by Wendy Louise
“I know, I know. It was all that alcohol; it knocked me out cold as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
“You know what man; it was probably a good thing. I mean you don’t want your first time with Liv to be a drunken roll in the sack.”
“Since when did you become the fuckin’ romantic that you are?” I ask. “No. Don’t answer that, it happened as soon as you started seeing Ava. You lost your balls man.”
“Piss off Gray,” he says, shoving me back onto the pillow and causing some of my coffee to spill down the sheet.
“C’mon, put your boardies on, I want to go swim in the ocean. I thought we could have a ride on that banana thing behind the speed boat. You up for it?” he challenges.
I nod and climb out of the bed, making my way to the bathroom to get dressed.
The banana boat is a long yellow inflatable raft that looks just like a giant banana.
It has small rubber handles on it, and is attached by a long rope to the speed boat that pulls it along. I’m not sure this is such a good idea after such a big night last night, but today is Ethan’s final day as a single guy so I want to make the most of it with him. We strap on life jackets and move towards the ocean when we hear Ava and Liv from behind us.
“Wait for us,” Ava calls.
Ethan turns to the attendant who has been assisting us and asks for life jackets for the girls. Liv is walking towards me in a stunning pale blue bikini, her long hair flowing down her back and her sunglasses hiding those big brown eyes. Ethan hands me the life vest for Liv while he helps Ava into hers.
“Mornin’ Liv.”
She smiles and cocks her head to the side, “Morning Gray, sleep well?”
Her smile transforms to a smirk. Great, she’s in the mood to tease me.
“I did, you?” I return.
“Yeah, I did, although I wasn’t expecting to fall asleep as quickly as I did when I came out of the bathroom.”
I smile. “I’m sorry Liv; the alcohol got the better of me.”
She looks at me in a way that causes my breathing to falter. “I’m just teasing you Gray.” She holds out her hand, and I give her the life vest, helping her to fasten the straps around her body.
We make our way out to the banana boat hand-in-hand. That small gesture causes the blood to bubble up in my veins.
Ava is up front with Ethan close behind her. Liv jumps on behind E and I climb on directly behind her, despite the fact that there are more spaces free behind me. I want to be close to her, no matter what.
The speed boat starts up and we skim across the water at speed. It’s exhilarating; despite our hangovers and the late night we all had last night. The girls are screaming in excitement and the wide smile on my face is causing my cheeks to hurt.
The driver jerks to the side, and all at once we fly off the banana, arms and legs flailing everywhere, and hit the cool water. Our life vests cause us to surface quickly, but I still look around to make sure Liv has popped back up from under the water. Ava is wrapped around Ethan so I swim to Liv to make sure she’s okay.
Before I make it to her she says, “Let’s do that again.”
We all laugh and scramble back onto the banana. No mean feat considering it is wet and we are all slippery. We spend thirty minutes on the banana boat having the time of our lives, falling into the ocean and climbing back up numerous times until we are all totally exhausted.
“Let’s grab some brunch,” I suggest, as we all remove the life jackets and thank the driver of the boat. We make our way back up to the main area of the resort to grab some food and take it easy for a few hours, trying to catch our breath.
Although, with Liv so close to me, catching my breath seems like an impossible task.
The officiant has placed Ethan, Josh, Grant and myself in place under the white wooden archway that will act as the altar for the wedding tomorrow evening.
The girls are waiting at the edge of the grass, just before it meets the sand. Ava is holding onto her father’s arm, with Chelsea, her cousin Amanda, and Liv in front of her. Even though we are all dressed in our swimwear and t-shirts, the importance of this rehearsal is not lost on any of us. My best friend is getting married to the love of his life, and it makes my heart happy. He hasn‘t always had it easy, so seeing him like this is gratifying.
The officiant asks the girls to make their way down the make-shift aisle towards us, and we all turn at once to watch their approach.
I don’t miss the huge smile on Ethan’s face as he locks eyes with Ava in the distance. I of course can’t look away from Liv. Her body sways beneath her white see-through cover-up, her pale blue bikini highlighting her perfect curves. She looks straight into my eyes as she makes her way towards her place at the altar, smiling and blinking those big dark eyes of hers.
Once the girls are in place, the officiant takes us through the ceremony, explaining what each of us needs to do and what will take place. She even has Ethan and Ava rehearse their kiss, which of course they both take very seriously. It takes James clearing his throat before Ethan pulls back.
I think Ava’s dad is one of the few people on this Earth that can intimidate Ethan Drake.
A casual seafood buffet has been set up for all of us following the rehearsal and we tuck in. Everyone’s appetites have returned now that our hang-overs have disappeared.
“You know you’re rooming with me tonight right Gray?” Ethan announces.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Ava doesn’t want us to spend the night together tonight, tradition and all that. So Liv is sleeping with Ava and I’m in with you.”
Jesus Christ! There goes my chance to make amends with Liv tonight. The raging hard-on I’ve had all freakin’ day just thinking about her is not going to get any action tonight. I hide my disappointment from E; I don’t want him to see how much she is affecting me.
“Well, as long as you stay on your side of the bed and on top of the covers, I’m down with that.” I respond.
Ethan laughs, “Don’t worry Gray, I won’t come anywhere near your horny ass.”
I steer clear of the oysters on the seafood platter, the last thing I need is any aphrodisiac tonight. I’m already clawing at the walls thanks to Liv.
Oysters are definitely off the menu, and clearly for tonight, so is Liv.
A very special wedding
Ava looks down at her hibiscus bouquet, just as the photographer has directed her to do. She looks utterly breathtaking.
Her stunning dress highlights every one of her slight curves and flares out to a tulip bottom. The entire dress is covered in antique ivory lace, with a delicate satin ribbon and jewel design just under the bust. The sweetheart neckline and small lace cap sleeves that skim her shoulders give it a modern look.
Her dark hair has been braided to the side and fixed into a messy knot below her ear. She has the most stunning white hibiscus pinned to her hair, and her toes have been painted candy pink. We’re all going barefoot for the ceremony on the sand, so we thought that pedicures were a must for the day.
I have never in my life seen my sister look more stunning. It’s not the dress, the hair or the makeup that is doing it though; it’s the fact that she is marrying the one person in the world that completes her. That’s what is giving her the glow today.
We’re taking pictures in Ava’s bure now and then we plan to move out to the grounds of the resort for the next set. The boys are getting ready next door, but they have promised not to peek. Ava is adamant that she doesn’t want Ethan to see her prior to the ceremony. Bad luck and all that.
The photographer leaves us to grab a different lens for his camera, so Chelsea, Amanda and I take the chance to give Ava her presents.
“Ava, your dress is your something new, and Mum has already given you the antique lace garter that she wore at her wedding as your something borrowed. We wanted to get you something blue.” I hand Ava a small blue box.
“You guys got me something from Tiffany?�
� she says, recognising the signature blue box and white ribbon. She carefully unties the bow and pulls the small blue drawstring bag out of the box. The girls and I decided to get her diamond earrings for her to wear today as our gift to her. “Oh my God, these are stunning.”
She takes the teardrop earrings from the bag and fastens them to her lobes.
“I know the earrings aren’t blue, but we all know that you associate everything Tiffany with the blue colour of those boxes, so we thought it was appropriate.”
Ava hugs each of us in turn. “Thank you.”
She stops still and says, “Wait, I don’t have something old.”
I pull another Tiffany box from behind my back, although this one is worn and the white ribbon looks a little frayed at the ends. I place the small box in my palm and offer it to her.
“This is your something old.” I say.
Ava takes the box and removes the lid, pulling a small folded origami heart from the inside.
She smiles and her eyes mist over. “This is from Ethan,” she says, not as a question, just as a statement.
She opens the heart and she reads the words aloud:
My beautiful Ava,
This diamond bracelet belonged to Nanny Grace. I gave it to her for her sixtieth birthday. She left it to me when she passed with strict instructions that I give it to the woman who has my heart. Of course, that’s you. She knew it before I did, and I know that she is looking down on us and smiling. I can’t wait to make you mine today, I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you and I can’t wait to make you Mrs Drake. I love you with everything I am.
Yours forever and always, Ethan. x
We all wipe the tears from our eyes as I fasten the bracelet onto Ava’s wrist. Who knew he could be so romantic. The diamonds sparkle in the light that is streaming through the windows, casting a rainbow of colours onto the walls of the bure.
“Do I need to touch up my make-up now?” Ava asks as she swipes her finger gently under her eyes to remove the tears.
“No Sis, you’re perfect,” I reply.
She smiles at me, reminding me of the way she used to look at me when we were younger and throws her arms around me.
“I love you Liv,” she says simply, before pulling back to admire her new bracelet.
Now it’s my turn to wipe the tears away. “Love you too Sis,” I say.
The ceremony has been timed perfectly, so that the sun is starting to set over the ocean just as the music starts to drift towards where we’re waiting. The guests are all seated on the sand in white wooden chairs overlooking the water.
Ethan is standing at the other end of the pink-petal-strewn-aisle with a big-ass smile on his face, like he can’t wait to make Ava his. He looks so handsome in his beige pants, crisp white shirt and fitted beige button-up waistcoat. Perfect for a beach wedding.
His sandy-blonde hair has been tousled into his signature messy-look, and he has a hibiscus pinned to his lapel. Just like the one Ava has in her hair.
My eyes drift to his right and land on Gray.
My heart literally falters in my chest.
I can’t stop it from flip-flopping around.
He looks amazing.
Beyond amazing.
He is dressed identically to Ethan, right down to the hibiscus on his lapel. It’s not his sexy hair, flawless body, or heart-stopping smile that has me stopping in my tracks; it’s his bare feet in the sand.
What is it about a sexy guy with bare feet?
It makes me want to run down the aisle and jump on him.
But of course, I don’t.
The sexual tension flowing between the two of us is insane; we’re really going to need to do something to relieve it, and soon.
My cousin Amanda starts to make her way across the petals, followed by Chelsea, as the sounds of a guitar fill the night air.
Grayson’s voice then joins in, and I feel myself ready to swoon at his feet.
His beautiful bare feet.
He is serenading all of us as we make our way down the aisle. I don’t think Ava knew this was going to happen, so it’s a wonderful surprise. Gray is singing a slow version of Marry me by Jason Derulo, the song that he and Ethan sang when Ethan proposed. He sounds beautiful and sexy, and right now I want everyone else to disappear so I can have him all to myself.
As my turn to head down towards them arrives, I lock eyes on Grayson’s. It feels like he is singing to me and me alone, even though I know he is singing this specifically for Ava and Ethan.
The way he is looking at me should be illegal.
I swear his green eyes have turned almost black with heat.
I’m sure that I mirror his look, so I tear my gaze from his before I embarrass myself in front of my friends and family.
I sneak a quick look back at him as I take my place on Ava’s side of the altar, and he is smiling at me as he sings. Not his usual panty-dropping smile, just a sweet smile, which is filled with so much warmth that I can feel my heart expanding in my chest just looking at him.
I turn my attention to my beautiful sister. I don’t want to miss her walk down the aisle for anything. My dad looks so proud with Ava on his arm. They slowly make their way towards us as Gray continues to sing. Ava is crying, and I look to Ethan, who has tears tracking down his face too.
Great! That’s going to set me off now.
Ava and Dad stop in front of Ethan and Dad bends to give Ava a kiss on the cheek before placing her hand into Ethan’s.
“Take care of my girl,” he says with a thick voice, full of emotion, and he moves to take his place next to my mum in the front row.
Ethan pulls Ava close and gives her a heart-stopping kiss before they both turn to the officiant and the ceremony begins. I hear Ethan telling Ava how beautiful she looks and how much he loves her as they wait. He runs his hand down her arm and moves his thumb across the diamond bracelet that once belonged to Nanny Grace, before interlacing their fingers. It’s like he just has to be touching her while they do this.
I try so hard not to look at Grayson while the officiant is talking, but it is so difficult. He looks so handsome, and he is concentrating hard on what is happening. He looks nervous, probably because he has the mega-expensive rings in his possession.
As I move to look away, he looks up and locks eyes with me and for a moment we are paralysed, neither looking away from the other, unable to stop staring into each other’s eyes. What is it about weddings that cause everyone to get all mushy and romantic? I give him a shy smile and turn my attention to Ava and Ethan as they commence their vows.
Ava begins. “Ethan, I am so proud to become your wife today. Having you beside me makes me complete. I love your tenderness, support and strength. I know I can lean on you whenever I need to. You’ve given me so much, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have you in my life. I love the way you love me; just the way I’ve always dreamed of being loved. You listen to me like no one else can. I’m yours forever and always from this day forward. Today, the first day of the rest of our lives, I commit myself to you.”
Ethan wipes the tears from Ava’s cheeks with his thumbs, before he takes his turn. “Ava, today I take you as my wife. I treasure the bond we have together and the strength of our friendship. I feel cared for by you and I love that from this day forward you will be mine. I love your sensitivity and your caring nature; I love your enthusiasm and your optimism. I love how you love me. I promise I will support you in good times and in bad. I promise to always appreciate you and us as we journey through our lives together. Today, the first day of the rest of our lives, I commit myself to you.”
After Ava and Ethan follow up their vows with the “I do’s”, the officiant asks Grayson to present the rings.
He reaches into his jacket pocket and starts to pat down the front of it.
Oh God, please tell me he didn’t forget them!
They were in the safe at the apartment, next to his passport, but I didn’t think to grab them out at the same t
ime.
Just as Ethan starts to stress, Gray laughs and pulls them from his pocket. The congregation laughs as he brings light to the emotional ceremony, as only he could.
Ethan takes Ava’s hand and slides the stunning diamond encrusted ring onto her finger.
“Ava, today I marry you, my best friend, the one I live with, dream with and will love forever. I will cherish you from this day forward and walk hand in hand with you, heart-to-heart as we face our tomorrows.”
Ava takes Ethan’s hand and slides a thick platinum band onto his finger, repeating the same vows.
The officiant then takes both of their hands and joins them together, holding them in hers. “You are both holding the hands of your best friend, both of you young and strong and full of love for each other. These hands will cherish you, work alongside you, hold you, wipe tears from your eyes, hold your children, and give you strength. But most of all, these are the hands that will still be holding yours for years to come as you grow old together, today, tomorrow, and forever.”
As we all wipe tears from our eyes for the umpteenth time today, the officiant declares Ethan and Ava to be man and wife. While we all applaud and cheer the happy couple, Ethan and Ava kiss.
I’ve never seen a kiss full of so much love, promise, adoration and devotion in all my life.
They are truly meant-to-be.
My dad is swinging me around the dance floor like a rag doll. One thing is for sure about my dad, he can dance.
I remember when I was little he would make me stand on his feet and hold me close while he waltzed me all over the lounge room. I think I got my appreciation of both music and dance from my dad.
The Reception is in full swing, and after an incredible seafood dinner, we are all making the most of the wonderful band and warm Fijian evening. None of us can quite believe that Ethan and Ava have pulled off a wedding without any interruption from the paparazzi. There has not been one photographer or reporter anywhere near the resort.
“Can I cut in James?”
Dad spins me around until I am face-to-face with Gray.