had appointed herself as Renee’s chaperone.
Renee said, “Oh, that’s not necessary. And again, I’m fine.” As she was saying this, her phone rang. It was Elliott. “Yes, we’re here at the pool catching a few rays and then we’re going to the spa. I love you, too. I’ll call you later.”
Renee stood up, Jonathan taking in every inch of her. Yoga obviously paid off very well for her. He could hardly take his eyes off her.
Liza was standing and putting on her cover-up. “We’d better get going. Is Elliott counting down the hours until you get home?”
Renee chuckled and said, “Yeah. He said that he and Joe were going to do some errands and that later on he, Matt, Simon Joe, and Daniel were going to hang out for a bit.”
Liza picked up her tote and turned to walk back into the hotel lobby. As she was walking away, she heard Jonathan ask Renee if he could speak with her for a moment.
“Sure, Jonathan,” Renee obliged. “What’s up?”
“I was just wondering if you would have dinner with me. I at least owe you that much for our little accident this morning.”
“That’s very nice of you, but it is really not necessary. Besides, we have an early flight tomorrow, so I’m going to eat dinner in my room.”
He was very disappointed, but knew better than to be too persistent. “I understand. Have a safe trip back. Who knows, maybe we’ll see each other again one day. By the way, your husband is a very lucky man. You’re a gorgeous woman, Renee.”
Renee thanked him. “Take care, Jonathan. It was nice to meet you.”
Jonathan already knew that he and Renee would met again someday. Soon.
~~~~
Once they were settled on the plane for their flight back to LA, Renee said, “Honestly, I think just about every hairstyle you get looks absolutely fabulous on you.” Liza had it cut into a bob this time. The stylist left Liza’s dark brown hair shoulder length so that if she wanted, she could still pin it up or pull it back into a ponytail.
Liza said, “This is by far my favorite,” she said as she looked at herself in her compact. It gives me the best of both worlds in that it is short enough to be chic when I want to wear it down, but long enough that I can still pin it up when I want.”
Once the plane took off and was cruising along, Liza very carefully asked Renee about her mother. “Do you think she knows about you and Elliott? I mean, she never left LA. Do you think someone that she knows may have gotten wind of it and told her?”
Renee definitely did not want to talk about or think about Maggie. “I don’t care what she knows or doesn’t know. It’s not my concern.” Renee’s demeanor went from warm and relaxed to cold and tense at the mention of Maggie.
Liza, not wanting to upset Renee, quickly changed the subject. The very last thing that she wanted to do was to have Renee upset when Elliott saw her. “So, tell me, how are you going to style your
dreadlocks for the big day? They are so pretty and thick. Are you going to do a straight or wavy style, or an updo?
Renee’s mood brightened. “I’m not sure. I’m leaning toward an updo, but we’ll see. I just can’t wait to try on the dress tomorrow to see if my behind still can fit into it. You know how worrisome that has been for me.”
Liza chuckled and said, “Yes, I know you’ve been trying to be extra careful, but I’m sure the dress is going to fit you beautifully.”
The plane landed a few minutes ahead of schedule. After Renee and Liza had gathered their things, they walked out of the sliding glass doors and immediately saw Elliott and Joe.
Elliott pulled Renee close to him and lowered his head so that his mouth could claim hers. The kiss was sweet and hot at the same time. Renee’s arms encircled Elliott’s neck and then her fingers laced their way through his thick hair.
Once they were able to pull themselves apart from each other, Joe said, “Don’t go getting all worked up just yet. Renee and Liza are staying at the Four Seasons tonight and tomorrow night.”
Renee said, “I changed my mind. I just want to go home and sleep in our bed. Liza, you and Joe could stay there if you want. I bet it’s really nice.”
Liza laughed and said, “Now, now, we only have a couple of more days to go before you two get all up on each other.” She then turned her attention to Joe and said, “And only a couple of more days until we get all up on each other.”
After they got checked into their rooms at the hotel, the foursome went to Elliott’s and Renee’s house. As they were pulling into the driveway, Renee’s dad and Sharon and her Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leonard came outside.
After hugs and kisses had been given, Dennis said to Renee, “So how are you doing? Are you and my new grandbaby feeling okay?”
Renee hugged her dad again and said, “We are doing great. How have you been? I thought you all weren’t getting here until tomorrow morning.”
Sharon said, “We were so excited about coming here, we decided to come a bit earlier. Renee, you look beautiful. Pregnancy and being here in California really agrees with you. And I’ll even bet that being in love with that handsome Elliott helps a lot, right?”
Renee laughed at Sharon’s teasing and said, “You’re so right. It’s all good and I’m so glad you’re all here.”
After they had all gone into the house, Sophie said to Elliott and Renee, “Your home is lovely. Elliott, how long have you lived here?”
While everyone was sitting around talking, Kim came over. She hugged Renee and Liza. After more conversation, Kim said, “Okay, ladies. We have a couple of things to do today.” She outlined the tasks that needed to be completed, namely taking Renee to the bridal salon for one last fitting of the dress and a walk-through of the venue to make sure that everything was going according to schedule.”
Kim said, “I’ve already contacted Amy and Kara and they have confirmed that they will meet us at the venue for dresses and makeup. I’ve taken care of getting two limousines, one for Renee and Elliott and one for the rest of the family. Everything is handled. Tomorrow we have a quick rehearsal and then we’re all set.”
~~~~
The next couple of days flew by. Renee’s wedding dress fit perfectly. No alterations were necessary. Liza, Kayla’s and Lena’s dresses fit perfectly as well.
The wedding venue had been decorated and looked absolutely beautiful, with just a few last minute things to be done on the day of the wedding.
After rehearsal, Elliott and Renee were alone in her room at the Four Seasons. He said, “So, tomorrow’s it, honey. You ready?”
She pressed her body close to his and kissed his lips softly. “I’ve been ready for a long time, baby. Now, it’s finally happening.”
They continued kissing, Elliott eliciting soft moans from Renee. A soft knock came at the door. It was Joe and Liza.
Joe teasingly said, “We know you’re in there and you’d better be dressed.”
Renee opened the door a few seconds later and let them in. “Of course we’re dressed. Why on Earth would we be naked in this gorgeous hotel room? I mean, just because we were in here for more than five minutes and we’re about to pop if we don’t get it in real soon, doesn’t mean that we would actually get naked in here.”
Liza laughed and said, “All I’m going to say is that it’s a good thing tomorrow night you two will finally be able to get it in, as you say. I think if you had to wait just one more day, you would absolutely pop.”
They headed downstairs to say goodnight. Elliott said, “The limousine will pick you up tomorrow at noon and take you to the chapel. The other limo will pick the rest of us up at our house.” He pulled Renee into a hug and kissed her again before saying good-night
Liza and Joe had already said their good-nights to each other. They watched as Renee and Elliott embraced before their big day.
~~~~
Chapter 5
After a restful night’s sleep, Renee awoke refreshed, renewed and relaxed. Today, her wedding day to the man that she had been in love with for almost as long as she could remember, was finally here. She couldn’t stop grinning. She looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was only 9:00. She was not checking out of the hotel, per se, as Elliott had made reservations for them to spend the night there. She took only the items she needed to the wedding venue and left the rest of her things there. Someone would come around before she left to take her remaining items to the room that Elliott had reserved for them. The hotel was so beautiful that she would have been content to spend their honeymoon there, but Elliott had planned a trip for them. He was still holding out on telling her where they were going, only that she would really enjoy it and he would tell her later that night.
She did manage to go back to sleep for another hour. After that, she got up, put on her yoga attire and went for a quick session before leaving for the venue. After her class was finished, she went back to her room and took a shower. She was looking in the mirror to make sure that the twists that she had put in her hair the night before were still firmly in place when she heard a knock on her door.
Renee put on her robe and let Liza in. Liza said, “Just checking in. I came by earlier, but figured you must’ve gone for a workout. Did you get enough sleep last night?”
Renee raised an eyebrow at Liza and said, “Oh, I finally was able to doze off after the people in the adjoining room stopped sexing it up. Did you hear them? Oh, wait, of course you heard them – you were them.”
Liza thought she and Joe were being quiet. “No, you must’ve been having wet dreams about you and Elliott. Joe’s not here.”
Renee chuckled and said, “Liza, just stop. I heard you two. He’s not here now because he left early this morning. But he was definitely there last night and early this morning. You naughty, horny girl, you.”
Liza blushed. She was busted and she knew it. “Well, you know how it is. It’s really difficult being away and going without, even it is for just a short amount of time.”
“Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about, and I intend to make up for lost time over, and over, and over - well, you get the idea.”
“Indeed I do,” Liza said. “How are you feeling this morning? I mean besides being on cloud nine.”
“I feel great. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I felt so good. You know how you feel so excited when something you really want to happen actually is going happen? That’s how I feel right now. I just hope Elliott feels it, too.”
“I can assure you that he does. That man lights up like a Christmas tree just at the mention of your name.”
Renee said, “Liza, I can’t thank you and Joe enough for all that you’ve done for us. I mean, you really are the sister and brother that I never had and that I needed so badly. If you hadn’t come over that day to have that ‘get your life’ talk with me, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
“Oh, I know what would’ve happened. I would have hauled your littl
e ass out here myself and delivered you right to Elliott’s doorstep. I knew it wouldn’t have come to that, but I was fully prepared to do it,” Liza quipped.
Liza said, “So, you two are spending the night here and then taking off tomorrow sometimes for your honeymoon. Joe and I are scheduled to leave Wednesday afternoon.”
Renee’s eyes started to mist over. “Everything went by so fast. I’m so glad you were here to put all of this together. Are you sure you two can’t stay for just a bit longer?”
Liza hugged her and said, “We’ll be back at some point. In the meantime you’re going to enjoy being Mrs. Elliott James and growing a happy, healthy baby. And you know we’ll talk just about every day once you guys get back and are settled.”
Liza and Renee spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and making sure they had everything they needed. Renee decided to soak in a fragrant bath before leaving the hotel. Liza went back to her room and finished packing.
~~~~
Renee and Liza arrived at the wedding venue shortly after Elliott and everyone else. They were taken to the plush bridal suite. They were met by Amy and Kara. Kara had just started applying Kayla’s makeup and Amy placed Renee’s dress in the closet in her changing room.
Kim and Lena entered the suite. Renee hugged Lena and Kim and said, “There sure are a lot of cars in the lot. There must be another event happening after ours.”
Kim replied, “No, in fact, your wedding is the last event scheduled for today. These people are here for you and Elliott. I’ve taken a look at the garden and reception area and everything is perfect. You’re going to love it.”
Kara had finished applying Kayla’s makeup. Kara said, “You look beautiful, Kayla. I didn’t even have to do much of anything for you and you look like you could go and do a photo shoot right now.”
Kayla thanked her and said, “I’m going to have to consider getting one of these airbrush makeup systems. I see them being advertised on TV all the time and almost ordered one, but now that I know you carry them, I’ll buy one from you.”
A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) Page 7